Chris Jones is a British
filmmaker
Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...
,
author
In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
,
film director
A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...
,
screenwriter
A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
and
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
, who has written books on becoming a film-maker. Jones was educated at
Bournemouth Film School, and made his feature film director debut at the age of 21 with ''The Runner'' (1992). He owns the film company called Living Spirit.
His films include the 1994
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...
''
White Angel'' starring
Peter Firth
Peter Macintosh Firth (born 27 October 1953) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Sir Harry Pearce in the BBC One programme '' Spooks''; he is the only actor to have appeared in every episode of the programme's ten-series lif ...
and
Don Henderson
Donald Francis Henderson (10 November 1931 – 22 June 1997) was an English actor. He was known for playing both "tough guy" roles and authority figures, and is remembered for his portrayal of detective George Bulman between 1976 and 1987 in ...
,
and ''
Urban Ghost Story'' (1998), a
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
set in
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
starring
Jason Connery
Jason Joseph Connery (born 11 January 1963) is a British actor and director. He is the son of Sean Connery and Diane Cilento. On screen, he is best known for appearing in the third series of the ITV (TV channel), ITV drama series ''Robin of She ...
.
Works
Jones wrote and directed the short film ''
Gone Fishing'' starring
Bill Paterson, that premiered at
BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
on 12 January 2008. ''Gone Fishing'' won 55 prizes at the film festival circuit including the Grand Prize at the 2008
Bahamas International Film Festival, and the 2008
Rhode Island International Film Festival
Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state.
Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the Newpor ...
, and it won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2009
Edmonton International Film Festival. At the 2009
Beverly Hills Film Festival and the 2009
Method Fest Independent Film Festival
The Method Fest Independent Film Festival is an independent film festival
A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region ...
it took home the Audience Award, and it received the Golden Honu Award at the 2009
Big Island Film Festival. ''Gone Fishing'' further won both the Director's Choice Award and the Audience Award at the 2009
Sedona Film Festival
The Sedona International Film Festival (SIFF) is an annual, eight-day film festival in Sedona, Arizona. The festival was founded in 1994.
History
In 2023, the festival was listed on ''MovieMakers "20 Great Film Festivals in Vacation Destinat ...
, the Achievement Award for screenwriting at the 2009
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 had permanently changed its date to be held in October, as the festival bega ...
, and the prizes for Best Short at both the 2009
Indianapolis International Film Festival and the 2009
Palm Beach International Film Festival, as well as receiving the prize for Best Narrative Short by the
Producers Guild of America
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing the interests Television producer, television producers, Film producer, film producers and emerging media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership inclu ...
.
The film was among the final 10
long-listed shorts for the 2009
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
.
In 2009 Jones was attached to British thriller
Exam
An examination (exam or evaluation) or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered verba ...
as associate producer.
In 2014, he released a film, ''50 Kisses'', in collaboration with a large number of people organized through the
London Screenwriters' Festival, and began work on ''Rocketboy''.
In 2015 Jones co-produced the feature documentary ''The First Film'' about
Louis Le Prince
Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince (28 August 1841 – disappeared 16 September 1890, Presumption of death, declared dead 16 September 1897) was a French artist and the inventor of an early film, motion-picture camera, and director of ''Roundhay Ga ...
who is credited as a Leeds-based inventor of film.
In 2016, Jones launched Create50, an initiative to connect creative people to collaborate and produce works, such as books and feature films, that enter the mainstream marketplace. Create50's first major project was ''Twisted50''.
In 2016 Jones trained to become a
firewalk instructor to help creative people break through barriers and began his own firewalk company called The Firewalk Experience.
In 2018 Jones produced the crowd created feature film, ''Impact50'', the opening being written by
Joe Eszterhas
József Antal Eszterhás (; born November 23, 1944), credited as Joe Eszterhas, is a Hungarian-American writer. Born in Hungary, he grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. After an early career as a journalist and editor, he entered t ...
and starring
Olivia Williams as the US president. The story revolves around the social impact of a catastrophic meteor strike. Due to the pandemic, the film was delayed, but released on June 3rd 2022.
In 2023 Jones executive produced the four part docuseries ''The Enfield Poltergeist'' for
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...
.
In 2023 Jones joined the
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
M:I 7 and 8 team to direct splinter unit on ''
Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning'' and also ''
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning''.
Jones is the author of several books on film-making, including ''
The Guerilla Filmmakers Handbook''.
Having made several feature films on shoestring budgets, Jones has warned in 2010 that the British film industry needed to cut back on its spending if it was to survive.
Jones teaches a variety of
filmmaker courses from his
Ealing Studio location,
and founded the
London Screenwriters’ Festival as creative director in 2010.
Filmography
Feature films
* ''The Runner'' – 1992, 90 min Super16 – Director
* ''
White Angel'' – 1994, 90 min Super16 – Director
* ''
Urban Ghost Story'' – 1998, 90 min Super16 – Co-writer with
Genevieve Jolliffe, Producer & Second Unit Director
*
50 Kisses' - 2014 - Co-writer
* ''Impact50'' - 2022 - Producer
* ''
Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning'' - 2023, 164 min - Splinter Unit Director
* ''
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning - 2025 - Splinter Unit Director''
* ''Rocketboy'' (forthcoming) – Director
Short films
* ''
Gone Fishing'' – 2008, 13 min 35mm – Writer and director
Docuseries
* ''The Enfield Poltergeist'' - 2023 - Executive Producer
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
Citations
*
External links
*
Livingspirit websiteBlogDirecting website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Chris
British film directors
Living people
Alumni of Arts University Bournemouth
Year of birth missing (living people)