Ian Clark (director)

Last updated

Ian Clark
Born
Education Poynton High School
Alma mater National Film and Television School
Occupation Film director
Years active2002–present
Spouse Katerina Athanasopoulou (2006–present)

Ian Clark is an English film director and screenwriter.

Contents

Early life

Ian Clark was raised in Disley, Cheshire, the son of Monica Clark (née Holt), a teacher and lecturer and Michael (Mick) Clark, an IT Manager. [1] He was educated at Poynton High School, Cheshire, and later went on to study Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University and Graphic Design and Animation at University of Staffordshire. It was at university that he started to develop an interest in film making. [2]

Career

In 2002 he made his second short film, Def, which was produced with funding from Short Circuits Commissions in Yorkshire and premiered at the Leeds International Film Festival in October 2002.The film won best short film in Leeds and went on to win the Grand Prize at PiFan in South Korea [3] and the Jury Prize at the New York International Children's Film Festival as well as many other awards.Def tells the story of Tony, a deaf boy from Yorkshire who dreams of becoming a rapper. While the other kids on his estate make fun of him and his friend Mike, Tony retreats into a fantasy of performing as deaf M.C, ‘Ice Finga'.

During 2006 and 2007 he studied at the National Film and Television School and completed an MA in Directing Fiction. He attended the 2008 Edinburgh Film Festival as a Skillset Trailblazer where his graduation film Outcasts premiered. [2] Outcasts, a road movie with a difference in which “a gang of outcasts hit the road to take on the world”, [4] won awards at festivals around the world including the FujiFilm Short Film Competition, Royal Television Society Student Awards [5] and Look & Roll Disability Film Festival, Munich. It was also selected for Virgin Atlantic’s Film Festival in the Sky where Alan Parker, one of the judges, commented “ Outcasts was so brave – the kind of balls and bravery only seen at the film school.” [6] On graduating from the NFTS he was mentored by the director Chris Smith as part of Guiding Lights, "Europe’s most prestigious film mentoring scheme". Majority funded by Creative Skillset, the programme supports upcoming filmmakers and professionals through high-level mentoring, complemented by a range of training and networking activities. [7]

In 2009 his short film Jenny and the Worm, produced with funding from Film London's Digital Shorts scheme, premiered at the London Film Festival. The film went on to win a number of awards at festivals round the world, including a Jury Special Mention at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. [8]

In 2011 he wrote and directed The Facility (originally titled Guinea Pigs), starring Aneurin Barnard, Oliver Coleman, Steve Evets, Skye Lourie, Alex Reid, Nia Roberts & Amit Shah. The film is a micro-budget British medical-horror film centered on seven volunteers in a clinical trial that goes horrifically wrong. [9] It was the first film made by the Vertigo School Project, a joint venture by Vertigo Films and the NFTS, designed to allow NFTS students to create feature films. The Facility premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 23 June 2012 [10] where it was selected to be part of the "Best of the Fest" programme. [11] The film was released by Momentum Pictures in May 2013.

In 2012 he directed Fox Hollow Farm, an episode of Paranormal Witness, Season 2 for Raw TV and the Syfy channel. [12] It was first screened on 26 September 2012 in the USA and on 6 December 2012 in the UK.This was followed by two episodes of a docudrama, Ultimate Warfare for Military Channel and Arrow Media. [8] [13] The films were first screened on 12 February 2013 and 12 March 2013 in the USA and during September 2013 in the UK.

In 2014 he directed two TV series for Arrow Media:See No Evil, a series of modern mysteries using real surveillance footage and Planes That Changed The World. [14] See No Evil had its world premiere in November 2014 on Slice TV in Canada [15] and was screened in the USA by Investigation Discovery in February 2015. [16] Kelsey Smith was the first episode of the series shown in the USA and achieved record breaking viewing figures for the channel . [17] Planes That Changed The World was premiered in the UK in March 2015 on Quest. [18]

In 2015 he produced and directed two episodes of the TV series Manhunt: Kill or Capture for World Media Rights. [19] The series had its world premiere in August 2015 on American Heroes Channel in the USA. Following the success of the first season of See No Evil, a second one was commissioned from Arrow Media and Clark directed five episodes. The series was premiered on the Investigation Discovery Channel in February 2016. . [20]

At the beginning of 2016 Arrow Media was commissioned by Investigation Discovery to produce a new TV series: American Monster (originally titled Devil In Disguise) with Clark directing two episodes. [21] It comprises a series of non-fiction crime dramas that get “closer than ever to some of the country's most shocking and surprising crimes.” [22] The series was premiered on the Investigation Discovery Channel in June 2016. Later in 2016 he produced and directed two episodes of Autopsy: The Last Hours Of... for Potato, part of ITV Studios. The subjects of these episodes were the actor Corey Haim and the comedian Chris Farley. The series was initially screened on the Reelz channel in November 2016. [23]

In 2017 a second season of American Monster was made with Clark directing four episodes. The first episode had its premiere on 9 July 2017 on Investigation Discovery. [24] Later in the year he produced and directed two further episodes of Autopsy: The Last Hours Of... (season 9). The subjects of these episodes were Andy Warhol and the singer Cass Elliot from the Mamas & the Papas. The episodes were initially screened on the Reelz channel on 25 March 2018 and 22 April 2018 respectively. [25]

In 2018 another new series was developed by Arrow Media. What Lies Beneath is a true crime drama documentary and Clark produced and directed the first two episodes. The programme gives the real-footage murder genre a new twist by using real courtroom footage, CCTV and home movies as well as surrounding news coverage. [26] The series was initially shown on Investigation Discovery in September and October 2018. [27] Later in 2018 he directed 2 episodes of season 5 of See No Evil. The series premiered on Investigation Discovery in April 2019. [28]

In 2019 he directed 2 episodes of a new drama documentary, Predator at Large, for October Studios. The series premiered in April 2020 on Investigation Discovery.

Filmography

Feature films

Television

Short films

Personal life

He is married to the Greek film maker Katerina Athanasopoulou and lives in London. He has a brother, Richard, who is a teacher. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Campbell</span> American actor (born 1958)

Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known best for his role as Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead horror series, beginning with the short movie Within the Woods (1978). He has also featured in many low-budget cult movies such as Crimewave (1985), Maniac Cop (1988), Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989), and Bubba Ho-Tep (2002).

<i>Most Haunted</i> British television series

Most Haunted is a British paranormal reality television series.

Jon Blair, CBE, is a South African-born British writer, film producer, and director of documentary films, drama, and comedy.

<i>Dr. G: Medical Examiner</i> American documentary-reality television series

Dr. G: Medical Examiner is a reality television series that originally aired on Discovery Health Channel and Discovery Fit & Health. Dr. G, or Dr. Jan Garavaglia, was the Chief Medical Examiner with Florida's District Nine Medical Examiner's office in Orlando, Florida.

See No Evil is part of the adage "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Albright</span> American killer from Dallas, Texas

Charles Frederick Albright was an American murderer and suspected serial killer who was convicted of murdering Shirley Williams, a sex worker whose body was found on a road in Dallas, Texas, in March 1991. Her body had been found with the eyes removed, leading to the media dubbing Albright the Eyeball Killer. Albright was also charged with the murders of three other women whose bodies were found in the Dallas area between 1988 and 1991. Charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence, although he is still considered the prime suspect. Albright was incarcerated in the John Montford Psychiatric Unit in Lubbock, Texas, until his death in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Blackthorne</span> English actor (born 1969)

Paul Blackthorne is an English actor. Although born in Shropshire, he spent his early childhood on UK military bases in Britain and Germany.

Baron Peter Von Puttkamer is a Canadian filmmaker known for his unique approach to adventure documentary series for network television, and for his work with Indigenous communities in his country and around the world. He has won major international awards for his work as a writer, director and producer, and was recently nominated for the 2015 Environmental Media Awards for his Nat Geo series, Biggest & Baddest, which he directed and co-produced with his wife and business partner, Sheera Von Puttkamer. For over thirty years, the couple has run Gryphon Productions and has a catalog that includes hundreds of finished films and videos, many that have appeared on television and cable networks globally and continue to be used in classrooms and outreach centers as educational and advocacy videos.

FrightFest, also known as Arrow Video FrightFest is an annual film festival held in London and Glasgow. The festival holds three major events each year: a festival running five days over the UK late August Bank Holiday weekend, a Halloween event held in London in late October, and a festival in Glasgow held around February as part of the Glasgow Film Festival.

<i>Ghost Adventures</i> American paranormal reality television show

Ghost Adventures is an American paranormal and reality television series that premiered on October 17, 2008, on the Travel Channel before moving to Discovery+ in 2021. An independent film of the same name originally aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on July 25, 2007. The program follows ghost hunters Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley as they investigate locations that are reported to be haunted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Brown Findlay</span> English actress (born 1987)

Jessica Rose Brown Findlay is an English actress. She played Lady Sybil Crawley in the ITV television period drama series Downton Abbey and Emelia Conan Doyle in the 2011 British comedy-drama feature film Albatross.

Penelope Skinner is a British playwright. Born in 1978, she came to prominence after her play Fucked was first produced in 2008 at the Old Red Lion Theatre and the Edinburgh Festival to critical acclaim and has had other plays staged in London including at the Bush Theatre, National Theatre and Royal Court Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damien Molony</span> Irish actor

Damien Molony is an Irish actor. He is best known for his television roles as Hal Yorke in BBC Three's Being Human, DC Albert Flight in the BBC's Ripper Street, DS Jack Weston in Channel 5's Suspects, Jon in Channel 4's GameFace and Dylan in Sky One Original comedy Brassic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian B. Goldberg</span> American television and film writer

Ian B. Goldberg is an American television and film writer, as well as a producer and showrunner.

Hadden Irving Clark is an American murderer and suspected serial killer currently serving two 30-year sentences for the murders of 6-year-old Michele Lee Dorr in 1986, and 23-year-old Laura Houghteling in 1992. He was also given a 10-year sentence for robbery after stealing from a former landlord.

<i>Star vs. the Forces of Evil</i> American animated television series

Star vs. the Forces of Evil is an American animated magical girl television series created by Daron Nefcy and developed by Jordana Arkin and Dave Wasson, which aired on Disney Channel and Disney XD. It is the first Disney XD series created by a woman, and the third overall for Disney Television Animation.

Claudia Milne is a British documentary filmmaker and independent tv producer, specialising in investigative journalism.

<i>Hank Zipzer</i> (TV series) 2014 British TV series or programme

Hank Zipzer is a British children's television series created by Henry Winkler, based on the book series of the same name by Winkler and Lin Oliver. It stars Nick James as the 12-year-old dyslexic schoolboy, Hank Zipzer. Winkler also portrays Mr. Rock, Hank's music teacher. Unlike the books that took place in Winkler's native United States, the series takes place in London, in the United Kingdom. It also included a 2016 Christmas special, Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe. HBO Max began streaming all three seasons on May 13, 2022, and began streaming Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe on December 2, 2022.

Michael Carson Lennox is a Northern Irish film director.

<i>Rapunzels Tangled Adventure</i> American animated television series

Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure is an American animated television series developed by Chris Sonnenburg and Shane Prigmore, and produced by Disney Television Animation. It premiered on Disney Channel as a Disney Channel Original Movie titled Tangled: Before Ever After on March 10, 2017. Its regular episodes premiered on March 24, 2017. The series is based on the 2010 film Tangled and features the returning voices of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, alongside Eden Espinosa, Clancy Brown, Julie Bowen, James Monroe Iglehart, Jeff Ross, Paul F. Tompkins, and Jeremy Jordan.

References

  1. "Clark family history". mandmclark.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 "NFTS biography". nfts.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  3. "PiFan Festival winners 2003". 7th.pifan.com. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  4. "Cannes in a van". cannesinavan. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  5. "Student Television Awards". rts.com. Archived from the original on 26 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  6. "Film Festival in the Sky". theguardian.com. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  7. "Guiding Lights". lighthouse.org.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Ian Clark". ianclarkfilms.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  9. "British Guinea Pigs get vertigo". fangoria.com. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  10. "Edinburgh Film Festival 2012". edfilmfest.org.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  11. "Best of the Fest". edfilmfest.org.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  12. "Mark Lewis on Paranormal Witness". scifitalk.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  13. "Arrow Media to produce Ultimate Warfare". arrowmedia.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  14. "Ian Clark". unitedagents.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  15. "See No Evil". slice.ca. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  16. "Investigation Discovery 2014–2015". television.mxdwn.com. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  17. "Investigation Discovery hits all time ratings high". tvbynumbers.zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  18. "Planes That Changed the World". locatetv.com. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  19. "Ian Clark". unitedagents.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  20. "Arrow Media Current Productions". arrowmedia.com. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  21. "Ian Clark". unitedagents.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  22. "American Monster". press.discovery.com. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  23. "Autopsy". tvguide.com. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  24. "American Monster". redcarpetcrash.com. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  25. "Autopsy". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  26. "Investigation Discovery Preview". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  27. "What Lies Beneath". next-episode.net. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  28. "See No Evil". tvguide.com. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  29. "Military Channel TV Shows". military.discovery.com. Retrieved 22 February 2013.,
  30. "Clark family history". mandmclark.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2017.