IFH 456: From Indie Docs to the Last King of Scotland with Oscar® Winner Kevin Macdonald

IFH 456: From Indie Docs to the Last King of Scotland with Oscar® Winner Kevin Macdonald

On the show, today is academy award-winning documentary and film director, and producer, Kevin Macdonald. He is one of few directors who dance the line of film and documentary seamlessly. He directed documentaries like Whitney (2018), crowdsourced documentary - Life in a Day (2011), Marley (2012), among others.

He is famously known for his 2006 drama film, The Last King of Scotland, starring Oscar winning best actor, Forest Whitaker. Kevin has made a huge name for himself and his work over his 27 years in the industry - dabbling in commercials, films and documentaries.

As a boy, his granddad, Emeric Pressburger who was a legendary filmmaker in the 1940s lit his passion for filmmaking. When his grandfather passed, Kevin wrote a biography in 1994 about his grandad’s life journey, titled, ‘ The Life and Death of a Screenwriter’, which he later made into a documentary ‘The Making of an Englishman’ (1995). This was the start to him becoming a documentary maker.

In 1999 he directed the Box office hit and Oscar-winning documentary, One Day in September, which is about the 1972 Munich Olympic Games massacre, featuring a lengthy interview with Jamal Al-Gashey, the last known survivor of the Munich terrorists.

This project catapulted his career big time. He then made the adventure-docudrama, Touching the Void, another critically acclaimed film that won Best British Film at the 2003 BAFTA. The true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

Kevin’s directorial debut on a film was the Oscar® winning, The Last King of Scotland. It is an adaptation of Giles Foden's 1998 novel by the same title. This historical drama which also carries a political thriller genre received riveting reviews and performed exceptionally - both commercially and critically. Forest Whitaker's performance stole the show and earned him an Oscar for Best Actor. This $6million budget film grossed $48.4million at the Box Office and has an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The story details the brutal reign of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin as seen through the eyes of his personal physician. James McAvoy stars as the doctor who slowly realizes that he is trapped in an inescapable nightmare, and Forest Whitaker assumes the role of the notorious despot.

In commemoration of Youtube’s fifth anniversary, Macdonald was hired to direct and produce the very unique film, the Life in a Day (2011) documentary. It was crowdsourced from 80,000 Youtubers and regular people all over the world sharing their life in one day. The film serves as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on July 24, 2010. The completed film debuted at Sundance in early 2011

In February of this year, Kevin's latest film, The Mauritanian was released in the US. He explains in this interview that it was a very difficult subject matter to tackle. The entire movie was shot in two locations. Both in South Africa and in Mauritania.

The Mauritanian is a suspense legal-drama based on the 2015 memoir Guantánamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Salahi, a true story of Salahi's experience of being held for fourteen years without charge in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. The film stars Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

You going to really enjoy this conversation. We dig into the nitty-gritty of documentary structuring, tales of directing huge movie stars, and navigating the Hollywood machine.

Enjoy my conversation with Kevin Macdonald.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

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IFH 412: The Brutal & Honest Reality of Self-Distributing a Film Today with Jeff MacIntyre

IFH 412: The Brutal & Honest Reality of Self-Distributing a Film Today with Jeff MacIntyre

Today on the show we have 17 time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jeff MacIntyre. Jeff is the director of the new film The Great Cookie Comeback. Famous Wally Amos introduced us to his famous cookie in 1975. It was love at first bite! 🍪 Then...he lost it all to a big corporation. For 30 years, Wally’s been hustling to get it back. At 82, facing huge personal and financial challenges, can he make his new cookie as famous as his first? Nobody deserves a Great Cookie Comeback like Wally Amos!Jeff wanted to be completely transparent on what he did right and wrong on his self-distribution adventures. He decides to create a 45 min+ mini-doc explain the good, the bad, and the ugly.I reached out to Jeff so he could share his story with the tribe. If you are thinking of self-distributing your film this is an episode you will not want to miss. Enjoy my conversation with Jeff MacIntyre.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

23 Okt 20201h 26min

MOTIVATION: Stop Making Excuses, Make Your Film!

MOTIVATION: Stop Making Excuses, Make Your Film!

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling.Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

20 Okt 20202min

IFH 411: Inside Action Film & TV Directing with the Legendary John Badham

IFH 411: Inside Action Film & TV Directing with the Legendary John Badham

Today on the show we welcome back returning champion the legendary director John Badham. If you didn't already know John has directed some of the most iconic films in history. From the decade-defining Saturday Night Fever to 80's hits like War Games, Short Circuit, & Stakeout to 90's action classics like Bird on a Wire, Point of No Return, Nick of Time, and Drop Zone.John's second edition of his second book continues with more stories from filmmakers and actors working in TV, movies, and streaming content.John Badham on Directing also includes sections detailing methods for working with action and suspense, hallmarks of Badham's Filmography, as well as a 12 step "Director's Checklist" for comprehensively analyzing any scene and how best to approach it with your actors.Sit down and get ready to take a TON of notes on this epic conversation with John Badham.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

16 Okt 20201h 20min

MOTIVATION: What is Your Filmmaking Brand?

MOTIVATION: What is Your Filmmaking Brand?

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling.Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

13 Okt 20202min

IFH 410: Why Most Independent Films Never Make Any Money

IFH 410: Why Most Independent Films Never Make Any Money

I've been thinking about doing this podcast for a long time. In the tradition of Why Filmmakers are Always So Damn Broke & What They Can Do to Change It this episode is going to be a cold bucket of water over your head if you are not ready for it. In the insane world we are all living in today, filmmakers need to break out of the mindset that we are living in the golden age of indie cinema.The rules have changed dramatically since the 90s and even more so in the last 8 months of the COVID pandemic. The rules aren't the only thing that has changed but the game has as well. The film distribution infrastructure is broken and has been broken for many decades. It is not set up to help filmmakers make money. It is purely designed to put more money into the pockets of film distributors.I have written extensively about this in my book Rise of the Filmtrepreneur: How to Turn Your Indie Film into a Moneymaking Business. I want to put together one of my hard truths episodes to help filmmakers better understand the indie film marketplace and how to best position themselves to actually make money.There is so much talk about new cameras, lenses, rigs, post-production software, and other more interesting aspects of the filmmaking process but when it comes to selling and making money with movies filmmakers rely on old information that is no longer relevant in the current marketplace. I hope this episode empowers you to not only make more movies but to also make money while doing it.Strap yourself in because for some of you it will be a rough episode to listen to. Be well, stay safe, and keep that hustle going.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

9 Okt 20201h 13min

MOTIVATION: If Your Filmmaking Career is Going Nowhere

MOTIVATION: If Your Filmmaking Career is Going Nowhere

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling.Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

6 Okt 20203min

IFH 409: Misadventures in Independent Filmmaking & Distribution with Anderson Cowan

IFH 409: Misadventures in Independent Filmmaking & Distribution with Anderson Cowan

Today on the show we have filmmaker Anderson Cowen. Anderson and I met through a mutual friend in Los Angeles. When I first met Anderson he was a deer in the headlights when it came to selling an indie film into the marketplace. His film is called Groupers. It's about a grad student kidnaps two homophobic high-school bullies to use as her subjects in an experiment performed at the bottom of an empty swimming pool.Needless to say, Anderson went on an adventure getting this film into the marketplace. I wanted to share his journey with the tribe and I hope you grab some lessons of want to do and more importantly what NOT to do when making and selling a film.Enjoy my conversation with Anderson Cowen.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

2 Okt 20201h 13min

MOTIVATION: What Are Filmmakers Afraid Of?

MOTIVATION: What Are Filmmakers Afraid Of?

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling.Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

29 Sep 20202min

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