5 March - Joe Stephenson, Film Director
BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! MEETS ... JOE STEPHENSON, Film Director
Joe established himself directing and producing a TV series for Sky Arts, called IN LOVE WITH, starring over 20 of the best British acting talent including Stephen Fry, Karen Gillan, John Simm, Eddie Marsan, Craig Roberts, Miriam Margolyes, Anthony Head, and many more. It was with this series that he founded B Good Picture Company.
Joe’s debut feature film as both director and producer, CHICKEN premiered at Edinburgh International Film Festival and went on to win awards across the festival circuit. On its theatrical release CHICKEN received great critical acclaim, including being compared to Ken Loach’s KES by BBC’s Mark Kermode. It then went on to be picked up by MUBI UK and FILM4. It is now taught nationwide on the UK’s AQA Media Studies curriculum.
Joe followed up CHICKEN with his second film: MCKELLEN: PLAYING THE PART whilst also being commissioned by Tate Britain to create a work for the major QUEER ART exhibition. Premiering at Rome Int’l Film Festival, Joe’s feature documentary on the life and work of Ian McKellen was praised by The Hollywood Reporter as a film that “should join the small circle of high-level docs about the acting profession able to inspire newcomers.” In 2018, the film received international praise on theatrical releases worldwide. Like CHICKEN, it has maintained a rare 100% Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score.
Joe’s third film, DOCTOR JEKYLL, a fresh interpretation of the iconic character Jekyll/Hyde, broke new ground with the first ever trans actor playing the role: Suzy Eddie Izzard. Also starring are Scott Chambers, Lindsay Duncan, Simon Callow, Jonathan Hyde and more the film was picked up to relaunch the iconic Hammer Studios. On it’s theatrical release in the UK, the film was praised as “a romp from start to finish, with Izzard giving Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing a run for their money” by Little White Lies, and “a refreshing throwback to Hammer’s glory days” by SFX Magazine.
Joe's most recent film is MIDAS MAN, starring Emily Watson, Eddie Marsan, Jay Leno, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Milo Parker, Suzy Eddie Izzard. The film is a biopic on the gay manager of The Beatles, Brian Epstein praised as ‘honest and affecting’ (Variety) lead by 'deeply empathic’ performances (Guardian). In the UK it launched as an Amazon Original on Prime October 2024 where it reached number 1 in the country the week of release. The film hits US theatres March this year.
Doors Open: 6pm
Talk: 6.45 - 7.45pm
Doors Close: 8.30pm
BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! Gallery Café
30C Warren Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 5NF
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