Zeke and Simon Hawkins

Director Simon Hawkins

Zeke Hawkins and Simon Hawkins are independent film directors and brothers, often referred to as the Hawkins brothers.

Their directorial feature Bad Turn Worse won the Audience Award for American Independents at AFI Fest.

Early life

The Hawkins brothers grew up in Darien, Connecticut.[1]

Career

The Hawkins brothers directed the 2013 film Bad Turn Worse, originally titled We Gotta Get Out of This Place with Simon as editor.[2] The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival,[3]screened at Austin’s Fantastic Fest,[4] and won the Audience Award at AFI Fest.[5] The New York Times called it a "juicy neo-noir".[6] The cast included Jeremy Allen White and Mackenzie Davis.[7]

Spending more than two months living in Texas,[8] the Hawkins brothers' interest in the horizontal landscape and low-rise architecture of the area[9] became a key part of the film. Todd Gilchrist of IndieWire noted the film "offers the kind of clean, elegant storytelling whose emotional impact eclipses the cosmetic horrors of its counterparts while announcing the arrival of considerable new filmmaking talents.[10]

Bad Turn Worse was released theatrically on November 14, 2013[11] and was acquired by Starz.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Texas Noir, by Directors Who Aren't From Texas (Published 2014)". 2014-05-17. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  2. ^ "We Gotta Get Out of This Place review: This place is not as it seems". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  3. ^ Rooney, David (2013-09-14). "We Gotta Get Out of This Place: Toronto Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  4. ^ Schmidlin, Charlie (2013-11-15). "'Nothing Bad Can Happen,' 'The Selfish Giant,' & 'We Gotta Get Out Of This Place' Take Top Honors At AFI Fest 2013". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  5. ^ Team, The Deadline (2013-11-14). "AFI Fest Unveils Audience And Jury Award Winners". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  6. ^ Holden, Stephen (2014-11-13). "Cotton Mills, Venom and Dead Ends". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  7. ^ "'We Gotta Get Out of This Place' actress Mackenzie Davis breaks out". Los Angeles Times. 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  8. ^ Rathe, Adam (2014-11-18). "Directors Zeke and Simon Hawkins on "Bad Turn Worse"". DuJour. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  9. ^ O'Hehir, Andrew (2014-11-12). ""Bad Turn Worse": Texas teen noir infused with "Blood Simple"". Salon. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  10. ^ Gilchrist, Todd (2014-11-12). "Review: Terrific, Harrowing And Resonant Crime Thriller 'Bad Turn Worse'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  11. ^ Dickson, Evan (2014-11-13). "Bad Turn Worse Clip Wants Its Money". Collider. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  12. ^ Yamato, Jen (2014-03-11). "SXSW: Starz Digital Acquires Hawkins Bros' AFI Winner 'We Gotta Get Out Of This Place'". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-03-23.