Saudi’s Joy Awards Honors Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Costner & More
The likes of Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Costner and Mark Wahlberg were honored at Saudi Arabia’s Joy Awards 2024 on Saturday. Jean Reno, Eva Longoria, Salman Khan, Martin Lawrence, Quincy Jones, Alia Bhatt, Georgina Rodriguez, Anthony Anderson, Sam Worthington and Paul Anderson were also either celebrated or in attendance in Riyadh, along with the likes directors Zach Schneider and Doug Liman, and global sports stars Tyson Fury, John Cena and Francis Ngannou. The awards are part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program and recognize major names in music, cinema, television, sports, and more from the Arab world. Hopkins, Costner and Jones were among several recipients of Lifetime Achievement honors, while industry awards went to Bollywood star Bhatt, Schneider and Bad Boys actor Martin Lawrence among others. Mbc Group, the Middle East’s largest broadcast and media firm, co-hosts the awards, which...
The likes of Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Costner and Mark Wahlberg were honored at Saudi Arabia’s Joy Awards 2024 on Saturday. Jean Reno, Eva Longoria, Salman Khan, Martin Lawrence, Quincy Jones, Alia Bhatt, Georgina Rodriguez, Anthony Anderson, Sam Worthington and Paul Anderson were also either celebrated or in attendance in Riyadh, along with the likes directors Zach Schneider and Doug Liman, and global sports stars Tyson Fury, John Cena and Francis Ngannou. The awards are part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program and recognize major names in music, cinema, television, sports, and more from the Arab world. Hopkins, Costner and Jones were among several recipients of Lifetime Achievement honors, while industry awards went to Bollywood star Bhatt, Schneider and Bad Boys actor Martin Lawrence among others. Mbc Group, the Middle East’s largest broadcast and media firm, co-hosts the awards, which...
- 1/22/2024
- by Jesse Whittock and Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Hot Hosts Head For Hota
Australian actor Rebel Wilson has been named as the emcee of the 2024 edition of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) awards. Wilson will take to the stage on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Two days earlier, on Feb. 8, singer and actor Harry Connick Jr. will be the host of the Aacta Industry Awards. Both hosts will be joined by some of the industry’s most dynamic stars presenting at the ceremonies. And both ceremonies, presented by Foxtel Group, will be held at the Home of the Arts (Hota) on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Shorts To Features
Writer-director-actor Alice Englert, producer Jodi Matterson, director David Michôd, and producer Jamie Hilton, will be among the speakers at Flickerlab 2024 on Thursday. Pitched as a one-day journey from shorts to features, the Bondi, New South Wales-located event is backed by the Australian Film Television and Radio School (Aftrs...
Australian actor Rebel Wilson has been named as the emcee of the 2024 edition of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) awards. Wilson will take to the stage on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Two days earlier, on Feb. 8, singer and actor Harry Connick Jr. will be the host of the Aacta Industry Awards. Both hosts will be joined by some of the industry’s most dynamic stars presenting at the ceremonies. And both ceremonies, presented by Foxtel Group, will be held at the Home of the Arts (Hota) on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Shorts To Features
Writer-director-actor Alice Englert, producer Jodi Matterson, director David Michôd, and producer Jamie Hilton, will be among the speakers at Flickerlab 2024 on Thursday. Pitched as a one-day journey from shorts to features, the Bondi, New South Wales-located event is backed by the Australian Film Television and Radio School (Aftrs...
- 1/22/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Al Pacino, Diego Boneta, Xolo Maridueña, KiKi Layne, Alexander Ludwig, Ron Livingston, Kendrick Sampson, Nicole Beharie, Logan Marshall Green and Titus Welliver will star in Killing Castro. Eif Rivera will direct the movie from a script by Leon Hendrix, Thomas DeGrezia and Colin Bateman. This will be Rivera’s first feature film.
Killing Castro will be produced by Romulus Entertainment’s Brad Feinstein, along with Christina Weiss Lurie of Fourth and Twenty-Eight Films. Romulus will also finance. Principal photography will take place in Newark, NJ.
Based on true events, the film is set in 1960. Shortly after winning the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro travels to New York City to deliver his first speech to the United Nations. When met with hostility at his original hotel, Castro meets Malcolm X who invites him to stay at famed Hotel Theresa in Harlem. With the eyes of the world watching, a rookie undercover...
Killing Castro will be produced by Romulus Entertainment’s Brad Feinstein, along with Christina Weiss Lurie of Fourth and Twenty-Eight Films. Romulus will also finance. Principal photography will take place in Newark, NJ.
Based on true events, the film is set in 1960. Shortly after winning the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro travels to New York City to deliver his first speech to the United Nations. When met with hostility at his original hotel, Castro meets Malcolm X who invites him to stay at famed Hotel Theresa in Harlem. With the eyes of the world watching, a rookie undercover...
- 12/4/2023
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Jason Sudeikis and Lee Pace star in a flashy true-crime thriller about the an FBI informant and his car-making crony
Screenwriter and novelist Colin Bateman has here scripted a flashy but watchable true-crime thriller in the style of American Made (2017) or Blow (2001).
It’s based on the stranger-than-fiction case of Jim Hoffman, a drug-runner and FBI informant who in the late 70s happened to be a California neighbour of automobile entrepreneur John DeLorean, who at that time was having real trouble selling the sports car he had designed, with its falcon-wing doors and its unreliable engine, coming sluggishly off the production line in a Northern Ireland factory with financial help from the British government. (The car’s sole success was its iconic appearance in Back to the Future.) Desperate for cash, DeLorean accepted a dodgy deal from Hoffman, hoping to ease his cash-flow worries with cocaine profits from Hoffman’s sleazy drug-dealer contacts.
Screenwriter and novelist Colin Bateman has here scripted a flashy but watchable true-crime thriller in the style of American Made (2017) or Blow (2001).
It’s based on the stranger-than-fiction case of Jim Hoffman, a drug-runner and FBI informant who in the late 70s happened to be a California neighbour of automobile entrepreneur John DeLorean, who at that time was having real trouble selling the sports car he had designed, with its falcon-wing doors and its unreliable engine, coming sluggishly off the production line in a Northern Ireland factory with financial help from the British government. (The car’s sole success was its iconic appearance in Back to the Future.) Desperate for cash, DeLorean accepted a dodgy deal from Hoffman, hoping to ease his cash-flow worries with cocaine profits from Hoffman’s sleazy drug-dealer contacts.
- 11/8/2019
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Incredible true stories don’t always promise incredible film results. Part of the problem is finding a heart of the subject’s life that suits the process of storytelling. Something that happens over the course of a lifetime might not lend itself to a two hour structure.
It’s a challenge facing Driven’s writer Colin Bateman and director Nick Hamm, the pair who have taken on the task of detailing the true events that befell John DeLorean (Lee Pace), the auto exec who took a successful career and flushed it completely down the toilet.
He rose to the top at General Motors by making bold decisions, before going off on his own to produce what he thought would be a unique piece of car design, one that he would slap his own name on so it could live on for generations. He wanted to make a timeless machine out of a DeLorean.
It’s a challenge facing Driven’s writer Colin Bateman and director Nick Hamm, the pair who have taken on the task of detailing the true events that befell John DeLorean (Lee Pace), the auto exec who took a successful career and flushed it completely down the toilet.
He rose to the top at General Motors by making bold decisions, before going off on his own to produce what he thought would be a unique piece of car design, one that he would slap his own name on so it could live on for generations. He wanted to make a timeless machine out of a DeLorean.
- 11/6/2019
- by Richard Phippen
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Who is more of a fascinating individual than John DeLorean? The maker of the automobile of the same name is just as well known for that car as being involved in shady drug dealings. Some remember him as a genius in the auto field, but most think of him either for flopping with his company or being put on trial. That intrigue helps fuel the new film Driven, which presents DeLorean as a side character to the life of Jim Hoffman, who befriended and then potentially betrayed him. If that sounds like the set up for a dark flick, you’d be mistaken. This is far more lighthearted than you might initially think, though the seriousness if the matters at hand are never too far from the spotlight. The movie is a mix of comedy, crime, drama, and thriller. Taking place in San Diego in the early 1980’s, the story...
- 8/15/2019
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Nearly 15 years after his death, John DeLorean’s life story still feels tailor-made for the movies. He rose and fell, and then did it again. He married and remarried, and then did it again. He made huge mistakes, miraculously escaped punishment, and then — well, you get the idea.
So perhaps the problem is that there’s too much material here? “Driven” is the second film this summer to address DeLorean’s life, and the second one to feel overwhelmed by its subject. In the more ambitious “Framing John DeLorean,” documentarians Sheena Joyce and Don Argott addressed their subject head-on, mixing various styles and genres in an attempt to understand him.
Here, director Nick Hamm (“The Journey”) and writer Colin Bateman skirt the edges of his experience, as if they’re too intimidated to approach it directly. So we get a relatively amusing dramedy, but one in which DeLorean remains a...
So perhaps the problem is that there’s too much material here? “Driven” is the second film this summer to address DeLorean’s life, and the second one to feel overwhelmed by its subject. In the more ambitious “Framing John DeLorean,” documentarians Sheena Joyce and Don Argott addressed their subject head-on, mixing various styles and genres in an attempt to understand him.
Here, director Nick Hamm (“The Journey”) and writer Colin Bateman skirt the edges of his experience, as if they’re too intimidated to approach it directly. So we get a relatively amusing dramedy, but one in which DeLorean remains a...
- 8/15/2019
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group has purchased North American and some foreign rights to Nick Hamm’s John DeLorean movie Driven which made its world premiere at last year’s Venice Film Festival and continued on to Tiff. Pic will hit theaters on Aug. 16.
Inspired by true events, Driven is a wickedly comedic look at a bromance gone bad. Set in the opulence of early 1980s California, the story follows the meteoric rise of John DeLorean (Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Lee Pace) and his iconic DeLorean Motor Company, through his friendship with charming ex-con turned FBI informant, Jim Hoffman (SNL alum Jason Sudeikis). It was Hoffman who lured the car designer-engineer into a government cocaine trafficking ring, which DeLorean was tempted by given the fact that he needed $17M to save his floundering company. Isabel Arraiza is Cristina Ferrare, DeLorean’s fashion model wife, Judy Greer (Ant-Man...
Inspired by true events, Driven is a wickedly comedic look at a bromance gone bad. Set in the opulence of early 1980s California, the story follows the meteoric rise of John DeLorean (Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Lee Pace) and his iconic DeLorean Motor Company, through his friendship with charming ex-con turned FBI informant, Jim Hoffman (SNL alum Jason Sudeikis). It was Hoffman who lured the car designer-engineer into a government cocaine trafficking ring, which DeLorean was tempted by given the fact that he needed $17M to save his floundering company. Isabel Arraiza is Cristina Ferrare, DeLorean’s fashion model wife, Judy Greer (Ant-Man...
- 5/17/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Hollywood has been trying to tell the story of John DeLorean, the creator of the famous, winged “Back to the Future” car, for decades. But Nick Hamm, director of the new film “Driven,” finally found a way to make it work.
DeLorean in the ’80s was implicated in a sting operation when FBI informant James Timothy Hoffman approached him to ask about setting up a cocaine deal. But the case was a set up, and DeLorean was eventually cleared of drug charges.
“This is a man who created his downfall through a huge act of hubris,” Hamm told TheWrap’s Steve Pond at Tiff. “How did he get involved in a terrible FBI entrapment with an absolute lowlife scumbag who was part of his weird social circle?”
Also Read: Nicole Kidman on Physical Transformation in 'Destroyer': 'It's My Job to Push Through' (Video)
Hamm said that while other...
DeLorean in the ’80s was implicated in a sting operation when FBI informant James Timothy Hoffman approached him to ask about setting up a cocaine deal. But the case was a set up, and DeLorean was eventually cleared of drug charges.
“This is a man who created his downfall through a huge act of hubris,” Hamm told TheWrap’s Steve Pond at Tiff. “How did he get involved in a terrible FBI entrapment with an absolute lowlife scumbag who was part of his weird social circle?”
Also Read: Nicole Kidman on Physical Transformation in 'Destroyer': 'It's My Job to Push Through' (Video)
Hamm said that while other...
- 9/18/2018
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
There was a charged moment, sometime in the early years of this century, when it seemed Lee Pace could become one of America’s major screen actors. A sensitive everyman with a simultaneous, soulful outsider affinity, he made a dazzling debut as a transgender showgirl in “Soldier’s Girl,” but the slide into more workaday roles since then has been steady.
“Driven” is nothing if not workaday: A diverting, color-by-numbers comedy of mad moguls, FBI informants and not-so-fast cars in disco-to-Reagan-era California, Nick Hamm’s loosely fact-based film plays as a good-humored knockoff of Doug Liman’s “American Made” or David O. Russell’s “American Hustle,” without even those films’ Scorsesesque ambitions. Improbably enough, however, it gives Pace a role to echo his earliest, most exciting promise: As disgraced automobile tycoon John DeLorean, he precisely etches an self-unmade man of tightly pinched sorrow, hovering some way above the gaudy hijinks beneath him.
“Driven” is nothing if not workaday: A diverting, color-by-numbers comedy of mad moguls, FBI informants and not-so-fast cars in disco-to-Reagan-era California, Nick Hamm’s loosely fact-based film plays as a good-humored knockoff of Doug Liman’s “American Made” or David O. Russell’s “American Hustle,” without even those films’ Scorsesesque ambitions. Improbably enough, however, it gives Pace a role to echo his earliest, most exciting promise: As disgraced automobile tycoon John DeLorean, he precisely etches an self-unmade man of tightly pinched sorrow, hovering some way above the gaudy hijinks beneath him.
- 9/8/2018
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Closing Night films at festivals aren’t always the most prestigious slot you can get (witness the debacle of Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote at Cannes this
year), but sometimes a surprise is in store. I think that is exactly the case for Venice tonight with its closer, Nick Hamm’s wild ride about the travails of car dreamer John DeLorean, Driven. And Driven indeed the man was to create his own legacy and eponymous car after striking out on his own following a successful gig as a top General Motors executive. For years, various producers and directors have tried to crack the code of the DeLorean story only to be stymied. The closest it has come to movie immortality is as the car featured in Back To The Future. Hamm thought there was another way, and a script (from Colin Bateman) finally got it right,...
year), but sometimes a surprise is in store. I think that is exactly the case for Venice tonight with its closer, Nick Hamm’s wild ride about the travails of car dreamer John DeLorean, Driven. And Driven indeed the man was to create his own legacy and eponymous car after striking out on his own following a successful gig as a top General Motors executive. For years, various producers and directors have tried to crack the code of the DeLorean story only to be stymied. The closest it has come to movie immortality is as the car featured in Back To The Future. Hamm thought there was another way, and a script (from Colin Bateman) finally got it right,...
- 9/8/2018
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Director Nick Hamm’s John DeLorean biopic “Driven” will close this year’s Venice Film Festival, the festival announced Monday.
The world premiere of “Driven” will screen on Sept. 8 in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the Lido di Venezia, immediately after the awards ceremony for the 75th annual festival.
Set in early 1980s California, the fact-based story follows the meteoric rise of John DeLorean, (Lee Pace) and his iconic DeLorean Motor Company, through his friendship with charming ex-con turned FBI informant, Jim Hoffman (Jason Sudeikis).
The cast also includes Judy Greer (“Ant-Man”) as Hoffman’s strong-willed wife, Ellen, and Corey Stoll (“House of Cards“) as ambitious FBI agent Benedict Tissa.
Hamm, whose previous directing credits include “Killing Bono” and “The Journey,” directed from an original screenplay by Colin Bateman (“The Journey”). The film,...
The world premiere of “Driven” will screen on Sept. 8 in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the Lido di Venezia, immediately after the awards ceremony for the 75th annual festival.
Set in early 1980s California, the fact-based story follows the meteoric rise of John DeLorean, (Lee Pace) and his iconic DeLorean Motor Company, through his friendship with charming ex-con turned FBI informant, Jim Hoffman (Jason Sudeikis).
The cast also includes Judy Greer (“Ant-Man”) as Hoffman’s strong-willed wife, Ellen, and Corey Stoll (“House of Cards“) as ambitious FBI agent Benedict Tissa.
Hamm, whose previous directing credits include “Killing Bono” and “The Journey,” directed from an original screenplay by Colin Bateman (“The Journey”). The film,...
- 8/6/2018
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
Hamm’s previous films include ‘The Journey’ and ’Killing Bono’.
The world premiere of Driven, directed by the UK’s Nick Hamm, will be the closing film of the 75th Venice International Film Festival on Saturday, September 8.
It will play out of competition at the festival with the screening following the awards ceremony.
Set in early 1980s California and inspired by true events, Driven follows the friendship between John DeLorean and FBI informant Jim Hoffman as DeLorean’s motor company starts to find success.
Directed by Hamm from a screenplay by Colin Bateman, with whom he collaborated on The Journey,...
The world premiere of Driven, directed by the UK’s Nick Hamm, will be the closing film of the 75th Venice International Film Festival on Saturday, September 8.
It will play out of competition at the festival with the screening following the awards ceremony.
Set in early 1980s California and inspired by true events, Driven follows the friendship between John DeLorean and FBI informant Jim Hoffman as DeLorean’s motor company starts to find success.
Directed by Hamm from a screenplay by Colin Bateman, with whom he collaborated on The Journey,...
- 8/6/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Driven, the John DeLorean biopic directed by Killing Bono’s Nick Hamm, is set to close the 75th Venice International Film Festival.
The film, which stars Jason Sudeikis, House of Cards’ Corey Stoll, Guardians of the Galaxy’s Lee Pace and Ant-Man’s Judy Greer, will close the festival on Saturday, September 8 in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the Lido di Venezia following the awards ceremony.
Hamm’s film, inspired by true events is a “wickedly comedic look at a bromance gone bad.” Set in early 1980s California, the story follows the rise of John DeLorean, and his iconic DeLorean Motor Company, through his friendship with charming ex-con turned FBI informant Jim Hoffman. Pace plays DeLorean, Sudeikis plays Hoffman, while Greer stars as Hoffman’s wife and Stoll plays ambitious FBI agent Benedict Tissa.
The film was written by Colin Bateman (The Journey) and financed by Romulus Entertainment.
The film, which stars Jason Sudeikis, House of Cards’ Corey Stoll, Guardians of the Galaxy’s Lee Pace and Ant-Man’s Judy Greer, will close the festival on Saturday, September 8 in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the Lido di Venezia following the awards ceremony.
Hamm’s film, inspired by true events is a “wickedly comedic look at a bromance gone bad.” Set in early 1980s California, the story follows the rise of John DeLorean, and his iconic DeLorean Motor Company, through his friendship with charming ex-con turned FBI informant Jim Hoffman. Pace plays DeLorean, Sudeikis plays Hoffman, while Greer stars as Hoffman’s wife and Stoll plays ambitious FBI agent Benedict Tissa.
The film was written by Colin Bateman (The Journey) and financed by Romulus Entertainment.
- 8/6/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Judy Greer is set to co-star in the indie thriller Driven, joining Jason Sudeikis, Lee Pace and Timothy Olyphant. Nick Hamm is directing from a script by Colin Bateman, with filming to start September in Puerto Rico. The pic follows Jim Hoffman (Sudeikis), a con artist-turned-informer for the FBI in the war on drugs. Greer will play Jim’s wife Ellen Hoffman. Luillo Ruiz of Pimienta Film Company is producing along with Tempo Productions’ Piers Tempest and Jo…...
- 8/7/2017
- Deadline
“We are Ireland. We are inevitable.”
Each summer, while the multiplexes are filled with the big spectacles and epic blockbusters, the little gems that grip us with their humor, their tragedy and their humanity, manage to find their ways into the cinemas. This year it’s The Journey, the gripping account of how two men from opposite sides of the political spectrum came together to change the course of history.
In 2006, amidst the ongoing, decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland, representatives from the two warring factions meet for negotiations. In one corner is Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall), the deeply conservative British loyalist; in the other is Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney), a former Irish Republican Army leader who has devoted his life to the cause of Irish reunification. Opposites in every way, the two men at first seem to have little chance of ever finding common ground. But over the course of an impromptu, detour-filled car ride through the Scottish countryside, each begins to see the other less as an enemy, and more as an individual—a breakthrough that promises to at last bring peace to the troubled region.
Driven by two virtuoso central performances, The Journey is a more-relevant-than-ever reminder of how simple humanity can overcome political division. Freddie Highmore, Toby Stephens, Catherine McCormack and John Hurt co-star. (Review)
I recently spoke with the director of The Journey, award winning director Nick Hamm. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Hamm directed cult-classic The Hole (2001), starring Thora Birch and Keira Knightley, in her feature film debut. He also helmed Lionsgate’s thriller Godsend (2004), starring Robert DeNiro, Rebecca Romijn and Greg Kinnear.
Hamm later produced and directed the 80’s U2-centric comedy, Killing Bono (2011) for Paramount Pictures and Northern Ireland Screen, starring Ben Barnes, Robert Sheehan and Pete Postelwaite.
During our discussion about his latest movie, the British director and I talked about the film’s mixture of tension and humor, the human story and the message of The Journey.
We Are Movie Geeks: The Journey is a good story that should be told – the type that audiences don’t see anymore. It opened in 2016 in Toronto and then Venice, and finally had its premiere at the Belfast Film Festival in May 2017. What was the crowd’s reaction and how was it received?
Nick Hamm: That was a really extraordinary event. I’ve seen it now with thousands of people watching the movie and if you’re going to see a movie like this, you really need to take it back to Northern Ireland to see what they make of it. In the end, that’s where the authenticity of the film is. It is important to us. The event was attended by nearly a thousand people and political leaders from both sides of the community came so we had politicians from Sinn Féin and politicians from the Democratic Unionist Party (Dup). It was a very emotional and momentous event because in many respects it reminded people of something that they had achieved and had risked losing.
We Are Movie Geeks: It is such an interesting script by writer Colin Bateman, one that is funny, sad, and dramatic. Tell me about lead actors Timothy Spall (Paisley) and Colm Meaney (McGuinness – who died recently in March) and the casting. Their characters became known as ”the Chuckle Brothers”. Both actors were very impressive to watch.
Nick Hamm: What underscores everything is the fact that Colin’s script is so good and when that happens, you attract really good actors. Both Tim and Colm were fantastic partners on the film. Tim had to transform himself – he’s playing a six foot five, Northern Irish politician when in reality he’s a five foot nine London actor. We did some prosthetics on his chin and a little aging on his hair, along with the false teeth. The hair and makeup was done by Polly McKay. Tim became the character of Paisley which was fascinating to watch and he’s one of those actors that totally transforms himself.
Colm is one of Ireland’s best actors. What was important was to find somebody who could give McGuinness sympathy. This is a man whose background is well documented. What do you do? You start by making him human, you give him a life and a backstory. When you put someone like Colm Meany in that role, Colm transforms himself for that. He understands the culture from where that character comes, he understands the basis of that character’s ideology and he understands how that character ticks. If you have that and you are a good actor – which he is, then you have a good combination. It was great to watch him.
We Are Movie Geeks: I was very pleased to see the late John Hurt in the film in what was one of his final roles.
Nick Hamm: We all knew that John was very sick while he was doing the film. When we offered him the movie, he wanted to work until the end and play the part. It was real tribute to have him involved as a part of the film.
We Are Movie Geeks: Irish writer Seamus Heaney, although not a political animal was an artist like yourself. He was affected by “The Troubles” when his cousin Colum was killed as a result of the war – Heaney moved from Northern Ireland to Southern Ireland after that. Has it affected you in any way and was this a partial reason why you made the film?
Nick Hamm: It hasn’t affected me personally but I knew people who were. Growing up I was in school in Northern Ireland and I knew people who had real problems. I could see it with my own eyes, the difficulties back then, and it was an intense situation. The vast portion of the people in Northern Ireland went on about their daily life unaffected by it. The real heroes were the people who got on with their daily lives in that situation.
The Journey for me shows how a unique political friendship was achieved at the personal cost of both men. Both men were vilified by their respective communities, but it was one of the most unique political friendships that I had ever witnessed. For two people who were so antagonistic towards each other, who ultimately came to respect each other, and became friends with each other, is why I made the movie and to tell their story.
We Are Movie Geeks: Despite technically being set in Scotland, and on a plane, The Journey was filmed in Northern Ireland. There’s no green screen and it was filmed on the road with your director of photography Greg Gardiner. What was the approach when you took it out of the plane and into the car?
Nick Hamm: This device protected the claustrophobia that the film so demanded while allowing a political version of a road movie to take place. We decided to not be frightened by the tyranny of the car but rather embrace it and enjoy the conceit. Greg and I had discussed and ultimately rejected the idea of green-screen or back-projection very early. We filmed on the road, creating a ‘mobile studio’; our own little cinematic microcosm
We Are Movie Geeks: There is one scene in particular, where McGuiness and Paisley let down their defenses somewhat, set inside a church and then out in the cemetery, that has real depth.
Nick Hamm: I think in the cemetery scene when Colm breaks down, everyone expects Paisley to be sympathetic and wrap his arms around him, but he rebuffs him and shows him no pity or sympathy. Every scene was like a boxing match with each character winning a round.
We Are Movie Geeks: I appreciated the sound editing and especially the score from Stephen Warbeck who first became known for the music for “Prime Suspect” and won an Academy Award for his score for Shakespeare in Love. It is a really nice score.
Nick Hamm: It was something quite new for him and he really had a go at it.
We Are Movie Geeks: Did you speak to the families and to some of the individuals involved? And what was their reaction?
Nick Hamm: I met McGuiness before he died. The whole film came together very quickly from the start.. From the script to the financing, it was out in about two and a half years. It’s been a very quick process and very rare for an independent film. I did sit with McGuiness before we started filming about his friendship with Paisley and it was fascinating to hear him speak how important the relationship was and how important it was that they maintained contact up to its logical conclusion. I did talk to Paisley’s family and to his son. We wanted to reassure them we were not riding roughshod over the history. But at the same time it was important to be creatively independent. We did not share the screenplay with them at any stage. In the end both families really loved the movie.
Plus Sinn Féin and the Dup (Democratic Unionist Party) really liked the film, which is almost unheard of, both parties liking the same thing never mind the same movie. The most important thing for us was that the story was balanced.
We Are Movie Geeks: Brexit is seemingly in the news all the time now. As a result, checkpoints could be set up again to control borders. The timing of the film and its release couldn’t be more relevant. Will it cause a major headache between Northern Ireland and Ireland? Will it hinder Ireland’s reunification?
Nick Hamm: The question needs to be asked and it’s a dreadful situation. The idea that there will be a border back in Ireland again, I don’t think anybody wants that. I know for a fact that the Dup doesn’t want that and it would be suicide for both the economy and the welfare of the people to start putting border checks back up. That border in Ireland runs through people’s fields and farms. It was never designed to be a hard border, which it was during “The Troubles”. It would be an unmitigated tragedy to go back to that.
We Are Movie Geeks: Speaking of Indie Films, what are your thoughts on how people see films? Many are leaving the cinemas in favor of watching a film at home or on the computers with the advent of Netflix and Hulu, etc.
Nick Hamm: I like that at the beginning of a movie’s life that it has a public screening. I think the ways a film is distributed these days is really fascinating. I don’t distinguish between how and where a movie is watched. It’s changing so quickly, in five years-time it’ll change all again. Even the act of going to a movie theater is going to change. As long as they keep putting out these huge blockbuster films, in the cinemas is the best way to watch them. However some films work better on a smaller screen. I think screen size some people can get very worked up about.
We Are Movie Geeks: What’s your next project?
Nick Hamm: We are going to do the DeLorean story, Driven. It’s through the eyes of the guy who gave him up to the FBI. We’re hoping to shoot in September in Puerto Rico. The script is from The Journey’s Colin Bateman. Jason Sudeikis, Lee Pace and Timothy Olyphant are in the picture.
Synopsis:
Driven is the turbo-charged story about the FBI sting operation to entrap maverick car designer John DeLorean.
Sudeikis stars as Jim Hoffman, a con artist-turned-informer for the FBI in the war on drugs. Olyphant plays his handler, determined to snare the world-famous but enigmatic DeLorean (Pace) — desperate for cash to finance his dream of designing the ultimate car of the future — in a drug deal that would become the most lurid celebrity scandal of the 1980s.
From IFC Films, see The Journey in theaters now.
The post The Journey – Filmmaker Nick Hamm Discusses His New Film appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.
Each summer, while the multiplexes are filled with the big spectacles and epic blockbusters, the little gems that grip us with their humor, their tragedy and their humanity, manage to find their ways into the cinemas. This year it’s The Journey, the gripping account of how two men from opposite sides of the political spectrum came together to change the course of history.
In 2006, amidst the ongoing, decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland, representatives from the two warring factions meet for negotiations. In one corner is Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall), the deeply conservative British loyalist; in the other is Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney), a former Irish Republican Army leader who has devoted his life to the cause of Irish reunification. Opposites in every way, the two men at first seem to have little chance of ever finding common ground. But over the course of an impromptu, detour-filled car ride through the Scottish countryside, each begins to see the other less as an enemy, and more as an individual—a breakthrough that promises to at last bring peace to the troubled region.
Driven by two virtuoso central performances, The Journey is a more-relevant-than-ever reminder of how simple humanity can overcome political division. Freddie Highmore, Toby Stephens, Catherine McCormack and John Hurt co-star. (Review)
I recently spoke with the director of The Journey, award winning director Nick Hamm. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Hamm directed cult-classic The Hole (2001), starring Thora Birch and Keira Knightley, in her feature film debut. He also helmed Lionsgate’s thriller Godsend (2004), starring Robert DeNiro, Rebecca Romijn and Greg Kinnear.
Hamm later produced and directed the 80’s U2-centric comedy, Killing Bono (2011) for Paramount Pictures and Northern Ireland Screen, starring Ben Barnes, Robert Sheehan and Pete Postelwaite.
During our discussion about his latest movie, the British director and I talked about the film’s mixture of tension and humor, the human story and the message of The Journey.
We Are Movie Geeks: The Journey is a good story that should be told – the type that audiences don’t see anymore. It opened in 2016 in Toronto and then Venice, and finally had its premiere at the Belfast Film Festival in May 2017. What was the crowd’s reaction and how was it received?
Nick Hamm: That was a really extraordinary event. I’ve seen it now with thousands of people watching the movie and if you’re going to see a movie like this, you really need to take it back to Northern Ireland to see what they make of it. In the end, that’s where the authenticity of the film is. It is important to us. The event was attended by nearly a thousand people and political leaders from both sides of the community came so we had politicians from Sinn Féin and politicians from the Democratic Unionist Party (Dup). It was a very emotional and momentous event because in many respects it reminded people of something that they had achieved and had risked losing.
We Are Movie Geeks: It is such an interesting script by writer Colin Bateman, one that is funny, sad, and dramatic. Tell me about lead actors Timothy Spall (Paisley) and Colm Meaney (McGuinness – who died recently in March) and the casting. Their characters became known as ”the Chuckle Brothers”. Both actors were very impressive to watch.
Nick Hamm: What underscores everything is the fact that Colin’s script is so good and when that happens, you attract really good actors. Both Tim and Colm were fantastic partners on the film. Tim had to transform himself – he’s playing a six foot five, Northern Irish politician when in reality he’s a five foot nine London actor. We did some prosthetics on his chin and a little aging on his hair, along with the false teeth. The hair and makeup was done by Polly McKay. Tim became the character of Paisley which was fascinating to watch and he’s one of those actors that totally transforms himself.
Colm is one of Ireland’s best actors. What was important was to find somebody who could give McGuinness sympathy. This is a man whose background is well documented. What do you do? You start by making him human, you give him a life and a backstory. When you put someone like Colm Meany in that role, Colm transforms himself for that. He understands the culture from where that character comes, he understands the basis of that character’s ideology and he understands how that character ticks. If you have that and you are a good actor – which he is, then you have a good combination. It was great to watch him.
We Are Movie Geeks: I was very pleased to see the late John Hurt in the film in what was one of his final roles.
Nick Hamm: We all knew that John was very sick while he was doing the film. When we offered him the movie, he wanted to work until the end and play the part. It was real tribute to have him involved as a part of the film.
We Are Movie Geeks: Irish writer Seamus Heaney, although not a political animal was an artist like yourself. He was affected by “The Troubles” when his cousin Colum was killed as a result of the war – Heaney moved from Northern Ireland to Southern Ireland after that. Has it affected you in any way and was this a partial reason why you made the film?
Nick Hamm: It hasn’t affected me personally but I knew people who were. Growing up I was in school in Northern Ireland and I knew people who had real problems. I could see it with my own eyes, the difficulties back then, and it was an intense situation. The vast portion of the people in Northern Ireland went on about their daily life unaffected by it. The real heroes were the people who got on with their daily lives in that situation.
The Journey for me shows how a unique political friendship was achieved at the personal cost of both men. Both men were vilified by their respective communities, but it was one of the most unique political friendships that I had ever witnessed. For two people who were so antagonistic towards each other, who ultimately came to respect each other, and became friends with each other, is why I made the movie and to tell their story.
We Are Movie Geeks: Despite technically being set in Scotland, and on a plane, The Journey was filmed in Northern Ireland. There’s no green screen and it was filmed on the road with your director of photography Greg Gardiner. What was the approach when you took it out of the plane and into the car?
Nick Hamm: This device protected the claustrophobia that the film so demanded while allowing a political version of a road movie to take place. We decided to not be frightened by the tyranny of the car but rather embrace it and enjoy the conceit. Greg and I had discussed and ultimately rejected the idea of green-screen or back-projection very early. We filmed on the road, creating a ‘mobile studio’; our own little cinematic microcosm
We Are Movie Geeks: There is one scene in particular, where McGuiness and Paisley let down their defenses somewhat, set inside a church and then out in the cemetery, that has real depth.
Nick Hamm: I think in the cemetery scene when Colm breaks down, everyone expects Paisley to be sympathetic and wrap his arms around him, but he rebuffs him and shows him no pity or sympathy. Every scene was like a boxing match with each character winning a round.
We Are Movie Geeks: I appreciated the sound editing and especially the score from Stephen Warbeck who first became known for the music for “Prime Suspect” and won an Academy Award for his score for Shakespeare in Love. It is a really nice score.
Nick Hamm: It was something quite new for him and he really had a go at it.
We Are Movie Geeks: Did you speak to the families and to some of the individuals involved? And what was their reaction?
Nick Hamm: I met McGuiness before he died. The whole film came together very quickly from the start.. From the script to the financing, it was out in about two and a half years. It’s been a very quick process and very rare for an independent film. I did sit with McGuiness before we started filming about his friendship with Paisley and it was fascinating to hear him speak how important the relationship was and how important it was that they maintained contact up to its logical conclusion. I did talk to Paisley’s family and to his son. We wanted to reassure them we were not riding roughshod over the history. But at the same time it was important to be creatively independent. We did not share the screenplay with them at any stage. In the end both families really loved the movie.
Plus Sinn Féin and the Dup (Democratic Unionist Party) really liked the film, which is almost unheard of, both parties liking the same thing never mind the same movie. The most important thing for us was that the story was balanced.
We Are Movie Geeks: Brexit is seemingly in the news all the time now. As a result, checkpoints could be set up again to control borders. The timing of the film and its release couldn’t be more relevant. Will it cause a major headache between Northern Ireland and Ireland? Will it hinder Ireland’s reunification?
Nick Hamm: The question needs to be asked and it’s a dreadful situation. The idea that there will be a border back in Ireland again, I don’t think anybody wants that. I know for a fact that the Dup doesn’t want that and it would be suicide for both the economy and the welfare of the people to start putting border checks back up. That border in Ireland runs through people’s fields and farms. It was never designed to be a hard border, which it was during “The Troubles”. It would be an unmitigated tragedy to go back to that.
We Are Movie Geeks: Speaking of Indie Films, what are your thoughts on how people see films? Many are leaving the cinemas in favor of watching a film at home or on the computers with the advent of Netflix and Hulu, etc.
Nick Hamm: I like that at the beginning of a movie’s life that it has a public screening. I think the ways a film is distributed these days is really fascinating. I don’t distinguish between how and where a movie is watched. It’s changing so quickly, in five years-time it’ll change all again. Even the act of going to a movie theater is going to change. As long as they keep putting out these huge blockbuster films, in the cinemas is the best way to watch them. However some films work better on a smaller screen. I think screen size some people can get very worked up about.
We Are Movie Geeks: What’s your next project?
Nick Hamm: We are going to do the DeLorean story, Driven. It’s through the eyes of the guy who gave him up to the FBI. We’re hoping to shoot in September in Puerto Rico. The script is from The Journey’s Colin Bateman. Jason Sudeikis, Lee Pace and Timothy Olyphant are in the picture.
Synopsis:
Driven is the turbo-charged story about the FBI sting operation to entrap maverick car designer John DeLorean.
Sudeikis stars as Jim Hoffman, a con artist-turned-informer for the FBI in the war on drugs. Olyphant plays his handler, determined to snare the world-famous but enigmatic DeLorean (Pace) — desperate for cash to finance his dream of designing the ultimate car of the future — in a drug deal that would become the most lurid celebrity scandal of the 1980s.
From IFC Films, see The Journey in theaters now.
The post The Journey – Filmmaker Nick Hamm Discusses His New Film appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.
- 6/23/2017
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
MaryAnn’s quick take… This fictional dialogue inspired by a private meeting between real-life enemies can’t muster up more than the usual banalities about the ethics of politics and war. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Now, it is true that in 2006, during the Northern Ireland peace process, enemy leaders Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness had a private meeting, after which real progress was made and a power-sharing government for the country was formed with them as, respectively, first minister and deputy first minister. The men had never even spoken before: with Paisley as head of the extremely conservative, pro-uk Democratic Unionist Party and McGuinness as former head of the independence-seeking Irish Republican Army and member of the left-wing political party Sinn Féin, they were almost literally mortal enemies on opposite sides of the...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Now, it is true that in 2006, during the Northern Ireland peace process, enemy leaders Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness had a private meeting, after which real progress was made and a power-sharing government for the country was formed with them as, respectively, first minister and deputy first minister. The men had never even spoken before: with Paisley as head of the extremely conservative, pro-uk Democratic Unionist Party and McGuinness as former head of the independence-seeking Irish Republican Army and member of the left-wing political party Sinn Féin, they were almost literally mortal enemies on opposite sides of the...
- 6/15/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
The star of The Journey reveals how his own involvement with Sinn Féin helped him understand the late Ira commander turned peacemaker
As a Dubliner who has lived in Los Angeles for three decades, Colm Meaney says he always keeps an eye out for Irish scripts – but he confesses to a slight feeling of dread when one lands on his doormat. Cliched characters, simplistic politics, shonky dialogue – he’s seen them all. The 63-year-old has been lucky with some – particularly the trilogy of Roddy Doyle adaptions that began with 1991’s The Commitments and won him a Golden Globe nomination for The Snapper two years later – and less blessed with others that have come his way. “Oh yes. Mentioning no names but … oh yeah.”
So when he first heard about the Northern Irish novelist Colin Bateman’s script for a drama about Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, with the latter role potentially his,...
As a Dubliner who has lived in Los Angeles for three decades, Colm Meaney says he always keeps an eye out for Irish scripts – but he confesses to a slight feeling of dread when one lands on his doormat. Cliched characters, simplistic politics, shonky dialogue – he’s seen them all. The 63-year-old has been lucky with some – particularly the trilogy of Roddy Doyle adaptions that began with 1991’s The Commitments and won him a Golden Globe nomination for The Snapper two years later – and less blessed with others that have come his way. “Oh yes. Mentioning no names but … oh yeah.”
So when he first heard about the Northern Irish novelist Colin Bateman’s script for a drama about Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, with the latter role potentially his,...
- 5/3/2017
- by Esther Addley
- The Guardian - Film News
Author: Zehra Phelan
We are pleased to launch an exclusive first look at Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney in the UK poster for The Journey – the story of two of Northern Ireland’s political forces, loyalist Ian Paisley and former Ira Commander Martin McGuinness, forced together over the final peace agreement, who reluctantly begin to form a bond.
Related: Timothy Spall on playing David Irving in Denial
The poster in which Spall looks uncannily like how Ben Stiller would look in his dotage depicts both men in their stature of power yet divided by the title, a reference to the division of Ireland as it stands, in both its political and religious beliefs.
The Hole and Killing Bono director, Nick Hamm, takes the helm to bring to life a script from screenwriter and former journalist, Colin Bateman. Joining Meaney and Spall is somewhat of a stellar cast with Toby Stephens (Believe,...
We are pleased to launch an exclusive first look at Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney in the UK poster for The Journey – the story of two of Northern Ireland’s political forces, loyalist Ian Paisley and former Ira Commander Martin McGuinness, forced together over the final peace agreement, who reluctantly begin to form a bond.
Related: Timothy Spall on playing David Irving in Denial
The poster in which Spall looks uncannily like how Ben Stiller would look in his dotage depicts both men in their stature of power yet divided by the title, a reference to the division of Ireland as it stands, in both its political and religious beliefs.
The Hole and Killing Bono director, Nick Hamm, takes the helm to bring to life a script from screenwriter and former journalist, Colin Bateman. Joining Meaney and Spall is somewhat of a stellar cast with Toby Stephens (Believe,...
- 4/7/2017
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
While a story of opponents on the farthest ends of the political spectrum coming together to find agreement seems like a pipe dream in today’s world, it did happen — at least once. The first trailer has arrived for The Journey, the latest drama from director Nick Hamm. Starring Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney, the film tells the fictional account of two political adversaries who are forced to take a small road trip together, leading to changes of hearts and the shifting of history’s course.
Penned by Colin Bateman and lensed by Greg Gardiner, The Journey looks to be a dramatic portrait of allegiances and differences with a lush color palette and mise en scené. See the trailer below, along with a synopsis, for the film that also stars John Hurt, Ian McElhinney, and Freddie Highmore.
The Journey is the gripping account of how two men from opposite sides...
Penned by Colin Bateman and lensed by Greg Gardiner, The Journey looks to be a dramatic portrait of allegiances and differences with a lush color palette and mise en scené. See the trailer below, along with a synopsis, for the film that also stars John Hurt, Ian McElhinney, and Freddie Highmore.
The Journey is the gripping account of how two men from opposite sides...
- 4/3/2017
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Expanding Swen Group strikes deal with Im Global for Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’ drama starring Timothy Spall.
The Swen Group has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Venice and Toronto drama The Journey from Im Global.
The acquisition will mark the first UK release for the growing distributor, which recently expanded into Us distribution.
The company, known for its acquisitions in Latin America, is understood to be finalising deals for The Journey in other major European territories and is eyeing further acquisitions for the UK and Us.
Swen will partner with Shear Entertainment on the UK theatrical release, which is earmarked for June 30.
The deal was brokered by Michael Rothstein on behalf of Im Global and Swen Group founder Murray Lipnik.
The Journey, starring Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney, charts a fictional meeting between adversarial Northern Ireland politicians Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, and Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness.
The film was...
The Swen Group has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Venice and Toronto drama The Journey from Im Global.
The acquisition will mark the first UK release for the growing distributor, which recently expanded into Us distribution.
The company, known for its acquisitions in Latin America, is understood to be finalising deals for The Journey in other major European territories and is eyeing further acquisitions for the UK and Us.
Swen will partner with Shear Entertainment on the UK theatrical release, which is earmarked for June 30.
The deal was brokered by Michael Rothstein on behalf of Im Global and Swen Group founder Murray Lipnik.
The Journey, starring Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney, charts a fictional meeting between adversarial Northern Ireland politicians Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, and Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness.
The film was...
- 3/3/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Exclusive: Zeitgeist Films has announced that it has acquired “Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story,” a documentary about two fascinating (and unsung) heroes of 60+ years of Hollywood history. Directed by Daniel Raim and executive produced by Danny DeVito, the film had its premiere in the Cannes Classics section of the Festival.
The film will open in the first quarter of 2017 with a national rollout to follow.
– Open Road Films has acquired all North American rights to the romantic comedy “Home Again,” which will star Reese Witherspoon. The film was written by Hallie Meyers-Shyer and will be directed by Meyers-Shyer in her directorial debut. Nancy Meyers is producing alongside Black Bicycle Entertainment’s Erika Olde, who also financed the film.
– Exclusive: Zeitgeist Films has announced that it has acquired “Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story,” a documentary about two fascinating (and unsung) heroes of 60+ years of Hollywood history. Directed by Daniel Raim and executive produced by Danny DeVito, the film had its premiere in the Cannes Classics section of the Festival.
The film will open in the first quarter of 2017 with a national rollout to follow.
– Open Road Films has acquired all North American rights to the romantic comedy “Home Again,” which will star Reese Witherspoon. The film was written by Hallie Meyers-Shyer and will be directed by Meyers-Shyer in her directorial debut. Nancy Meyers is producing alongside Black Bicycle Entertainment’s Erika Olde, who also financed the film.
- 9/23/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Two more Toronto deals emerged on Friday in a traditional late-festival acquisitions surge.
IFC Films took North American rights to Nick Hamm’s The Journey, which launched in Venice and received its North American premiere in Special Presentations in Toronto and screens again on Saturday.
Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney, John Hurt, Toby Stephens and Freddie Highmore star in the story about the growing friendship between former political enemies, loyalist firebrand Ian Paisley and former Ira commander Martin McGuinness, over the course of the Irish peace process.
Colin Bateman wrote the screenplay. Piers Tempest, Mark Huffam, Matt Jackson, Im Global CEO Stuart Ford and Hamm produced, while the executive producers are Jo Bamford, Norman Merry, Janine Modder, and Miguel Palos Jr.
Im Global financed the film with support from North Ireland Screen and Lipsynch Post and handled international sales. IFC Films brokered the deal with CAA and Im Global and plans a mid-2017 theatrical release.
Meanwhile, Cohen...
IFC Films took North American rights to Nick Hamm’s The Journey, which launched in Venice and received its North American premiere in Special Presentations in Toronto and screens again on Saturday.
Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney, John Hurt, Toby Stephens and Freddie Highmore star in the story about the growing friendship between former political enemies, loyalist firebrand Ian Paisley and former Ira commander Martin McGuinness, over the course of the Irish peace process.
Colin Bateman wrote the screenplay. Piers Tempest, Mark Huffam, Matt Jackson, Im Global CEO Stuart Ford and Hamm produced, while the executive producers are Jo Bamford, Norman Merry, Janine Modder, and Miguel Palos Jr.
Im Global financed the film with support from North Ireland Screen and Lipsynch Post and handled international sales. IFC Films brokered the deal with CAA and Im Global and plans a mid-2017 theatrical release.
Meanwhile, Cohen...
- 9/16/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Two more Toronto deals emerged on Friday in a traditional late-festival acquisitions surge.
IFC Films took North American rights to Nick Hamm’s The Journey, which launched in Venice and received its North American premiere in Special Presentations in Toronto and screens again on Saturday.
Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney, John Hurt, Toby Stephens and Freddie Highmore star in the story about the growing friendship between former political enemies, loyalist firebrand Ian Paisley and former Ira commander Martin McGuinness, over the course of the Irish peace process.
Colin Bateman wrote the screenplay. Piers Tempest, Mark Huffam, Matt Jackson, Im Global CEO Stuart Ford and Hamm produced, while the executive producers are Jo Bamford, Norman Merry, Janine Modder, and Miguel Palos Jr.
Im Global financed the film with support from North Ireland Screen and Lipsynch Post and handled international sales. IFC Films brokered the deal with CAA and Im Global and plans a mid-2017 theatrical release.
Katell Quillévéré’s Heal...
IFC Films took North American rights to Nick Hamm’s The Journey, which launched in Venice and received its North American premiere in Special Presentations in Toronto and screens again on Saturday.
Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney, John Hurt, Toby Stephens and Freddie Highmore star in the story about the growing friendship between former political enemies, loyalist firebrand Ian Paisley and former Ira commander Martin McGuinness, over the course of the Irish peace process.
Colin Bateman wrote the screenplay. Piers Tempest, Mark Huffam, Matt Jackson, Im Global CEO Stuart Ford and Hamm produced, while the executive producers are Jo Bamford, Norman Merry, Janine Modder, and Miguel Palos Jr.
Im Global financed the film with support from North Ireland Screen and Lipsynch Post and handled international sales. IFC Films brokered the deal with CAA and Im Global and plans a mid-2017 theatrical release.
Katell Quillévéré’s Heal...
- 9/16/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Director Nick Hamm and writer Colin Bateman reveal how they negotiated Northern Ireland’s political minefield to find the heart of The Journey, which had its world premiere this week
When Ian Paisley stood up in the European Parliament in 1988 to denounce the Pope as the Antichrist, or when Martin McGuinness was jailed in the Irish republic in 1973 for running arms, no one could have imagined that either man would become the subject of a major international film. But that is exactly what is happening at the Venice film festival, as The Journey receives its world premiere, with Timothy Spall playing Paisley and Colm Meaney playing McGuinness.
Related: The Journey review – Northern Ireland history lesson recast as bromance
Continue reading...
When Ian Paisley stood up in the European Parliament in 1988 to denounce the Pope as the Antichrist, or when Martin McGuinness was jailed in the Irish republic in 1973 for running arms, no one could have imagined that either man would become the subject of a major international film. But that is exactly what is happening at the Venice film festival, as The Journey receives its world premiere, with Timothy Spall playing Paisley and Colm Meaney playing McGuinness.
Related: The Journey review – Northern Ireland history lesson recast as bromance
Continue reading...
- 9/7/2016
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Im Global’s The Journey begins production in Belfast.
Shooting has begun on The Journey, a dramatic comedy inspired by a turning point in British and Irish history.
The film focuses on the improbable friendship between two Northern Ireland political titans and implacable enemies, Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall) and Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney).
The plot of the film centres on a fictional journey Paisley and McGuinness take together that leads them to forge a friendship.
Additional cast includes Toby Stephens (Believe) as Prime Minister Tony Blair, Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as a young government employee tasked to drive Paisley and McGuinness on their journey, and John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as an accomplished veteran political fixer overseeing the St. Andrews Agreement.
Nick Hamm (The Hole, Killing Bono) directs, from a script by County Down-born novelist and screenwriter Colin Bateman.
Independent studio Im Global is financing the film through its Acclaim speciality division, in association...
Shooting has begun on The Journey, a dramatic comedy inspired by a turning point in British and Irish history.
The film focuses on the improbable friendship between two Northern Ireland political titans and implacable enemies, Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall) and Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney).
The plot of the film centres on a fictional journey Paisley and McGuinness take together that leads them to forge a friendship.
Additional cast includes Toby Stephens (Believe) as Prime Minister Tony Blair, Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as a young government employee tasked to drive Paisley and McGuinness on their journey, and John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as an accomplished veteran political fixer overseeing the St. Andrews Agreement.
Nick Hamm (The Hole, Killing Bono) directs, from a script by County Down-born novelist and screenwriter Colin Bateman.
Independent studio Im Global is financing the film through its Acclaim speciality division, in association...
- 10/5/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
With the two leading men in place – that would be Timothy Spall as Ian Paisley and Colm Meaney as Martin McGuinness – the team behind political drama The Journey is adding cast members before starting to shoot later this month. John Hurt, Freddie Highmore and Toby Stephens are all aboard. Nick Hamm’s film chronicles the story of how two seemingly implacable enemies – Paisley, the fiery, vocal leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein’s McGuinness – had to find common ground and make history, becoming close friends in the process.According to Screen International, Hurt will be an unnamed political fixer who sorts things behind the scenes, Highmore will be Paisley’s driver and Stephens has the highest-profile role of the new additions: he’s playing Tony Blair. Wonder if he’ll be calling Michael Sheen up for tips?Working from a script by Colin Bateman that...
- 9/10/2015
- EmpireOnline
Freddy Highmore and John Hurt have also joined the dramatic comedy, which Im Global is introducing to international buyers here.
Production on The Journey, about the thawing of hostilities between sworn enemies Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness and their eventual role in sharing power in Northern Ireland, is scheduled to kick off in Northern Ireland and Scotland on September 28
Nick Hamm will direct from Colin Bateman’s screenplay, dubbed an occasionally fictitious account of the peace process that turned Unionist leader Paisley and Sinn Fein higher-up and former Ira commander McGuinness into friends.
Indeed the pair became such good friends that some dubbed them “the Chuckle Brothers” and McGuinness made headlines when he paid a heartfelt tribute at Paisley’s funeral last year.
Stephens will play former British prime minister Tony Blair, while Highmore will portray a young driver to Paisley and McGuinness and Hurt is cast as a political fixer. Timothy Spall will play...
Production on The Journey, about the thawing of hostilities between sworn enemies Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness and their eventual role in sharing power in Northern Ireland, is scheduled to kick off in Northern Ireland and Scotland on September 28
Nick Hamm will direct from Colin Bateman’s screenplay, dubbed an occasionally fictitious account of the peace process that turned Unionist leader Paisley and Sinn Fein higher-up and former Ira commander McGuinness into friends.
Indeed the pair became such good friends that some dubbed them “the Chuckle Brothers” and McGuinness made headlines when he paid a heartfelt tribute at Paisley’s funeral last year.
Stephens will play former British prime minister Tony Blair, while Highmore will portray a young driver to Paisley and McGuinness and Hurt is cast as a political fixer. Timothy Spall will play...
- 9/10/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Joining Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney, the trio of thesps have signed on for the dramatic comedy about a turning point in Irish and British history. Helmed by Nick Hamm (The Hole, Killing Bono) from a script by Colin Bateman (Divorcing Jack), The Journey is slated to begin production on Sept. 28 in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Oscar-nominated Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Elephant Man) will play Harry, an accomplished veteran political fixer overseeing the St…...
- 9/10/2015
- Deadline
The Journey
John Hurt, Toby Stephens, Freddy Highmore, Colm Meaney and Timothy Spall have joined Nick Hamm's political dramedy "The Journey" at Im Global. Colin Bateman penned the script and filming begins September 28th in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The story will focus on the improbable friendship between former sworn enemies Martin McGuinness (Meaney) and Ian Paisley (Spall) in a story that follows the two Northern Ireland political titans after the signing of the breakthrough St. Andrews Agreement in 2006. Stephens will play British Pm Tony Blair, Highmore a government employee, and Hurt an accomplished veteran political fixer. [Source: Variety]
Bushwick
Dave Bautista ("Guardians Of The Galaxy") is set to star opposite Jane Levy in Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott's action thriller "Bushwhack". The story follows 20-year-old Lucy (Levy) and war veteran Stupe (Bautista) during a domestic crisis as Texas tries to secede from the U.S., with NYC being used as a negotiation tool.
John Hurt, Toby Stephens, Freddy Highmore, Colm Meaney and Timothy Spall have joined Nick Hamm's political dramedy "The Journey" at Im Global. Colin Bateman penned the script and filming begins September 28th in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The story will focus on the improbable friendship between former sworn enemies Martin McGuinness (Meaney) and Ian Paisley (Spall) in a story that follows the two Northern Ireland political titans after the signing of the breakthrough St. Andrews Agreement in 2006. Stephens will play British Pm Tony Blair, Highmore a government employee, and Hurt an accomplished veteran political fixer. [Source: Variety]
Bushwick
Dave Bautista ("Guardians Of The Galaxy") is set to star opposite Jane Levy in Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott's action thriller "Bushwhack". The story follows 20-year-old Lucy (Levy) and war veteran Stupe (Bautista) during a domestic crisis as Texas tries to secede from the U.S., with NYC being used as a negotiation tool.
- 9/10/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
In early July, the news arrived that Timothy Spall was in talks to play late politician Sir Ian Paisley in The Journey. It appears he’s gone against Paisley’s traditional “no” stance and said yes to the part, and now Colm Meaney has joined the drama as Paisley’s stalwart enemy-turned-true friend Martin McGuinness. Nick Hamm’s film chronicles the story of how two seemingly implacable enemies – Paisley, the fiery, vocal leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein’s McGuinness – had to find common ground and make history. The pair became such good friends that they were nicknamed The Chuckle Brothers.Director Nick Hamm is writing the script with Divorcing Jack’s Colin Bateman and aims to kick off filming in Northern Ireland and Scotland in the middle of next month.Meaney, who has been spending most of his time recently in Western-flavoured Us TV drama Hell On Wheels,...
- 8/27/2015
- EmpireOnline
Timothy Spall is being lined up to play the former Democratic Unionist Party (Dup) leader Sir Ian Paisley.
The actor could star as the late Northern Ireland first minister in The Journey, about Paisley's unlikely friendship with Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness, Deadline reports.
Liam Neeson and Sir Kenneth Branagh were previously linked with the role.
Novelist Colin Bateman is writing the screenplay for the project, which is expected to begin production this September.
Nick Hamm is directing, and will also produce alongside Mark Huffam and Piers Tempest.
Paisley passed away in September last year at the age of 88.
Spall is known for starring in Mr Turner, The Damned United, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and the Harry Potter series.
The actor could star as the late Northern Ireland first minister in The Journey, about Paisley's unlikely friendship with Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness, Deadline reports.
Liam Neeson and Sir Kenneth Branagh were previously linked with the role.
Novelist Colin Bateman is writing the screenplay for the project, which is expected to begin production this September.
Nick Hamm is directing, and will also produce alongside Mark Huffam and Piers Tempest.
Paisley passed away in September last year at the age of 88.
Spall is known for starring in Mr Turner, The Damned United, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and the Harry Potter series.
- 7/5/2015
- Digital Spy
Drama will document the Protestant leader’s unlikely road towards friendship with his longterm political enemy, Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness
Timothy Spall looks set to play the Reverend Ian Paisley in the Northern Ireland Troubles drama The Journey, which will document the firebrand politician’s unlikely friendship with Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness.
Deadline reports Spall is in advanced discussions to portray the late Democratic Unionist party leader in a role with significant awards season potential. Belfast-born Nick Hamm, best known for 2001’s The Hole and 2011’s Killing Bono, is set to direct from a screenplay by Divorcing Jack’s Colin Bateman.
Continue reading...
Timothy Spall looks set to play the Reverend Ian Paisley in the Northern Ireland Troubles drama The Journey, which will document the firebrand politician’s unlikely friendship with Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness.
Deadline reports Spall is in advanced discussions to portray the late Democratic Unionist party leader in a role with significant awards season potential. Belfast-born Nick Hamm, best known for 2001’s The Hole and 2011’s Killing Bono, is set to direct from a screenplay by Divorcing Jack’s Colin Bateman.
Continue reading...
- 7/2/2015
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Having won major acclaim (and an acting award at Cannes) for his performance in Mr. Turner, Timothy Spall has his eye on another job playing a real person. He’s in talks to play the late Sir Ian Paisley in The Journey.Nick Hamm’s film chronicles the story of how two seemingly implacable enemies – Paisley, the stalwart, vocal leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness – had to find common ground and make history. Hamm is writing the script with Colin Bateman and aims to kick off filming in Northern Ireland and Scotland this September, once he’s found someone to play McGuinness. It’ll represent another meaty role for Spall, playing a man who managed to forge a lasting friendship with someone he once bitterly opposed, to the point where McGuinness was visibly moved at Paisley’s funeral last year. The actor...
- 7/1/2015
- EmpireOnline
Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan, 'Game of Thrones' director Brian Kirk and celebrated Irish author Pat McCabe are among a number of Ireland's most critically acclaimed filmmakers, writers and academicians set to take part in panel discussions as part of this week's John Ford Ireland Film Symposium, which gets underway tomorrow (June 7). The recently announced Directors Panel and Writers Panel are shaping up to be a symposium highlight with Northern Irish writer Colin Bateman (Divorcing Jack) also set to attend.
- 6/6/2012
- IFTN
Murphy's Law is coming to DVD in two ways on August 30. There's the Series 4 & 5 set, which you can read my review of here. For completionists, there's also the complete series set, a nine-disc collection that features all five seasons of the British hit undercover cop drama.
James Nesbitt stars in the series as Tommy Murphy, an Irish cop who lost his daughter in a hostage situation before the series began. He's moody, naturally, but doesn't give so much weight to the part. He adds lighthearted moments, giving a layer of depth to a character who could have been easily two-dimensional.
Nesbitt (who will appear as Bofur in the upcoming film The Hobbit), carries the series throughout all five seasons. It makes sense; after all, the role was created for him by novelist Colin Bateman. But as he progresses through the series, Nesbitt's portrayal changes. Murphy becomes wearier, sadder, and it...
James Nesbitt stars in the series as Tommy Murphy, an Irish cop who lost his daughter in a hostage situation before the series began. He's moody, naturally, but doesn't give so much weight to the part. He adds lighthearted moments, giving a layer of depth to a character who could have been easily two-dimensional.
Nesbitt (who will appear as Bofur in the upcoming film The Hobbit), carries the series throughout all five seasons. It makes sense; after all, the role was created for him by novelist Colin Bateman. But as he progresses through the series, Nesbitt's portrayal changes. Murphy becomes wearier, sadder, and it...
- 8/27/2011
- by Sam McPherson
- TVovermind.com
BBC's hit undercover cop drama series Murphy's Law is back with the DVD debut of Series 2 from Acorn Media on April 27, 2010. Award-winning actor James Nesbitt (Waking Ned Devine, Bloody Sunday, Woody Allen's Match Point, and Five Minutes of Heaven) delivers another powerhouse performance as roguish undercover cop Tommy Murphy in this "outstanding series" (The Mirror, UK). Based on his novel, Colin Bateman (Divorcing Jack) wrote and created the series specifically for Nesbitt. The 2-volume DVD set includes all six episodes from Series 2 (www.AcornOnline.com, $39.99).
- 4/17/2010
- BroadwayWorld.com
BBC's hit undercover cop drama series Murphy's Law is back with the DVD debut of Series 2 from Acorn Media on April 27, 2010. Award-winning actor James Nesbitt (Waking Ned Devine, Bloody Sunday, Woody Allen's Match Point, and Five Minutes of Heaven) delivers another powerhouse performance as roguish undercover cop Tommy Murphy in this "outstanding series" (The Mirror, UK). Based on his novel, Colin Bateman (Divorcing Jack) wrote and created the series specifically for Nesbitt. The 2-volume DVD set includes all six episodes from Series 2 (www.AcornOnline.com, $39.99).
- 4/17/2010
- BroadwayWorld.com
Detective Tommy Murphy (James Nesbitt) is just the sort of anti-hero the London Metropolitan Police need to work undercover. Brooding, uncompromising, and wounded over the loss of his only daughter killed by the Ira, he has difficulties finding reasons to keep on going. Murphy takes on the underside of London in an attempt to escape his own demons. Many of us have watched actor James Nesbitt in various roles, and love his sense of humor and the Irish charm that infiltrates every character he plays. In this new crime drama, he is Detective Tommy Murphy, a role created specifically for him by novelist Colin Bateman. Murphy is a man who has been battered by life and has lost much,...
- 12/1/2009
- by June L.
- Monsters and Critics
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