Costa Botes
Encyclopedia
Costa Botes is a New Zealand
writer
, director
and cinematographer
.
for Forgotten Silver
(1995), a documentary he co-wrote and co-directed with Peter Jackson
. About a fictional pioneer of the film industry, Forgotten Silver promoted considerable discussion and was proclaimed by Guinness World Records
as the greatest film hoax in history.
In 1988 his short film, Stalin's Sickle, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand
Short Film Festival, in France
.
His feature film, Saving Grace
(1998), based on the play by Duncan Sarkies
, was selected for competition at the Valladolid and Asia Pacific
film festivals.
Botes has worked as a director for hire on various TV shows, including episodes of Ray Bradbury Theater, and The Tribe.
Botes was also involved with the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, first writing a detailed précis of the Lord of the Rings books to help his friend Jackson (whom he met in 1986) pitch the idea to a film studio, then filming three behind-the-scenes documentaries about the making of the films. These documentaries were held over for a time, but eventually released with the films on August 29, 2006 in what New Line Cinema
called "Limited Editions". Contractual arrangements with the LOTR actors meant the documentaries could not be released independently of the LOTR films.
Botes has concentrated on documentary work since then, directing Struggle No More (2006), about New Zealand's greatest unknown band, and Yes That's Me (2008), about a blues musician who suffers from depression. Botes also produced and edited another documentary, Lost in Wonderland, directed by Zoe McIntosh, about Rob Moodie, a New Zealand lawyer notorious for cross dressing in court.
Botes collaborated again with McIntosh in 2010, writing and producing Day Trip, a short drama that premiered at Tribeca Film Festival
.
His most recent movie is a feature documentary about the life of David Klein, the inventor of the Jelly Belly
brand jelly bean. Candyman: The David Klein Story had its world premiere at Slamdance
early in 2010, and was an official selection at Hot Docs 2010. It won the award for Best Documentary at the Rincon Film Festival.
Botes created two new films in 2011. Daytime Tiger, an intense up close encounter with a bi-polar artist was followed by The Last Dogs of Winter, a film about a man's fight to save the last of an endangered breed of dog in northern Canada. The Last Dogs of Winter premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2011 and was selected to screen at the IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam), in November 2011 in the Best in Fest category .
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
writer
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
.
Movie-making career
Botes is best known in New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
for Forgotten Silver
Forgotten Silver
Forgotten Silver is a New Zealand film mockumentary that purports to tell the story of a pioneering New Zealand filmmaker. It was written and directed by Peter Jackson and Costa Botes, both of whom appear in the film in their roles as makers of the documentary.-Synopsis:Forgotten Silver purports...
(1995), a documentary he co-wrote and co-directed with Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
. About a fictional pioneer of the film industry, Forgotten Silver promoted considerable discussion and was proclaimed by Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
as the greatest film hoax in history.
In 1988 his short film, Stalin's Sickle, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
Short Film Festival, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
His feature film, Saving Grace
Saving Grace (1998 film)
Saving Grace is a 1998 film produced in New Zealand based on a play by Duncan Sarkies. It was directed by Costa Botes and stars Kirsty Hamilton and Jim Moriarty. In it, unemployed teenager Grace Cuthberston meets the mysterious Gerald Hutchinson; the two eventually become lovers...
(1998), based on the play by Duncan Sarkies
Duncan Sarkies
Duncan Sarkies is a New Zealand screenwriter, playwright, novelist, stand-up comic and short story writer.Sarkies grew up in the South Island city of Dunedin and is the brother of Robert Sarkies a New Zealand film director who is also a scriptwriter...
, was selected for competition at the Valladolid and Asia Pacific
Asia Pacific Film Festival
The Asia Pacific Film Festival, first held in 1954, is film festival held annually in an Asian country designated by the Board of Directors of the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific.Awards are handed out for:*Best Film*Best Director...
film festivals.
Botes has worked as a director for hire on various TV shows, including episodes of Ray Bradbury Theater, and The Tribe.
Botes was also involved with the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, first writing a detailed précis of the Lord of the Rings books to help his friend Jackson (whom he met in 1986) pitch the idea to a film studio, then filming three behind-the-scenes documentaries about the making of the films. These documentaries were held over for a time, but eventually released with the films on August 29, 2006 in what New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
called "Limited Editions". Contractual arrangements with the LOTR actors meant the documentaries could not be released independently of the LOTR films.
Botes has concentrated on documentary work since then, directing Struggle No More (2006), about New Zealand's greatest unknown band, and Yes That's Me (2008), about a blues musician who suffers from depression. Botes also produced and edited another documentary, Lost in Wonderland, directed by Zoe McIntosh, about Rob Moodie, a New Zealand lawyer notorious for cross dressing in court.
Botes collaborated again with McIntosh in 2010, writing and producing Day Trip, a short drama that premiered at Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
.
His most recent movie is a feature documentary about the life of David Klein, the inventor of the Jelly Belly
Jelly Belly
The Jelly Belly Candy, or simply Jelly Belly, is the maker of The Jelly Belly and other candy, formerly known as The Herman Goelitz Candy Company...
brand jelly bean. Candyman: The David Klein Story had its world premiere at Slamdance
Slamdance Film Festival
As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...
early in 2010, and was an official selection at Hot Docs 2010. It won the award for Best Documentary at the Rincon Film Festival.
Botes created two new films in 2011. Daytime Tiger, an intense up close encounter with a bi-polar artist was followed by The Last Dogs of Winter, a film about a man's fight to save the last of an endangered breed of dog in northern Canada. The Last Dogs of Winter premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2011 and was selected to screen at the IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam), in November 2011 in the Best in Fest category .