John Walsh | |
|---|---|
 Walsh at BAFTA Film Awards | |
| Born | London, England |
| Education | London Film School[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Film director Screenwriter Film producer |
| Notable work | Monarch ToryBoy The Movie Headhunting The Homeless |
| Website | www |
John Walsh is an English filmmaker and author. He is the founder of the film company Walsh Bros. Ltd.[2] His film work on subjects such associal mobility andsocial justice has received twoBAFTA nominations.
A filmmaker from a young age, Walsh had his firstsuper-8 camera by the age of ten. At the age of 18 he was the youngest student accepted to theLondon Film School (LFS) in 1989.[3] He made a film there onstop-motion animation filmmakerRay Harryhausen.[citation needed] Walsh graduated from the LFS in 1990 or 1991, according to its blog.[4][5] Walsh is a Trustee of theRay and Diana Harryhausen Foundation.[6][7]
In 2010, Walsh stood as a parliamentary candidate in the2010 General Election and made thegonzo-style documentary feature filmTory Boy The Movie, which was released in cinemas in 2011 and 2012.[8] The film follows Walsh as he becomes aConservative candidate after a lifetime of votingLabour motivated by reports thatSir Stuart Bell, the Labour Party'sMP inMiddlesbrough, was absent so often from the town that he was an unsuitable candidate.[9] The file was nominated for theGrierson Awards for "Best Documentary on a Contemporary Theme".[10]
In 2014, Walsh's remastered version of the filmMonarch was released.[11] The original negative for the film had been lost. The film starred late Irish stage and screen actorT. P. McKenna andJean Marsh.[12] This subsequently led to cinema showing starting at the Tricycle Cinema.[13][14][15]
Walsh's three-partGrierson Trust-nominatedBBC seriesHeadhunting The Homeless was part of the corporation's 120 most treasured programmes of the first half of 2003, and was included in the corporation's drive to convince its critics that the licence fee should not be abolished.[16]The Guardian described the series as "truly touching"[17] and also chose it as their Pick of the Day.[18]
The BAFTA-nominated[19] andNew York Film Festival-winning[20]Channel 4 seriesDon't Make Me Angry (2003) was about anger management.[21] This ran for two series.[22]
In 2010, Walsh's five part BBC series on childhood homelessness,Sofa Surfers, was nominated for the Social Award at theRose d'Or Awards.[23]
The BAFTA-nominated 2010 filmMy Life: Karate Kids[24] tackled issues of bullying among disabled children. It was narrated byDavid Tennant.[25][26]
The Monte CarloGolden Nymph Award nominated[27] BBC filmToy Soldiers, made in 2010 and screened in 2014, presented the point of view of the bereaved children of UK service personnel. Walsh discussed this on the BBC Radio 4Today Programme.[28] According to the blog of the private medical service Dr Mortons, the film was mentioned positively by retired psychiatrist Geraldine Walford, who said it had been shown in schools across the country.[29] It was also entered for the Foundation Prix Jeunesse in 2012.[30]
Walsh worked with charity boss Eva Hamilton on her ventureKey4Life and made a five-minute publicity film for them in December 2013 about their work with former young offenders.[31]
Walsh founded his company in 1992.[32] Walsh Bros Ltd. was ranked 70 in theTelevisual Magazine's list of the top 100independent film companies in the UK in 2012.[33]
Walsh has been a Trustee of theRay & Diana Harryhausen Foundation since 2014.[7] He first met withRay Harryhausen in the late 1980s as a film student of theLondon Film School[34] and in 1990 wrote and directed a 15-minute documentary entitledRay Harryhausen: Movement Into Life, narrated byTom Baker.[35]
Walsh filmed and recorded commentary tracks with Ray Harryhausen in his London home commencing 17 May 2012.[36] Since that date recordings were made forClash of The Titans,Mysterious Island,The 3 Worlds of Gulliver,First Men in the Moon withRandy Cook,The Valley of Gwangi with his daughter Vanessa Harryhausen,One Million Years B.C. withMartine Beswick,The Golden Voyage of Sinbad with fellow TrusteeCaroline Munro,Mighty Joe Young with film directorJohn Landis andSinbad and the Eye of the Tiger with SFX artist Colin Arthur.[37][38] Walsh donated the film and sound footage to the Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation[39] and they contain many new revelations by Ray on how his films were created and produced.
San Diego Comic-Con announced the newRay Harryhausen Awards which were devised by Walsh[40] and revealed at their 2021 panel at Comic Con.[41]
In additional to his film and TV screenplays, Walsh has written for various print and online publications on film history, politics and religion inThe Daily Telegraph,[42]The Independent,[43]The Catholic Herald[44] andConservative Home.[45] He contributed to theTitan Books title,Ray Harryhausen Poster Art Book, written by sci-fi journalist and author Richard Holliss.[46]
His first book,Harryhausen: The Lost Movies, was published 10 September 2019 by Titan Books.[47]
His second book,Flash Gordon: The Official Story of the Film, was published in November 2020 by Titan Books.[48]
In 2021,Screen Rant announced the publication of Walsh's next book,Escape from New York: The Official Story of the Film, published by Titan Books.[49]
On 18th March 2025, a new behind-the-scenes bookGladiator II: The Art and Making of the Ridley Scott Film to be published byAbrams Books and written by Walsh containing new interviews, photos and others materials from the film. This large format 224 coffee table art book was licensed by the film’s rights holderParamount Pictures.[50]
| Year | Title | Role | Film / television | Award / nomination* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Escape From New York: The Official Story of the Film[55] | Producer, director, writer | Documentary Series | |
| 2020 | Flash Gordon: The Official Story of the Film[56] | Producer, director, writer | Documentary Series | |
| 2019 | Harryhausen: The Lost Movies[57] | Producer, director, writer | Documentary Series | |
| 2016–2018 | The Ray Harryhausen Podcast | Originator, co-host | Radio series | Honorable mention,Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards* "Best Multi-Media"[58] |
| 2016 | Jupiter Pluvius at the Tate[59] | Producer, director, writer | Documentary | |
| 2015 | ToryBoy The Movie (re-release) | Producer, director, writer | Feature film | |
| 2014 | Monarch (re-release) | Producer, director, writer, editor | Feature film | |
| 2014 | Monarch Restoring A King[60] | Producer, director, writer, editor | Documentary | |
| 2013 | Key 4 Life[31] | Producer, director, writer | 15-minute documentary | |
| 2012 | Blinding[citation needed] | Producer, director, writer | BBC documentary | |
| 2012 | ToryBoy The Aftermath[citation needed] | Producer, director, writer | Documentary | |
| 2011 | ToryBoy The Movie | Producer, director, writer | Feature film | Shortlisted,Grierson Awards Best Documentary on a Contemporary Theme[61] |
| 2010 | Toy Soldiers[62] | Producer, director, writer | BBC documentary | Nominated,Monte-Carlo Television Festival[63] Entered, Prix Jeunesse Munich*[64] |
| 2009 | The Prime Minister's Global Fellowship[citation needed] | Producer, director, writer | Documentary for theBritish Council | |
| 2009 | My Life: Karate Kids[65] | Producer, director, writer | BBC documentary | Nominated, Children's factual,BAFTA[66] |
| 2008 | Sofa Surfers[67][68][69] | Producer, director, writer | BBC documentary | Nominated,Rose d'OrSocial Award[70] |
| 2007 | Don't Make Me Angry – Series 2[71] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 4 documentary | Bronze World Medal,New York Television FestivalBest Young Adult Special Documentary Series[20] |
| 2006 | Don't Make Me Angry – Series 1[72] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 4 documentary | Nominated, Children's learning: secondary,BAFTA[73] |
| 2003 | Headhunting The Homeless[16][74][75] | Producer, director, writer | BBC documentary | Grierson Awards Best Documentary Series[citation needed] |
| 2001 | Nu Model Armi[citation needed] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 4 documentary | |
| 2001 | TREX2[citation needed] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 5 documentary | |
| 2000 | TREX[citation needed] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 5 documentary | |
| 2000 | Monarch | Producer, director, writer, editor | Feature film | |
| 1999 | Cowboyz & Cowgirlz[citation needed] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 5 documentary | |
| 1998 | Boyz & Girlz : Greece[citation needed] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 5 documentary | |
| 1998 | Boyz & Girlz[citation needed] | Producer, director, writer | Channel 5 documentary | |
| 1991 | Masque of Draperie[citation needed] | Producer, director, writer, editor | Documentary | |
| 1990 | The Comedy Store[citation needed] | Producer, director, writer, editor | Documentary | |
| 1990 | The Sceptic and the Psychic[citation needed] | Producer, writer | Drama | |
| 1989 | Ray Harryhausen: Movement Into Life[76][34] | Producer, director, writer | 15-minute documentary | |
| 1989 | The Sleeper[citation needed] | Producer, director, writer, editor | Drama | |
| 1985 | A State of Mind | Producer, director, Writer, editor | Drama | Screen TestBBC Young Film Maker of the Year 1985*[citation needed] |
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