Richard Boddington | |
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 Boddington at the iEmmys, New York, New York, 2015 | |
| Born | February 6, 1968 Yorkshire, England |
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| Years active | 1995 - Present |
Richard Boddington (born February 6, 1968) is a British-Canadian film director, writer, editor, cinematographer and television producer, with dual citizenship from the United Kingdom and Canada. Born in Yorkshire, England, he now resides in Ontario, Canada.
Richard began making films at the age of 12 using Super 8. After seeing ET in 1982, he committed to being a filmmaker. He kept making Super 8 films in high school, then moved onto film school in the USA. [1]
From 1995–2000, Boddington worked as a Producer at the CTV Network in Toronto.
His first film was Dark Reprieve (2008), for which Boddington was the producer, director, editor and director of photography. He also self-financed it. [2]
Richard then directed, produced and edited the family comedy film, The Dogfather (2010), which starred Chris Parnell. [3]
In 2012, Boddington wrote, directed, edited and produced his third feature film, Against the Wild (2014), which was shot entirely on location in Northern Ontario.
The film tells the story of two children and their Alaskan Malamute, who must fight for survival after their plane crashes in the wilderness. Featuring a number of animals, a decision was made to exclusively use real animals and no computer generated ones. [4] The film achieved world wide distribution and won such awards as the Director's Choice Grand Prize at the 2013 Rhode Island International Film Festival. [5] The film stars, Natasha Henstridge, CJ Adams and Erin Pitt.
Richard was nominated for the Emmy Award for Against the Wild in October 2014. [6] [7]
In May 2015, Boddington filmed Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti in South Africa. [8] The film is a sequel to Against the Wild and follows the Alaskan Malamute, Chinook, on another adventure. This time Chinook must protect two children after their plane crashes in the African bush. The film features extensive use of elephants, lions, giraffes, hyenas and leopards. The film stars Jeri Ryan, John Paul Ruttan and Ella Ballentine. [9] [10]
Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti, was released into US theatres on February 26, 2016. [11] [12] The film went on to be highly successful in international sales, airing on many of the world's biggest broadcasters, including TF1 in France, STARZ in the USA, Antenna 3 in Spain, and Channel 5 in the UK. [13]
In April 2017, Boddington began production on Phoenix Wilder and the Great Elephant Adventure , which starred Elizabeth Hurley and Sam Ashe Arnold, in South Africa. Boddington was heavily inspired by The Black Stallion (film) a movie he considers to be a masterpiece. [14]
The movie tells the story of an orphan boy who is adopted by his aunt and then moves to join her in Africa. While on safari, Phoenix becomes lost in the African bush and befriends an elephant that helps him stop the efforts of elephant poachers. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]
The film had its world premiere at the Durban International Film Festival in July 2017. Phoenix Wilder was recognized by the Canadian government as a film that highlights the success of the Canada/South Africa co-pro treaty for film signed in 1997. [20] [21]
For a 2018 Fox News article, Boddington stated "The Great Elephant Census reported that between 2007 and 2014, Africa lost 144, 000 elephants. Think about that number: 144, 000 elephants. Knowing that the elephant has the longest gestational period of any animal at 22 months, just think about how long it would take to replace 144, 000 elephants with such a low reproductive rate!" [22]
Phoenix Wilder opened in 725 theatres in the USA on April 16, 2018, which made it one of the biggest theatrical releases of a Canadian film in over five years. [23] The movie was released on DVD and VOD in the USA by Lionsgate on October 23, 2018, and renamed An Elephant's Journey for the US market. [24] Richard Boddington spoke about his experiences making the film with the International Elephant Foundation. He said of his decision to use real elephants in the film, "Using a real animal is key to making these films, one could use computer generated animals that is true. However, you’ll never be able to program into a computer the unpredictability of a living organism." [25]
In October 2019, Boddington began work on the third in his series of Against the Wild films, entitled, Against The Wild III: The Journey Home. This time Chinook, the Alaskan Malamute, must lead a shipwrecked blind man out of the wilderness, while his children launch a rescue mission of their own to find him. Natasha Henstridge reprises her role from the first film, and stars as the aunt of the children. The film also stars Morgan Dipietrantonio, Zackary Arthur, Steve Byers, and Colin Fox (actor). The film is distributed by Lions Gate in the US market as, Hero Dog: The Journey Home. The film attained a top 10 sales ranking in the USA, its first week in release. [26] [27] [28] [29] [30]
On January 12, 2021, three of Boddington's films were shown on the new HBO Max platform in the USA. Against the Wild, Against The Wild II: Survive the Serengeti, and Phoenix Wilder and the Great Elephant Adventure , a.k.a., An Elephant's Journey. [31]
In September 2021 Boddington began filming, Wickensburg, his seventh career feature film as writer, producer, and director. The film tells the story of a recently widowed mother, played by Denise Richards, and her 13 year old son, Elliott, played by Jensen Gering. Who move to the small town of Wickensburg so that Richards can take a job as a reporter at the local paper. Elliott soon meets a mysterious young girl named Willow, who tells Elliott about the curse Wickensburg is under. Together Elliott and Willow embark on an adventure to save the town from an evil warlock. Following the clues laid out in a strange book found in the attic of Elliott's new home. Meanwhile, Denise Richards uncovers a corporate conspiracy to exploit the story of the old curse for profit. The film stars Julian Richings as Mr. Hexenmeister, Maurice Dean Wint as Mr. Wilson, and Steve Byers as Uncle Dave. [32] [33] [34] [35] [36]
In the Summer of 2023 Boddington began production on Return To Wickensburg, a sequel to Wickensburg. This film sees the return of the original cast, Denise Richards, Julian Richings, Jensen Gering, Catherine White, and Steve Byers. In the sequel Mr. Hexenmeister has escaped from prison and plans to destroy Wickensburg by blowing up the damn and flooding the town. To accomplish this he plans to use an ancient orb, which has special powers capable of generating the required explosion. The two young protagonists and Denise Richards work to foil Hexenmeister's plot. [37]
| Year | Title | As | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Dark Reprieve | Cinematographer, Editor, Producer, Director | |
| 2010 | The Dogfather | Editor, Producer, Director | |
| 2013 | Against the Wild | Writer, Editor, Producer and Director | Winner - RIIFF Director's Choice Award Rhode Island International Film Festival |
| 2016 | Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti | Writer, Editor, Producer, Director | |
| 2017 | Phoenix Wilder and the Great Elephant Adventure | Writer, Editor, Producer, Director | |
| 2021 | Hero Dog: The Journey Home | Writer, Editor, Producer, Director | |
| 2022 | Wickensburg | Writer, Editor, Producer, Director | |
| 2024 | Return to Wickensburg | Writer, Editor, Producer, Director |
The Serengeti ecosystem is a geographical region in Africa, spanning the Mara and Arusha Regions of Tanzania. The protected area within the region includes approximately 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi) of land, including the Serengeti National Park and several game reserves. The Serengeti hosts the world's most massive land animal migration, which helps secure it as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.
Denise Lee Richards is an American actress and television personality. Her most recognized roles are Carmen Ibanez in Starship Troopers (1997), Kelly Van Ryan in Wild Things (1998) and Bond girl Christmas Jones in The World Is Not Enough (1999). She has also appeared in films Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), Valentine (2001), Undercover Brother (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Love Actually (2003), and Madea's Witness Protection (2012).
A safari is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in Southeast Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an important part of the safari market, both for wildlife viewing and big-game hunting.
Species is a 1995 American science fiction horror film directed by Roger Donaldson and written by Dennis Feldman. It stars Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker, Marg Helgenberger, and Natasha Henstridge in her film debut role. The film's plot concerns a motley crew of scientists and government agents who try to track down Sil (Henstridge), a seductive extraterrestrial-human hybrid, before she successfully mates with a human male.
Natasha Tonya Henstridge is a Canadian actress. In 1995, she rose to prominence with her debut role in the science-fiction horror film Species, followed by performances in Species II and Species III. She has since starred in a string of films and television series, including Maximum Risk (1996), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), The Whole Ten Yards (2004), Ghosts of Mars (2001), She Spies (2002–2004), Eli Stone (2008–2009), and Would Be Kings (2008). For the latter, she won the Gemini Award for Best Actress. From 2019 until 2022, she starred in the CBC Television series Diggstown.
Natasha is a name of Slavic origin. The Slavic name is the diminutive form of Natalia.
The Wild Thornberrys Movie is a 2002 American animated fantasy adventure film based on the television series of the same name. It was produced by Klasky Csupo and distributed by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies. Directed by Jeff McGrath and Cathy Malkasian, the film follows the show's protagonist, Eliza Thornberry as she goes on a quest to save a cheetah cub from ruthless poachers. The film was released on December 20, 2002, to mostly positive reviews and grossed more than $60 million worldwide. It is the first installment in the The Wild Thornberrys film series.
George Alexander Graham Adamson MBE, also known as the Baba ya Simba, was a British wildlife conservationist and author based in Kenya. His wife Joy Adamson related in her best-selling book Born Free (1960) the couple's life with Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lioness cub they raised and later released into the wild.
William Dear is a Canadian actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He is known for directing the films Harry and the Hendersons, If Looks Could Kill, Angels in the Outfield, Wild America, and Santa Who?.
Richard Martini is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and freelance journalist.
The Bronze Wrangler is an award presented annually by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to honor the top works in Western music, film, television and literature.
Craig Boddington is a multi-media outdoor journalist, TV show host, author and retired Marine.
A romantic thriller is a narrative that involves elements of the romance and thriller genres. A good thriller provides entertainment by making viewers uncomfortable with moments of suspense, or the heightened feeling of anxiety and fright. A thriller is more a familiar concept and description than a pure genre. A typical genre can vary from comedy and melodrama to adventure and romance. All thrillers are a combination of different genres. The basic thriller trait of suspense fits with some genres better than others. For example, crime, sci-fi and romance allow more scope for suspense than screwball comedies or musicals do.
Against the Wild is a 2013 Canadian direct-to-video children's film directed by Richard Boddington and starring CJ Adams, Erin Pitt, Natasha Henstridge and Ted Whittall.
Jennifer "Jennie" Boddington was an Australian film director and producer, who was first curator of photography at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne (1972–1994), and researcher.
African Manhunt is a 1955 American adventure film directed by Seymour Friedman and written by Arthur Hoerl. The film stars Myron Healey, Karin Booth, John Kellogg, Lawrence Dobkin, Ross Elliott and James Edwards. The film was released on January 5, 1955, by Republic Pictures. African sequences from the French documentary Congolaise were edited into the film.
The Great Alaskan Race is a 2019 American action adventure drama film written and directed by Brian Presley.
Phoenix Wilder and the Great Elephant Adventure is a 2017 Canadian,South African adventure film, written and directed by Richard Boddington the film stars Elizabeth Hurley, Hlomla Dandala, Sam Ashe Arnold and Tertius Meintjes.
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