Alice Waddington
Alice Waddington (born July 31, 1990) is a Spanish film director, writer, photographer and costume designer[1][2] having developed most of her work in the field of modern cinema. Her directing style is defined by a contemporary approach to the golden era of large-scale-studio horror films (1920s–1970s) in classical production companies such as Hammer Films or Universal's Creature Features; mixed with current surreal humor and sometimes including musical cinema.
Alice Waddington | |
|---|---|
| Born | Irene Lago Clavero July 31, 1990 Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain |
| Citizenship | Spanish |
| Alma mater | University of the Basque Country |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 2010–present |
Early life edit
Born as Irene[3] on July 31, 1990, in Bilbao, Spain to a Catalan psychologist and a Galician teacher, Waddington adopted her stage name[3] at sixteen, while assisting director of photography Quique López.[4] At 18, she studied advertising at UPV-EHU University where she started capturing promotion stills and directing fashion films as a photographer and assistant of photography for the Spanish editions of Harper's Bazaar, Neo2[5] and others.
Career edit
At 20 and for three years, she worked as an advertising creative, a producer and an advertising video editor at the agencies Leo Burnett Iberia and Social Noise also specializing as a digital storyboard artist.
In 2014, with the help of Mexican executive producer Yadira Ávalos, Waddington took a year off advertising agency work to write and direct a short movie. She found sponsors[6] to help her produce her first narrative 11-minute film,[7] Disco Inferno (2015), which received nominations in 63 international film festivals including genre fan favorites such as Palm Springs,[8] Fantasia, Sitges (Noves Visions Short award[9]) or Fantastic Fest, which first awarded her as Best Director in her category, and second best feature project of the Fantastic Market for her movie Paradise Hills.[10] Eleven other international festival wins ensued, with a considerable comparative presence of the short picture in American and Canadian festivals.
Waddington entered pre-production of her first full-length feature, Paradise Hills in 2017[10] with Spanish production company Nostromo Pictures.[2][11] The film is a science-fiction thriller written by Brian DeLeeuw[12] and Nacho Vigalondo. It was released in 2019.
Waddington has pointed out in interviews that after Paradise Hills she desires to direct biopics, socially metaphorical fantastic horror about minorities[13] and terror stories that have taken place.[14]
In June 2019, it was announced that Waddington is developing her second film Scarlet, from a script written by her and Kristen SaBerre. The film will be distributed by Netflix.[15]
In September 2021, Waddington was tapped to direct adaptation of comic book series Dept. H for Netflix.[16]
Social activism edit
Waddington is a proactive demander for progressive social change regarding causes related to female cooperation[17] and sorority within the arts.[3]
In the context of film, she has been vocal about the need for both more female-led and more diversely-cast films worldwide[18] and about motivating young women to enroll into filmmaking programs.[19] She has also often mentioned the need for film studios around the world to hire more women, with an accent on women of color.[13]
Personal life edit
Waddington is fluent in Spanish and English and conversational in French and Catalan.
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Disco Inferno | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film | |
| 2019 | Paradise Hills | Yes | Yes | No |
Awards edit
Waddington's short film "Disco Inferno" has been presented on 63 plus,[20] genre and conventional film festivals across the world, winning several awards:
| Year | Festival | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Austin Fantastic Fest - United States | Shorts with Legs - Best Director[21] | Disco Inferno | Won[22] |
| Austin Fantastic Fest - United States | Best Feature Project | Paradise Hills | Won (Silver)[23] | |
| Sitges Film Festival - Spain | Noves Visions - Best Short Film[9] | Disco Inferno[24] | Won | |
| 2016 | Brooklyn Horror Film Festival - United States | Best Director[25] | Disco Inferno[26] | Won[27] |
| Slamdance Film Festival United States[28] | Best Anarchy Short Film | Disco Inferno[29] | Won[30] | |
| Monster Fest - Australia | Best Cinematography | Disco Inferno | Won[31] | |
| C-FEM - Festival de Cine Fantástico Europeo de Murcia | Grand Jury Prize | Disco Inferno | Won | |
| Mikrofilm Short Festival - Spain | Best Director[32] | Disco Inferno | Won | |
| Cinefantasy Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantástico - Brazil[33] | Best Short Film[34] | Disco Inferno | Won (Best Soundtrack) | |
| Festival de Cine de Horror - Mexico | Best Short Film | Disco Inferno | Won[35] | |
| Festival Fantosfreak - Spain | Best Short Film | Disco Inferno | Won[36] |
References edit
- ^ Odriozola, Amaia (2013-07-18). "La nueva brigada de It Girls españolas" [The new Spanish It girl brigade]. Glamour Magazine (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-03-21.
- ^ a b Cabeza, Elisabet (April 1, 2016). "Spanish Filmmakers to follow: The magnificent Seven". Screen International.
- ^ a b c Confuso, Hombre (2013). . Doze Mag (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2019-10-09.
- ^ Ortega, Pablo (December 10, 2013). . Esquire Spain (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ Diaz, Lilu (December 19, 2016). "Making of Neo2 Enero 2012" [Making of Neo2's January 2012 issue] (in Spanish). neo2.es.
- ^ Durán, Mawi. "National Spanish TV Program El Hub". Non Stop People (in Spanish). Retrieved January 11, 2016.
- ^ Rakestraw, Kevin (December 26, 2015). "Undistributed and Honorable Mentions (2015)". Film Pulse.
- ^ Fessier, Bruce (June 20, 2016). "ShortFest directors pick favorite packages of short films". USA Today.
- ^ a b Mayorga, Emilio (October 17, 2015). "'Invitation' tops Sitges". Variety.
- ^ a b Hopewell, John (August 13, 2015). "'Amateurs,' 'Paradise Hills,' 'Kiken' Set for Austin Fantastic Market". Variety.
- ^ De Pablos, Emiliano (January 14, 2016). "Atresmedia, Warner's 'Palm Trees' Dislodges 'Star Wars' from Spanish B.O. No. 1 Berth". Variety.
- ^ Rubinstein, Mark (May 1, 2016). "'The Dismantling': A Conversation With Brian DeLeeuw". The Huffington Post.
- ^ a b Miller, Amarna (March 3, 2017). "Alice Waddington, the director who makes fantastic genre films to denounce social issues". Atresmedia Cultura (Atresmedia culture, national Spanish Film and TV network) (in Spanish).
- ^ Alarcon, Samuel (December 20, 2016). "Upcoming Cinema (El Cine que Viene): Disco Inferno". National Spanish Radio and Television Network (RTVE and RNE) (in Spanish).
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 26, 2019). "Netflix Lands 'Scarlet', Next Film For 'Paradise Hills' Helmer Alice Waddington". Deadline. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ "Alice Waddington To Direct Adaptation Of Dark Horse Entertainment's Graphic Novel 'Dept. H' For Netflix".
- ^ Editorial Team, Zurda (December 2015). "'Unfortunately the more I have relaxed my appearance as a woman, the more respect I have perceived'" (in Spanish).
- ^ Garcia Muñoz, Isabel (December 14, 2015). . Caras de la Información (in Spanish). Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ Perez Guevara, Jose Antonio (2017-02-19). "Interview with Alice Waddington". 242 películas después (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-03-21.
- ^ W., Marvin (2016). "Disco Inferno's festival and award list".
- ^ Barlow, Wil (2 October 2015). "Fantastic Fest 2015 Award Winners Announced, Including 'Green Room' and 'Anomalisa' | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2017-03-21.
- ^ Hernando, Pablo. "Spanish artists who deserve to be stars". GQ Magazine (in Spanish).
- ^ Sapienza, Ethan (13 August 2015). "Fantastic Fest Announces Pitch Projects for Genre Film Market | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2017-03-21.
- ^ Bonzo, Alfredo (November 24, 2015). "Disco Inferno, by Alice Waddington (Critic)". Fiebre de Cabina (in Spanish).
- ^ Miska, Brad (October 18, 2016). "The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Award Winners Announced!". Bloody Disgusting.
- ^ "Films at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival". Arrow Video. September 16, 2016.
- ^ Jones, Tamika (October 20, 2016). "Horror Highlights: Brooklyn Horror Film Festival". Daily Dead.
- ^ William, L. Blizek (2016). "Disco Inferno". Journal of Religion and Film. 20 (2). University of Nebraska.
- ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (December 8, 2015). "Slamdance Film Festival Rounds Out Its 2016 Lineup". Indiewire.
- ^ Sharf, Zack (January 29, 2016). "Here Are the Winners of the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival". Indiewire.
- ^ Rowan-Legg, Shelagh (November 30, 2016). "'Raw', 'The Autopsy of Jane Doe' and More Win at Monster Fest 2016". Screen Anarchy.
- ^ "Mikrofilm Festival - Fifth Edition Winners". Mikrofilm Festival (in Spanish). August 16, 2016.
- ^ . CineFantasy. 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-10-15.
- ^ Perez, Silvana (August 17, 2016). "Meet the films selected for the 7th Cinefantasy Festival". Bocado Inferno (in Portuguese).
- ^ Zurda, Team (December 15, 2015). "Alice Waddington's Disco Inferno". Zurda Magazine.
- ^ A.Benitez, German (July 21, 2016). "Fantosfreak XVII: Festival Chronicle". Noticias en serie (in Spanish).