HYENA: Actor Profiles

"I actually wouldn't have minded hearing a rap. What a let down..." 

[Updated: Sept 3, 2014]

After our director profile last week, we have to say we're even more excited to see what Gerard Johnson has in store for us with Hyena. To get you even MORE excited (if such a thing is possible), we're going to break it down with a rap. Not actually. But we will highlight a few of the actors appearing in Hyena. (Trust us, this is preferable.)

"Peter who?" 

Hyena stars acclaimed actor Peter Ferdinando. You'd be lying if you said you recognized him from Midnight Madness/Vanguard darling Ben Wheatley's A Field in England (we're still recovering from that crazy awesome trip) because Ferdinando is such a chameleon from role to role. His portrayal of a 17th century war-deserter is absolutely fantastic.

How do we even describe A Field in England? Well, there's a field. And some war-deserters. And an alchemist. And, hm, might as well watch the trailer embedded above because it all gets a little (read: a lot) stranger after that. Wheatley and Ferdinando fans can rejoice, because they'll both be together again in Wheatley's upcoming High-Rise, which also stars dreamy Tom Hiddleston. Not that we care or anything. Ahem.

If need to get your Ferdinando fix sooner, check out Starred Up in the trailer above. It's a gritty, amazingly acted prison drama. Ferdinando, again nearly unrecognizable has a smaller—yet still memorable—role as the "head-honcho" (very technical term, trust us) inmate and he doesn't take shit from anybody. 

"No, afraid I don't know of any Peter."

And, of course, we couldn't end our profile of Peter Ferdinando without mentioning the other Gerard Johnson film he starred in: Tony. Now Tony is worthy of writing a completely separate post about (stay tuned!) but we will say that again Ferdinando completely embodies his character, this time that of a rather odd serial killer. 

"Sigh, I kinda miss my old-timey hat."

A film and its star are only as good as their co-stars. Lucky for Hyena and Ferdinando, he's got an amazing supporting cast. Take Stephen Graham, for instance. He is probably most recognizable for playing the young Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire but you might also recognize him from his roles in This is England, Gangs of New York, Snatch, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. From skinhead to pirate to gangster, we're mighty impressed with Graham's body of work and ability to transform himself into pretty much anything on screen.

"I'm just a regular hit-man and this is totally just your run-of-the-mill hit-man movie. Promise." 

Ferdinando and Neil Maskell can be part of a rousing game of "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" as they not only appear in Hyena together, but they've both also starred in Ben Wheatley films. Maskell shocked and delighted Midnight Madness audiences in 2011 with his role as a hitman in Kill List, another nearly indescribable genre-bending film from Wheatley. Maskell has a role in Wheatley's upcoming High-Rise, so him and Ferdinando will be together on screen again (awwww). Maskell was also a part of The ABCs of Death, where he briefly appeared in, you guessed it, Wheatley's segment "U is for Unearthed." [Update: It was brought to our attention (uh, totally not by Gerard Johnson because wouldn't that be embarrassing) that due to an oversight we failed to mention Neil Maskell's appearance in the aforementioned Tony.  This is not just great because Maskell is great and Tony is great and Gerard Johnson is great, but also because it further perpetuates the amazing crossover love-fest going on with the cast of Hyena. Please all keep making movies together.]

"Yeah, I'd rather not talk about that vampire movie..."

We're really on a roll with these Johnson/Wheatley film crossovers because MyAnna Buring not only appears in Hyena but also stars opposite Neil Maskell in Kill List where she holds her own as his wife, struggling to wrap her head around his job as a hitman. It makes us pretty much forget about the time she was a sparkly vampire. Don't worry Downton Abbey fans, we haven't forgotten about you: Buring plays maid Edna Braithwaite, who (according to the internet because this author doesn't watch Downton Abbey, oops) is basically there to stir shit up. And also find a husband. Get it, girl. 

This film is sure to be an electrifying film, given director Johnson's considerable filmmaking talents along with the combined talents of all of these seasoned actors. Screening times can be found below—mark your calendars!

Hyena is screening as part of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival in the Vanguard Programme. Check out more Vanguard films on the official Festival website.


HYENA screening times:
Sunday, Sept 7th  6:45 PM THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Tuesday, Sept 9th 9:00 PM SCOTIABANK 12
Friday, Sept 12th 12:00 PM THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

Director Profile: A FIELD IN ENGLAND'S Ben Wheatley

Does director Ben Wheatley really need an introduction at this point? Well, maybe if you've been living under a rock for the past few years. In that case: all you really need to know if Ben Wheatley is freakin' awesome. (In fact, The Guardian listed him as one of the 23 Best Film Directors in the World.)

Okay, okay: we'll elaborate.

Wheatley's first feature film, Down Terrace (2009), is a crime drama that won awards from the British Independent Film Awards, Next Wave Awards, and Fantastic Fest. Kill List (2011) premiered at SXSW, went on to simultaneously wow and terrify Midnight Madness audiences at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and, because of course it didn't stop there, it was nominated for six British Independent Film Awards, winning one. In 2012, Wheatley took his third feature film, the hilariously dark Sightseers, to the Directors' Fortnight section at Cannes Film Festival, went on to screen at a bajillion (maybe an exaggeration) film festivals, including the Vanguard Programme at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, and (you're probably noticing a trend here) also went on to be nominated for a bajillion (also maybe an exaggeration) of awards, winning another British Independent Film Award for Best Screenplay and an Empire Award for Best British Film.

Phew. Okay, we need to take a break now. Here, enjoy this picture.

director Ben Wheatley, writer/cctor Alice Lowe, and programmer Colin Geddes
at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival

…Anddddd, we're back. Deadpan, comedic crime drama; twisty, terrifying horror; dark and hilarious road trip adventure--what could Wheatley possibly get up to next?

A psychedelic, black and white, freak-fest imagining of the English Civil War. Obviously. Now Wheatley's A Field in England is technically part of the Wavelengths Programme, but we love it so much and Wheatley IS a part of the Vanguard family, so we're blogging about it any way. Try and stop us.

A Field in England

The film picked up a Special Jury Prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and was released in the UK through various platforms this past July. After it's North American Premiere at the Festival, Drafthouse Films--in its infinite wisdom and solid understanding of kickass-ery--has secured the US rights and Films We Like will be distributing in Canada.

As if you're still on the fence about catching A Field In England at the Festival, here's a few more reasons why it's not to be missed:

"A tough film to synopsise or encapsulate, it evokes classic British horror . . . but is closer in tone to a grittier yet still metaphysical brand of arthouse mystification."

"What a unique film-maker Wheatley is becoming. From the realms of contemporary social realism, crime, comedy and fear, he has moved on to lo-fi period drama, but cleverly alighted on the one period that suits his stripped-down visuals and subversive instincts perfectly."

"What is most refreshing about the film is its utterly offbeat quality.


A FIELD IN ENGLAND Screening Times:

• Friday, Sept 13th, 9:00 PM RYERSON
• Saturday, Sept 14, 9:00 PM TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 3

Director Profile: Ben Wheatley (KILL LIST)

If you type "Ben Wheatley" into the Google search engine, you might end up thinking he is a pirate. But more importantly than maybe being a pirate, he definitely is a filmmaker. And a good one at that.

Wheatley started off his career by winning at the Internet. Unless you're a cat or coming home from the dentist, winning at the Internet is not easily accomplished, but Wheatley managed to create a name for himself with viral videos (most of which can still be found on his website). After winning at the Internet, Wheatley moved on to winning at TV, working with the likes of the BBC and Modern Toss.

In 2009, Wheatley directed his first feature film, Down Terrace. Co-written with and starring Robin Hill, the dry and hilarious crime film went on to win the Raindance Award at the 2009 British Independent Film Awards and the Next Waves Awards for Best Feature. Did we mention it was also shot in just eight days? Yeah: wow.

If you're part of the Festival's Midnight Madness club (note: must provide own beach ball), you're no stranger to Wheatley's second feature film, Kill List. Dark and unforgivingly terrifying, Kill List was a hit at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. And everywhere else it screened, for that matter. Co-written with his wife and collaborator, Amy Jump, the film has been lauded as "the best British genre film in years". Also, it will totally give you nightmares.

This year, the Toronto International Film Festival is welcoming Wheatley back with his third feature film, Sightseers. Another black comedy, Sightseers follows a drab couple, Chris and Tina, on a lovely caravanning holiday. How sweet, right? Wrong. The holiday takes a turn for the worse. And while "turn for the worst" on a holiday usually just means shouting about whether or not you should have taken that left back there, this is the sort of "turn for the worst" that involves a lot of bloodshed. And given the unpredictable twists of Kill List, we can't wait to see what happens on a holiday when Ben Wheatley is directing it.

SIGHTSEERS Screening Times:
Tue., Sept. 11th, 9:00 PM RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 12:00 PM RYERSON
Sun., Sept. 16th, 7:00 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA