CREW BIOGRAPHIES:
Neil Hunter and Tom Hunsinger — Writer/Directors
Neil and Tom met in the early 90’s when Tom produced Neil’s short film, Tell Me No Lies and they started a successful writing and directing partnership. Their first film Boyfriends, starring James Dreyfus, picked up the Best Feature Award at the 1996 Turin Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, with theatrical releases in the UK and US. While in development, their second film, Lawless Heart was short-listed for the Sundance Institute/NHK International Filmmakers Award.
Their backgrounds, while very different complement each other’s experience. Neil undertook a two-year course in filmmaking in the late Eighties and went on to write and direct Tell Me No Lies in 1992. After completing Boyfriends he was selected as a participant for the 1999 PAL (Performing Arts Laboratory) program. Neil is currently working on two further scripts, a comedy with Tom Hunsinger and Alexander the Great with Rupert Jones.
Tom has worked as an actor, writer and director in theatre and film. On video, Tom wrote and directed the short feature Legal Dreaming, before producing Tell Me No Lies for Neil. As a writer he co-wrote Mummy’s Little Girl and Thirtysomehow with Julie Balloo and Jenny Eclair. As director Tom took both these productions to the Hammersmith Lyric in London after successful runs at the Edinburgh Festival. Other theatrical directing credits include Dinner and a Movie, Dream Believer, Clay and Gabriel and Gabriel all at the London New Playwrights Festival and all written by collaborator Julie Balloo. Tom also directed Jenny Eclair’s Bad Behaviour Show, at the Edinburgh Festival and on tour. Tom’s acting credits include the films The Falls, Death Wish 3 and Nightbreed, and for television, Titus Andronicus for the BBC and Arthur Hailey’s Strong Medicine. Tom is currently working on a further script with Neil as well as teaching drama at the Webber Douglas Academy in London.
Martin Pope — Producer
After graduating from Oxford University, Martin joined the BBC and as an assistant director in BBC Films, where his credits include Virtuoso starring Alfred Molina, Cariani And The Courtesan starring Paul McGann and Once In A Lifetime. From there he moved to script editing and producing and accumulated a further array of credits for BBC Films. As script editor, he worked on Alan Bennett’s 102 Boulevard Haussmann, directed by Udayan Prasad, The Dream starring Jeremy Irons and the trilogy, A Wanted Man, directed by Nicholas Renton. During Martin’s four years as Producer, BBC Films, he worked on Meat, directed by John Madden, starring Johnny Lee Miller in his first lead role, A Question of Attribution – from a screenplay by Alan Bennett and directed by John Schlesinger, which won the BAFTA Award for Best Single Drama as well as The Soldier and Two Oranges And A Mango.
In 1997, Martin produced his first feature film Alive and Kicking, directed by Nancy Meckler and starring Jason Flemyng - for FilmFour/First Look. The film won Audience Awards at the London, Hamptons, Sao Paulo and Barcelona Film Festivals as well as receiving a successful theatrical release in the US. Martin also recently produced The Turn Of The Screw adapted by Nick Dear and directed by Ben Bolt, starring Jodhi May and Colin Firth, for ITV and WGBH Boston. Martin is a producer member of the Ateliers Du Cinema Europeen (ACE); and currently has a number of projects in development including, The Heart of Me, to be directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan and adapted for the screen by Lucinda Coxon, from the novel by Rosamond Lehmann.
Francesca Barra — Executive Producer
Francesca Barra has worked in the film industry for over 20 years. She started her career in marketing and publicity working for United Artists, Zoetrope Studios and Golden Harvest and later with 20th Century Fox in acquisitions and production. Francesca is a founding Partner in First Sight Films and for the last few years has worked as a consultant to a U.K. film equity investor, Bonaparte Films, and Overseas Film Group/First Look Pictures. Francesca was responsible for identifying and raising a major part of the financing for the recent UK hit, Waking Ned Devine. Francesca first came across Lawless Heart at a Script Factory reading and was immediately taken by the wonderful story and potential performances. She is also a marketing and creative advisor to Ateliers du Cinema Europeen (ACE).
Steve Christian — Executive Producer
Steve Christian was instrumental in establishing financial incentives with the Isle of Man (IOM) Government to attract filmmakers. His proposals on behalf of Ernst & Young to form a film and television industry in the Isle of Man, were accepted by Tynwald, the Isle Of Man parliament, and since 1995 Steve has promoted and managed the Isle of Man Film and Television Fund. The Isle of Man is now recognised as one of Europe's leading independent territories for film and television production, with recent productions including; Waking Ned, Thomas and the Magic Railroad, The Tichbourne Claimant and Relative Values. Having completed 32 projects in less than 5 years, Steve is one of the most prolific investors in film and television production in the UK today.
Jim Reeve — Executive Producer
Jim Reeve has 16 years experience in development, production, financing and distribution .Jim was a director of Baltic Media in the late 90’s, and involved in co-financing films and television projects with Granada, British Screen and Channel 4. As an executive at FILMS Ltd, he financed projects for Village Roadshow and Intermedia.
In 1999, he was appointed as Chief Executive of The Television Production Company and has since co-produced dramas for Sky and the BBC including Lava, starring Tom Bell and Shiner directed by John Irvin, starring Michael Caine. Other production credits include, Quicksand, starring Michael Keaton, Gentlemen’s Relish with Billy Connelly, Breathtaking, starring Joanne Whalley, The Wyvern Mystery, for BBC television and The Whistle Blower, starring Michael Caine.
Roger Shannon — Executive Producer
After completing an MA, Roger Shannon established himself as a producer at Birmingham Film Workshop before becoming the Founder Director of the Birmingham Film/Television Festival and Chairman of the West Midlands Media Development Agency. As Chief Executive of the Moving Image Development Agency (MIDA) in Liverpool, Roger acted as executive producer on a range of shorts, documentaries and dramas. He was also involved as co-financier on films such as Butterfly Kiss directed by Michael Winterbottom and Heart directed by Charles Macdougal. Roger went on to join the BFI between 1997 and 2000 as Head of Production. During this period he was involved with films such as Under The Skin, directed by Carine Adler, Love Is The Devil, directed by John Maybury, I Could Read The Sky directed Nichola Bruce, My Brother Tom directed by Dom Rotheroe and Lawless Heart. Until recently Roger was also Head of the Production Department at the Film Council.
Sean Bobbitt — Director of Photography
As Director of Photography, Sean Bobbit has worked in film, television and commercials. Recent films include Michael Winterbottom’s critically acclaimed Wonderland, State of the Party, directed by Richard Heslop, Chunky Monkey directed by Greg Cruttwell and Ladies Night directed by Caroline Hicks.
Sean’s television credits include the recent adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby, starring Charles Dance and the documentaries: Secret Lives – Giani Versace, Nick Read’s Diana – The Wrong Crusade, Israel – The 50 Year War for WGBH/BBC and The Death of Yugoslavia for BBC.
Sean is currently working on a project with Turner Prize Winner, Steve McQueen.
Lynne Whiteread — Production Designer
Having trained in Fashion/Textiles at Middlesex Polytechnic, Lynne has worked across film, television and music tours. A regular collaborator with Coky Giedroyc, Lynne worked on Women Talking Dirty and Stella Does Tricks, as well as Murder Most Horrid: Confess for television. Lynne also worked on Warris Hussein’s Sixth Happiness and the short films, Wavelength directed by Pratibha Parmar, Mother Love directed by Jim Gillespie and Ray Gun Fun and Too Much Love for Simon Pummell. For television, Lynne has worked on several Channel 4 dramas, including Peter Webber’s Men Only, Richard Spence’s Déjà vu and Kevin Hewitt’s New Order.
As well as designing for commercials, Lynne created film visuals for Pink Floyd’s 1994 World Tour and designed the touring props and film visuals for the 1993 Peter Gabriel “US” World Tour.
Adrian Johnston — Composer
A former member of The Waterboys, Adrian has composed scores for film, television and theatre, including over 60 new original scores for silent films, such as La Terre and Hot Water starring Harold Lloyd. His recent film scores include the contemporary, Irish comedy, About Adam, starring Kate Hudson and Stuart Townsend and the period classic, The House of Mirth, directed by Terence Davies and starring Gillian Anderson. As a producer, he recently worked on two tracks for Austin Powers – International Man of Mystery, including the title track. Other recent film scores include, The Darkest Light starring Kerry Fox, Some Voices directed by Simon Cellan Jones, The Last Yellow, starring Samantha Morton, Divorcing Jack, starring David Thewlis and Rachel Griffiths and Jude and I Want You for director Michael Winterbottom.
Adrian’s television film credits include The Turn of the Shrew, starring Jodhi May and Colin Firth, All the King’s Men, starring Maggie Smith and David Jason, The Tribe, directed by Stephen Poliakoff and Enter Achilles and Strange Fish, which both won Prix Italia (Music & Arts) (1996/94). Other television scores include an award winning composition for Shooting the Past, directed by Stephen Poliakoff, Mayor of Casterbridge and the acclaimed drama, Our Mutual Friend. A regular composer for theatrical productions, Adrian has worked with, amongst others, The Royal Shakespeare Company and The Royal National Theatre on over 70 scores.
Scott Thomas — Film Editor
After winning first prize at The Motion Picture Academy Student Festival in Hollywood with his film Architecture of the Petroleum Age, Scott went on to study film at The National Film and Theatre School, Beaconsfield. Whilst there his short film Brainstorms won first place at the 1982 National Student Film Festival in London.
Scott has since edited almost 30 films, working alongside many acclaimed directors. In the last 10 years, he has worked with Hugh Hudson on I Dreamed of Africa and My Life So Far, David Evans on the cult Nick Hornby adaptation, Fever Pitch; Small Faces and Trojan Eddie directed by Gillies Mackinnon and last year’s Natural Nylon production, The Final Curtain, directed by Patrick Harkins. Scott’s other credits include Alan Rickman’s The Winter Guest, The Reflecting Skin directed by Philip Ridley, Life’s a Gas