Jeremy Thomas | |
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Born | London, England | 26 July 1949
Occupation | Film producer |
Years active | 1976–present |
Spouses | Claudia Frohlich (m. 1977;div. 1981)Eski Thomas née Vivien Coughman (m. 1982) |
Jeremy Jack Thomas, CBE (born 26 July 1949) is a British film producer, founder and chairman of Recorded Picture Company. He produced Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor , which won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Picture. In 2006 he received a European Film Award for Outstanding European Achievement in World Cinema. His father was director Ralph Thomas (director of many of the Doctor films), while his uncle Gerald Thomas directed all of the films in the Carry On franchise.
Thomas was born in London, England into a filmmaking family with his father, Ralph Philip Thomas, and uncle, Gerald, both being directors. [1] His childhood ambition was to work in cinema. As soon as he left school, he went to work in various positions, ending up in the cutting rooms working on films such as The Harder They Come , Family Life and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad , and worked through the ranks to become a film editor for Ken Loach on A Misfortune .
After editing Philippe Mora's Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? , he produced his first film Mad Dog Morgan in 1974 in Australia. He then returned to England to produce Jerzy Skolimowski's The Shout , which won the Grand Prix de Jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
Thomas' films are all highly individual and his independence of spirit has paid off both artistically and commercially. His extensive output of over forty films includes three films directed by Nicolas Roeg: Bad Timing , Eureka and Insignificance , Julien Temple's The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle , Nagisa Oshima's Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence , and The Hit directed by Stephen Frears.
In 1986, Thomas produced Bernardo Bertolucci's epic, The Last Emperor , an independently financed project that was three years in the making. A commercial and critical triumph, the film swept the board at the 1987 Academy Awards, garnering nine Oscars, including Best Picture.
Thomas has since completed many films, including Karel Reisz's film of Arthur Miller's screenplay Everybody Wins , Bertolucci's film of Paul Bowles' The Sheltering Sky , Little Buddha and Stealing Beauty , David Cronenberg's films of William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch , J. G. Ballard's Crash and Christopher Hampton's A Dangerous Method (based on Hampton's The Talking Cure). In 1997, Thomas directed All the Little Animals , starring John Hurt and Christian Bale, which was in Official Selection at Cannes. Notable recent credits include Jonathan Glazer's debut film Sexy Beast , Takeshi Kitano's Brother , Khyentse Norbu's The Cup , Phillip Noyce's Rabbit-Proof Fence, David Mackenzie's film of Alexander Trocchi's Young Adam , Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers , Terry Gilliam's Tideland , Wim Wenders' Don't Come Knocking , Richard Linklater's Fast Food Nation and Gerald McMorrow's Franklyn , starring Eva Green, Sam Riley and Ryan Phillippe. His film, Jon Amiel's Creation , about the life of Charles Darwin, with Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly in the leads, was the Opening Gala of the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.
In 2010, Thomas premiered Jerzy Skolimowski's Essential Killing and Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins at the Venice Film Festival, both of which he executive-produced. Essential Killing went on to win the Jury Prize and two others, a triple win unprecedented in the Festival's history. Thomas also executive-produced Wim Wenders' 3D dance film Pina , which premiered at the 2011 Berlinale. At Cannes 2011, Thomas premiered Takashi Miike's new film, Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai , the first 3D film to show in Competition.
Thomas' recent[ when? ] releases include David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method , written by Christopher Hampton and starring Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender and Vincent Cassel, which premiered at Venice and Toronto Film Festivals 2011. In 2012, Thomas launched the epic Kon-Tiki , the true story of Thor Heyerdahl's legendary raft adventure directed by Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg, which was nominated for a Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. In 2014, Thomas released Jim Jarmusch's vampire opus Only Lovers Left Alive starring Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska and John Hurt, and Richard Shepard's black comedy Dom Hemingway starring Jude Law, Richard E. Grant, Demián Bichir and Emilia Clarke.
Recent[ when? ] releases include an adaptation of J. G. Ballard's 1970s dystopian novel High-Rise, written by Amy Jump and directed by Ben Wheatley, starring Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans and Elisabeth Moss, and Tale of Tales directed by Matteo Garrone starring Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, John C. Reilly and Toby Jones.
Thomas has said of his ethos:
An entrepreneurial spirit is an important element of being a producer, some sort of inner workings that is pushing you forward. Because there are a lot of knockbacks and you have to wear a sort of armour so you can continue believing in your films when everybody around you is telling you: "Don't do that." [2]
In 1998, Thomas founded his international sales arm, HanWay Films, to service his own productions. HanWay has since expanded to sell third party projects, as well as handling the libraries of many of the world's best-known filmmakers.
Thomas was Chairman of the British Film Institute from August 1992 until December 1997, and has been the recipient of many awards throughout the world, including the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema from BAFTA, and the European Film Award for Outstanding European Achievement in World Cinema. He has been president of the jury at Tokyo Film Festival, San Sebastian Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival [3] and Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard) and has also served on the main jury at Cannes. He was made a Life Fellow of the British Film Institute in 2000.
Thomas was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. [4] He was also made Honorary Associate of London Film School.
David Paul Cronenberg is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is a principal originator of the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation, infectious diseases, and the intertwining of the psychological, physical, and technological. Cronenberg is best known for exploring these themes through sci-fi horror films such as Shivers (1975), Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983) and The Fly (1986), though he has also directed dramas, psychological thrillers and gangster films.
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German filmmaker and playwright, who is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among the honors he has received are prizes from the Cannes, Venice and Berlin film festivals. He has also received a BAFTA Award and been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Grammy Award.
Bernardo BertolucciOMRI was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in Italian cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved international acclaim. With The Last Emperor (1987) he became the first Italian filmmaker to win the Academy Award for Best Director, and he received many other accolades including a BAFTA Award, a César Award, two Golden Globes, a Golden Lion in 2007, and an Honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2011.
The Last Emperor is a 1987 epic biographical drama film about the life of Puyi, the final Emperor of China. It is directed by Bernardo Bertolucci from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Peploe, which was adapted from Puyi's 1964 autobiography, and independently produced by Jeremy Thomas.
Jean-Louis Xavier Trintignant was a French actor. He made his theatrical debut in 1951, and went on to be regarded as one of the best French dramatic actors of the post-war era. He starred in many classic films of European cinema, and worked with many prominent auteur directors, including Roger Vadim, Costa-Gavras, Claude Lelouch, Claude Chabrol, Bernardo Bertolucci, Éric Rohmer, François Truffaut, Krzysztof Kieślowski, and Michael Haneke.
Vincent Cassel is a French actor. He has earned a César Award and a Canadian Screen Award as well as nominations for a European Film Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Jean-Pierre Léaud, ComM is a French actor best known for his portrayal of Antoine Doinel in a series of films by François Truffaut, beginning with The 400 Blows (1959). Léaud is a significant figure of the French New Wave, having also worked with Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda, and Jacques Rivette, as well as other notable directors such as Jean Cocteau, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bernardo Bertolucci, Catherine Breillat, Jerzy Skolimowski, and Aki Kaurismäki.
All the Little Animals is a 1998 drama film directed and produced by Jeremy Thomas and starring Christian Bale and John Hurt. Based on the 1968 novella of the same name by Walker Hamilton, it was adapted for the screen by Eski Thomas.
Jerzy Skolimowski is a Polish film director, screenwriter, dramatist, actor and painter. Beginning as a screenwriter for Andrzej Wajda's Innocent Sorcerers (1960), Skolimowski has made more than twenty films since his directorial debut The Menacing Eye (1960). In 1967 he was awarded the Golden Bear prize for his Belgian film The Departure (1967). Among his other notable films is Deep End (1970), starring Jane Asher and John Moulder Brown.
Crash is a 1996 Canadian drama film written, produced and directed by David Cronenberg, based on J. G. Ballard's 1973 novel of the same name. Starring James Spader, Deborah Kara Unger, Elias Koteas, Holly Hunter and Rosanna Arquette, it follows a film producer who, after surviving a car crash, becomes involved with a group of symphorophiliacs who are aroused by car crashes and tries to rekindle his sexual relationship with his wife.
The Cup is a 1999 Tibetan-language film written and directed by Khyentse Norbu in his feature directorial debut. The plot involves two young football-crazed Tibetan refugee novice monks who desperately try to obtain a television for their remote Himalayan monastery to watch the 1998 FIFA World Cup final.
The Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF) is a film festival held every November in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is organized by the Thessaloniki Film Festival under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture. It features international competition sections, and its program includes tributes to major filmmakers and national cinemas, as well as sidebar events such as masterclasses, exhibitions, live concerts and workshops. In addition to TIFF, the Thessaloniki Film Festival holds the annual Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (TDF) in March.
Recorded Picture Company is a British film production company founded in 1974 by producer Jeremy Thomas.
The Shout is a 1978 British horror film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski. It was based on a short story by Robert Graves and adapted for the screen by Skolimowski and Michael Austin. The film was the first to be produced by Jeremy Thomas under his Recorded Picture Company banner.
Paulo Branco is a Portuguese film producer.
The 29th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 28 May 1976. The Palme d'Or went to Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese. In 1976, "L'Air du temps", a new section which was non-competitive and focused on contemporary subjects, was introduced. This section, along with sections "Les Yeux fertiles" of the previous year and "Le Passé composé" of the next year, were integrated into Un Certain Regard in 1978.
The 34th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 27 May 1981. The Palme d'Or went to the Człowiek z żelaza by Andrzej Wajda. The festival opened with Three Brothers by Francesco Rosi and closed with Honeysuckle Rose, directed by Jerry Schatzberg.
The 37th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 23 May 1984. The Palme d'Or went to the Paris, Texas by Wim Wenders.
HanWay Films is an independent British international sales, distribution and marketing company specializing in theatrical feature films.
Essential Killing is a 2010 Polish survival political thriller film co-written and directed by Jerzy Skolimowski and starring Vincent Gallo and Emmanuelle Seigner. Gallo stars as an Islamic insurgent, who finds himself fighting for survival in a frozen woodland, pursued by soldiers.