Anthony Waller
Anthony
Waller is a film director, writer, and producer whose projects include THE SINGULARITY IS NEAR — A True Story About the Future, based on
the best seller by the celebrated inventor, author, and futurist, Ray Kurzweil.
Beginning as a prolific Super-8
filmmaker in his teens, Anthony’s career was jump-started when the UK’s BBC
televised two of his animated short films as a competition finalist. He
subsequently attended the UK’s National Film School in 1978 as the youngest
ever student. After graduation, he was awarded the Shakespeare Prize
Scholarship in 1981 and went to Germany, where he worked as a film editor,
producer, and director for television and cinema. Starting in the realm
of
advertising, Anthony produced and directed around 200 commercials for clients
as diverse as IBM, Coca Cola, Camel, and TDK (featuring the Rolling
Stones).
His first feature film was the
suspense thriller Mute Witness filmed entirely in Moscow in
1993. In addition to writing and directing it, he also produced and co-financed
the film, which included a cameo performance by Sir Alec Guinness. The movie
was invited to 23 festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival (Runner-up
audience award), Courmayeur (Audience Award), Gerardmer (Audience and Grand
Jury Award), Moscow (Audience Award), Birmingham (Grand Jury Award) Sundance,
Toronto, and Tokyo. Columbia Tristar distributed it in all major
territories
worldwide.
In 1996, Anthony formed his own
production company, through which he directed, co-wrote, and
executive-produced
the $22 million An American Werewolf in Paris. He sold
the movie to Disney and it became their major Christmas day release in 1997.
In 1999, he directed the
psychological thriller The Guilty starring Bill Pullman. He
was also an executive producer of the movie.
In 2000, Anthony executive produced The Little Vampire through his
company. The film was awarded a “Deutsche Bundesfilmpreis” (German Oscar) as
the best children’s movie of the year 2001.
More recently, the focus of his work
has been to select or develop projects that present science-related themes in a
more positive and informative light, away from the demonized
clichéd
stereotypes of white-coated evil scientists that breed and exploit irrational
and unconstructive fears in the minds of the viewing public.
In 2009 Anthony completed Nine Miles Down,
a movie he directed, co-wrote, and
produced. Dubbed as a “philosophical chiller”, the project is a thinking man’s
scary movie that pits science vs. superstition that highlights the dangers of
abandoning logic and reason when confronted with fears of the unknown. Adrian
Paul and Kate Nauta star.
2012 saw the release of the long
awaited THE SINGULARITY IS NEAR — A True Story About the Future, which he
directed for Ray Kurzweil, based on his bestseller of the same name.
In 2013 Anthony was the Creative
Producer, Editor, and 2nd Unit Director for the Russian movie
“Gagarin,
First in Space”, a historical drama set against the backdrop of the Cold War,
and surrounds Russia’s successful bid to put the first man into space, Yuri
Gagarin. It was released in Russian cinemas in June 2013.
Starting in 2014, Anthony is
developing a project he has co-written and intends to direct entitled “Legally
Dead”, based on cryonics. As a thinking man’s courtroom romantic drama, the
project aims to clear up some misconceptions associated with cryonics.
One of Anthony’s future projects is
a movie project entitled “Alien Incursion” about an invasion from
intelligent Alien “computronium” that turns out to be benevolent.