Stevan Riley

Stevan Riley (born November 1975[1]) is a British film director, producer, editor and writer. He was educated at the University of Oxford, where he studied Modern History. His films include Blue Blood (2006); Fire in Babylon (2010); Everything or Nothing (2012); and Listen to Me Marlon (2015). Stevan went to school in Dover, Kent, Dover Grammar for Boys.

Biography

Riley's first documentary Rave Against the Machine (2002) explored the underground music scene in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. It aired on UK's Channel Four and was showcased internationally by the British Council. The film received nine international awards including Special Jury Prize at Aspen Shorts Fest; National Geographic Award at Sydney Film Fest; Best Documentary at Dubrovnik Film Fest; and Best Documentary at DIY Hollywood.

Riley's first feature, Blue Blood.[2][3][4][5][6] presented the Varsity boxing rivalry between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Variety called it one of the "best sports movies in recent memory". It was screened in UK cinemas by Warner Bros and aired on BBC Storyville and the Sundance Channel. Blue Blood earned Riley nominations for Best Film at the Evening Standard Film Awards and Best British Newcomer by the London Critics' Circle.

His next film was the award-winning documentary Fire in Babylon, about the record-breaking West Indies cricket team of the 1970s and 1980s.[7][8][9][10] Fire in Babylon was released in UK cinemas by Revolver Entertainment and aired on BBC Storyville and ESPN. It earned Riley a Grierson Award as well as a nominations for Best Documentary at the British Independent Film Awards and Evening Standard Film Awards. Film critic Barry Norman listed it in his 'Top 10 Sports films of all time'.

Riley next directed Everything Or Nothing, an official film for EON Productions to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond films. Mirroring in its structure and tone a classic Bond movie, it tells the survival story of how Bond became the longest running film franchise in history. Variety labelled it "a splendid documentary" and The Wall Street Journal as "crammed to overflowing with sparkling tidbits."[11][12]

His biographical film about Marlon Brando, Listen to Me Marlon, was made in conjunction with Showtime and Universal Pictures. It debuted in the Official Selection of the Sundance Film Festival 2015,[13] before being shortlisted for an Academy Award and receiving a Peabody Prize. The National Board of Review listed it in their top 5 documentaries of 2015. It is described by Rolling Stone magazine as "the man himself, Marlon Brando, in his own words. With narration provided by tapes of the actor speaking about fame, his craft, and his eventual hatred of both."[14][15][16][17][18] Variety called it "a superb portrait" and Hollywood Reporter "marvellously creative and enthrallingly intimate".

Stevan edited a short, 'Pearl', that was nominated for an Academy Award in 2017.

Filmography

References
  1. "Stevan RILEY persona". Companies House. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  2. White, Jim. 'Giving those Oxbridge toffs an education in the noble art', The Daily Telegraph. 3 February 2007
  3. Stevan Riley. "Blue Blood spills like any other". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  4. Film Review. Vol. 678–681. Orpheus Pub. 2007. pp. 100–.
  5. HarperCollins UK (28 April 2008). Halliwell's Film Guide 2008. HarperCollins UK. ISBN 9780007260805.
  6. Kasia Boddy (15 May 2008). Boxing: A Cultural History. Reaktion Books. pp. 1973–. ISBN 978-1-86189-617-9.
  7. Conlan, Tara. 'Grierson awards honour documentaries about cricket', The Guardian. 2 November 2011
  8. Zachary Ingle; David M. Sutera (2013). Gender and Genre in Sports Documentaries: Critical Essays. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 167–. ISBN 978-0-8108-8787-9.
  9. Bruce Babington (14 March 2014). The Sports Film: Games People Play. Columbia University Press. pp. 110–. ISBN 978-0-231-16965-3.
  10. Barbara Korte; Eva Ulrike Pirker (March 2014). Black History – White History: Britain's Historical Programme between Windrush and Wilberforce. transcript. pp. 187–. ISBN 978-3-8394-1935-9.
  11. DeWolf Smith, Nancy. 'The Men Who Made Bond', The Wall Street Journal. 18 December 2014
  12. "Stevan Riley talks about James Bond doc Everything or Nothing". Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  13. Listen to Me Marlon at the Sundance Film Festival website
  14. '25 Must-See Movies at Sundance 2015: Listen To Me Marlon' Rolling Stone. January 2015
  15. "'Listen to Me Marlon' Review: A Superb Portrait of Marlon Brando". Variety. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  16. "The lives of Marlon Brando and Nina Simone brought back in two new documentaries". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  17. Todd McCarthy. "'Listen to Me Marlon': Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  18. "Sundance Film Festival 2015 Wrap Up: Our Top Five Favorite Documentary Features". International Business Times. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
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