Grand Theft Hamlet

Last updated
Grand Theft Hamlet
Directed by
Written by
  • Sam Crane
  • Pinny Grylls
Produced byJulia Ton
Rebecca Wolff
StarringSam Crane
Mark Oosterveen
Music byJamie Perera
Production
companies
  • Project 1961
  • Grasp the Nettle Films
  • Park Pictures
Distributed byTull Stories (United Kingdom and Ireland) [1]
Release dates
  • March 2024 (2024-03)(SXSW)
  • December 6, 2024 (2024-12-06)(United Kingdom)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Grand Theft Hamlet is a 2024 British documentary film directed by Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls. [2] The film is about the staging of a production of Hamlet inside of Grand Theft Auto Online during one of the UK's COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in 2021. [3] The film premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, where it won the Jury Award for best documentary feature. [3] [4] The film will be released theatrically in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2024, by Tull Stories, with Mubi released the film globally in addition to US theatrical release in early 2025. [5]

Contents

The documentary is an example of machinima, a method of filmmaking that exclusively utilizes in-game graphics to create the cinematic experience. [6]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 94% of 18 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. [7] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [8]

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References

  1. Dalton, Ben (15 October 2024). "Tull Stories acquires 'Grand Theft Hamlet' for UK-Ireland theatrical release". Screen International . Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  2. "'Grand Theft Hamlet': Altitude Boards SXSW Doc About Actors Who Staged Hamlet Production Inside 'Grand Theft Auto' Video Game". Deadline Hollywood . 8 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  3. 1 2 Zilko, Christian (2024-03-13). "'Grand Theft Hamlet' Filmmakers Talk Staging Shakespeare Inside 'GTA': 'If They Thought We Were Sh*t, They Were Gonna Shoot Us'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  4. "'Bob Trevino Likes It', 'Grand Theft Hamlet' top SXSW juried award winners". screendaily.com. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  5. Kennedy, Victoria (15 October 2024). "Hamlet film made in GTA Online coming to US cinemas and global streaming services". Eurogamer . Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  6. Frank, Allegra (2024-03-13). "How an Entire Shakespeare Play Was Staged in 'Grand Theft Auto'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  7. "Grand Theft Hamlet". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  8. "Grand Theft Hamlet". Metacritic . Retrieved May 22, 2024.