Mike Downey (producer)

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Mike Downey
Alma mater
OccupationFilm producer

Michael Downey OBE is an Irish-British film producer. He is the co-founder and CEO of Film and Music Entertainment and as of 2020 the Chairman of the European Film Academy.

Early years[edit]

Downey was born in Devon, the son of Brigid Downey (née Flood) and Thomas Downey, who were economic migrants from Kildare, Ireland. The family moved to Taunton, Somerset, where he attended the St Georges Roman Catholic School and Huish's Grammar School aka Richard Huish College.

Education and career[edit]

After gaining a BA in French with Theatre Studies at the University of Warwick,[1] Downey went on to continue post-graduate studies at the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle (as a Boursier du Gouvernement Francais/French Government Scholar),[2] and Paris X Nanterre. While working towards his MA and then PhD, he taught at the Lycée Charlemagne and at the theatre school at the Théâtre des Amandiers, under Patrice Chereau.[2]

The eighties saw Downey working as a theatre director France, Germany, the former Yugoslavia and the U.K. in theatres as varied an eclectic as The Gate (London), Bac To Bac Theatre (Exeter), Atelje 212 (Belgrade), Studiotheater and Theater Rechts der Isar (Munich) and the UK's National Student Theatre Company.[3]

In 1986 and 1987, Downey curated a number of film programmes at the National Film Theatre. Among the most significant were the three major seasons he programmed of Yugoslav Cinema.[4] In 1986 he also published his first book, The Self Managing Screen was written by Downey to coincide with a major retrospective of television fiction at the British Film Institute he curated at the National Film Theatre on the subject of television fiction during the time of the Socialist Federal Republic of Jugoslavija.[5]

It was in 1990 that Downey co-founded Moving Pictures International magazine in London and it rapidly became one of the key international trade papers serving the global film industry, alongside Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Screen International.[6]

A decade later in 2000 Downey joined forces with fellow producer Sam Taylor,[7] to create the UK-based independent production house Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME) as part of a public offering on the Frankfurt Neuer Markt.[8] As of 2020 F&ME is based in Dublin, Ireland.[7]

His work as a film maker has seen projects developed with novelists James Ellroy,[9] the late Gunter Grass,[10] and Thomas Keneally (Schindler's List);[11] IDA writer Rebecca Lenckiewicz,[12] VICE Group founder and CEO Shane Smith,[13] as well as directors like Volker Schloendorff,[14] Mohsen Makhmalbaf,[15] and Julien Temple;[16] and writers of the ilk of Lee Hall,[17] Colm Toibin,[circular reference] and David Grossman.[18]

In his relatively short career as a film producer he has worked with a wide range of directors including Peter Greenaway,[18] Agnieszka Holland,[19] Pawel Pawlikowski,[circular reference] Andrzej Jakimowski,[20] Rajko Grlic,[21] Srdjan Karanovic,[circular reference] Juraj Jakubisko,[22] Fridrik Thor Fridriksson,[23] and Stephen Daldry,[24] as well as a multitude of other helmers the length and breadth of Europe, South America, Africa and India.

In 2002 he wrote and edited The Film Finance Handbook, published by Wallflower Press, which acts as a guide for anyone planning to set out as a producer of films.[25]

In 2004 Downey joined the European Film Academy Board[26] and was elected deputy chairman in 2014,[27] and was also elected as EFA chairman in 2020.[28]

He has served two terms as a BAFTA Council member and in 2008 he was a member of the BAFTA Film Committee.[29][30] Downey rejoined the BAFTA Council in 2020.[31]

Downey is founder and President of the Motovun Film Festival in Croatia,[32] artistic advisor to the Zagreb Film Festival,[33] artistic director to the Antalya Film Festival[34] and former artistic board member of the Pula Film Festival.[35]

He has been a trustee of the White Ribbon Alliance since 2010,[36] and as of 2017 was on the International board of trustees of The Isango Ensemble, a South African theatre company.[37]

A member of the Asia Pacific Screen Academy (APSA) since 2017, Downey was as a former APSA Cultural Diversity Award winner a jury member at the 2019 APSA's.[38][39]

Serving on over 20 international juries at film festivals worldwide including the Sarajevo Film Festival,[40] Festival do Rio de Janeiro,[41] Cottbus International Film Festival,[42] Warsaw International Film Festival,[43][44] Istanbul Film Festival, Montreal World Film Festival, Motovun Film Festival,[45] Sofia International Film Festival,[46] Transylvania International Film Festival,[45] Krakow Film Festival,[45] Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI)[47] and Zagreb Film Festival.[45]

Downey is also an Alumnus of The Sundance Institute,[2] and quondam Thomas Ewing Professor of Film at Ohio University.[48]

Recognition[edit]

In 2009, Downey's work as a producer was honored with a retrospective at the Croatia's largest cultural event, the Zagreb Film Festival.[49]

In 2014 he received Producer of the Decade Award from the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, presented by Stephen Daldry.[50]

In 2015, Prague's Febiofest also celebrated Downey's career as a producer with a retrospective tribute.[51]

In September 2020 it was announced that Downey would be the Honorary President of the 2020/2021 jury for the revamped LUX Prize, renamed LUX – the European Audience Film Award by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy (also known as LUX European Audience Film Award).[52]

It was also in September 2020 that Downey launched the International Coalition for Film Makers at Risk (ICFR) at the Venice Film festival. The ICFR aims to activate the film community's collective response to filmmakers who face political persecution for their work. Downey is a founder and board member, and the European Film Academy, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and IDFA are the founding partners of the ICFR, with activities that include advocacy, support, monitoring, and observation.[53][54]

Downey was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to British cinema.[55]

Selected filmography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mike Downey – film producer". University of Warwick.
  2. ^ a b c "Biography". Mike Downey. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Theatre". Mike Downey. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Film Seasons and Festivals". Mike Downey. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  5. ^ "The Self Managing Screen". Mike Downey. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Publications". Mike Downey. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  7. ^ a b "F&ME // The Team // Sam Taylor". F&ME // News. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Producers pair up for Fame U.K." Variety. 7 February 2001.
  9. ^ "Tartan Films, F&ME team on James Elroy project". Screen Daily. 17 May 2002.
  10. ^ "Call of the Toad". Film Directory, British Council. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  11. ^ "UK-based production house Film & Music Entertainment". Filmfestivals.com. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Servants". Cineuropa. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  13. ^ "White Lightnin'". Cinando.com. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Return to Montauk". Film Directory, British Council. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Makhmalbaf begins President shoot". IMDb. 8 February 2014.
  16. ^ "Rio 50 Degrees". Film Directory, British Council. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  17. ^ "Röllin sydän". IMDb. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Mike Downey". Variety. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Agnieszka Holland's Oscar Entry 'Charlatan' Acquired By AX1 in U.K. and Ireland". Variety. 12 January 2021.
  20. ^ "Two years after talks in Warsaw, Imagine opens festival". Cineuropa. 15 October 2012.
  21. ^ "The Constitution (Ustav Republike Hrvatske) directed by Rajko Grlic, wins big at the 40th Montreal World Film Festival by taking home the prestigious Grand Prize of the Americas worth $100,000". The Constitution Movie. 6 September 2016.
  22. ^ "Bathory inspires two takes on horror tale". Variety. 22 June 2007.
  23. ^ "Falcons". Variety. 17 September 2002.
  24. ^ "Daldry fits Brit banner". Variety. 13 February 2003.
  25. ^ Downey, Mike; Media Business School (1 January 1999). The film finance handbook. Media Business School. OCLC 51233940 – via Open WorldCat. {{cite book}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  26. ^ "Staff and Structure". European Film Academy.
  27. ^ Holdsworth, Nick (7 September 2016). "Mike Downey, deputy chairman of the European Film Academy, calls the late 'City of God' producer, who died Monday, a "benign defender of artists."". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  28. ^ "New European Film Academy Chairman Mike Downey to Reach Out to Other Film Academies". Variety. 10 December 2019.
  29. ^ "Review of the Year 2008/2009". British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
  30. ^ Barraclough, Leo (18 March 2015). "Prague's Febiofest to Fete British Producer Mike Downey". Variety. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  31. ^ "BAFTA Council". BAFTA. 15 March 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  32. ^ Holman, Jordyn (5 August 2014). "'The Tribe' Wins Motovun Film Festival's Top Honor". Variety. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  33. ^ "Who is Who". Zagreb Film Festival.
  34. ^ "Antalya Film Festival Names Mike Downey as Artistic Director". Variety. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  35. ^ Grater, Tom. "Pula festival unveils 2016 line-up". Screen International. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  36. ^ "Mike Downey". White Ribbon Alliance.
  37. ^ "South African Theatre Company" Ambassadors". Isango Ensemble. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  38. ^ "Asia Pacific Screen Awards launch standalone four-day industry event". Screen Daily. 18 October 2019.
  39. ^ "Full juries revealed for 13th Asia Pacific Screen Awards". Film Ink. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  40. ^ "Mike Downey". Sarajevo Film Festival. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  41. ^ "Jury Duty in Rio de Janeiro". Festival do Rio. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  42. ^ "Emir Hadžihafizbegović Wins Best Actor Award in Cottbus". MaXima Film. 13 November 2014.
  43. ^ "Incendies wins Warsaw Grand Prix". Screen Daily. 18 October 2010.
  44. ^ "Two years after talks in Warsaw, Imagine opens festival". Cineuropa. 15 October 2012.
  45. ^ a b c d "Juries". Mike Downey. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  46. ^ "The Awards of the 17th Sofia International Film Festival". Altcine. 16 March 2013.
  47. ^ "FICCI 56 boasts exclusive jury members". FICCI Festival. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  48. ^ "Chairman: Mike Downey, producer". The European Film Academy. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  49. ^ "Zagreb fest honors Downey, Taylor". Variety. 15 May 2019.
  50. ^ Pablos, Emiliano De (9 October 2014). "Fort Lauderdale Fest To Honor Mike Downey". Variety. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  51. ^ "Prague's Febiofest to Fete British Producer Mike Downey". Variety. 18 March 2015.
  52. ^ European Union (9 September 2020). "LUX prize will be awarded jointly by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy". The European Sting. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  53. ^ "International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk Launches in Venice". Variety. 6 September 2020.
  54. ^ "International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk warns Covid-19 is bringing fresh dangers". Screen daily. 7 September 2020.
  55. ^ "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B25.
  56. ^ Hopewell, John (1 October 2014). "F&ME Completes Production on 'Breathe – Umphefumlo'". Variety. Retrieved 7 September 2017.

External links[edit]

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