George Amponsah
George Amponsah | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Bernard Amponsah 1968 (age 55–56) London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Notable work | The Hard Stop (2015); Gassed Up |
| Website | www |
George Bernard Amponsah (born 1968 in Roehampton) is a British film director, who is most notable for his documentaries. His 2015 feature-length documentary film, The Hard Stop, about the death of Mark Duggan, won a 2017 BAFTA nomination for the Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.[1] In 2023, Amponsah completed direction of his first drama feature, Gassed Up – described by The Guardian as "A Scorsese-like thrill ride" – which had a UK nationwide cinema release in February 2024, and subsequently played on the Amazon Prime streaming platform.[2][3]
Biography
[edit]Born and raised in London, England, Amponsah is of Ghanaian parentage.[4] He started taking photographs and working with Super 8mm film in the 1980s. In 1989, he attended the University of East London, and a post-graduate film won him a scholarship to take the directing course at the National Film and Television School (NFTS).[4][5] Since graduating in 2000 from the NFTS, he has taught documentary filmmaking there and at the Met Film School.[4] He continued to work as a tutor with young people, while making short films for the web and developing new feature films.[5]
His 2004 BBC documentary The Importance of Being Elegant was about Congolese singer Papa Wemba. The Fighting Spirit (2007) followed three young boxers in Ghana.[6]
His 2015 feature-length documentary The Hard Stop, about the death of Mark Duggan, was nominated in 2017 for a BAFTA in the category "Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer",[7][8] and for two British Independent Film Awards: Best Documentary and Breakthrough Producer.[9][10]
Amponsah's debut drama feature film, Gassed Up, was announced for launch on Amazon Prime Video in 2023.[11] Gassed Up – which tells the story of a London youth who gets mixed up with a rampaging gang of moped thieves – was described in The Guardian as "A Scorsese-like thrill ride", having a UK nationwide cinema release in February 2024 and subsequently playing on Amazon Prime.[2][3]
Documentaries
[edit]- First steps, 1998.
- The Importance of Being Elegant, 2004.
- The Fighting Spirit, 2007.
- Bruised to Be Used, 2008.
- One Plus One, 2008.
- Diaspora Calling, 2011.
- The Hard Stop, 2015.
- Dope, 2018.
- Black Power: A British Story of Resistance, 2021.[12]
- Gassed Up, 2024
References
[edit]- ^ "Baftas 2017: Full list of winners". BBC News. 12 February 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ^ a b Khomami, Nadia (5 February 2024). "Interview | 'I wanted to find the humanity in kids seen as scumbags': George Amponsah on his Scorsese-style thriller". The Guardian.
- ^ a b "Gassed Up Wins Audience Award for Best Feature, and Sells Out BFI London Film Festival, Post by OnSight". Post Super. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "George Amponsah talks directing and new BBC doc 'Black Power': executive produced by Steve McQueen". alt-africa.com. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ a b "George Amponsah". African Film Festival New York. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (21 October 2016). "British Independent Film Awards 2016: The Debut Directors Long List". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ^ Photiou, Andrea (11 January 2017). "Mark Duggan Documentary Is Nominated For A BAFTA". The Voice.
- ^ Grater, Tom (5 February 2017). "Baftas 2017: How Mark Duggan doc 'The Hard Stop' became a contender". Screen Daily.
- ^ "LCC alumna Dionne Walker nominated for a BAFTA Film Award and two British Independent Film Awards for 'The Hard Stop'". UAL. 7 February 2017.
- ^ "Graduate Profile: Dionne Walker". Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ Ravindran, Manori (20 July 2022). "Amazon Prime Video Greenlights U.K. Action Thriller 'Gassed Up' From 'Hard Stop' Director George Amponsah (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ Feay, Suzi (19 March 2021). "'Black Power' brings a vital slice of British social history to BBC2". Financial Times. Retrieved 1 April 2021.