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Tony Kaye (director)

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Tony Kaye
Kaye at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Detachment
Born (1952-07-08) 8 July 1952 (age 72)
London, England
Occupation(s)Director, cinematographer, producer, screenwriter, actor, writer, poet, singer/songwriter, painter
Years active1997–present
SpouseYan Lin Kaye
Children4

Tony Kaye (born 8 July 1952) is an English director of films, music videos, advertisements, and documentaries. He directed the 1998 film American History X.

Life and career

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Kaye was born to an Haredi Jewish family in Stamford Hill, London, United Kingdom.[1]

He made his name as a director of television commercials with award-winning spots for British Rail InterCity ("Relax", 1988) and the Solid Fuel Advisory Council ("Furry Friends", 1988), as well as his 1993 advertisement for Dunlop Tyres ("Tested for the Unexpected") set to the sound of Venus in Furs by the Velvet Underground. By 1996 he had won 23 British Design and Art Direction (D&AD) awards,[2] and in 2012 was jointly named "most awarded director" (co-equal with Frank Budgen) at the organisation's 50th anniversary.[3]

Kaye made several music videos, including the video for "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash, which won a Grammy Award, "Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, "What God Wants" by Roger Waters, and "Help Me" and "Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum.

American History X

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His feature film debut was American History X (1998), a drama about racism starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong. Kaye disowned the final cut of the film and unsuccessfully attempted to have his name removed from the credits.[4][5] The film was critically lauded and Norton was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film. The battle over artistic control of the film, which has become part of Hollywood folklore, all but destroyed Kaye's career. He delivered his original cut on time and within budget – but when the producer, New Line Cinema, insisted on changes, the arguments began. The debate quickly escalated. Kaye spent $100,000 of his own money to take out 35 full-page ads in the Hollywood trade press denouncing Norton and the producer, using quotations from a variety of people from John Lennon to Abraham Lincoln. He attended a meeting at New Line to which (to ease negotiations) he brought a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi and a Tibetan monk. When the company offered him an additional eight weeks to re-cut the film, he said he had discovered a new vision and needed a year to remake it, and collaborated with Nobel Prize-winning poet Derek Walcott on new narration for the script.[6] Finally, when the Directors Guild refused to let him remove his name from the New Line version of the film, he demanded it to be credited to "Humpty Dumpty" instead, and filed a $200 million lawsuit when the company refused.[5]

Later career

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Kaye's second feature, a documentary called Lake of Fire, was about the abortion debate in the United States. It opened in Toronto in September 2006. The movie was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature (though it did not earn a nomination), and was nominated for Best Documentary Film at the Independent Spirit Awards, the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, and the Satellite Awards. Lake of Fire took Kaye 18 years to make.

Kaye's third feature film was a crime drama titled Black Water Transit starring Laurence Fishburne, Karl Urban, Evan Ross, Brittany Snow, and Stephen Dorff. The film was shot in New Orleans during the summer of 2007. A rough cut was screened at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival but the film was never released to cinemas. As of 2017 the film is unfinished due to the production company's bankruptcy and the ensuing litigation.[citation needed]

Kaye's fourth feature film, Detachment (2011), starring Adrien Brody, as well as featuring Kaye's daughter Betty, is a drama about teachers. It centers on Brody as a struggling substitute teacher in a failing New York public school.[7] It premiered in April 2011 at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film screened and won awards at the following film festivals: Deauville American Film Festival, Woodstock film festival (Honorary Maverick Award for Kaye) Valenciennes International Festival of Action and Adventure Films in France, Tokyo International Film Festival, São Paulo International Film Festival, and Ramdam Film Festival in Tournai, Belgium.

In early 2016 Kaye was set to direct Joe Vinciguerra's screenplay titled Stranger Than the Wheel, starring Shia LaBeouf,[8] and in 2018 he was to direct Honorable Men, a crime drama written by Gary DeVore.[9] However, neither project has since come to fruition.[10] Since 2020, he has announced several new projects in development: African History Y starring Djimon Hounsou; Civil, a drama set amid the civil rights movement; and Tremendum, a partially animated film inspired by conversations Kaye had with Marlon Brando.[10][11][12]

In 2022, it was announced he would direct the dark comedy film The Trainer written by Vito Schnabel and Jeff Solomon.[13] The film premiered at the 2024 Rome Film Festival.[14]

Personal life

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Kaye's wife is Chinese-American artist Yan Lin Kaye.[15] They have two daughters: Shanghai[1] and Eema Emet Kaye.[citation needed]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Director Writer Producer DoP Notes
1998 American History X Yes No No Yes
2006 Lake of Fire Yes Yes Yes Yes Documentary film
2009 Black Water Transit Yes No No Yes Unreleased
2011 Detachment Yes No No Yes
2024 The Trainer Yes No Yes No
TBA Tremendum Yes Yes Executive Yes Filming[12]

Unrealized projects

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Year Title and description Ref.
1990s Stranger Than the Wheel, a "serial drama" written by Joe Vinciguerra about a young man who struggles to reconnect with his father [16][8]
Untitled M. Night Shyamalan screenplay [16]
A film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' short story "One Arm" [17]
Only Seventeen, a film about a 17-year-old girl who contracts AIDS after having sex for the second time
Untitled documentary about the killing of black South African girl by Nicholas Steyn, a 42-year-old white farmer [18]
Humpty Dumpty and the Kabbalah, a docudrama about his experiences during the making of American History X [19][20][21]
2000s Lobby Lobster, an experimental film about a deranged comedian starring Nat Faxon [22][1][23]
Reaper, a thriller film [24][1]
Paranoia, an indie thriller written by Jon Ladd about an ad agency executive who becomes a suspect in a murder case [25][26]
Penitentiary, an action thriller written by Carl Lund about corporate-backed prison prizefighting [27][28]
Zero Point, a film about a doctor who discovers a new energy source [29]
Steps, a film about a businessman who is forced to revisit everyone he has wronged in his life when his daughter is kidnapped
2010s Attachment, an indie thriller written by Christopher Denham starring Sharon Stone and Tom Felton [30][31][23]
North/South/East/West, a film written by Zack Ford starring Evan Ross, Peter Dinklage and Terrence Howard [32][33]
Untitled TV series [33]
Untitled biopic on the life and death of Hollywood actress Peg Entwistle [34]
Honorable Men, an indie crime drama based on an unproduced screenplay by Gary DeVore [9]
2nd Born, a sequel to 1st Born starring an A.I.-generated robot as the lead [35]
2020s Civil, a drama set during the civil rights movement written by Austin Wright and Adam Knox about two young men from opposite sides [11]
The Hong Kong Sound, a musical starring Josie Ho [36][37]
African History Y, a film written by Charles Chanchori and Jason Corder starring Djimon Hounsou [10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Higginbotham, Adam (10 June 2007). "I did abominable things". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  2. ^ Geraldine Bedell, Too big for his ads? Profile: Tony Kaye, The Independent, 22 June 1996
  3. ^ Louise Jack, The Best Ads And Creative Talent Of The Last 50 Years, According to Britain’s D&AD, Fast Company, 19 September 2012
  4. ^ McCarthy, Todd (22 October 1998). "American History X". Variety. Archived from the original on 23 April 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2009. It is possible that some otherwise well-disposed critics may restrain their praise, even unwittingly, in knee-jerk sympathy with director Kaye, who disowns this cut and lost his bid to take his name off the picture.
  5. ^ a b Kaye, Tony (25 October 2002). "Losing it". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  6. ^ Waxman, Sharon (12 October 1998). "AN UNHAPPY BEGINNING". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  7. ^ Levin, Robert (16 March 2012). "'Detachment': A Movie About Teachers, Not Education Reform". The Atlantic. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b Jagernauth, Kevin (24 January 2016). "Tony Kaye Returns With 'Stranger Than The Wheel' Starring Shia LaBeaouf". The Playlist. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b McNary, Dave (11 June 2018). "Film News Roundup: Tony Kaye to Direct Crime Drama 'Honorable Men'". Variety.
  10. ^ a b c Lattanzio, Ryan (26 September 2020). "'American History X' Director Tony Kaye Lines Up 'African History Y' with Djimon Hounsou". IndieWire.
  11. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (16 July 2020). "'American History X' Filmmaker Tony Kaye To Direct 'Civil'". Deadline.
  12. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (30 June 2021). "Alejandro Corpus' Keithcity Group To Develop Animated Sequences For Tony Kaye Film 'Tremendum'". Deadline.
  13. ^ Grobar, Matt (18 March 2022). "Vito Schnabel, Julia Fox & Steven Van Zandt To Star In Dark Comedy 'The Trainer'; 'American History X's Tony Kaye Directing From Script By Schnabel And Jeff Solomon". Deadline Hollywood.
  14. ^ "The Trainer (2024) - IMDb". IMDb.
  15. ^ Pulverz, Andrew (6 July 2012). "Tony Kaye: 'I hope I'm having a moment now' – Nearly 15 years after American History X made him a Hollywood pariah, Tony Kaye has returned to feature films with the star-studded Detachment. So what's changed?". The Guardian. London.
  16. ^ a b John, Eric (14 June 2016). "Tony Kaye Lives: How The Fallen 'American History X' Director Hopes to Exorcise His Demons For His Boldest Feature Yet". IndieWire. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  17. ^ Variety Staff (17 November 1997). "Kaye gets leg up on 'Arm'". Variety. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  18. ^ Variety Staff (28 April 1998). "Kaye sets sites on tragedy; Lane enters 'Door'". Variety. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  19. ^ Murray, Noel (16 March 2008). "Tony Kaye and his one regret". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  20. ^ Stack, Tim (18 March 2007). "Director Tony Kaye on being an X-pariah". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  21. ^ MacNab, Geoffrey (5 July 2021). "'American History X' director Tony Kaye on plans for his "third act": "I want to be working on Disney+"". Screen Daily. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  22. ^ Svetkey, Benjamin (1 August 2001). "Tony Kaye directs "Lobby Lobster"". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  23. ^ a b Vineyard, Jen (14 March 2012). "Tony Kaye Says He's Still Editing Long-Lost 'Black Water Transit' Film; Still Plugging Away On Experimental Project 'Lobby Lobster'". IndieWire. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  24. ^ Kay, Jeremy (6 November 2004). "Kaye returns with Reaper for Media 8". Screen Daily. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  25. ^ McClintock, Pamela (10 August 2005). "Kaye connects with 'Paranoia'". Variety. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  26. ^ Kay, Jeremy (12 September 2005). "...as Kaye's Paranoia relocates from Brazil". Screen Daily. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  27. ^ "Tony Kaye Directing Penitentiary". ComingSoon.net. 24 April 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  28. ^ Hazelton, John (18 October 2007). "Tony Kaye returns with Lake Of Fire and Black Water Transit". Screen Daily. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  29. ^ Weintraub, Steven (10 December 2009). "Director Tony Kaye talks STEPS and ZERO POINT". Collider. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  30. ^ McNary, Dave (12 December 2011). "Tony Kaye eyes 'Attachment'". Variety. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  31. ^ Kit, Borys (2 February 2012). "Sharon Stone to Star in Tony Kaye Thriller 'Attachment'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  32. ^ Ford, Zach (12 February 2021). "How I Hijacked Hollywood or: How To Sell A Screenplay". Script Magazine. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  33. ^ a b McHarg, Cameron (10 June 2016). "T&D Podcast #8 - Tony Kaye" (video). YouTube (Podcast). Triumph & Disaster. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  34. ^ Busch, Anita (19 September 2014). "Actress Who Leapt To Death From Hollywood Sign Finally Getting Her Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  35. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (15 August 2018). "Filmmaker Tony Kaye Casts Robot As Lead Actor In Next Feature". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  36. ^ Chu, Karen (28 August 2020). "Hong Kong Star Josie Ho Teaming With Luc Besson on Two Action Films (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  37. ^ Trendell, Andrew (17 December 2020). "Josie Ho's band The Uni Boys are working on a film with Tony Kaye and some "new wave" music". NME. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
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