John Walsh | |
|---|---|
 Walsh at BAFTA Film Awards | |
| Born | London, England |
| Education | London Film School [1] |
| Occupation(s) | Film Director Screenwriter Film Producer |
| Notable work | Monarch ToryBoy The Movie Headhunting The Homeless |
| Website | www |
John Walsh is an English filmmaker and author. He is the founder of the film company Walsh Bros. Ltd. [2] His film work on subjects such as social mobility and social justice has received two BAFTA nominations.
A filmmaker from a young age, Walsh had his first super-8 camera by the age of ten. At the age of 18 he was the youngest student accepted to the London Film School (LFS) in 1989. [3] He made a film there on stop-motion animation filmmaker Ray Harryhausen.[ citation needed ] Walsh graduated from the LFS in 1990 or 1991, according to its blog. [4] [5] Walsh is a Trustee of the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation. [6] [7]
In 2010, Walsh stood as a parliamentary candidate in the 2010 General Election and made the gonzo-style documentary feature film Tory Boy The Movie, which was released in cinemas in 2011 and 2012. [8] The film follows Walsh as he becomes a Conservative candidate after a lifetime of voting Labour motivated by reports that Sir Stuart Bell, the Labour Party's MP in Middlesbrough, was absent so often from the town that he was an unsuitable candidate. [9] The file was nominated for the Grierson Awards for "Best Documentary on a Contemporary Theme". [10]
In 2014, Walsh's remastered version of the film Monarch was released. [11] The original negative for the film had been lost. The film starred late Irish stage and screen actor T. P. McKenna and Jean Marsh. [12] This subsequently led to cinema showing starting at the Tricycle Cinema. [13] [14] [15]
Walsh's three-part Grierson Trust-nominated BBC series Headhunting The Homeless was part of the corporation's 120 most treasured programmes of the first half of 2003, and was included in the corporation's drive to convince its critics that the licence fee should not be abolished. [16] The Guardian described the series as "truly touching" [17] and also chose it as their Pick of the Day. [18]
The BAFTA-nominated [19] and New York Film Festival-winning [20] Channel 4 series Don't Make Me Angry (2003) was about anger management. [21] This ran for two series. [22]
In 2010, Walsh's five part BBC series on childhood homelessness, Sofa Surfers , was nominated for the Social Award at the Rose d'Or Awards. [23]
The BAFTA-nominated 2010 film My Life: Karate Kids [24] tackled issues of bullying among disabled children. It was narrated by David Tennant. [25] [26]
The Monte Carlo Golden Nymph Award nominated [27] BBC film Toy Soldiers , made in 2010 and screened in 2014, presented the point of view of the bereaved children of UK service personnel. Walsh discussed this on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme. [28] According to the blog of the private medical service Dr Mortons, the film was mentioned positively by retired psychiatrist Geraldine Walford, who said it had been shown in schools across the country. [29] It was also entered for the Foundation Prix Jeunesse in 2012. [30]
Walsh worked with charity boss Eva Hamilton on her venture Key4Life and made a five-minute publicity film for them in December 2013 about their work with former young offenders. [31]
Walsh founded his company in 1992. [32] Walsh Bros Ltd. was ranked 70 in the Televisual Magazine's list of the top 100 independent film companies in the UK in 2012. [33]
Walsh has been a Trustee of the Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation since 2014. [7] He first met with Ray Harryhausen in the late 1980s as a film student of the London Film School [34] and in 1990 wrote and directed a 15-minute documentary entitled Ray Harryhausen: Movement Into Life, narrated by Tom Baker. [35]
Walsh filmed and recorded commentary tracks with Ray Harryhausen in his London home commencing 17 May 2012. [36] Since that date recordings were made for Clash of The Titans, Mysterious Island, The 3 Worlds of Gulliver , First Men in the Moon with Randy Cook, The Valley of Gwangi with his daughter Vanessa Harryhausen, One Million Years B.C. with Martine Beswick, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad with fellow Trustee Caroline Munro, Mighty Joe Young with film director John Landis and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger with SFX artist Colin Arthur. [37] [38] Walsh donated the film and sound footage to the Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation [39] and they contain many new revelations by Ray on how his films were created and produced.
San Diego Comic-Con announced the new Ray Harryhausen Awards which were devised by Walsh [40] and revealed at their 2021 panel at Comic Con. [41]
In additional to his film and TV screenplays, Walsh has written for various print and online publications on film history, politics and religion in The Daily Telegraph , [42] The Independent , [43] The Catholic Herald [44] and Conservative Home . [45] He contributed to the Titan Books title, Ray Harryhausen Poster Art Book, written by sci-fi journalist and author Richard Holliss. [46]
His first book, Harryhausen: The Lost Movies , was published 10 September 2019 by Titan Books. [47]
His second book, Flash Gordon: The Official Story of the Film , was published in November 2020 by Titan Books. [48]
In 2021, Screen Rant announced the publication of Walsh’s next book, Escape from New York: The Official Story of the Film , published by Titan Books. [49]
| Year | Title | ISBN | Publisher | Awards / Nominations* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | The Wicker Man: The Official Story of the Film | 9781803365084 | Titan Books | Nominee, Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards* "Book of the Year" [50] |
| 2023 | Conan the Barbarian: The Official Story of the Film | 9781803361765 | Titan Books | |
| 2022 | Dr Who and the Daleks: The Official Story of the Films | 9781803360188 | Titan Books | Honorable mention, Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards* "Book of the Year" [50] |
| 2021 | Escape from New York: The Official Story of the Film | 9781789095067 | Titan Books | Nominee, Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards* "Book of the Year" [51] |
| 2020 | Flash Gordon: The Official Story of the Film | 9781789095067 | Titan Books | Honorable mention, Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards* "Book of the Year" [52] |
| 2019 | Harryhausen: The Lost Movies | 9781789091106 | Titan Books | Runner-up, Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards* "Book of the Year" [53] |
| Year | Title | Role | Film / television | Award / nomination* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Escape From New York: The Official Story of the Film[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer | Documentary Series | |
| 2020 | Flash Gordon: The Official Story of the Film[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer | Documentary Series | |
| 2019 | Harryhausen: The Lost Movies[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer | Documentary Series | |
| 2016–2018 | The Ray Harryhausen Podcast | Originator, co-host | Radio series | Honorable mention, Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards* "Best Multi-Media" [54] |
| 2016 | Jupiter Pluvius at the Tate [55] | Producer, director, writer | Documentary | |
| 2015 | ToryBoy The Movie (re-release) | Producer, director, writer | Feature film | |
| 2014 | Monarch (re-release) | Producer, director, writer, editor | Feature film | |
| 2014 | Monarch Restoring A King [56] | Producer, director, writer, editor | Documentary | |
| 2013 | Key 4 Life [31] | Producer, director, writer | 15-minute documentary | |
| 2012 | Blinding[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer | BBC documentary | |
| 2012 | ToryBoy The Aftermath[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer | Documentary | |
| 2011 | ToryBoy The Movie | Producer, director, writer | Feature film | Shortlisted, Grierson Awards Best Documentary on a Contemporary Theme [57] |
| 2010 | Toy Soldiers [58] | Producer, director, writer | BBC documentary | Nominated, Monte-Carlo Television Festival [59] Entered, Prix Jeunesse Munich* [60] |
| 2009 | The Prime Minister's Global Fellowship[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer | Documentary for the British Council | |
| 2009 | My Life: Karate Kids [61] | Producer, director, writer | BBC documentary | Nominated, Children's factual, BAFTA [62] |
| 2008 | Sofa Surfers [63] [64] [65] | Producer, director, writer | BBC documentary | Nominated, Rose d'Or Social Award [66] |
| 2007 | Don't Make Me Angry – Series 2 [67] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 4 documentary | Bronze World Medal, New York Television Festival Best Young Adult Special Documentary Series [20] |
| 2006 | Don't Make Me Angry – Series 1 [68] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 4 documentary | Nominated, Children's learning: secondary, BAFTA [69] |
| 2003 | Headhunting The Homeless [16] [70] [71] | Producer, director, writer | BBC documentary | Grierson Awards Best Documentary Series[ citation needed ] |
| 2001 | Nu Model Armi[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 4 documentary | |
| 2001 | TREX2[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 5 documentary | |
| 2000 | TREX[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 5 documentary | |
| 2000 | Monarch | Producer, director, writer, editor | Feature film | |
| 1999 | Cowboyz & Cowgirlz[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 5 documentary | |
| 1998 | Boyz & Girlz : Greece[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 5 documentary | |
| 1998 | Boyz & Girlz[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 5 documentary | |
| 1991 | Masque of Draperie[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer, editor | Documentary | |
| 1990 | The Comedy Store[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer, editor | Documentary | |
| 1990 | The Sceptic and the Psychic[ citation needed ] | Producer, writer | Drama | |
| 1989 | Ray Harryhausen: Movement Into Life [72] [34] | Producer, director, writer | 15-minute documentary | |
| 1989 | The Sleeper[ citation needed ] | Producer, director, writer, editor | Drama | |
| 1985 | A State of Mind | Producer, director, Writer, editor | Drama | Screen Test BBC Young Film Maker of the Year 1985*[ citation needed ] |
Raymond Frederick Harryhausen was an American-British animator and special effects creator who created a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation". His works include the animation for Mighty Joe Young (1949) with his mentor Willis H. O'Brien ; his first color film, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958); and Jason and the Argonauts (1963), which featured a sword fight with seven skeleton warriors. His last film was Clash of the Titans (1981), after which he retired from filmmaking.
Famous Monsters of Filmland is an American genre-specific film magazine, started in 1958 by publisher James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman.
Rondo Hatton was an American journalist and actor. After writing for The Tampa Tribune, Hatton found a career in film due to his unique facial features, which were the result of acromegaly. He headlined horror films with Universal Studios near the end of his life, earning him a reputation as a cult icon.
Timothy Ray Lucas is an American film critic, biographer, novelist, screenwriter and blogger, best known for publishing and editing the video review magazine Video Watchdog.
Jonathan Rigby is an English actor and film historian who has written several books. Video Watchdog magazine described him as occupying "a proud place in the advance guard of film researchers, writers and critics," and in 2020 he was inducted into the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards Hall of Fame.
Caroline Jane Munro is an English actress, model and singer known for her many appearances in horror, science fiction and action films of the 1970s and 1980s. She gained prominence within Hammer and horror circles, starring in Dracula AD 1972 and Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (1974), garnering a cult following for the numerous films that she starred in. She also acted in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973), and in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). In 2019, she was inducted into the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards' Monster Kid Hall of Fame.
Synapse Films is an American DVD and Blu-ray label, founded in 1997 and specializes in cult horror, science fiction and exploitation films. It is considered a boutique DVD label.
Glenn Erickson is an American film editor and film critic. A graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, he started in the film industry in 1975 as an editor of low-budget films and later worked in minor technical crew capacities for the major films Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and 1941 (1979). As an editor, his credits include supplemental documentary materials for DVD releases of films, including The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966), Buckaroo Banzai (1985) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2001 for his editing of the Jack Cardiff montage tribute screened at the 73rd Academy Awards presentation. In 1997, he produced the restoration of the original ending to Kiss Me Deadly (1955).
Robert Tinnell is an American writer, film director and producer.
Penny Dreadful XIII is a television horror host based in New England. She is portrayed by actress, writer, and comedian Danielle Gelehrter.
My Life: Karate Kids is a British documentary for the BBC by John Walsh of Walsh Bros Ltd. and was narrated by actor David Tennant. The film follows the friendship of two disabled children as they embark on learning Sanjuro Martial Arts and changing their lives forever. This film challenges the perceptions around childhood disability.
Michael Mongillo is an American feature film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for the 2007 mockumentary Being Michael Madsen, the 2017 supernatural mystery Diane, and the 2021 sci-fi thriller The Changed.
The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award, often called the Rondo Award, is an annual award founded in 2002 that honors journalism, scholarship and film preservation in the horror genre, particularly of classic horror film and their modern-day counterparts.
Harryhausen: The Lost Movies is a book by John Walsh published September 10, 2019. This is a guide to unrealised cinema films of Ray Harryhausen from 1940s to the 2000s.
Flash Gordon: The Official Story of the Film is a book by John Walsh published on November 27, 2020. This is a behind the scenes look at the making of the film Flash Gordon from 1980. Walsh had previously written Harryhausen: The Lost Movies.
Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema is a book by Vanessa Harryhausen. Daughter of stop motion animator Ray Harryhausen, the book was written to mark her father's centenary in 2020, examining his life and films through 100 personally selected objects from his archive.
Escape From New York The Official Story of the Film is a book by John Walsh published December 14, 2021. This is a behind the scenes look at the making of the film Escape from New York from 1981. Walsh had previously written Harryhausen: The Lost Movies and Flash Gordon: The Official Story of the Film.
The Ray Harryhausen Awards are an annual film award for the best animated films of the previous year. Established by The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation based in Edinburgh, the awards aim to recognise the achievements of contemporary animators, whilst celebrating the ongoing legacy of stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen. The award statues are cast by Arch Bronze, who also sculpt the Laurence Olivier Awards.
The Wicker Man: The Official Story of the Film is the sixth book by John Walsh, published October 24, 2023, as part of the film's 50th anniversary.
WonderFest is an American fan convention focusing on science fiction and horror, held annually since 1992 after two years as a predecessor event. "One of the biggest hobby events in the country," it takes place in Louisville, Kentucky, and is the site of the annual presentation of the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards.