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)
  • 6 December 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 6 December 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 , 92% of 25 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8/10. [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 November 22, 2024.
  8. "Grand Theft Hamlet". Metacritic . Retrieved May 22, 2024.