PressClub United Kingdom · Article.
BMW of North America announces the return of BMW Films with “The Escape.”
Sun Oct 23 14:04:00 CEST 2016 Press Kit
• Central feature to celebrate BMW’s motorsport successes • Clive Owen to reprise his role as the driver in the 15th Anniversary homage film from Academy Award® nominated director Neill Blomkamp, co-starring Dakota Fanning, Jon Bernthal and Vera Farmiga. • “The Escape” will premiere on Sunday, October 23, 2016 at 6:00p.m. EST on BMWFilms.com.
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Chris Overall
BMW Group
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Author.
Chris Overall
BMW Group
BMW of North America announced today the return of BMW Films with
“The Escape,” a short film from Academy Award® nominated director
Neill Blomkamp(“District 9,” “Elysium”) featuring original
BMW Films star and Oscar® nominated actor Clive Owen (“Closer,”
“Children of Men”), who reprises his role as The Driver. Presented as
an homage to the 15th anniversary of the original BMW Film series,
“The Escape” also stars Dakota Fanning (“War of the Worlds,” “I am
Sam”), Jon Bernthal (“The Punisher,” “Daredevil”) and Oscar® nominee
Vera Farmiga(“The Departed,” “Up in the Air”). “The Escape” will
premiere on Sunday, October 23, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. EST on BMWFilms.com.
The critically acclaimed original series, “The Hire,” included
eight short films which were released in two seasons from 2001-2002.
Each film featured then rising-star Owen as the mysterious Driver
hired to complete various missions and was directed by some of
Hollywood’s best and brightest talent.
“The Escape.”
BMW not only brought back Owen for “The Escape,” but also Bruce
Bildsten as Creative Director, Brian DiLorenzo as Executive Producer
and David Carter, who in addition to serving as a creative consultant,
co-wrote the film alongside Blomkamp. The trio then brought together a
group of producers and designers to bring the film to life.
“The Hire” – 8 Original BMW Short Films.
With “The Escape,” Blomkamp joins the A-list stable of original
BMW Films directors from the seminal project including Academy Award®
winners Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Ang Lee; Joe Carnahan, Wong Kar-wai,
Guy Ritchie, John Woo and the late John Frankenheimer and Tony Scott.
“The Hire” also featured A-list talent in front of the camera
including: Gary Oldman, Stellan Skarsgård, Forest Whitaker, Mickey
Rourke, James Brown, Don Cheadle, Madonna, Adriana Lima, Danny Trejo,
Kathryn Morris, Marilyn Manson, Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick and Dennis
Haysbert. “The Hire” was released exclusively online at BMWFilms.com
and received more than 100MM views prior to the proliferation of
high-speed internet connectivity and introduction of YouTube. Season 1
of “The Hire” premiered on BMWFilms.com on April 26, 2001 with John
Frankenheimer’s “Ambush,” followed by “Chosen” from Ang Lee, who would
go on to win Academy Awards® for “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of
Pi.” The third film in the series, “The Follow,” was directed by Wong
Kar-wai and featured Forest Whitaker, Adriana Lima and Mickey Rourke.
Rounding out Season 1 was Guy Ritchie’s “Star,” featuring Madonna, and
“Powder Keg,” starring Stellan Skarsgård, directed by then
up-and-comer and current multiple Academy Award® winner Alejandro G.
Iñárritu. Season 1 was executive produced by David Fincher (“The
Social Network,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) and was viewed
over 11 million times in four months. Season 2 of “The Hire” was
executive produced by Tony and Ridley Scott and debuted in October
2002 with John Woo’s “Hostage,” featuring Maury Chaykin, and was
followed by Joe Carnahan’s “The Ticker.” Tony Scott’s “Beat the
Devil,” starring James Brown and Gary Oldman, completed the series.
“The Hire”– Awards and Accolades.
After the first two films in “The Hire” series debuted online,
Wong Kar-wai’s third film, “The Follow,” made its debut at the Cannes
Film Festival in May 2001 to critical acclaim. In the media, The
New York Times said, “The BMW films tingle with zest,” while
Time magazine added, “It surely deserves the attention of
discerning movie watchers.” “The Hire” inspired the Cannes
International Advertising Festival to create the Titanium Lion in
2003, to honour creative ideas that point to a new direction for the
industry and redefine the creative landscape. Besides winning the
inaugural Titanium Lion, the films went on to win the top honour in
virtually every creative competition. They were named “The Best of the
Digital Decade” by The One Show in 2011 and were named to the Clios
Hall of Fame in 2009. The Hire series was inducted into the permanent
collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in 2003.