BE KIND REWIND
SWEDING
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
‘Sweding’ is the practice of re-creating something from scratch using commonly
available, everyday materials and technology.
Items that are ‘Sweded’ look distinctively homemade, often bearing only the
slightest resemblance to the original. While naïvely rendered, ‘Sweded’ items
are usually charming and highly amusing.
Contents
1 Origins of the term Sweding
2 Sweded Films in Be Kind Rewind
3 Meaning of the term Sweding
4 Other Sweders
5 External Links
Origins of the term Sweding
The term ‘Sweding’ was first coined in Michel Gondry’s 2007 film Be Kind
Rewind.
In that film the major characters Jerry (played by comedian Jack Black) and Mike (played
by Mos Def) attempt to re-create classic movies including Ghostbusters after they
accidentally erase video copies of the originals.
The Sweded films are amateurishly re-enacted and videoed by the pair who attempt to
pass them off as the actual films.
While incomplete renderings of the originals, the resulting Sweded films become
tremendously popular with the store’s customers earning Jerry and Mike some celebrity.
Sweded Films in Be Kind Rewind
The following films are Sweded in Be Kind Rewind:
Ghostbusters (1984)
2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)
Robocop (1987)
Rush Hour (1998)
Boyz In Da Hood (1991)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
The Lion King (1994)
Meaning of the term Sweding
In Be Kind Rewind, Jerry suggests that their ‘customized’ videos are imported from
Sweden (partly to justify their longer wait periods and higher rental costs). From that
point on the term ‘Sweding’ is used to describe the process of remaking movies from
scratch.
Other Sweders
The phenomenon of Sweding has been embraced by thousands of people around the
world. It is particularly visible on the Internet. Other Sweders online include actor, Irish
Dancer and choreographer Michael Patrick Breen; Lego artist Sean Kenney; blogger
Ben Harris and multimedia artist James R Ford.
External Links
Official website (www.bekindrewind.com)
Be Kind Rewind (http://imdb.com/title/tt0799934/) at the Internet movie database.
Sweding with cardboard - wedding rings, external hard drives, iPods etc
(http://www.whenhomelesstakeovertheworld.com/products.html)
Michael Patrick Breen (http://michaelpatrickbreen.com/Home_Page.php)
Sean Kenney (http://www.seankenney.com/portfolio/google/)
Sweded Cars (http://www.seankenney.com/portfolio/google/)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/paulbubel/cardboard_ricer.jpg)
Swede an iPod (http://www.mijnkopthee.nl/images/cheap_ipod.jpg)
Sweded Transformers (http://benharris.vox.com/library/post/robots-in-disguise.html)
James R Ford (http://www.generalcarbuncle.com/)
From the fiercely imaginative mind of Academy Award®-winning writer/director Michel
Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) comes Be Kind Rewind, a tale of two
childhood friends who inadvertently get caught up in a scheme to rewrite film history
and, in turn, save their beloved video store from extinction. What results is a
heartwarming story featuring a sharp-tongued elderly woman who befriends her
chauffeur, an investigation by a team of spectral analysts hunting down ghosts in New
York, a heart-pounding adventure about a Hong Kong detective and his foul-mouthed
partner, a coming of age story set in South Central Los Angeles, and a genetically reengineered cop fighting criminals…all rolled into one.
Jerry (Jack Black) and Mike (Mos Def) are childhood friends living in Passaic, New
Jersey, trying to make ends meet. Jerry is the neighborhood mechanic and lives in a
trailer near the power plant which he swears is slowly killing him with its “microwaves.”
Across the street, Mike lives and works in the local video rental store, “Be Kind Rewind,”
struggling to keep the ailing business owned by his boss, Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover)
financially afloat and, physically, in one piece. Mr. Fletcher stubbornly refuses to
modernize his store to the standards of the local chain DVD rental stores nearby.
According to Mr. Fletcher, the worn-down video store was also once home to Jazz
legend, Fats Waller, who reportedly was born in the tiny location long before video tapes
had been invented. Mr. Fletcher, a lifelong devotee to all things Fats Waller, decides to
make the trip to commemorate Fats’ death, leaving Mike in charge of keeping the store
in order, which means keeping the accident-prone Jerry away from the shop.
Later that day, Jerry decides the time has come to once and for all sabotage the town’s
power plant, but he accidentally gets caught in an electromagnetic field. Jerry returns to
the store the next morning, confused and disoriented, and begins wandering the aisles
of the video store. Unknowingly, his magnetized brain erases every videotape in the
store, forcing Mike and Jerry to concoct a plan to start “remaking” – or “swedeing” – all
the erased films the townspeople want to rent in an effort for Mr. Fletcher to never find
out.
Using a few hastily-made props and a video camera from the store, the duo start by
creating their own version of Ghostbusters for their loyal customer, Miss Falewicz (Mia
Farrow), who has never seen the film. The result is a complete and utter mess, but the
ragtag filmmakers soon realize that in order for their ruse to work, they have to start
remaking as many films as they can to keep their customers happy.
Realizing they will need help with their filmmaking efforts, Mike and Jerry enlist a worker
at the local cleaners, Alma (Melonie Diaz), to help them in their quest. Using a few
inventive camera tricks and some “special effects,” they’re movies become instant town
classics. Surprisingly, word of mouth spreads about their hilarious “remakes” and the
films become huge hits. Everyone starts coming in to request their favorite films to be
remade. As the demand for their tapes booms, so does the size of their crew. Other
people in the neighborhood start chipping in to re-envision various dramas, comedies,
action films and even animated classics.
But with Hollywood lawyers at their door and the imminent return of Mr. Fletcher, Mike
and Jerry must find a way to continue their creative endeavors and rally their community
– and allow a tiny little store with huge aspirations to attempt to continue living.
New Line Cinema presents in association with Partizan Films, A Partizan Films
Production, A Film By Michel Gondry – Be Kind Rewind. The film stars Jack Black, Mos
Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz, Chandler Parker, Irv Gooch, Arjay Smith,
Marcus Carl Franklin, Blake Hightower and Amir Ali Said.
The film is written and directed by Michel Gondry. The producers are Gondry, Julie Fong
and Georges Bermann. The executive producers are Toby Emmerich and Guy Stodel
and the co-producer is Ann Ruark.
The creative behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Ellen Kuras,
A.S.C., costume designers Rahel Afiley and Kishu Chand, production designer Dan
Leigh, editor Jeff Buchnan and music by Jean-Michel Bernand.
Be Kind Rewind will have its world premiere on January 20th, 2008 at the Sundance Film
Festival.
New Line Cinema will release Be Kind Rewind (rated “PG-13” by the M.P.A.A. for “some
sexual references”) in theaters on February 22nd, 2008.
ABOUT THE CAST
JACK BLACK (“Jerry”)
Jack Black has appeared in many motion pictures, but it was his scene-stealing performance
as John Cusack’s sarcastic music store employee in Stephen Frears’s acclaimed comedy
High Fidelity that cemented his place in the hearts of audiences.
In September 2003, Black proved his box-office draw with a # 1 opening for Paramount
Pictures – School of Rock from producer Scott Rudin, director Richard Linklater and writer
Mike White. Black received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in
a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
In December 2005, Black was seen in director Peter Jackson’s cinematic blockbuster King
Kong, joining a cast that included Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, Andy Serkis and Colin Hanks.
Black most recently was seen co-starring in Noah Baumbach’s Margot at the Wedding
opposite Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh. He starred in and produced the box-office
smash Nacho Libre, directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite); and in the ensemble
comedy, The Holiday, directed by Nancy Meyers and also starring Kate Winslet, Cameron
Diaz and Jude Law.
Black will next lend his voice to the title role of Dreamworks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda,
which will be released in theaters on June 6th, 2008. He recently completed shooting the Ben
Stiller-directed feature Tropic Thunder for Dreamworks in Hawaii. In January he begins
filming Year One for director Harold Ramis and Sony.
As the lead singer of the rock-folk comedy group Tenacious D, which he created with friend
Kyle Gass, Black starred in the 2006 feature film Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny. Their
self-titled album was released in 2001 and quickly certified at gold-selling status.
His screen credits also include the Farrelly brothers’ Shallow Hal opposite Gwyneth Paltrow.
Jake Kasdan’s Orange County and Jesus’s Son with Billy Crudup. Black made his feature
film debut in Tim Robbins’ Bob Roberts.
MOS DEF (“Mike”)
Regarded as one of hip-hop’s most introspective and insightful artists, Mos Def has
shaped a career that transcends music genres and artistic medium. A child of hip-hop’s
Golden Era, the native Brooklynite spent his childhood imbedded in the culture
surrounding him as well as absorbing knowledge from across the artistic spectrum.
With the release of Universal Magnetic (1996) Mos became an underground favorite in
the hip hop world, leading to his legendary collaboration with Talib Kweli. The two
formed Black Star whose debut album, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are…Black Star, would
become one of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums. Mos followed that release
with his 1999 solo debut, Black On Both Sides, which was certified gold and credited by
critics as bringing hip-hop back to its soapbox roots.
As with his music, Mos has demonstrated insight and passion with his acting career,
appearing in Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, MTV’s Carmen: A Hip Hopera, 2002’s critically
acclaimed Monster’s Ball, Showtime, and the 2002 romantic comedy Brown Sugar, for
which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination. In addition Mos has served as
the host, music supervisor and co-executive producer for the HBO series Def Poetry.
Def also served as a writer, producer and actor on the MTV sketch comedy series
Lyricist Lounge. Mos completed his Broadway debut in 2002 in the Tony nominated,
Pulitzer Prize winning, Topdog/Underdog. Mos re-teamed with Topdog playwright
Suzan Lori Parks and director George Wolfe for the off-Broadway play, Fucking A, for
which he was awarded an Obie Award.
In 2003, Mos Def starred in Paramount Pictures’ The Italian Job, alongside Ed Norton,
Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron. He starred opposite Alan Rickman in the critically
acclaimed HBO movie Something the Lord Made, for which he has received a 2004
Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie. Def was also
nominated for both a Golden Globe Award (Best Performance by an Actor in a MiniSeries or Motion Picture), NAACP Award and Golden Satellite Award (Best Actor in a
Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television) for the same role. Def was also seen
on the big screen in 2004 in the feature film The Woodsman, with Kevin Bacon,
Benjamin Bratt, Eve and Kyra Sedgwick. The New York Times said of his performance,
“I hope we don’t have to wait too much longer to see him in a big-screen leading role,”
and USA Today heralded him as “the movie’s best performance.”
Also in 2004, Mos Def released his highly-anticipated and critically-acclaimed
sophomore solo release, “The New Danger” (Geffen Records). The album was met with
praise from both critics and fans alike, with Rolling Stone giving it 4 Stars and hailing the
album as “Ghetto rock and righteous hip-hop from dazzlingly talented Def” and the New
York Daily News proclaimed “No one is doing more to change our notion of how hip hop
can sound.” The first single, “Sex, Love and Money’ earned Def a 2005 Grammy
nomination for Best Alternative/Urban Performance.
Mos Def received rave reviews for his role as Ford Prefect in the film adaptation of the
classic Douglas Adams science fiction novel, The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
The film debuted at #1 at the Box Office when it hit theaters in April 2005. Around the
same time, Def embarked on his first national concert tour in four years. Entitled the
Breed Love Odyssey Tour, the outing reunited him with Talib Kweli.
Mos Def also starred with Bruce Willis as “Eddie Bunker” in 16 Blocks. The film was
directed by Richard Donner and released in March 2006. He also made an appearance
in Dave Chappelle’s 2006 release Block Party (Focus Features) and co-starred opposite
Brendan Fraser in Journey to the End of the Night.
Currently, Mos Def is working on an array of new film, book and television projects. He
released a new studio album in 2007 titled true magic (Goodtree Media/Geffen
Records). Mos Def is also working on the production of a book called Black, 2.0 by Mos
Def. The production, a heavily illustrated and innovatively designed compendium of
significant moments and movements, artifacts and icons of the past 35 years of black
culture, is slated to be published in Fall 2008 (The Doubleday Publishing Group, part of
Random House, Inc). Def also returned to host the 6th season of the acclaimed HBO
series Def Poetry.
Lastly, Mos Def recently collaborated with Converse to design a line of sneakers. His
signature sneakers features laser-etched pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan
skyline, and are available now in stores.
DANNY GLOVER (“Mr. Fletcher”)
Actor, producer and humanitarian Danny Glover has been a commanding presence on
screen, stage and television for more than 25 years. As an actor, his film credits range
from the blockbuster Lethal Weapon franchise to smaller independent features, some of
which Glover also produced. Most recently, he co-starred in the critically acclaimed
feature Dreamgirls directed by Bill Condon and in Po’ Boy’s Game for director Clement
Virgo. He appeared in the hit feature Shooter for director Antoine Fuqua and will next be
seen in Be Kind Rewind for director Michel Gondry. He has also been cast in a
recurring role on the award-winning television drama series Brothers and Sisters.
Glover has also gained respect for his wide-reaching community activism and
philanthropic efforts, with a particular emphasis on advocacy for economic justice, and
access to health care and education programs in the United States and Africa. For
these efforts, Glover received a 2006 DGA Honor. Internationally, Glover has served as
a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program from 1998-2004,
focusing on issues of poverty, disease, and economic development in Africa, Latin
America, and the Caribbean, and currently serves as UNICEF Ambassador.
In 2004, Glover co-founded Louverture Films (www.louverturefilms.com) dedicated to
the development and production of films of historical relevance, social purpose,
commercial value and artistic integrity. The New York based company has a slate of
progressive features and documentaries including the recently released Bamako, which
premiered to superb reviews at the Cannes International Film Festival.
A native of San Francisco Glover trained at the Black Actors’ Workshop of the American
Conservatory Theater. It was his Broadway debut in Fugard’s Master Harold…and the
Boys, which brought him to national recognition and led director Robert Benton to cast
Glover in his first leading role in 1984’s Oscar®-nominated Best Picture Places in the
Heart. The following year, Glover starred in two more Best Picture nominees: Peter
Weir’s Witness and Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple. In 1987, Glover partnered
with Mel Gibson in the first Lethal Weapon film and went on to star in three hugely
successful Lethal Weapon sequels. Glover has also invested his talents in more
personal projects, including the award-winning To Sleep With Anger, which he executive
produced and for which he won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor; Bopha!;
Manderlay; Missing in America; and the film version of Athol Fugard’s play Boesman and
Lena. On the small screen, Glover won an Image Award and a Cable ACE Award and
earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in the title role of the HBO movie
Mandela. He has also received Emmy nominations for his work in the acclaimed
miniseries Lonesome Dove and the telefilm Freedom Song. As a director, he earned a
Daytime Emmy nomination for Showtime’s Just a Dream.
MIA FARROW (“Miss Falewicz”)
Born in Los Angeles, Mia Farrow is the daughter of director John Farrow and Irish
actress Maureen O’Sullivan. Her career began with a two-year stint on the soap opera
“Peyton Place,” but she was first really given recognition for Roman Polanski’s
Rosemary’s Baby (1968), in which she co-starred with the maverick filmmaker John
Cassavetes and received glowing reviews. Following that, she appeared in such
memorable films as The Great Gatsby (1974) Death on the Nile (1978), as well as
numerous Woody Allen films including Hannah and her Sisters (1986), Crimes and
Misdemeanors (1989), and Alice (1990), for which she was honored with an NBR Award
for best actress.
Mia ventured into other endeavors when she published her New York Times best selling
memoir, What Falls Away, in 1997. She recently returned to the stage, appearing in
James Lapine’s Fran’s Bed at the Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, and Jessica Blake
and Eric Jensen’s The Exonerated. In 2006, she starred in The Omen with Liev
Schreiber and Julia Stiles, and in 2007, she was seen in the Luc Besson movie Arthur
and the Invisibles and the independent film The Ex with Zach Braff and directed by
Jesse Peretz.
Mia has been a high profile advocate for children's rights, working to raise funds and
awareness for children in conflict affected regions, predominantly in Africa. Her latest
effort is www.miafarrow.org, containing a guide on how to get involved with Darfur
activism, along with her photos and blog entries from Darfur, Chad, and the Central
African Republic.
MELONIE DIAZ (“Alma”)
With an impressive resume of films already under her belt, Melonie Diaz is emerging as
one of Hollywood’s rising talents. She will next be seen in Michel Gondry’s highly
anticipated film, Be Kind Rewind, co-starring Jack Black and Mos Def, which New Line is
releasing in January 2008.
Her vast list of films includes performances in Raising Victor Vargas, Tom DiCillo's
Double Whammy; Catherine Hardwick’s Lords of Dogtown.; A Guide to Recognizing
Your Saints, in which Melonie received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the
2007 Independent Spirit Awards; Feel the Noise, produced by Nuyorican Productions; I’ll
Come Running and Beautiful Ordinary. She recently completed production on American
Son opposite Nick Cannon, Assassination of a High School President co-starring Bruce
Willis and the comedy Hamlet 2 with Katherine Keener and Steve Coogan.
Her theatre work in New York includes: Love, Medea at the Bullet Space, The Hip Hop
Theater Festival at P.S.122 and Woman who Outshone the Son at the NYC Fringe
Festival.
She is currently finishing her degree in Film Production at New York University's Tisch
School of the Arts.
CHANDLER PARKER (“Craig”)
Chandler Parker’s early film and television credits include To Dance with Olivia and
Funny Valentines, followed by roles in Undefeated, The Buried Secret of M. Night
Shyamalan, Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power, Preaching to the Choir, Train Wreck: My Life
as an Idiot, and The List. He recently starred in National Lampoon’s The Beach Party at
the Threshold of Hell. Chandler has been a guest star on a number of television series,
including Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Sopranos, The Jury, Third
Watch, Numb3rs, and Life.
Chandler’s theatre debut in New York was the role of Jailbait in Suzan-Lori Parks’
Fucking A at the Public Theatre, which starred Mos Def and Epatha Merkerson.
Chandler has played roles on numerous off-off Broadway stages and in regional
theatres, including: Caliban in The Tempest at Shakespeare on the Sound and DJ in
Medal of Honor Rag at the Create Carolina Arts Festival, which he helped to produce as
a visiting artist at Winthrop University. He and his TheatreWorks cast mates in The
Exonerated won the 2006 Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Ensemble.
Chandler holds a BFA from North Carolina School of the Arts (2002).
IRV GOOCH (“Wilson”)
Irv Gooch owns & operates Antique Cars & Toys For Films, Inc. He has been in the
film business for over 30 years providing antique and later model autos, trucks, buses
and motorcycles complete with quality on-set service to movies, television, commercials,
and videos. “If it’s old, it’s Irv”, anything old they know they can count on him….
Gooch worked with Michel Gondry on a few music videos where he created a vehicle
from trash and junk off the streets which included a lawnmower, lawn chair, car table, &
other miscellaneous items.
He also worked on two movies, External Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Be Kind
Rewind, where he had his first acting part. On the set of Be Kind Rewind, he was asked
to create a bath tub car made from junk which included paint cans, car table, desk chair,
air-condition grate, bicycle wheel, aluminum siding and of course an old bath tub.
Gooch is a busy man. When not on a movie set, he works continuously on his own
vehicles, restoring and metamorphosing them back forth so they become taxis and then
police cars and then limos and finally ambulances.
ARJAY SMITH (“Manny”)
You may recognize him from the 20th Century Fox 2004 Summer Blockbuster about
global warming entitled The Day After Tomorrow, starring opposite Dennis Quaid and
Jake Gyllenhaal, or from Fox’s “Malcolm in the Middle” recurring as ‘Cadet Finley’, but
Arjay began his career breaking records for Nickelodeon as the adorable alien in “The
Journey of Allen Strange”. He can be seen next year, 2008, in the upcoming film First
Sunday, starring opposite Ice-Cube, Tracy Morgan, Chi McBride, Katt Williams, Loretta
Devine & Michael Beach.
MARCUS CARL FRANKLIN (“Kid 1”)
Franklin is featured in Killer Films’ I’m Not There, directed by Todd Haynes, for which he
has received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. Franklin plays a young Bob
Dylan opposite Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Richard Gere, which will have its
premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival.
TV credits include Lackawanna Blues for HBO, a stint on “Saturday Night Live,” “Law
and Order” and a CBS Hallmark production of The Water is Wide.
His stage debut began at the age of six with WestCo Productions, which led him to offBroadway and Broadway productions of Caroline or Change. He currently studies tap,
piano, guitar and voice and in his spare time composes lyrics and music.
BLAKE HIGHTOWER (“Kid 2”)
Blake “Young-B” Hightower is an energetic kid who really knows how to get the crowd
going as a rapper, dancer, actor and writer/producer. You can not find a more skilled
and hardworking kid. His gifts and talents are matched by his enthusiasm, dedication
and bright personality.
Blake recently finished an international tour in Tokyo, Japan with a sold-out crowd of
over 15,000 screaming girls. He has appeared on “The Maury Show,” ABC’s “The
View,”The Tom Joyner Show” and CUN “Oscars After Party.” You may have seen him
on “Everybody Hates Chris,” “My Wife and Kids,” “CSI,” “Cold Case” as well as a number
of other TV shows, movies, commercials and music videos. He has worked with Forest
Whitaker, Jack Black, Danny Glover, Mos Def, Mia Farrow, James Franco, Garcelle
Beauvais, lil Romeo, 36 Mafia, Todd Bridges and most recently, Eddie Murphy. Blake
was one of the youngest weekly performers ever booked at Universal Studios City Walk.
He is the 2005 USA and World Hip Hop Champion.
Blake can be seen on DVD in American Gun as Forest Whitaker’s son and Freedom
Writers with Hilary Swank. He has a recurring role in “Everybody Hates Chris” which
airs weekly on the CW channel. Watch out for his new movie Nowhereland with Eddie
Murphy as well as Sisters Keeper due out soon.
AMIR ALI SAID (“Kid 3”)
Charming, handsome, sharp, with the ability to play a deep range of characters, Amir Ali
Said is an actor of special sort. At 7 years old, he landed his first part in the feature film,
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In this romantic mind twister, directed by Oscar
winner Michel Gondry, Amir played one of four Young Bullies who tormented a young
Jim Carey. It didn’t take long for Amir to grab his second critical role, a recurring part on
the smash hit television show, Chappelle’s Show (2004-2006). Amir shined in his role
as the outspoken and outrageously funny son of Dave Chappelle, and he went on to
become one of the shows breakout characters.
Following his run on Chappelle’s Show, Amir showed his range and ability to shift back
in forth between drama and comedy, when he landed a part in the movie, Game 6
(2005). In the film, written by Don DeLillo and directed by Michael Hoffman, Amir plays
Matthew, the grandson of taxi driver Toyota Moseley, played by Lillias White.
Calling upon his edgy Brooklyn, NY roots, Amir won a pivotal role in Inside Man, the
2006 blockbuster directed by Spike Lee and produced by Brian Grazer. In the film, Amir
played Brian Robinson, the lone kid hostage in a mysterious bank robbery. In two of the
film’s most memorable moments, Amir delivered a “career-making” performance.
Later in 2006, Amir earned a role in the feature film Be Kind Rewind. The film rejoined
Michel Gondry and Amir for the second time. Amir plays the role of one the three main
young boys who hang around their infamous video store in downtown Passaic, NJ.
He followed this role up by earning a guest starring spot on the hit television show, CSI:
NY. Shortly thereafter, Amir landed his second stint on the Law & Order franchise, when
he guest starred on an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
At the age of 11, Amir Ali Said has carved out his own special lane to success. In just
four years, he’s appeared in four films, several television shows, two national
commercials and a number of print ads. In doing so, he’s approached every opportunity
that he’s had with incredible eagerness, brilliant confidence, and exceptional
professionalism.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
MICHEL GONDRY (Writer / Director)
Feature film director, commercial director, and award-winning music video director,
Michel Gondry, often surprises himself with his own extraordinary ideas. Not one to limit
himself to a single creative outlet, Gondry embraces each endeavor with the same
creative flourish and always looks to entertain his audience with his latest idea or dream.
Gondry also recently received a 2005 Academy Award for his original screenplay for
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, for which he created the story alongside Charlie
Kaufman and Pierre Bismuth.
Gondry is currently in post production on Tokyo, a triptych film telling three stories about
the iconic city. Gondry will join French director Leos Carax and South Korean director
Bong Joon-ho on the project. Paris-based Comme des Cinemas is producing.
Gondry's recent film, The Science of Sleep, world-premiered at the Sundance Film
Festival and was released by Warner Independent Pictures. The critical darling of the
festival stars Gael Garcia Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries) in a sentimental comedy
about a day dreamer (Bernal) who falls in love with his lovely neighbor (Charlotte
Gainsbourg) and starts to confuse his dreams with reality. Earlier this year, Focus
Feature's Rogue Films released the critically acclaimed Dave Chappelle's Block Party,
which Gondry developed and produced with Dave Chappelle. Dave Chappelle's Block
Party was filmed in September 2004 in the streets of New York City and features
performances by Dave Chappelle, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Talib Kweli, Kanye
West, The Roots, Common, Dead Prez and a special reunion of The Fugees.
2004 marked the release of Gondry's much-lauded, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind, starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, as a couple attempting to rescue their failing
relationship by having their bad memories erased. Eternal was the second collaboration
between Gondry and the Academy Award-winning writer Charlie Kaufman, with whom
he conceptualized the story. The film was released theatrically on March 19, 2004 by
Focus Features and on DVD in September of the same year. It went on to become one
of the best reviewed films of 2004.
In 2003, Gondry saw the successful launch of The Work of Director Michel Gondry,
which features a DVD collection of his work as well as a book which includes Michel's
stories, drawings, photographs and interviews. Included on the DVD is the personal fulllength documentary, I've Been 12 Forever. The film highlights interviews with some of
Gondry's previous collaborators, including Björk, Daft Punk, Beck and Dave Grohl.
Gondry himself appears in the film describing the inspiration behind many of his projects.
Additionally, in an effort to highlight his personal influences, there are upfront interviews
with family members, including his mother and young son, Paul, who is an aspiring
creative force in his own right. The DVD was released under the newly launched
Directors Label under the Palm Pictures banner in November 2003 and has since been
well-reviewed by critics and embraced by both the filmmaking and music communities.
Human Nature, Gondry's first film, premiered at the 2001 Cannes International Film
Festival and to U.S. audiences at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, before being
released by Fine Line Features in April 2002. Human Nature, starring Patricia Arquette
and Tim Robbins, is a philosophic look at the sometimes tragic, but quite human,
interplay between an abnormally hirsute author, a feral young man, a kindly electrolysist,
a repressed rodent researcher and his nubile French assistant.
When not contemplating the politics of personal relationships or body hair, Gondry is a
highly regarded commercial and music video director. One of his first commercials,
Levis' "Drugstore" (1994), garnered the Lion D'Or at Cannes and is listed in the
Guinness Book of World Records as the most award-winning commercial of all time.
Among his other notable credits are Levi's "Mermaids," silver medal winner at the Clio
Awards and as well as a bronze at Cannes; and Smirnoff's "Smarienburg" (1997), which
captured gold medals at Cannes and the Clio Awards. Most recently, Michel completed
Diet Coke's "Bounce" featuring Adrian Brody which began airing last summer, Levi's
"Bellybuttons" spot, and a series of spots for Gap's lyrical "That's Holiday" campaign.
Gondry got his start while studying graphics at a French art school when he began
directing videos for the band Oui Oui, for which he played drums. The clip's success
attracted other local bands, and it wasn't long before he was working internationally. In
1993 Gondry met pop singer Björk, commencing one of his longest and most successful
professional creative relationships. Their first collaboration, the video for "Human
Behavior," won practically every existing music video award. Gondry went on to helm
another five of Björk's videos, including "Joga" and "Bachelorette," while also
collaborating with such wide-ranging artists as The White Stripes, The Rolling Stones,
Beck, Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Foo Fighters, Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, Cibo
Matto, Kylie Minogue, The Willowz, The Polyphonic Spree, Steriogram and Gary Jules.
Most recently, Gondry directed his fourth video for The White Stripes, "The Denial Twist"
featuring Conan O'Brien, in which Gondry recreates a distorted version of the week the
Stripes appeared on "Late Night" in 2003, as well as Kanye West's "Heard 'Em Say" shot
entirely on location at Macy's in New York for a special 2005 holiday release. Gondry
recently worked with Paul McCartney for his latest single, “Dance Tonight,” and again
with Bjork on “Declare Independence.”
Gondry currently resides in New York with his son.
GEORGES BERMANN (Producer)
Be Kind Rewind marks another milestone in the long collaborative history between
producer, Georges Bermann, and director, Michel Gondry. He most recently produced
Gondry’s critically acclaimed film, The Science of Sleep.
Mr. Bermann has been producing feature films, commercials, and music videos for over
a decade. He produced award-winning music videos for Bjork’s “Human Behaviour” and
Chemical Brothers’ “Star Guitar.” He was also the executive producer of the Academy
Award-winning Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Grammy-winning video for U2's
"Vertigo" and Grammy-winning documentary Sting: Ten Summoners Tales. In addition,
he has received numerous MTV VMA awards.
Not only a producer, Mr. Bermann is also the chairman and founder of Partizan. Since
its inception in 1991, Partizan has achieved numerous awards and garnered
international recognition for its commercial and music video work. The company boasts
a bevy of critically acclaimed directors, who are represented worldwide by its offices in
Paris, London, New York, and Los Angeles. Partizan has emerged as one of the most
successful independent multimedia production companies in the industry.
In addition, Mr. Bermann is a successful Sudoku player who has reached the ever-sodifficult level 5. He can also count to ten in French, English, German, Italian and
Spanish.
JULIE FONG (Producer)
Throughout her career, Julie Fong has worked extensively as a producer in areas
encompassing television, documentaries, music videos and commercial production.
After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Motion Picture/TV Production, Fong began
her career as a freelance producer of music videos. During this time, she worked and
traveled throughout England, France, and the United States with a variety of artists
including Will Smith, Joe Cocker, and Celine Dion.
From her work with music videos, Fong moved on to produce commercials for such
clients as Nike, Pepsi, BMW, Diet Coke, and Gap. In 1993 she teamed with celebrated
French director Michel Gondry for a Levi’s spot entitled “Drugstore,” which won
numerous awards, including the Lion D’Or at Cannes, a Cleo and three silvers at D&AD.
In fact, it is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most award-winning
commercial of all time. Fong also won a Grammy award in 1993 for producing a Music
Video Longform for Sting – Ten Summoner’s Tales.
She has worked at ZM Productions as the Executive in Charge of Production. During
her tenure, she oversaw the production of movies of the week, documentaries and onehour specials, including the CBS Emmy Award-winning special celebrating “Life
Magazine, 60 Years of Life.” During this time she had the pleasure of working with such
major talents as Jimmy Stewart, Drew Barrymore, and Frank Capra, among many
others.
Fong reunited with Gondry in 1996. The duo created videos for such artists as The
Rolling Stones, Beck, and the Foo Fighters. Their production of Bjork’s “Bachelorette”
earned a Silver Award from D&AD, an MTV VMA Nomination, and a Grammy
Nomination. The video for the Chemical Brothers’ “Let Forever Be” was voted Video of
the Year by the MVPA, and the video for Steriogram’s “Walkie Talkie Man” received a
Grammy Nomination. Most recently, their video for Kanye West’s “Heard ‘Em Say”
premiered on MTV’s “Making the Band,” and the White Stripes’ “Denial Twist” featuring
Conan O’Brien has received much critical acclaim.
Their first feature film project was Human Nature. The film premiered at the 2001
Cannes International Film Festival and to U.S. audiences at the 2002 Sundance Film
Festival, before being released by Fine Line Features in April 2002.
During the summer of 2004, Fong produced Gondry’s fourth feature film, Dave
Chappelle’s Block Party. Developed by Gondry and comedian Dave Chappelle, Block
Party, is a hilarious documentary exploring the culture and definition of hip hop, features
performances by The Fugees, Kanye West, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Jill
Scott, Talib Kweli, and more. The film premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film
Festival and was subsequently acquired by Focus Feature’s Rogue Films division for
release in early 2006.
Most recently, Fong produced Gondry’s fifth feature film, Be Kind Rewind, starring Jack
Black, Mos Def, and Danny Glover. The hilarious comedy is scheduled to premiere in
2007. She serves as the General Manager for Partizan, Gondry’s music video and
commercial company, while continuing to work as Gondry’s commercial and music video
producer.
ANN RUARK (Co-Producer)
Co-Producer Ann Ruark is a New Yorker whose work includes Frida, Garden State,
Broken Flowers and Babel. She is currently at work on Sam Mendes' Revolutionary
Road.
ELLEN KURAS, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
An immensely respected Director of Photography, Ellen Kuras has collaborated with
many of today’s most exciting filmmakers, has won the Sundance Film Festival award
for Best Dramatic Cinematography an unprecedented three times, and has been
nominated for the Emmy three times.
Kuras began her career in 1987, shooting Ellen Bruno’s Samsara, for which she won the
1990 Eastman Kodak Best Cinematography Focus Award. The film received 25
international awards, including the 1990 Sundance Jury Award. Kuras followed up her
first effort with Swoon, directed by Tom Kalin. Ellen’s work on Swoon immediately put
her in the spotlight, and earned her an IFP Independent Spirit Award and her first Best
Dramatic Cinematography Award at Sundance.
After Sundance, Ellen rapidly became one of the most sought after cinematographers in
the United States. Her next features, Postcards From America, directed by Steve
McClean, and RonVawter’s one-man show Roy Cohn / Jack Smith, opened the 1994
New York Film Festival. Next came her first collaboration with Director Rebecca Miller
on the feature film Angela which won the 1995 Best Dramatic Cinematography Award at
Sundance. That same year, Kuras was also nominated for her first Emmy Award for
work on Century of Women.
Among her other credits are Unzipped, the irreverent portrait of the fashion world’s Issac
Mirzrahi, I Shot Andy Warhol, directed by Mary Harron and starring Lily Taylor, Richard
Wenk’s Just the Ticket, starring Andy Garcia and Andie MacDowell, and the HBO
Special If These Walls Could Talk, Part I, directed by Nancy Savoca and starring Demi
Moore. She also photographed director Spike Lee’s Niggericans, a segment of HBO’s
Subway Stories.
Her collaboration with Spike Lee continued, and she proceeded to shoot the Academy
Award-nominated documentary Four Little Girls, for which she was nominated for an
Emmy. After shooting the Mod Squad with director Scott Silver, she went onto to rejoin
Spike to shoot the ensemble drama, Summer of Sam in 1998 and Bamboozled in 1999.
Bamboozled is one of the first studio-released movies to be shot in mini-digital and
blown up to film. Jim Brown All American with Spike Lee soon followed and then she
joined in another creative collaboration with Rebecca Miller to make Personal Velocity,
for which she won her third award in Best Dramatic Cinematography at Sundance, 2002.
One of only few women to shoot studio films, Kuras shot Ted Demme’s Blow in 2001,
starring Johnny Depp, Analyze That in 2002, starring Billy Crystal and Robert DeNiro,
and the visually impressive Michel Gondry film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Her latest films are The Ballad of Jack and Rose, directed by Rebecca Miller and
starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Heart of Gold, a Neil Young concert film directed by Jonathan
Demme, Berlin, directed by Julien Schnabel with Lou Reed and Be Kind Rewind, by
Michel Gondry. Commercial directors she's worked with include: Spike Jonze, Michel
Gondry, Noam Murro, Mark Pellington, Joe Public, David Kellogg and Spike Lee.
Nerakhoun* is Ellen Kuras’ directorial debut, which will premiere at the 2008 Sundance
Film Festival (*Title subject to change.)
DAN LEIGH (Production Designer)
Be Kind Rewind marks the second collaboration between director Michel Gondry and
production designer Dan Leigh. They first joined forces on the critically acclaimed
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Leigh’s work on Eternal garnered much praise
including a nomination for an “Excellence in Production Design Award” from the Art
Directors Guild.
Always busy, Leigh has worked extensively in both film and television. His past projects
include HBO’s The Laramie Project, Miramax’s A Walk on the Moon and Basquiat, as
well as the upcoming feature film Pride & Glory from New Line Cinema, Taking Chance
from HBO, and Kenneth Lonergan’s Margaret. He has recently completed Guillermo
Arriaga’s The Burning Plain.
JEFF BUCHANAN (Editor)
Be Kind Rewind is the second film Jeff Buchanan has collaborated on with director,
Michel Gondry. He previously co-edited Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (with Sarah Flack)
in 2006.
Jeff first started working with Gondry in 2004, when he edited the 70-minute feature I’ve
Been Twelve Forever. The two later collaborated on a string of music videos together,
with Jeff editing clips for Kanye West, Cody Chestnutt, and Beck.
Mr. Buchanan has also edited additional footage, features, short films and commentaries
for the “Directors Label” series. The series has afforded him the opportunity to work with
such directors as Anton Corbijn, Chris Cunningham, Jonathan Glazer, Spike Jonze,
Mark Romanek, and Stephane Sednaoui.
He started his career editing short films and music videos for director Lance Bangs, and
in 2003 edited the David Cross performance documentary film Let America Laugh. Since
then, Mr. Buchanan has edited a number of concert films for the director. In 2005 alone,
he edited films starring The Arcade Fire, Sleater-Kinney, and Sting.
JEAN-MICHEL BERNARD (Composer)
Jean-Michel Bernard was born in France in 1961 and began playing the piano at the age
of two. He attended the Conservatory of Bordeaux, received first place when 14 and
continued his musical studies at the Paris Ecole Normale de Musique.
He began his career as a performer, recording in London at the age of 18 with the
London Philharmonic Orchestra and playing in jazz clubs in Paris and Bordeaux. For
several years he was the musical director and conductor for a popular French political
radio show. He then began composing for television movies, documentaries, animated
films and writing jingles for commercials.
During this period he collaborated with Philip Kaufman (“Quiet Days in Clichy”), Lalo
Schifrin, Claude Bolling and Ennio Morricone (for Roland Joffe’s “Vatel”). His first album
Yellow Cow was recorded in 1990 with the Paris Philharmonic Orchestra and
saxophonist Eric Marienthal.
From 2000 to 2003 Bernard arranged and conducted for Ray Charles in addition to
playing the Hammond B3 organ and piano in the Ray Charles Quintet in the European
and Australian Tours. He worked with Michel Gondry for the first time on Human Nature,
composing the two songs performed by Patricia Arquette.
In 2006 he scored The Science of Sleep, for which he has received numerous awards
including the prestigious France Musique/Union of Composers for Film Award for Best
Score at the 60th Cannes Film Festival.
He has recently completed two French films - Ma Place au Soleil and Détrompez-vous and Michel Gondry’s next feature Be Kind Rewind.
LINDA COHEN (Music Supervisor)
Linda Cohen is a music supervisor working in film and television. Her recent film credits
include There Will Be Blood, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Be Kind Rewind,
directed by Michel Gondry, and the forthcoming Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, starring
Michael Cera and The Secret Life of Bees (based on the book by Sue Monk Kidd).
In addition, she has music supervised such films as Evening, starring Clare Danes,
Vanessa Redgrave and Meryl Streep, The Namesake, directed by Mira Nair, The Night
Listener, starring Robin Williams, American Splendor, winner of the Sundance Grand
Jury Prize, The Hottest State, written and directed by Ethan Hawke, and the musical
Camp. Her television credits include “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and numerous
productions for HBO Family, among them the Emmy Award winning “Classical Baby” &
“Goodnight Moon & Other Sleepytime Tales”.
RAHEL AFILEY (Costume Designer)
Costume designer Rahel Afiley was born in Ethiopia and raised in Oslo, Norway.
Rahel’s exquisite aesthetic and deep understanding of art and fashion have been
developed in part by her international background and the life long passion for design.
But it’s her work ethic and attention to detail that has distinguished her the most.
Since moving to New York in 2001, Rahel has styled a diverse list of actors and
musicians including Bjork, Ciara, Janet Jackson, Justin Chambers, Kerry Washington,
and Michael Pitt to name a few. She’s worked on commercials for Tommy Hilfiger,
Chase, Coca Cola and the Tribeca Film Festival. Her editorial clients include GQ,
America, Interview Magazine, Nylon, and Marie Claire. Rahel has also worked with
numerous directors and photographers such as Michel Gondry, Peter Care, Pierluca De
Carlo, Jake Nava and Kenneth Willardt. Most recently, Rahel was the costume designer
on the new HBO show “Flight of the Conchords,” which has drawn glowing reviews from
dozens of media outlets.
In addition to her career, Rahel is also passionate about humanitarian causes. She
regularly contributes aid efforts in Ethiopia and Eritrea and has helped raise funds for the
2005 Kashmir earthquake victims. Rahel is currently working on a personal documentary
project with partner Andris Berry about HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia.
KISHU CHAND (Costume Designer)
A costume designer and wardrobe stylist, born June 15, 1976 in Kathmandu, Nepal,
Kishu migrated to Los Angeles, California with her family in 1990 where she has lived
ever since. She studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Design and
Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles. She successfully owned and operated her own
line of clothing, “kishu”, before selling the company to pursue jewelry design. Her jewelry
line was very much influenced by the materials and culture of her native Nepal, where
many of the gold and silver accents were produced. Jewelry design took a back seat
when she rekindled her interest in fashion and took to costume design.
As a costume designer and wardrobe stylist, Kishu has earned a reputation for her
competence and hard work ethic. She is favored and sought after by a wide variety of
corporate clients as well as established photographers and directors. Her work
combines her intuitive sense of style and great attention to detail.
To balance the rigorous demands of her career, Kishu makes time to travel back to
Nepal to reconnect with her culture and does charity work to benefit the people there.
Since 2001, she has been making regular trips to Nepal and its rural areas, looking for
ways she can contribute to the dire needs of the locals. She helped raise money for the
corrective surgery of an infant named, Safal, who was born with Hirschsprung's disease.
She is involved in the planning and fund raising for more public parks for Kathmandu, a
city overcrowded, polluted, and with not enough green spaces. She is also working with
other professionals to set up charities that will help men, women, and children who have
been displaced by the 12 year Maoist insurgency in Nepal.