Phil Hawkins (born December 26, 1984) is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

from

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. His work in feature film includes '' Prancer: A Christmas Tale'' (2022) and '' Robin And The Hoods'' (2024) He is also known for appearing in the Fox/DreamWorks reality television show ''

On The Lot ''On the Lot'' is a single season reality show and online competition for filmmaking, produced by Steven Spielberg, Mark Burnett and David Goffin. The show, which aired on Fox, featured filmmakers competing in weekly elimination competitions, w ...

'' produced by

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

Career

Hawkins directed his first short film when he was 13, and admits that it wasn't very good. He had no formal education in film and is entirely self-taught. He learned the film-making trade by taking part in a lot of 48-hour film challenges. When he was 17 he gained a place on the BBC's Mentor Project. With a £1000 fund he made a short called ''The Dotted Line'' which got him noticed by a TV advertising production company. His first feature, ''The Women Of Troy'', won Best Director at the New York Independent Film Festival in 2006. In late 2006, Hawkins was signed by the Dutch production company Dynamic Entertainment to direct the film version of

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. He is best known for the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials''. The first volume, ''Northern Lights'' (1995), won the Carnegie Medal

's novel '' The Butterfly Tattoo'', The independent film won three awards at international festivals, including Best Director at the New York Independent Film Festival in 2008 - the second time Hawkins has won this award. In mid-2010, Hawkins shot the film ''Being Sold'' in just two days. The film went won Best Film and Best Actor for its lead Christopher Dane at the London Independent Film Festival. In 2013 Hawkins directed the horror film '' The Last Showing'', starring

Robert Englund Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director. Englund is best known for playing the villain Freddy Krueger in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchise. Englund has received multiple accolades and honors, incl ...

. The film had a budget of £2m and was shot in the north west of England. It had its world premier in 2014 at Frightfest before being released on DVD and VOD. Englund commented: "You know, it’s so great to work for someone as gifted as Phil Hawkins. After a day and a half of working with him. I was like, “Where’s he been all my life?”" 2022 marked Hawkins’ first studio feature film. Prancer: A Christmas Tale was made for Universal, produced by

Raffaella De Laurentiis Raffaella De Laurentiis (born 28 June 1952) is an Italian film producer. Films which she has produced include ''Conan the Barbarian'', ''Conan the Destroyer'', ''Dune'', '' Prancer'', '' Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story'', all films in the ''Dragonhe ...

and stars

James Cromwell James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his extensive work as a character actor, he has received a Primetime Emmy Award as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Babe'' ( ...

. His latest feature film is the family action adventure Robin and the Hoods for Sky Studios. The film stars Oscar-nominee

Naomie Harris Naomie Melanie Harris (born 6 September 1976) is an English actress. She started her career when she was a child, appearing in the television series '' Simon and the Witch'' in 1987. She portrayed Selena in the zombie film '' 28 Days Later'' (2 ...

Gwendoline Christie Gwendoline Christie (born 28 October 1978) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Brienne of Tarth in the HBO fantasy-drama series ''Game of Thrones'' (2012–2019), and the First Order (Star Wars), First Order Stormtrooper (Star War ...

Mark Williams (actor) Mark Williams is an English actor, comedian, presenter and screenwriter. He first achieved widespread recognition as one of the central performers in the BBC sketch show ''The Fast Show''. His film roles include Horace in '' 101 Dalmatians'' (1 ...

and rising star Darcey Ewart.

''Star Wars: Origins''

In 2019, Phil wrote and directed the epic fan film Star Wars: Origins to critical acclaim. Jacob Stolworthy of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' called it, "a must-watch for any fan." The film took inspiration from the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' and ''

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...

'' franchises, with online publication ''

Nerdist Nerdist Industries, LLC (also simply known as Nerdist) is part of the digital division of Legendary Entertainment. Nerdist Industries was founded as a sole podcast ( The Nerdist Podcast) created by Chris Hardwick but later spread to include a net ...

'' describing it as a "mashup."

''On The Lot''

In 2007, Hawkins was the only filmmaker from the UK selected by

and

Mark Burnett James Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a British television producer who has won thirteen Emmy Awards including ten Primetime, one Sports Emmy Award and two Daytime Emmy Awards. His other accolades include five Producers Guild of America A ...

to appear on the Fox/DreamWorks reality television show ''

'' for filmmakers.

TV commercials

In addition to his film work, Hawkins has directed many TV commercials for a wide range of advertising agencies and production companies worldwide. He’s worked with high profile talent including

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Christopher Walken on stage and screen, His work on stage and screen has earned him List of awards and nominations received by Christopher Walken, accolades includin ...

Filmography

Awards

*Best Feature Director at the New York Independent Film and Video Festival 2006 for ''The Woman of Troy'' *Best Feature Director at the New York Independent Film and Video Festival 2008 for ''The Butterfly Tattoo''NY Film Awards winners 2008

References

External links

Hawkins' official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Phil 1984 births Living people Mass media people from Manchester People from Chorlton-cum-Hardy