Abner Pastoll

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Abner Pastoll
Born (1982-02-12) 12 February 1982 (age 42)
Johannesburg, South Africa
Nationality British
Occupation(s) Film director, screenwriter, film editor, film producer

Abner Pastoll (born 12 February 1982) is a British-South African film director, screenwriter, and editor, born in South Africa, where his family used to own a two-screen cinema. [1] He is based in London, UK and Seoul, South Korea.

Contents

Background

Abner started making films at the age of four, inspired primarily by his family's cinema, and his father's film and video equipment. He originally thought he wanted to become an actor, but soon discovered he preferred being behind the camera. He grew up in London. [1]

Career

Abner's feature directorial work includes A Good Woman Is Hard to Find (2019) and Road Games (2015), and short films such as Getaway Driver (2017) and Me or the Dog (2011). He is co-founder of production company February Films, which he runs with producer Junyoung Jang (co-producer of Korean film The Host ).

In the summer of 2014, he shot the France-UK co-production Road Games [2] (aka Fausse Route), starring Andrew Simpson, Joséphine de La Baume, Frédéric Pierrot and genre legend Barbara Crampton. The film has been described as a 'taut Euro thriller'. [3] It world premiered in August 2015 at FrightFest in London, and was released theatrically in the US on 4 March 2016 by IFC Films to an overall positive reaction. Bloody Disgusting called it "a wonderful thriller; a layered character-driven narrative with great writing and equally-great tension – a very pleasant surprise". The film currently retains an 84% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Road Games holds the unique distinction of having played the UK's FrightFest two years in a row, at its world premiere in 2015 and a reprise the following year in 2016, when Abner did a live commentary with FrightFest director Alan Jones (film critic). [4]

On 8 March 2017 (International Women's Day), it was announced by Deadline Hollywood [5] that Abner was set to direct the crime-thriller A Good Woman Is Hard to Find from a script by Academy Award nominee and BAFTA winner Ronan Blaney, starring Sarah Bolger. He would also re-team with Andrew Simpson (actor) and Edward Hogg, who appeared in his earlier works. Filming completed in December 2017. [6] A Good Woman Is Hard to Find debuted to huge acclaim and praise from critics and audiences alike. It world-premiered the 2019 Fantasia International Film Festival and went on to close the 20th anniversary of London's FrightFest (film festival). It opened day and date theatrically and on digital HD in the UK and Ireland on October 25, 2019 through Signature Entertainment and in the US on 8 May 2020 via Film Movement. The New York Times said "[Pastoll] layers gangland grift, domestic drama and female fury into a satisfying lasagna of mounting violence". The film has a rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes from 51 reviews.

Abner had been attached to direct the horror film Sunrise (2024), reuniting him with writer Ronan Blaney, and had described the film as a "new take on vampires". [7] It is not known why he left the project.

His next known projects include a "kick-ass, sarcastic" action-thriller set in the Arizona desert, [8] and a Korean-language action-thriller entitled Live and Die.

Filmography

Feature Films
YearTitle Director Writer Producer Editor Notes
2015 Road Games YesYesYesYes
2019 A Good Woman Is Hard to Find YesNoYesYes
TBAUntitled Abner Pastoll ProjectYesYesYesYesPlot kept under wraps.
TBALive and DieYesYesYesNoA Korean-language thriller.
2025Untitled HorrorYesYesYesYes
Short films
YearTitle Director Writer Producer Editor Notes
1999InheritanceYesYesYesYesAlso cinematographer
2008Homicide: Division BYesYesYesYesAlso cinematographer
2010A Great MistakeYesYesYesYesNominated Best Comedy Shanghai Film Festival
2011Me or the DogYesNoYesYesFestival de Cannes, Coup de Coeur
2017Getaway DriverYesYesYesYes
2024RotationYesYesYesYesNominated for the 'Get Shorty' Audience Award at the 38th Fantasy Film Fest in Germany
Other works
YearTitleRoleNotes
2002Dead Man's DreamCo-director, Co-writer
2004Shooting ShonaCo-director, Co-writer
2006In A DayEditoruncredited
2013Action UK!Writer, Director, ShowrunnerChildren's TV series
A Long Way from HomeExecutive ProducerEdinburgh Film Festival
2020 Shine Your Eyes Associate ProducerBerlin Film Festival
2024House of AshesAssociate ProducerBrooklyn Horror Film Festival

Awards and nominations

YearEventAwardWorkResult
2019Molins Film Festival"Being Different" Audience Award A Good Woman Is Hard to Find Won
MOTELx - Festival Internacional de Cinema de Terror de LisboaBest European Feature Film Award / Méliès d'Argent A Good Woman Is Hard to Find Nominated
Fantasy FilmfestFresh Blood Award for Best First or Second Feature A Good Woman Is Hard to Find Nominated
FrightFestElectric Shadows Award for Best Film A Good Woman Is Hard to Find Won
2020Sombre Festival de Cine Fantástico Europeo de MurciaBest Director A Good Woman Is Hard to Find Won
2024Fantasy FilmfestGet Shorty (Audience Award)RotationNominated

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References

  1. 1 2 Choi, Chloe. "Abner Pastoll Interview". Cook Your Soul. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "B Media Global Backs Up..." Variety .
  3. ↑ "Check the first Teaser and Posters..." Twitch .
  4. ↑ "Abner Pastoll on Road Games, Bilingual Horror and Wes Craven". SciFiNow .
  5. ↑ "Sarah Bolger In Talks To Star In Crime Thriller 'A Good Woman Is Hard To Find'". Deadline.
  6. ↑ "Sarah Bolger, Andrew Simpson Board Abner Pastoll's 'A Good Woman Is Hard to Find' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety .
  7. ↑ "Exclusive interview: Abner Pastoll on the gripping, brutal "A Good Woman Is Hard to Find"". Rue Morgue .
  8. ↑ "Interview with Abner Pastoll". Haddonfield Horror, Lisa Fremont.
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