Marc Evans
Encyclopedia
Marc Evans is a Welsh
-born film director
, whose credits include the films House of America, Resurrection Man and My Little Eye
.
, Wales. He studied for a history of art
degree at the University of Cambridge
, and then took a year out before taking a one-year course in film at the University of Bristol
, where his contemporaries included Michael Winterbottom
.
, before beginning directing on TV dramas, starting out with Welsh
-medium productions for S4C
, and latterly including episodes of The Ruth Rendell Mysteries
.
He then transferred to film, with 1997's House of America about a young Welsh immigrant to the United States
who falls foul of the American dream. In 1998 came controversy with Resurrection Man, a thriller set amid sectarian violence in Northern Ireland
.
His first box office hit was the Big Brother
-inspired horror film My Little Eye
. In 2004 he directed Trauma
starring Colin Firth
, Mena Suvari
and Brenda Fricker
, written by Richard Smith
, which reprised the darker elements of My Little Eye via a chilling psychological study of amnesia and despair. His later films mark a shift from an exploration of the relationships between national identity and myth to an innovative reworking of the horror genre in the critically acclaimed My Little Eye, which tapped into the zeitgeist via its embedded critique of the extremities of reality television and the internet.
Evans's 2006 film Snow Cake
starred Sigourney Weaver
and Alan Rickman
. His documentary In Prison My Whole Life
, about death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal
, premiered at the 2007 London Film Festival
and was selected for the Sundance Film Festival
in 2008.
Evans, in an interview at Cineworld
Cinema in Cardiff
, declared that he is working on a musical set in 1976 Swansea
, with Catherine Zeta-Jones
attached, which then changed to become Minnie Driver
. The film, Hunky Dory, is currently in Post-Production and is due out in Spring/Summer 2011. The films also stars West End Actor of Spring Awakening
Aneurin Barnard
.
Evans is a visiting professor at the University of Glamorgan
's creative arts school ATRiuM.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
-born film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, whose credits include the films House of America, Resurrection Man and My Little Eye
My Little Eye
My Little Eye is a 2002 British horror film directed by Marc Evans about five adults who agree to spend six months together in an isolated mansion while being filmed at all times. The idea for the film came from reality television shows such as Big Brother...
.
Biography
Evans was born in 1963 in CarmarthenCarmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
, Wales. He studied for a history of art
History of art
The History of art refers to visual art which may be defined as any activity or product made by humans in a visual form for aesthetical or communicative purposes, expressing ideas, emotions or, in general, a worldview...
degree at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, and then took a year out before taking a one-year course in film at the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
, where his contemporaries included Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom is a prolific English filmmaker who has directed seventeen feature films in the past fifteen years. He began his career working in British television before moving into features...
.
Career
Evans worked as a runner for a commercials company in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, before beginning directing on TV dramas, starting out with Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
-medium productions for S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
, and latterly including episodes of The Ruth Rendell Mysteries
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries is a British television series made by TVS and Meridian Television for ITV between 1987 and 2000.-Description:The series comprises adaptations of the works of Ruth Rendell, many of which are based on her extensive range of short stories...
.
He then transferred to film, with 1997's House of America about a young Welsh immigrant to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who falls foul of the American dream. In 1998 came controversy with Resurrection Man, a thriller set amid sectarian violence in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
His first box office hit was the Big Brother
Big Brother (TV series)
Big Brother is a television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 15 participants. The housemates try to win a cash...
-inspired horror film My Little Eye
My Little Eye
My Little Eye is a 2002 British horror film directed by Marc Evans about five adults who agree to spend six months together in an isolated mansion while being filmed at all times. The idea for the film came from reality television shows such as Big Brother...
. In 2004 he directed Trauma
Trauma (2004 film)
Trauma is a 2004 British psychological thriller directed by Marc Evans and written by Richard Smith.-Cast:*Colin Firth as Ben*Mena Suvari as Charlotte*Naomie Harris as Elisa*Sean Harris as Roland*Neil Edmond as Mills...
starring Colin Firth
Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
, Mena Suvari
Mena Suvari
Mena Alexandra Suvari is an American actress, fashion designer, and model. Shortly after beginning her career as a model, she appeared in guest roles on 1990's television shows such as Boy Meets World and High Incident...
and Brenda Fricker
Brenda Fricker
Brenda Fricker is an Irish actress of theatre, film and television. She had appeared in more than 30 films and television roles...
, written by Richard Smith
Richard Smith (screenwriter/director)
Richard Smith is a Scottish screenwriter and film director. He wrote Trauma, starring Colin Firth and Mena Suvari, and multi-award-winning half-hour film, Leonard.- Biography :...
, which reprised the darker elements of My Little Eye via a chilling psychological study of amnesia and despair. His later films mark a shift from an exploration of the relationships between national identity and myth to an innovative reworking of the horror genre in the critically acclaimed My Little Eye, which tapped into the zeitgeist via its embedded critique of the extremities of reality television and the internet.
Evans's 2006 film Snow Cake
Snow Cake
Snow Cake is a 2006 independent drama film directed by Marc Evans and starring Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Hampshire, and Callum Keith Rennie...
starred Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
and Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
. His documentary In Prison My Whole Life
In Prison My Whole Life
In Prison My Whole Life is a 2008 documentary film about Mumia Abu-Jamal. Mumia was arrested the day William Francome was born. When Francome made this film he was 25 years old and Mumia was still on death row....
, about death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death. He has been described as "perhaps the world's best known death-row inmate", and his sentence is one of the most debated today...
, premiered at the 2007 London Film Festival
London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
and was selected for the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in 2008.
Evans, in an interview at Cineworld
Cineworld
Cineworld Group plc is a cinema chain operating in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Jersey. The chain consists of 78 cinemas; 76 of which are located in the UK and one each in Ireland and Jersey. It is the second-largest cinema operator in the UK with 801 screens, and the owner of...
Cinema in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, declared that he is working on a musical set in 1976 Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, with Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones, CBE, is a British actress. She began her career on stage at an early age. After starring in a number of United Kingdom and United States television films and small roles in films, she came to prominence with roles in Hollywood movies such as the 1998 action film The Mask of...
attached, which then changed to become Minnie Driver
Minnie Driver
Minnie Driver is an English actress and singer-songwriter. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, as well as for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her work in the television series The Riches.- Early life...
. The film, Hunky Dory, is currently in Post-Production and is due out in Spring/Summer 2011. The films also stars West End Actor of Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening is a rock musical adaptation of the controversial 1892 German play of the same title by Frank Wedekind. It features music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. Set in late-19th century Germany, it concerns teenagers who are discovering the inner and outer tumult of...
Aneurin Barnard
Aneurin Barnard
-Early life:He was born in the former borough of Ogwr in Mid Glamorgan and trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama alongside Kimberley Nixon and Tom Cullen, graduating in 2008...
.
Evans is a visiting professor at the University of Glamorgan
University of Glamorgan
The University of Glamorgan is a university based in Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales with campuses in Treforest, Glyntaff, Merthyr Tydfil, Tyn y Wern and Cardiff...
's creative arts school ATRiuM.
Personal life
Married to actress Nia Roberts, the couple are resident in Cardiff, and have a daughter, Edith.Television
- 1987 East of the Moon
- 1988 Leters from Patagonia
- 1990 The Gift (co-d.)
- 1991 Friday on My Mind
- 1992 Thicker than Water
- 1994 Master of the Moor; Silent Village (doc)
- 1995 Arthur's Departure; Bliss
- 2009 CollisionCollision (TV series)Collision is a five-part television drama miniseries, which debuted on ITV in November 2009. In the same month, it was also on PBS as a series in two parts. It tells the story of a group of strangers whose lives intertwine following a devastating car crash...
Film
- 1996 House of America
- 1997 Resurrection Man
- 2000 Beautiful MistakeBeautiful Mistake (film)Beautiful Mistake is a 2000 Welsh music documentary film directed by Marc Evans starring James Dean Bradfield, Huw Bunford and Cian Ciaran.-Plot:...
- 2002 My Little EyeMy Little EyeMy Little Eye is a 2002 British horror film directed by Marc Evans about five adults who agree to spend six months together in an isolated mansion while being filmed at all times. The idea for the film came from reality television shows such as Big Brother...
- 2004 TraumaTrauma (2004 film)Trauma is a 2004 British psychological thriller directed by Marc Evans and written by Richard Smith.-Cast:*Colin Firth as Ben*Mena Suvari as Charlotte*Naomie Harris as Elisa*Sean Harris as Roland*Neil Edmond as Mills...
- 2006 Snow CakeSnow CakeSnow Cake is a 2006 independent drama film directed by Marc Evans and starring Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Hampshire, and Callum Keith Rennie...
- 2007 In Prison My Whole LifeIn Prison My Whole LifeIn Prison My Whole Life is a 2008 documentary film about Mumia Abu-Jamal. Mumia was arrested the day William Francome was born. When Francome made this film he was 25 years old and Mumia was still on death row....
- 2010 PatagoniaPatagonia (film)Patagonia is a 2010 drama film about different Welsh and Argentine people connected to "Y Wladfa," the Welsh settlement in Patagonia, Argentina. The film stars several well-known Welsh actors including Matthew Rhys, Nia Roberts, and the singer Duffy. Directed by Welsh director Marc Evans, it...