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John Stephenson (director)
John Stephenson, (born 28 May 1952) is a British director and a former vice-president and creative supervisor for Jim Henson's Creature Shop. He was nominated for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts, BAFTA film award in 1985 for ''Dreamchild'' and in 1991, he won an Academy Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Early life Stephenson was born in London, England. Educated at the Kingston School of Art and then the Royal College of Art, graduating in 1979. He moved to the USA and had a brief spell working as a designer of prestigious-fashion West End Interiors in Los Angeles. Career Joining the Jim Henson's Creature Shop in the early 80s, Stephenson became a member of the unique group of artists designers and crafts people working on the ground-breaking film The Dark Crystal. in addition to working as a mechanical designer, he also served as an assistant cable control puppeteer on Dreamchild. Subsequently, in 1985, he became Creative Supervisor a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Henson's Creature Shop
Jim Henson's Creature Shop is an American animation and special/visual effects company founded in 1979 by Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The company is based in Hollywood, California, United States. History Jim Henson's Creature Shop was originally created as a partnership with British illustrator Brian Froud to facilitate the production of ''The Dark Crystal''. Originally located in Hampstead, London, it received its name in order to differentiate it from Jim Henson's original puppet workshop in New York City. It was then used for future productions such as ''Labyrinth (1986 film), Labyrinth'' and ''The StoryTeller (TV series), The StoryTeller.'' It was relocated to Camden Town following Henson's death in 1990 and his son, Brian Henson, takes it over. A third location in Burbank, California opened to serve Hollywood, and one of its first projects was the ''Dinosaurs (TV series), Dinosaurs'' television series. Its main animatronic supervisor is London native David Barring ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Return To Oz
''Return to Oz'' is a 1985 dark fantasy film released by Walt Disney Pictures, co-written and directed by Walter Murch. It stars Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh, Piper Laurie, and Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Gale in her first screen role. The film is an unofficial sequel to the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film '' The Wizard of Oz,'' and it is based on L. Frank Baum's early 20th century ''Oz'' novels, mainly being a combination of '' The Marvelous Land of Oz'' (1904) and ''Ozma of Oz'' (1907). In the plot, an insomniac Dorothy returns to the Land of Oz to find it has been conquered by the wicked Nome King and his accomplice Princess Mombi. Dorothy must restore Oz with her new friends Billina, Tik-Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead, and the Gump. In 1954, Walt Disney Productions bought the film rights to Baum's remaining ''Oz'' books to use in the television series ''Disneyland;'' this led to the proposed live-action film '' The Rainbow Road to Oz'', which was never completed. Murch suggested m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Five Children And It (film)
''Five Children and It'' is a 2004 family fantasy-comedy-drama adventure film adaptation of the 1902 novel ''Five Children and It'', which features live action and computer animation. It was directed by John Stephenson, produced by Nick Hirschkorn, Lisa Henson and Samuel Hadida, written by E. Nesbit and David Solomons with music by Jane Antonia Cornish and starring Tara FitzGerald, Freddie Highmore, Alex Jennings, Jonathan Bailey, Jessica Claridge, Poppy Rogers, Alec Muggleton, Zak Muggleton, Zoë Wanamaker, Kenneth Branagh, Alexander Pownall, Robert Tygner, Eddie Izzard as the voice of It-Psammead, Georgio Serafini, John Sessions, Kim Fenton, Norman Wisdom and Duncan Preston and Zak. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2004 and was theatrically released on 15 October 2004. The digital puppetry and CGI animation for Psammead was created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. ''Five Children and It'' grossed £1,519,049 worldwide. The film was r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brotherhood Of The Wolf
''Brotherhood of the Wolf'' () is a 2001 French period action horror film directed by Christophe Gans, co-written by Gans and Stéphane Cabel, and starring Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Émilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel. The story takes place in 18th-century France, where the Chevalier de Fronsac and Mani of the Iroquois tribe are sent to investigate the mysterious slaughter of hundreds by an unknown creature in the county of Gévaudan. The plot is loosely based on a real-life series of killings that took place in France in the 18th century and the famous legend of the beast of Gévaudan; parts of the film were shot at Château de Roquetaillade. The film has several extended swashbuckling fight scenes, with martial arts performances by the cast mixed in, making it unusual for a historical drama. The special effects for the creature are a combination of computer generated imagery, as well as puppetry and animatronics designed by Jim Henson's Creature S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oulu International Children's And Youth Film Festival
Oulu International Children's and Youth Film Festival () is an annual children's film festival held in November in Oulu, Finland. The festival has been founded in 1982 by the Oulu Film Centre. A children's film competition has been part of the festival since 1992. The jury of ten children chooses the best film and the Starboy Award is granted to the director of the film. Other awards are the ECFA Award for the best European film, the For Tomorrow Award to the best youth film and a prize of the Media Foundation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland for a Finnish feature or short film at the film festival. The main venue for the festival is the Cultural Centre Valve in the city centre; films are also shown in the Finnkino Finnkino Oy is a Finnish film distributor, producer, and movie theater chain. It was established in 1986 as a union of 34 companies working in the film industry. In 1994, Finnkino was acquired by the Rautakirja Group, which became a division o ... ci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fantasporto
Fantasporto International Film Festival (Portuguese: Festival Internacional de Cinema do Porto) is an international genre film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal. Screening and awarding fantasy, sci-fi and horror oriented commercial productions, auteur and experimental films from all over the world, Fantasporto has gained a cult following of enthusiastic audiences, ranging from cinephiles to more popular spectators. It has built the reputation of a discovery festival, premiering films which went on to achieve a cult status themselves. Fantasporto has been cited as one of the world's most prestigious genre film festivals, being often featured in Variety and named one of Dread Central's ''Best Horror Festivals in the World'' in both 2022 and 2021, as well as one of the ''25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World'' by MovieMaker Magazine in 2023. History Fantasporto was founded by Mário Dorminsky, Beatriz Pacheco Pereira and José Manuel Pereira in 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2000 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2000 for the United Kingdom and New Zealand were announced on 31 December 1999, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2000. The ''Honours list'' is a list of people who have been awarded one of the various orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom. Honours are split into classes ("orders") and are graded to distinguish different degrees of achievement or service, most medals are not graded. The awards are presented to the recipient in one of several investiture ceremonies at Buckingham Palace throughout the year by the Sovereign or her designated representative. The Prince of Wales (now Charles III) and The Princess Royal deputised for The Queen. The orders, medals and decorations are awarded by various honours committees which meet to discuss candidates identified by public or private bodies, by government departments or who are nominated by members of the public. Depending on their roles, those people selected by committee are s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Order Of The British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom#Modern honours, knight if male or a dame (title), dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with the order, but are not members of it. The order was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V, who created the order to recognise 'such persons, male or female, as may have rendered or shall hereafter render important services to Our Empire'. Equal recognition was to be given for services rendered in the UK and overseas. Today, the majority of recipients are UK citizens, though a number of Commonwealth realms outside the UK continue to make appointments to the order. Honorary awards may be made to cit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Animal Farm (1999 Film)
''Animal Farm'' is a 1999 political comedy-drama television film directed by John Stephenson and written by Alan Janes. Based on the 1945 novel of the same name by George Orwell and serving as an allegory of the Russian Revolution and its aftermath, the film features an ensemble cast including Kelsey Grammer, Ian Holm, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Patrick Stewart, Julia Ormond, Paul Scofield, Charles Dale, Pete Postlethwaite, Alan Stanford and Peter Ustinov. Jim Henson's Creature Shop provided the film's animatronic animals. In the film, a group of anthropomorphic animals revolt successfully against their human owner, only to slide into a more brutal tyranny among themselves when an evil pig takes control of the farm. Plot In the 1940s, Mr. Jones, the owner of Manor Farm, invites the Pilkingtons to a gathering to talk about his debts. That night, the animals gather in a meeting where Old Major, the Middle White boar, explains that humanity is their enemy and that they can over ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lost In Space (film)
''Lost in Space'' is a 1998 American science-fiction adventure film directed by Stephen Hopkins, and starring William Hurt, Matt LeBlanc, Gary Oldman, and Heather Graham. The plot is adapted from the 1965–1968 CBS television series of the same name (itself inspired by the 1812 novel '' The Swiss Family Robinson'' by Johann David Wyss). Several actors from the TV show make cameo appearances. The film focuses on the Robinson family, who undertake a voyage to a nearby star system to begin large-scale emigration from a soon-to-be uninhabitable Earth, but are thrown off course by a saboteur and must try to find their way home. ''Lost in Space'' received negative reviews from critics, and grossed $136.2 million worldwide with an $80 million budget. Plot In 2058, Earth will soon be uninhabitable due to the irreversible effects of pollution and ozone depletion. In an effort to save humanity, the United Global Space Force sends Professor John Robinson, his wife Maureen, dau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The English Patient (film)
''The English Patient'' is a 1996 Epic film, epic Romance film, romantic war drama film directed by Anthony Minghella from his own script based on the The English Patient, 1992 novel by Michael Ondaatje, and produced by Saul Zaentz. The film stars Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas alongside Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe and Colin Firth in supporting roles. The eponymous protagonist, a man burned beyond recognition who speaks with an Received Pronunciation, English accent, recalls his history in a series of flashbacks, revealing to the audience his true identity and the love affair in which he was involved before the war. The film ends with a definitive onscreen statement that it is a highly fictionalized account of László Almásy (died 1951) and other historical figures and events. The film received widespread critical acclaim and emerged as a major commercial success at the box-office. The film received twelve nominations at the 69th Academy Awards, winning nine, includi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Loch Ness (film)
''Loch Ness'' is a 1996 family drama film starring Ted Danson and Joely Richardson. It was written by John Fusco and directed by John Henderson. Plot At Loch Ness, Scotland, scientist Dr. Abernathy is killed by slipping off some rocks, after seeing something in the loch and taking a single photograph of it. Months later, American zoologist and freshman college tutor, Dr. John Dempsey, is asked to replace Abernathy and dispel the myth of the Loch Ness Monster. Dempsey is reluctant to do so, having ruined his career by trying to prove the existence of the Sasquatch. He agrees to go for the money, which would allow him to pay off an IRS debt & pay alimony to his ex-wife that ran off, partly for him naming a newly discovered species of parasitic wasp after her. Arriving in Scotland, Dempsey meets Dr. Abernathy's assistant Adrian Foote, who fanatically believes in the monster. Dempsey rents a room at a local inn run by Laura McFetridge and her young daughter, Isabel, who grows close ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
