Grand Theft Hamlet
Grand Theft Hamlet | |
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Directed by | |
Written by |
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Produced by | Julia Ton Rebecca Wolff |
Starring | Sam Crane Mark Oosterveen |
Music by | Jamie Perera |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Tull Stories[1] |
Release dates |
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Running time | 89 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | $165,431[2][3] |
Grand Theft Hamlet is a 2024 British documentary film directed by Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls.[4] The film is about the staging of a production of Hamlet in the video game Grand Theft Auto Online during one of the UK's COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in 2021.[5]
Premise
The documentary follows Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen as they attempt to cast and produce a live virtual production of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet in the video game Grand Theft Auto Online while staying home due to lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The film is shot entirely within the video game as a Machinima production and the subjects are all depicted by their in-game avatars.[6]
Release
The film premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, where it won the Jury Award for best documentary feature.[5][7] The film was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2024 by Tull Stories, with Mubi releasing the film globally on its streaming service in addition to a US theatrical release on January 17, 2025.[8]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 57 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "A startling example of using any tools at your disposal to make memorable art, Grand Theft Hamlet's experimental approach does justice by the Bard."[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[10]
Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com gave the film four out of four stars and wrote, "More than just a shaggy dog story, Grand Theft Hamlet is a pointed, entertaining and moving examination of interdisciplinary conductivity at its most surprising."[11]
Accolades
Award / Film Festival | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
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SXSW Film Festival | 2024 | Jury Award for best documentary feature | Grand Theft Hamlet | Won | [7] |
British Independent Film Awards | 2024 | Best debut director (feature documentary) | Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls | Won | [6] |
2024 | Raindance Maverick Award | Grand Theft Hamlet | Won | [6] | |
Vancouver International Film Festival | 2024 | Audience Award | Grand Theft Hamlet | Won | [12] |
57th Sitges Film Festival | 2024 | Best Sitges Documenta Film | Grand Theft Hamlet | Won | [13] |
References
- ^ Dalton, Ben (15 October 2024). "Tull Stories acquires 'Grand Theft Hamlet' for UK-Ireland theatrical release". Screen International. Archived from the original on 23 October 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ "Grand Theft Hamlet – Financial Information". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 28 November 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
- ^ "Grand Theft Hamlet – Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 28 November 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
- ^ "'Grand Theft Hamlet': Altitude Boards SXSW Doc About Actors Who Staged Hamlet Production Inside 'Grand Theft Auto' Video Game". Deadline Hollywood. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ a b Zilko, Christian (2024-03-13). "'Grand Theft Hamlet' Filmmakers Talk Staging Shakespeare Inside 'GTA': 'If They Thought We Were Sh*t, They Were Gonna Shoot Us'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
- ^ a b c "Grand Theft Auto: How Shakespeare's Hamlet found a virtual stage". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
- ^ a b "'Bob Trevino Likes It', 'Grand Theft Hamlet' top SXSW juried award winners". screendaily.com. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ Kennedy, Victoria (15 October 2024). "Hamlet film made in GTA Online coming to US cinemas and global streaming services". Eurogamer. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
- ^ "Grand Theft Hamlet". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
- ^ "Grand Theft Hamlet". Metacritic. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
- ^ Kenny, Glenn (January 14, 2025). "Grand Theft Hamlet". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
- ^ "Grand Theft Hamlet (2024) Awards & Festivals". mubi.com. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
- ^ "Todos los ganadores de Sitges - Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya 2024". EscribiendoCine (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-01-22.
External links