The first 5 filmmakers I’d give blank cheques to if I was a billionaire
Arguably, there are more important things you could do with a billion pounds than bankrolling a handful of movies. But, seeing as most billionaires spend their cash on divorces, vanity projects and weird politicians, maybe kickstarting some quality cinema isn’t the worst idea.
If you want to play along, the rules for this fantasy thought experiment are:
- Each filmmaker gets as much as they need to make their dream project (or projects), up to £200 Million.
- The donation is completely anonymous, you get no credit, input or influence at all.
- The resultant films remain the intellectual property of the creators, but are free to watch at the cinema or on-line for a year - because billionaires can arrange that sort of thing.
My choices below are filmmakers whose work is all brilliant but maybe considered outside the mainstream or not what some Netflix executive would consider commercially viable. As a result, they either haven’t made that many films, or probably have to spend ages trying to get money out of bureaucratic film funds and tax-dodging arms dealers rather than being free to get on with creative work.
Richard Kelly
The idea that Southland Tales is a masterpiece isn’t a hill I would die on, but I’d be prepared to at least twist an ankle. Having not made a film since The Box, I recently read that he is about to unleash a massive sequel to Donnie Darko in the form of a 600 page novel. Perhaps he could realise that or maybe do something new and equally mind expanding. Also, using my billionaire powers, I’d also try to get the soundtrack to The Box released from whatever contractual hell it is stuck in.
Alice Lowe
As she made Prevenge for a reported £80,000, it could well be that Alice Lowe would be able to produce dozens or even hundreds of films with £200 million in imaginary no-strings funding. If we have to have a cinematic universe centred around The Fast and Furious, why can’t we have one based on Timestalker as well?
Alejandro Jodorowsky
The man who tried to make the ultimate blank cheque film - a 20 hour long version of Dune featuring Salvador Dali, a flaming giraffe and presumably an industrial amount of top grade narcotics. Having turned to crowdfunding (including exchanging actual money for his own magical currency, which I happily did) for his last features, someone really needs to give him an absolute fortune to film The Incal before he turns 100. Almost certainly has a treasure trove of unrealised cult cinema ready to go.
John Maclean
I went to see his excellent film Slow West at the Spa Centre in Leam on the same night that a male stripper show was going on in the room next door - an experience that sticks in the memory. More recently made another western, Tornado, which is a samurai revenge flick set in 1790s Scotland. The world needs more of this kind of thing. He’s also part of the Beta Band, so we’d maybe get soundtrack contributions from them too.
Chris Morris
Enigmatic dark satire genius who made landmark TV shows and a couple of films Four Lions and The Day Shall Come that found comedy in terrorism and the associated machinations of the state. According to his agent’s site “he is currently working on projects about the Anglo American Coup in Iran in 1953 and the snake oil of dataism and AI”. Probably not themes that attract a lot of funding from the rich and shameless, fortunately this particular fantasy billionaire would happily pay to see it.