''The Search for John Gissing'' is a 2001 comedy film written and directed by Mike Binder, produced by Jack Binder, and starring

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespe ...

, Janeane Garofalo, and Mike Binder, set in London. The film won Best Picture at the 2002

Sarasota Film Festival The Sarasota Film Festival is a film festival located in Sarasota, Florida and is held in April. Its mission is "to celebrate the art of filmmaking and the contribution of filmmakers by hosting an international film festival and developing year-lo ...

Plot

Matthew Barnes is a young executive on the move, who finds himself a pawn in corporate in-fighting when he's sent to London to oversee a merger. He's to replace John Gissing. However Gissing gets wind of it, and makes sure that Matthew and his wife Linda, who has come to England with Matthew, have a miserable first few days there.

Cast

— John Gissing * Mike Binder — Matthew Barnes * Janeane Garofalo — Linda Barnes *

Sonya Walger Sonya Walger (born 6 June 1974) is a British actress who also holds American citizenship. She had starring roles in the short-lived sitcoms ''The Mind of the Married Man'' (2001–2002) and ''Coupling'' (2003) before landing her role as Penny W ...

— Sister Mary *

Juliet Stevenson Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, (born 30 October 1956) is an English actor of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film ''Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leadi ...

— Gwyneth Moore *

Allan Corduner Allan Corduner (; born 2 April 1950) is a British actor. Born in Stockholm to a German mother and a Russo-Finnish father, Corduner grew up in a secular Jewish home in London. After earning a BA (Hons) in English and Drama at Bristol Univer ...

— Francois "Fuller" Feulliere *

Owen Teale Owen Teale (born 20 May 1961) is a Welsh character actor known for his role as Ser Alliser Thorne in the HBO fantasy TV series ''Game of Thrones''. Early life Owen Teale was born on 20 May 1961, in North Cornelly, south Wales, son of Roy and ...

— Giles Hanagan *

Nigel Terry Peter Nigel Terry (15 August 1945 – 30 April 2015) was an English stage, film, and television actor, typically in historical and period roles. He played Prince John in Anthony Harvey's film '' The Lion in Winter'' (1968) and King Arthur in ...

— Alan Jardeen *

Frank Harper Frank Harper (born 12 December 1962) is an English actor and film producer. He is best known for his "hard man" roles, such as Billy Bright in '' The Football Factory'' (2004) and Dog in ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' (1998). Career F ...

— Dexter *

James Lance James Frederick Grenville Lance (born 29 September 1974) is an English actor, best known for his appearances in a number of British comedy series and the British-American comedy series '' Ted Lasso'' for which he was nominated for a Primetime ...

— Donny *

Lee Oakes Lee Oakes (born 1976) is an English actor best known for his role as Munch Wilkinson in the British comedy '' Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'' and as Kev in the British television series '' After You've Gone,'' a friend and fellow bui ...

— Carl Gissing *

Angela Pleasence Daphne Anne Angela Pleasence (born 30 September 1941) is an English actress. Trained in theatre, Pleasence's first major film role came in '' Hitler: The Last Ten Days'' (1973), followed by roles in horror films such as ''From Beyond the Grave'' ...

— Johanna Frielduct *Tim Briggs — Hotel Clerk *Caroline Holdaway — Gissing's assistant

Response

Not having found an appropriate distribution deal, Sunlight Productions set the film aside following its festival premieres. Shortly thereafter, an online petition was formed in a plea for the release of the film, garnering more than 3,000 signatures. Mike and Jack Binder's Sunlight Productions made the film available online.

Awards and nominations

Awards won

* Sarasota Film Festival Film Critics Award: Best Film

Official selection

AFI Fest The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

2001 *

Hamptons International Film Festival The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is an international film festival founded in 1992, by Joyce Robinson. The festival has since taken place every year in East Hampton, New York. It is usually an annual five-day event in mid-October ...

2002 *

Rome Film Festival International Rome Film Fest is a film festival that takes place in Rome during the month of October. The name in Italian is Festa del Cinema di Roma. Sections The Rome Film Festival official program is divided into several sections: Cinema d'O ...

2002 *

Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 1989 ...

2002 * U.S. Comedy Arts Festival Aspen 2002 * South by Southwest *

Newport Beach Film Festival The Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) is an annual film festival in Newport Beach, California, typically held in late April. In 2022, it was announced that the festival have permanently changed its date to be held in October, as the festival beg ...

2002 * Victoria Film Festival 2002 *

Raindance Film Festival Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates in major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin, and Brussels. The festival was established in 1992 by Elliot Grove t ...

Releases

This film was released on UK DVD by Simply Media 2 July 2018.

References

External links

*
Clips
at Mike Binder's personal site
Clips, Photos, and Info
at the Sunlight Productions official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Search for John Gissing, The 2001 films 2001 comedy films 2000s English-language films American comedy films Films directed by Mike Binder Films scored by Larry Groupé Films set in London Sunlight Productions films 2000s American films