James Burke

by MovieMaker Staff | Published September 14, 2006

James Burke.
Credit: George Kraychyk

Though he may be new to the directorâ€™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 Oâ€™Neillâ€™s Long Dayâ€™s Journey Into Night. Now, Burkeâ€™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 grandfatherâ€™s (Donald Sutherland) apartment building, only to fall in love with the manâ€™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 heâ€™ll keep providing us with satisfying and smart indie dramas for years to come.