Production Team Biographies

John Irvin - Director

Born in Newcastle during WWII, seasoned British director John Irvin studied at the London School of Film Technique. In 1962, he co-founded production company Mithras Films and a series of documentaries earned Irvin a reputation as a distinctive and uncompromising film- maker.

Mr. Irvin soon transferred his attention to drama, directing The Peasant’s Revolt (1969) star- ring Edward Fox and Anthony Hopkins, and an adaptation of Hard Times (1976) for which he received a BAFTA nomination. With his adaptation of John Le Carre’s Tinker, Tailor, Sol- dier, Spy (1979), for which he was again BAFTA nominated, Mr. Irvin caught the attention of Hollywood.

The Dogs of War (1980) and Ghost Story (1981) introduced him to American audiences. The former, starring Christopher Walken and Tom Berenger, won critical acclaim, while the lat- ter, became the third-highest grossing film of the year. Mr. Irvin further proved his versatility with contrasting styles by directing Arnold Schwarzenegger in Raw Deal (1985) soon after Turtle Diary (1984), starring Ben Kingsley, a film which reiterated his passion for excellent writing.

These endeavours culminated in Mr. Irvin’s passion-project, Hamburger Hill (1986), a Viet- nam War film that sets a benchmark for its attention to detail and dedication to the true ex- periences of the veterans of that conflict. His HBO WWII film When Trumpets Fade (1997) was again celebrated for its authenticity.

Mr. Irvin’s recent work includes Shiner (2000), starring Michael Caine, and an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s The Garden of Eden (2007).

Steffen Wild - Producer

Mr. Wild began his career in the film industry in 2001, and has since been professionally involved in over 90 productions, working with and for company’s such as 20th Century Fox, BBC and Arte.

He has studied ‘Filmmaking and Theatre’ in New York, and received a MA (Hons.) in ‘Produc- ing Film and Television’ from Royal Holloway, London.

Fourth Culture Films Production Company 1 In 2006 he worked as a producing consultant on the award-winning war epic Nanking! Nan- king! (City of Life and Death UK Title). His work on this production led him to become an advisor to the European Parliament on Sino co-production with Asia.

Mr. Wild founded the London-based production company Fourth Culture Films in 2009, for which he acts as Managing Director and Producer. Since its formation, the company has pro- duced crime/drama Baseline (2010), and has co-produced Czech comedy/action Tacho (2011).

Davina Belling - Producer

Mrs. Belling began her career in theatre on Broadway, before making the transition into film production. She has since gained over 38 years experience as a producer in the industry.

After working for the head of Warner Brothers International, Mrs. Belling co-founded the production company Film and General Productions in 1971, with the late Clive Parsons.

Mrs. Belling established a reputation for working with and supporting new directors, and worked with Bill Forsyth on his second feature film, Gregory’s Girl (1981), which has been hailed by many as the definition of Scottish cinema. Mrs. Belling’s other key credits include Scum (1979), Other People’s Money (1991), starring Danny De-Vito, and I Am David (2003). She has also won the Best Children’s Drama BAFTA Award of 2005-06 for The Giblet Boys.

Suzanne Smith - Casting Director

Suzanne Smith has worked with some of today’s finest actors and directors including Ridley Scott, Paul.W.S.Anderson, David Cronenberg, Milla Jovovich, Jason Isaacs, Ewan McGregor, Ralph Fiennes, Orlando Bloom and Josh Hartnett.

She is a double Emmy Award Winner for Band of Brothers (2001) and, more recently, The Pa- cific (2010). She was Emmy nominated for both Anne Frank (2001) and Path to 9/11 (2006). She received a GEMINI Casting Award for Durham County (2007).

Mrs. Smith has worked extensively in West End theatre and has been responsible for casting numerous Olivier Award winners. She has cast British actors in various American pilots for FOX, NBC, CBS, HBO and SONY, amongst them Hugh Laurie in House (2004-2012).

She has worked on television shows such as Stig of the Dump (2002) and Feather Boy (2004), as well as low budget feature films such as The Scouting Book for Boys (2009), Foster (2011), and Horrid Henry: The Movie (2011).

Moreover, Mrs. Smith has an impressive credit list of big budget hits including Resident Evil (2002), Black Hawk Down (2001), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Fourth Culture Films Production Company 2 and The Three Musketeers (2011).

Collin Scott - Writer

Mr. Scott received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. specializing in Russian/U.S. affairs and the history of World War II. He has written and presented numerous briefings for the U.S. Congress, Foreign Heads of State, and for the President of the United States. Mr. Scott is currently writing two World War II novels: Monte Cassino and The Portrait.

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