Stuart Urban
Encyclopedia
Stuart Urban is a British
film
and television director
. At the age of thirteen in 1972, he became the youngest director to have a film shown at the Cannes Film Festival
with his short feature The Virus of War. The thirty-minute film was later shown on television in various countries.
He later attended Balliol College, Oxford
, graduating with a first class degree in Modern History. He began writing and directing full-time in the early 1980s, working on television drama series such as Bergerac
for the BBC
. In 1992, his one-off television film An Ungentlemanly Act
, a dramatisation of the first thirty-six hours of the Falklands War
starring Ian Richardson
and Bob Peck
, was widely acclaimed. The production won the British Academy Television Award for Best Single Drama in 1993.
The same year, Urban set up his own independent production company, Cyclops Vision, which has produced the majority of his work ever since. He was also one of the directors of the acclaimed and award-winning 1996 BBC drama serial Our Friends in the North
, although he left the production early after disagreements with writer Peter Flannery
, and one of his episodes was entirely re-shot by another director, though not before being entirely re-written by Peter Flannery — a fact generally withheld from public knowledge at the time.
Urban went on to write, produce and direct the feature films Preaching to the Perverted
(1997) and Revelation
(2001), both produced by Cyclops Vision and released around the world. His documentary film
work includes the first polemical film against Western interventions, Against the War (BBC, Cyclops Vision; 1999) co-written with Harold Pinter
, who also presented.
In 2006 Urban completed Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead
, his long-gestating full length theatrical documentary about his father Garri, an escaper from both the Gulag
and the Holocaust.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
. At the age of thirteen in 1972, he became the youngest director to have a film shown at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
with his short feature The Virus of War. The thirty-minute film was later shown on television in various countries.
He later attended Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, graduating with a first class degree in Modern History. He began writing and directing full-time in the early 1980s, working on television drama series such as Bergerac
Bergerac (TV series)
Bergerac was a British television show set on Jersey. Produced by the BBC in association with the Seven Network, and screened on BBC1, it starred John Nettles as the title character Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac, a detective in "Le Bureau des Étrangers" Bergerac was a British television show...
for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. In 1992, his one-off television film An Ungentlemanly Act
An Ungentlemanly Act
An Ungentlemanly Act is a 1992 BBC television film about the first days of the invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982.-Production:The film was written and directed by Stuart Urban, and commissioned to mark the tenth anniversary of the Falklands War...
, a dramatisation of the first thirty-six hours of the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
starring Ian Richardson
Ian Richardson
Ian William Richardson CBE was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards trilogy. He was also a leading Shakespearean stage actor....
and Bob Peck
Bob Peck
Bob Peck was an English stage, television and film actor.-Early life:He went to Leeds Modern School in Lawnswood...
, was widely acclaimed. The production won the British Academy Television Award for Best Single Drama in 1993.
The same year, Urban set up his own independent production company, Cyclops Vision, which has produced the majority of his work ever since. He was also one of the directors of the acclaimed and award-winning 1996 BBC drama serial Our Friends in the North
Our Friends in the North
Our Friends in the North is a British television drama serial, produced by the BBC and originally broadcast in nine episodes on BBC Two in early 1996...
, although he left the production early after disagreements with writer Peter Flannery
Peter Flannery
Peter Flannery is a British playwright and screenwriter. He was educated at Bath Spa University and is best known for his work while a resident playwright at the Royal Shakespeare Company in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
, and one of his episodes was entirely re-shot by another director, though not before being entirely re-written by Peter Flannery — a fact generally withheld from public knowledge at the time.
Urban went on to write, produce and direct the feature films Preaching to the Perverted
Preaching to the Perverted
Preaching to the Perverted is a 1997 British comedy film written and directed by Stuart Urban.The film stars Guinevere Turner as Tanya Cheex, a New York dominatrix. Tom Bell plays Henry Harding MP and Christien Anholt plays Peter Emery...
(1997) and Revelation
Revelation (2001 film)
Revelation is a 2001 film, directed by Stuart Urban and starring James D'Arcy, Natasha Wightman, Udo Kier and Terence Stamp. Revelation tells the story of the final search for an ancient relic known as the Loculus, dating back to 50 CE, and the effect of this relic on the Martel family and the...
(2001), both produced by Cyclops Vision and released around the world. His documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
work includes the first polemical film against Western interventions, Against the War (BBC, Cyclops Vision; 1999) co-written with Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
, who also presented.
In 2006 Urban completed Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead
Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead
Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead is a documentary film by Stuart Urban about his father Garri Urban , and also the title of an autobiographical book by Garri Urban describing his survival in, and escape from, Stalin's Russia. The film was released in 2007. The book was originally published in 1980 by...
, his long-gestating full length theatrical documentary about his father Garri, an escaper from both the Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
and the Holocaust.