Phil Hawkins (born December 26, 1984) is a commercial, television and independent film director from Manchester, United Kingdom. His work in feature film includes 'Philip Pullman's The Butterfly Tattoo (2008) and Prancer: A Christmas Tale (2022). He is also known for appearing in the Fox/DreamWorks reality television show On The Lot produced by Steven Spielberg.[1]
Phil Hawkins | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 26, 1984[citation needed] |
Career edit
Hawkins directed his first short film when he was 13, and admits that it wasn't very good. He had no formal education in film and is entirely self-taught. He learned the film-making trade by taking part in a lot of 48-hour film challenges.[2] When he was 17 he gained a place on the BBC's Mentor Project. With a £1000 fund he made a short called The Dotted Line which got him noticed by a TV advertising production company.
His first feature, The Women Of Troy, won Best Director at the New York Independent Film Festival in 2006.
In late 2006, Hawkins was signed by the Dutch production company Dynamic Entertainment to direct the film version of Philip Pullman's novel The Butterfly Tattoo,[3] The independent film won three awards at international festivals, including Best Director at the New York Independent Film Festival in 2008 - the second time Hawkins has won this award.
In mid-2010, Hawkins shot the film Being Sold in just two days. The film went won Best Film and Best Actor for its lead Christopher Dane at the London Independent Film Festival.[4]
In 2013 Hawkins directed the horror film The Last Showing, starring Robert Englund. The film had a budget of £2m and was shot in the north west of England. It had its world premier in 2014 at Frightfest before being released on DVD and VOD.[5] Englund commented: "You know, it’s so great to work for someone as gifted as Phil Hawkins. After a day and a half of working with him. I was like, “Where’s he been all my life?”"[6]
2022 marked Hawkins’ first studio feature film.[7] Prancer: A Christmas Tale was made for Universal, produced by Raffaella De Laurentiis and stars James Cromwell.
Star Wars: Origins edit
In 2019, Phil wrote and directed the epic fan film Star Wars: Origins to critical acclaim. Jacob Stolworthy of The Independent called it, "a must-watch for any fan."[8] The film took inspiration from the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises,[9][10] with online publication Nerdist describing it as a "mashup."[11]
On The Lot edit
In 2007, Hawkins was the only filmmaker from the UK selected by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett to appear on the Fox/DreamWorks reality television show On The Lot for filmmakers.[12]
TV commercials edit
In addition to his film work, Hawkins has directed many TV commercials for a wide range of advertising agencies and production companies worldwide.[13] He’s worked with high profile talent including Christopher Walken.[14]
Filmography edit
| Year | Film | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Philip Pullman's The Butterfly Tattoo (film) | Director |
| 2011 | Being Sold | Director |
| 2014 | The Last Showing | Director |
| 2015 | The Four Warriors | Director |
| 2019 | Say Grace | Director |
| 2019 | Star Wars: Origins | Director |
| 2022 | Prancer: A Christmas Tale | Director |
| 2023 | Robin and the Hood | Director |
Awards edit
References edit
- ^ "Phil Hawkins".
- ^ "Interview with Phil Hawkins by Fast Cheap Movie Thoughts". Archived from the original on 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2015-05-01.
- ^ PR Newswire report on the making of the Butterfly Tattoo
- ^ Philm Company profile of Being Sold
- ^ Yahoo News Interview with Phil Hawkins
- ^ Den of Geek Interview with Robert Englund
- ^ Interview with Hawkins on The Filmmakers Podcast
- ^ Independent article about Star Wars origins
- ^ LaBonte, Rachel (December 17, 2019). "Star Wars Fan Film Connects Galaxy Far, Far Away To Modern Earth". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ Anderton, Ethan (December 13, 2019). "VOTD: 'Star Wars: Origins' Finds Ancient Artifacts From A Galaxy Actually Not So Far, Far Away". SlashFilm. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ Diaz, Eric (November 5, 2020). "STAR WARS MEETS INDIANA JONES IN EPIC FAN FILM". Nerdist. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ Slashfilm article about On The Lot
- ^ Commercials work directed by Hawkins on agent’s website
- ^ Making of Jeffsy commercial starring Christopher Walken
- ^ NY Film Awards winners 2006 Archived 2014-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ NY Film Awards winners 2008 Archived 2013-08-15 at archive.today