Arron Blake

Arron Blake (born 23 October 1987) is an English actor and director.[1] A graduate of The Poor School in London, Blake's directorial debut short film His Hands with Darius Shu premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2019 and was nominated for Best Narrative Short.[2]

Arron Blake
Blake on London Live
Born (1987-10-23) 23 October 1987
Isle of Wight, England
EducationThe Poor School
OccupationActor
Years active2011-present
Known forHis Hands

Early life

Blake was born in the Isle of Wight. He worked as a carpenter before he pursued acting at The Poor School.[3]

Career

In 2018, Blake and cinematographer Darius Shu co-directed, wrote, and produced His Hands, with Blake also starring. Their directorial debut, His Hands had its premiere at Tribeca Film Festival 2019 in New York and was nominated for Best Narrative Short.[4][5] It tells the story of two men meeting, with themes of sexuality, loneliness, identity and ageism.[6][5] The film was made on a low budget of £400, with no dialogue.[7] The film was made available on Amazon Prime Video.[8]

In 2020, Blake starred in ITV's Breaking the Band, playing lead singer Paul Stanley from the band Kiss, which showed on REELZ in the US.[9]

Blake starred and co-directed I AM Norman with Darius Shu in 2021.[10]

Reception

Mark Gatiss reviewed Blake's film His Hands as, "A beguilingly beautiful gem, Arron Blake and Darius Shu's His Hands defies easy analysis. Shot through with strange, homoerotic melancholy it's ravishing to look at and haunts the memory long after."[11][12] Attitude noted "Blake and Shu cleverly make use of colours, images, ideas in place of speech, and the film has a unique energy all the better for it."[6] Film Threat said it had "glorious cinematography, the precise editing, moody atmosphere, and impressive acting it is clear that a lot of effort went into the film."[13] UK Film Review stated that "The performances are really strong, Blake presents a formidable on screen presence that is loaded with palpable vigour."[14] The Advocate said "Blake's menacing character engages in an intense ritual with the old man that includes donning stunning diamond earrings and black lipstick before the night turns even darker."[5] Vulture Hound said his performance was "Beautifully realised".[15] HeyUGuys said Blake's acting was "impressive, even with no lines, the story is clear to see."[16] Indie Shorts Mag describe Blake's performance as '...sleek'.[17]

Blake was interviewed on London Live after returning from Tribeca.[7]

Awards and nominations
Year Festival Category Work Result
2018 Oniros Film Awards Best Noir Film His Hands Won
Best Silent Film Nominated
2019 Tribeca Film Festival Best Narrative Short Nominated
Canada Shorts Film Festival Award of Excellence Won
London International Motion Pictures Award Best Narrative / Fiction UK Short Film Nominated
Queen Palm International Film Festival Best Short Film - Silent Won
Best Director Won

References
  1. "05_ARRON BLAKE". CSM. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  2. "Short film shot on £400 budget to get Tribeca premiere". QWEERIST. 8 April 2019. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  3. "Arron Blake - Interview". www.londontheatrereviews.co.uk. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  4. "Short film shot on £400 budget to get Tribeca premiere". QWEERIST. 8 April 2019. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  5. "Two Men Have a Psychosexual Encounter in New Short Film". www.advocate.com. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  6. "'His Hands' review: 'An erotic and unsettling short film of striking power'". Attitude.co.uk. 2 January 2019. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  7. "Film with budget of £400 premiered at world leading film festival". London Live. 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  8. "Amazon.co.uk:Customer reviews: His Hands". www.amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  9. "Breaking the Band". REELZChannel. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  10. "Silverprince Pictures | A Peaceful Killing". Silverprince 2.0. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  11. Ng, Scott (1 May 2019). "This M'sian Director's Debut Film Only Cost RM2,000 But Was Selected For Robert De Niro's Film Festival! - WORLD OF BUZZ". www.worldofbuzz.com. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  12. "Malaysian Darius Shu's 'His Hands' goes to NY's Tribeca Film Fest | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  13. "His Hands | Film Threat". 27 April 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  14. Olson, Chris (13 November 2018). "His Hands short film". UK Film Review. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  15. "Masters the art of the unseen - His Hands (Short Film Review)". VultureHound Magazine | Entertainment & Wrestling. 24 April 2020. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  16. Clement, Alex (11 May 2020). "His Hands Review". HeyUGuys. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  17. "Short Film Review: His Hands: Perfecting Disquietude". Indie Shorts Mag. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
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