A washed up Hollywood director is trapped in a remote castle by his own fears until the arrival of a mysterious woman offers him possible salvation. Inspired by Dostoevsky's 'Notes from the Underground', Johnny Walker attempts to answer the burning question: Is living a long life vulgar, immoral or just plain bad manners?
Runtime:
01:24:26
Information for the Audience:
Directors: Kris De Meester
Writers: Kris De Meester
Producers: Christine K Walker, Tomas Leyers, Kris De Meester, Koen Mortier
Key cast: Hank Botwinik, Mieke Daneels, Eric Godon, Christelle Cornil, Astrid Whettnall, Udo Kier
Director: Kris De Meester
DIRECTOR 2015 Johnny Walker - feature (NewFilmmakers New York, Push! Film Festival, Mosaic World Film Festival, Salon Internacional de la Luz, ...) 2009 Four Roses - feature (Atlanta Underground FF, Brussels Be FF, Memphis IFF, European Independent FF, Radar Hamburg FF, NewFilmmakers New York, Toronto Independent FF, Cannes Independent FF...)
PRODUCER 2016 Share With Me Your Brightest Colors 2015 Johnny Walker - producer (NewFilmmakers New York, Push! Film Festival, Mosaic World Film Festival, Salon Internacional de la Luz, ... 2014 Live Life Dearest - executive producer (Signes des Nuits) 2014 Menthol - co-producer (Sofia IFF, Brooklyn IFF,) 2013 Por las plumas - associate producer (Toronto IFF, San Sebastian FF) 2013 Vessel - associate producer (Fantasia FF) 2011 Gesmoord - producer (Signes des Nuits, London Indendent FF) 2009 Four Roses - producer (Atlanta Underground FF, Brussels Be FF, Memphis IFF, European Independent FF, Radar Hamburg FF, NewFilmmakers New York, Toronto Independent FF, Cannes Independent FF...
CASTING DIRECTOR 2015 A Quiet Passion / dir. Terence Davies 2015 Ich und Kaminski / dir. Wolfgan Beckers 2013 Nymphomaniac: Vol. I / dir. Lars von Trier 2013 Nymphomaniac: Vol. II / dir. Lars von Trier 2008 Un lac / dir. Philippe Grandrieux 2007 Ex Drummer / dir. Koen Mortier
Director’s Statement
Can people change? With this question I started working on the script. I'm not talking about evolution and education or quitting certain habits, but about personality. Personally, I believe that people can not change, but that certain features of a person's personality can be called up on or remain hidden in response to its environment in the broadest sense of the word. So not only where that person is in its life cycle, but literally where and with whom he/she lives. Even the color of the walls will determine someone’s behavior, but ultimately it will never affect his personality.
The character Johnny is a rationalist at heart. He believes that reason is the only or main source of knowledge. According to rationalists reality contains an inherent reasonable and logical structure and because of this fact it can be read directly by the mind without any interference from something other than the mind itself. Without any religious framework the daily life of a rationalist is rather gloomy and provides no source for any kind of enthusiasm about anything. Johnny is so convinced of this philosophy that he even named his dog after one of the founders of rationalism, Baruch Spinoza. Over the years, Johnny's beliefs become even more dominant. According to Johnny is living longer than 60 years immoral and just plain bad manners. He longs to the end of his life. He takes comfort in working on a script where his fatalism takes form. This script is about a man, he could be called Johnny, who founds out that he only has 24 hours to live. A bitter comedy as he calls it, because in the end his impending death turns out to be an illusion, the man lives at least another day. Perhaps Johnny is simply depressed.
The film on the other hand is everything but rational. By using confusion and often contradictory scenes I try to get the viewer to leave the path of rational thinking and invite him/her to ignite his intuition.
A washed up Hollywood director is trapped in a remote castle by his own fears until the arrival of a mysterious woman offers him possible salvation. Inspired by Dostoevsky's 'Notes from the Underground', Johnny Walker attempts to answer the burning question: Is living a long life vulgar, immoral or just plain bad manners?
Directors: Kris De Meester
Writers: Kris De Meester
Producers: Christine K Walker, Tomas Leyers, Kris De Meester, Koen Mortier
Key cast: Hank Botwinik, Mieke Daneels, Eric Godon, Christelle Cornil, Astrid Whettnall, Udo Kier
Director: Kris De Meester
DIRECTOR
2015 Johnny Walker - feature (NewFilmmakers New York, Push! Film Festival, Mosaic World Film Festival, Salon Internacional de la Luz, ...)
2009 Four Roses - feature (Atlanta Underground FF, Brussels Be FF, Memphis IFF, European Independent FF, Radar Hamburg FF, NewFilmmakers New York, Toronto Independent FF, Cannes Independent FF...)
PRODUCER
2016 Share With Me Your Brightest Colors
2015 Johnny Walker - producer (NewFilmmakers New York, Push! Film Festival, Mosaic World Film Festival, Salon Internacional de la Luz, ...
2014 Live Life Dearest - executive producer (Signes des Nuits)
2014 Menthol - co-producer (Sofia IFF, Brooklyn IFF,)
2013 Por las plumas - associate producer (Toronto IFF, San Sebastian FF)
2013 Vessel - associate producer (Fantasia FF)
2011 Gesmoord - producer (Signes des Nuits, London Indendent FF)
2009 Four Roses - producer (Atlanta Underground FF, Brussels Be FF, Memphis IFF, European Independent FF, Radar Hamburg FF, NewFilmmakers New York, Toronto Independent FF, Cannes Independent FF...
CASTING DIRECTOR
2015 A Quiet Passion / dir. Terence Davies
2015 Ich und Kaminski / dir. Wolfgan Beckers
2013 Nymphomaniac: Vol. I / dir. Lars von Trier
2013 Nymphomaniac: Vol. II / dir. Lars von Trier
2008 Un lac / dir. Philippe Grandrieux
2007 Ex Drummer / dir. Koen Mortier
Director’s Statement
Can people change? With this question I started working on the script. I'm not talking about evolution and education or quitting certain habits, but about personality. Personally, I believe that people can not change, but that certain features of a person's personality can be called up on or remain hidden in response to its environment in the broadest sense of the word. So not only where that person is in its life cycle, but literally where and with whom he/she lives. Even the color of the walls will determine someone’s behavior, but ultimately it will never affect his personality.
The character Johnny is a rationalist at heart. He believes that reason is the only or main source of knowledge. According to rationalists reality contains an inherent reasonable and logical structure and because of this fact it can be read directly by the mind without any interference from something other than the mind itself. Without any religious framework the daily life of a rationalist is rather gloomy and provides no source for any kind of enthusiasm about anything. Johnny is so convinced of this philosophy that he even named his dog after one of the founders of rationalism, Baruch Spinoza.
Over the years, Johnny's beliefs become even more dominant. According to Johnny is living longer than 60 years immoral and just plain bad manners.
He longs to the end of his life. He takes comfort in working on a script where his fatalism takes form. This script is about a man, he could be called Johnny, who founds out that he only has 24 hours to live. A bitter comedy as he calls it, because in the end his impending death turns out to be an illusion, the man lives at least another day.
Perhaps Johnny is simply depressed.
The film on the other hand is everything but rational. By using confusion and often contradictory scenes I try to get the viewer to leave the path of rational thinking and invite him/her to ignite his intuition.
Categories:
Cannes Film Festival, Marché du Film
Cannes, France
May 15, 2015
market premiere
Salón Internacional de la Luz
Bogota, Colombia
May 13, 2015
World premiere
Best Director of Photography
Los Angeles Cinefest
Los Angeles, USA
May 16, 2015
Push! Film Festival
Bristol, USA
June 13, 2015
Best Feature Film
Hollywood North Film Festival
Trenton, Canada
July 19, 2015
NewFilmmakers New York
New York
September 2, 2015
Hudson Valley International Film Festival
Monroe, NY, USA
August 15, 2015
New York premiere
Mosaic World Film Festival
Rockford, USA
August 28, 2015
Iron Pointe Film Festival
Jacksonville
August 1, 2015
Auteur International Film Festival
Los Angeles, USA
October 16, 2015
Knoxville Film Festival
Knoxville, USA
September 18, 2015
Salt Lake International Film Festival
Salt Lake City
August 21, 2015
Internation Film Festival CinemaFest
San Luis Potosí
September 18, 2015
Mexico premiere
News & Reviews
"Udo Kier joins Johnny Walker"
Screen
http://www.screendaily.com/news/udo-kier-joins
student project: No
completion date: 2015-01-12
shooting format: Digital Arri Alexa
aspect ratio: 2.35
film color: Color
first-time filmmaker: No
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Language: