I know we have talked about this before [click
here], but refresh our memories - your movie Revenge
of the Gweilo, what is it about?
Revenge of the Gweilo is an action revenge flick about an ex-cop on the
hunt for the Triad leader that killed his financée. Unbeknown to him she
had an unpaid debt to the Asian mob and fled the country with a large
stash of cash and went into hiding. Shortly after she met and fell in love
with Joseph Lucky (played by Hill) and the two of them had plans to marry,
however, sadly one day when he’s out, the Triads pay her a visit and
assassinate her. Joseph, furious, confused and heart broken, decides to
pick up the pieces and follow their trail in an act of revenge. From what I
know, Revenge of the
Gweilo finished its festival run only very recently - so how did
it go, and some of the highlights of that run? We
have done extremely well on the festival circuit, firstly it was picked up
for the trailer alone in Boston, and then was an Official Selection at
the Action on Film Festival in L.A. Following this we won Best Action
Feature at the Indie Gathering International FF. We also won Best Original
Music Score at the Prestige Awards and a whole bunch of others. Very happy
with the result. How easy
or hard is it to place a low budget action movie with film festivals
around the world in the first place?
I found it to be
easier than I thought. The thing is there aren’t actually a lot of these
types of films floating around, as with action it usually means you need a
big budget. You have to be clever to pull this sort of thing off with a
low budget, that’s part of the challenge. Most of your low budget films
are horror because they’re the easiest to do. But I was over the moon,
particularly in America, that they embraced the movie with open arms, not
something my own country in Australia is particularly known for doing so,
sadly. Anything you can
tell us about audience and critical reception of Revenge
of the Gweilo? The audience response I’ve
had has been mixed reviews, because it’s a genre film you need to know
what you’re getting yourself into. That’s what trailers are for!
Honestly the amount of people I know that go to a movie and either hate on
it or had no idea what they were going to see in the first place means
they’re on autopilot. They’re not all there. If you have seen the
trailer and you ‘get it’ then you’re in for a real treat. I only
watch movies that I’ve done a little bit of research on first, but
that’s just me. From what I know, Revenge
of the Gweilo has secured distribution of late - so where is your
film available from, and on what media? We have been
very lucky in securing worldwide rights and a sales rep through the
festival circuit, which has led to distribution. Currently your best and
most immediate way to see the film is on Amazon Prime.
You have also
written a book on the making of of
Revenge of the Gweilo
- now what gave you that idea, and how would you
describe your approach to your subject at hand from a writer's point of
view? Yes, Making Revenge of the Gweilo: A
Director’s Diary. It’s my first ever eBook at 35,000 words. The idea
came when some colleagues of mine kept encouraging me to write a
book about my film experiences. As I was keeping a detailed journal when I
made Revenge of the Gweilo
I thought this would be the best way to start off. I killed
two birds with one stone as I was able to talk about indie filmmaking in
general, my experiences, and the Revenge of the Gweilo journey. Do tease us with some stories your book contains
about the making of the film that might not be exactly well-known? The
best thing about it is the photographs. Behind the scenes stills that you
can’t find anywhere else on the subject. There are detailed accounts of
the casting process, who was originally hired and then pulled out, the
many ups and downs affiliated with indie filmmaking and my near death
experience fighting a real Sumo wrestler in the final bout. Honestly
it’s a very enjoyable book to read, so I’ve been told. The
$64-question of course, where's your book available from? The
book is available on at least a dozen online platforms but your best bet
is iBooks, which if you log in has a 10 page free download preview to the
book itself, so you can get a taste of it and see if it’s your cup of
tea or not before purchase.
Based
on your experience with this book, could you ever be persuaded to do more
writing (other than film scripts that is)? Yes, I
found it most pleasurable. I have started chipping away at a second book
to be honest. My initial interest has always been writing, I did in fact
major in English and English Literature in school. So I guess it comes
naturally to me. I also think my films, in general, have the writing
overlooked. I mean the stories and all the ideas come from my head. There
wouldn’t even be an NHP
catalogue if I hadn’t spent minimum 12 months
on any of the screenplays I’ve written, which amounts to 10+ years work
just in the writing alone! Amazing when you analyse it like that. Probably too
early to ask, but will there ever be a sequel to Revenge
of the Gweilo? And/or other future projects you'd like to share? Right
now it’s all about my detective thriller Colourblind, which I’m just
putting the finishing touches on now. But in regards to the Revenge of the Gweilo genre I
absolutely loved making it because I love the themes in it. I have toyed
with a treatment for a prequel but knowing me I’d probably just write a
new one in the future that was a step up from finishing Revenge of the Gweilo
and a film of its
own. My peers certainly are interested in collaborating again in one like
this that’s for sure. Your/your
movie's website, Facebook, whatever else?
The
movie:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B074SX1DTL
The
book: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/making-revenge-of-the-gweilo/id1085475899
NHP
official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NathanHillMovie/
Revenge of the Gweilo
official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gweilomovie/
Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
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1.
One thing I found very interesting is that in Germany the movie goes by
the name Drive 2! I think this is because the Joseph character wears a
scorpion jacket very similar to the one Ryan Gosling wears in Drive. Very
cool association.
2.
I’ve also produced a prototype action figure for the Joseph character
and am in talks now with a major supplier about manufacturing him as an
official action figure overseas.
Thanks
for the interview!
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