Moviemaker of the Week

Tom Tykwer

Director Tom Tykwer and Dustin Hoffman on the set of Dreamworks’ Perfume:The Story of a Murderer.

Director Tom Tykwer consummately embodies the term “moviemaker,” often wearing the hats of director, writer, producer and composer. Despite his lack of a formal film education, Tykwer has managed to forge ahead and become a critically adored artist with a style all his own. His latest film, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, starring Ben Wishaw, Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman, began its limited U.S. release December 27. An adaptation of Patrick Suskind’s cult novel of the same name, the cinematic depiction brings to life the thrilling drama of a talented perfumer and the violent measures he takes to compose the perfect scent.

Most people will recognize the German-born director as the mastermind behind the art-house hit Run, Lola, Run. However, since that film’s 1998 release, he has built upon his success with two more feature films (The Princess and the Warrior and Heaven) and contributed a short to the upcoming Paris, je t’aime, alongside directors Alfonso Cuarón, Gus Van Sant and Gurinder Chadha.

Fascinated by the moving image at an early age (particularly film versions of Peter Pan and King Kong), Tykwer began his career as the projectionist at a Berlin movie house. By the age of 22 he became the sole programmer at the city’s Moviemento cinema, making him an esteemed contact for prominent German directors looking to screen their works. His first movie, 1990’s Because, was a hit on the festival circuit and helped to lead him to a partnership with fellow German moviemakers Stefan Arndt, Wolfgang Becker and Dani Levy. Together the men continue to run the X-Filme Creative Pool production house.

To hear it straight from the moviemaker’s mouth, visit Tykwer’s website.

Sound Off: Although Tykwer found success following his international triumph, Run, Lola, Run, his films have never had quite the same amount of publicity—until Perfume, which the late auteur Stanley Kubrick claimed could not be made. Do you think this is the movie to bring the director back to international acclaim? Talk back in the comments section!

January 7th, 2007 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Russell Brown

At the age of 30, writer-director Russell Brown has had a short film premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, and his feature debut, Race You to the Bottom, is already receiving acclaim from critics across the nation. ”Race You to the Bottom started as an exploration of how certain personal needs are played out in relationships,” explains Brown when asked about the origins of the film. “Initially the script consisted of a series of conversations over the course of a driving trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco about what characterizes the dynamic between a straight woman and a gay man."Starring Amber Benson (of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fame) and Cole Williams (North Country), the film has been lauded for its insightful exploration of complex emotional relationships and won Benson the Best Actress Award at the 2006 Outfest.  In discussing his attraction to the unusual love story that unfolds within the film, Brown says, “I like writing films about people who are negotiating thorny internal moral grey zones: I like to see what happens when a character is facing contradictory pulls inside himself or herself, and how that impacts his or her interaction with the outside world. These situations are both funny and painful, and I attempt to tread that line in my writing.”

In addition to gearing up for the January release of Race You to the Bottom (recently acquired by Regent Releasing), Brown has also finished principal photography on his second feature, The Bluetooth Virgin. For more information on Russell and his upcoming projects, visit www.raceyoutothebottom.com.

SOUND OFF QUESTION: Are there other indie newcomers you think we should know about? Talk back in the comments section!

January 2nd, 2007 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Edward Zwick

Director Edward Zwick on the set of Warner Bros. Blood Diamond - 2006

Ed Zwick has a taste for the epic. The Chicago-born moviemaker graduated from the AFI Conservatory in 1975 and quickly made his name as a writer and producer of the hit 1980s sitcom, “thirtysomething.” In 1989, Zwick made waves in the moviemaking world with the award-winning Civil War drama Glory, which nabbed three statues at the 1990 Oscar ceremony. After this first big-screen coup, Zwick continued his stream of critical and commercial hits as a director (The Last Samurai), writer (The Siege) and producer (Shakespeare in Love).

Now, Zwick has turned his eye to high-minded international thrillers, with the release of Blood Diamond. The film, which opened in theaters on December 8th, tackles the tough subject of the Sierra Leone diamond trade and its various political, social and economic repercussions. But don’t think that Zwick is simply about cheap thrills; as he himself explains: “There is no reason why challenging themes and engaging stories have to be mutually exclusive—in fact, each can fuel the other. As a filmmaker, I want to entertain people first and foremost. If out of that comes a greater awareness and understanding of a time or a circumstance, then the hope is that change can happen. Obviously, a single piece of work can’t change the world, but what you try to do is add your voice to the chorus.”

Sound Off: When making a film about a social issue, do moviemakers have an obligation to make more than just a crowd-pleasing blockbuster? Is any topic fair game when it comes to making it big in the box office? Or should film be used as a medium to educate audiences? Has Zwick managed to merge these two goals with Blood Diamond? Talk back in the comments section!

December 11th, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 1

Catherine Hardwicke

Director Catherine Hardwicke and Stanley Townsend on the set of New Line Cinema’s The Nativity Story - 2006

Best known for the shocking adolescent drama Thirteen and the sex-and-drugs-laden skater flick Lords of Dogtown, one might wonder how Catherine Hardwicke ended up helming the upcoming The Nativity Story. But if you consider her knack for tapping into the inner lives of young adults, then it all makes sense. “I had seen the nativity story just as we all do—a few simple passages with minimal detail and almost no insight into who Mary or Joseph were as people,” notes Hardwicke. “But in Mike [Rich]’s script, I saw this opportunity to really get inside the heads, hearts and souls of this young couple.”While Christian audiences will surely flock to the film, which opened December 1st (just in time for the holidays), Hardwicke’s street cred as a daring voice in the indie moviemaking scene will hopefully also draw a more alternative crowd, curious to see the director’s take on the ancient story of the birth of Jesus. Though The Nativity Story is only Hardwicke’s third outing as a director, she is no stranger to the movie world, having worked as a production designer (among various other positions) on almost 20 films since the 1980s. With a Sundance Director’s Award as well as a handful of Independent Spirit nominations under her belt, Hardwicke seems poised to become one of the most respected women in moviemaking.

In issue #36 of MovieMaker’s Hands-On-Pages, Hardwicke said of her future projects, “I want to do things that are personal—where I can feel a personal connection to the story. That’s what I’m most interested in.” In personalizing one of the vaguest—and most essential—narratives of the Bible, it seems that Hardwicke has established herself as the humanizing voice of the adolescent world—and we have no doubt that she’ll continue her pattern of making thought-provoking, personal films for many years to come.

Shameless Plug: To read the full interview with Hardwicke in MovieMaker’s Hands-On-Pages, visit http://www.moviemaker.com/hop/editorial.php?id=130.
Sound Off: Is Hardwicke set to become one of the next great women moviemakers?  Is The Nativity Story proof that the director can bring realism to any genre of film? Talk back in the comments section of the blog!

December 3rd, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Norm Hunter

Actress Lalaine consults with writer-director-producer Norm Hunter between takes on the set of Summertime Films’ Her Best Move.

Model-actress. Writer-director. Actor-director. Dozens of hyphenates have become commonplace titles in modern-day Hollywood. The one you don’t hear too often, however, is racecar-driver-turned-director. That is, of course, unless you’re talking about Norm Hunter.

After earning a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Princeton, and having spent his summers designing and building racecars, Hunter dove headfirst into a racing career that lasted five years and earned him a reputation as one of the world’s top professional drivers. A manufacturing career came next, but neither occupation was enough to deter Hunter from pursuing his true goal: Making movies.

Hunter’s latest project, the romantic teen dramedy Her Best Move, about a high school soccer star dealing with teen angst and her professional future, may seem to be a tame entry from a man with an obvious need for speed, but Hunter doesn’t think so: “Racing cars and making movies have more in common than you might think,” he says. “In both, you have to make a million decisions quickly and confidently—and any one of those decisions can dramatically affect the end result, for better or worse! In each, you have a fantastic, highly trained team of people you put your total trust in, all of whom are working in unison to achieve the same goal. And of course, in both racing and filmmaking, you’re always waiting forever for the green light!”

For more information, visit www.herbestmove.com.

November 26th, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 6

Fabián Bielinsky

Some say he’s the David Mamet of the Latin film world; others have drawn comparisons to Alfred Hitchcock. After 20-plus years in the film industry, writer-director Fabián Bielinsky left us with only two feature films of his own making, but somehow still captured the attention of the entire moviemaking world. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Bielinsky attended Argentina’s national film institute, the Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales. Upon graduation, he found work as an assistant director on local film sets before launching his own brief but sensational career.

Ricardo Darín, Fabián Bielinsky and Pablo Cedrón as Sosa in The Aura.Photo credit: Elías Meckler. An IFC First Take release.

Toiling away for years on his own movie projects and finding no production support, Bielinsky entered and won a 1998 screenplay contest. By 2000 his film, Nine Queens, was completed and released in his native country and quickly met with international acclaim at film festivals the world over. Hollywood recognition came with the territory, and in 2004 the moviemaker saw the release of Criminal, Gregory Jacobs’ English-language version of Bielinsky’s film, starring John C. Reilly and Diego Luna.

Sadly, in June of this year the mastermind of the Argentinean thriller passed away from a heart attack at the age of 47, only five months before the U.S. release of his second film venture, The Aura, opening November 17th. The film, starring Bielinsky veteran Ricardo Darín, tells the twisted tale of an epileptic man attempting to pull off the perfect crime. Once again, both director and film have been well received at festivals throughout the world, including a handful of awards from the Argentinean Film Critics Association and a Grand Jury Prize nomination at Sundance. With his untimely death, Bielinsky’s impressive duo of films stands as a testament to a formidable—and unfortunately short-lived—talent.

November 13th, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Tim Rhys

There’s been a lot of talk in the pages of MM recently about the ever-increasing opportunities available for moviemakers who go the self-distribution route. Indies around the country have taken notice—including MM’s own publisher, editor-in-chief and resident auteur, Timothy Rhys.As co-director of No Limit: A Search for the American Dream on the Poker Tournament Trail, a new documentary that explores the poker world behind the glare of cable TV crews and celebrity dabblers, Rhys had originally envisioned going the traditional theatrical route with the picture, or at least bringing on a mini-major distributor to handle the release. But despite serious conversations with studios like Sony Pictures Classics and THINKFilm, Rhys and his producers came to the conclusion that a straight-to-DVD route would actually deliver a faster return for their investors—even if they decide to sign with a distributor at a later time.

“Although we are initially putting the DVD out ourselves, we do expect to eventually go with a mainstream distributor,” says Rhys. So what makes Rhys so sure self-distribution can work for No Limit now? “Because we’re concentrating mainly on our ‘built-in’ demographic,” Rhys says, referring to his group’s grassroots marketing strategy, which will take advantage of the continuing popularity of poker. In fact, this “niche,” is estimated to be between 50 and 80 million people in the U.S. alone, and Rhys notes that there are hundreds of magazines, Websites, blogs, etc. all targeting this demographic.
But it’s not just the target audience that is large—so are the potential returns. “Profit per unit for the ‘grassroots method’ is roughly $8 to $20 per DVD, as compared to the roughly $2 to $3 we could expect from a traditional distribution deal,” Rhys notes.
Time will tell whether the DIY avenue will work for the No Limit producers, but so far the strategy seems to be paying off.

For more information, visit the No Limit website.

October 30th, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Michael Apted

There aren’t many moviemakers who have as long and varied a career as Michael Apted. Born in England in 1941, Apted studied law and history at Cambridge University before embarking on his impressively diverse filmography. He’s done Bond flicks (The World Is Not Enough) and award-winning biopics (Coal Miner’s Daughter, Gorillas in the Mist), but it’s his background in television and investigative journalism that is at the heart of his lifelong project, the acclaimed UP Series.

Originally broadcast as a “World in Action” special in 1964, the series has followed the lives of a group of British men and women since the age of seven, returning every seven years to document the turns their lives have taken. The latest installment, 49 UP, premiered at the IFC Center in New York on October 6th.  Now 49 years old and well into middle-age, the largest amount of original interview subjects to date have returned to be captured by Apted’s camera, reflecting not only on the events of the last seven years, but also on the effect the documentaries have had on their lives.

For those of you who missed out on the previous chapters of this revolutionary project, you’re in luck. In honor of the return of the UP Series, First Run Features has declared October “UP Month”—and is offering a 35 percent discount through the end of the month on the box set, available through their Website. For more information, visit http://firstrunfeatures.com/upseries.html.

October 16th, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Anne Aghion

Credit: Allan Ashworth

After producing two internationally-acclaimed documentaries on Rwanda, award-winning journalist-turned-documentarian Anne Aghion set her sights on capturing the experiences of scientists and students working in the still mysterious Arctic landscape.

The film, entitled An Antarctic Spring,began production in August 2006 and will continue throughout the fall. Aghion and her small crew live and work at the McMurdo Station research community, which has greatly impacted Aghion’s methods as a director: “Aside from the three of us on the crew, there’s no one to really talk to about all that’s going on—so that alters the creative process for me.”

In addition, there are a number of technical limitations: Low temperatures, condensation on camera lenses and the tunnel vision forced by thick jackets and hoods. Yet, despite this, Aghion seems dedicated to giving the audience a glimpse of what life in Antarctica truly entails.

“If we can convey the difficulty and the laboriousness of it all, it’ll already be something,” she says. “It’s kind of a Sisyphus situation for everyone in Antarctica; you have to be prepared to perform the same activity over and over again and not be bogged down by the futility of your efforts.”

An Antarctic Spring is set to premiere in 2008 on the Sundance Channel and the Franco-German network ARTE to celebrate the International Polar Year. From more information, visit www.livingantarctica.org.

October 8th, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Terry Gilliam

Terry Gilliam, Brendan Fletcher and Jodelle Ferland on the set of the movie Tideland.

Over the course of his career, Terry Gilliam has come to be known as one of today’s most visually innovative directors. From his early days with “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” where his cut-out animations gave the show a uniquely whimsical appeal, to the cult masterpiece Brazil, Gilliam has proven that in the right hands, darkly intelligent films can also be massively entertaining. More recently, Gilliam has appeared in Louis Pepe and Keith Fulton’s documentary Lost in La Mancha and directed The Brothers Grimm, starring Heath Ledger and Matt Damon. His newest film, Tideland, will be released on October 13.

Tideland, described by Gilliam as “‘Alice in Wonderland’ meets Psycho,” will screen at New York’s IFC Center for a one-week exclusive engagement. As a precursor to the event, IFC Center will present “Movie Night with Terry Gilliam” on Wednesday October 4 at 7:00pm, with the legendary moviemaker and “Monty Python” alum in-person to present a special surprise screening of one of his favorite films. After the screening, Gilliam will discuss his work and the movies that have influenced him in a Q&A session with the audience.

October 2nd, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 1

Kevin Macdonald

Director Kevin Macdonald and Forest Whitaker on the set of THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND Photo Credit: Neil Davidson.

It’s not always easy for documentarians to cross the bridge over to fiction, but it seems Kevin Macdonald has made the transition almost flawlessly. The Academy Award-winning director of One Day in September, which tells the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics, has set his sights on the charismatic and infamous former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin with the biopic The Last King of Scotland, opening September 27th.

With Forest Whitaker cast as Amin’s uncanny on-screen incarnation, The Last King of Scotland seems destined for Oscar nods, and although Whitaker is causing most of the buzz surrounding the film, Macdonald’s leadership is unquestionably the foundation of this compelling portrait. Drawing from the realism of his past documentary projects, Macdonald insisted on shooting the film in Uganda, saying: “I wanted to capture that different, more realistic image of Africa, which I think will surprise people. And once we arrived in Uganda, we were surrounded by history. Almost everyone we met had been deeply affected by the time of Idi Amin in some way. Being where it all happened made a massive difference.”

Though production company Fox Searchlight gambled a bit in choosing a relative newcomer to head the film, it’s clear that Macdonald has proven his worth as a moviemaker who can steer a risky and controversial production towards near-guaranteed success—regardless of genre.

For more information, visit http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/thelastkingofscotland.

September 24th, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

James Burke

James Burke. Credit: George Kraychyk

Though he may be new to the director’s chair, James Burke is no stranger to the art of creating subtle and thought-provoking entertainment. With his company, Entitled Entertainment, Burke produced the philosophical drama, 13 Conversations About One Thing (2001), in which Alan Arkin and Matthew McConaughey lead an all-star cast. In addition to his work in the movie world, Burke also co-produced the Tony Award-winning revival of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Now, Burke’s first feature film, Aurora Borealis, is making waves and snatching up awards at film festivals around the country.

Aurora Borealis tells the story of Duncan (Joshua Jackson), a drifting twentysomething who gets a job as a handyman in his ailing grandfather’s (Donald Sutherland) apartment building, only to fall in love with the man’s in-home aide (Juliette Lewis). The film, which opens in limited release on September 15th, has already swept up Audience Choice Awards at the River Run and Jackson Hole Film Festivals, as well as both Best Film and Best Actor nods at the Fort Lauderdale Festival. Critics are praising Burke and screenwriter Brent Boyd for creating an effecting, small-town drama that evades the typical heavy-handed plot twists of similar films.

For the moment, Burke has no future projects announced, but considering his success wearing both the producer and director hats, we hope he’ll keep providing us with satisfying and smart indie dramas for years to come.

September 14th, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 1

Page 2 of 2 pages  <  1 2

SITE DELIVERY OPTIONS

Home | Latest Headlines
Screenwriting | Producing | Directing | Acting | Cinematography | Editing | Distribution | Education | Festivals | Locations
Listings | Archives | HOP Interviews | Blogs | Forums | Contests | Subscriptions | Advertising

About | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Contact

© 2012 MovieMaker Magazine

Web site design by Hop Studios