Joel Hopkins
Mike Leigh,
Ken Loach,
Jim Jarmusch and
Woody Allen -- all filmmakers that
Joel Hopkins admires. Hopkins recognizes the value of guiding an audience to see through his eyes. The director understands the challenge of getting the audience inside the main character's mind, especially when dealing with a timid character like George. In JUMP TOMORROW, Hopkins tackles that journey with peculiar camera angles as he humorously takes viewers into George's daydreams.
Hopkins says that his original intent is to tell a story, and later he uncovers the message. In JUMP TOMMOROW, he uses George to display how people's perception of life is based on their own expectations and viewpoints. With the proper influences (Alicia and Gerard), a person's (George's) perspective can be altered.
Joel Hopkins discovered his leading man, Tunde Adebimpe, walking across the New York University Campus. Adebimpe performed in Hopkins short film, JORGE, which earned Hopkins the Wasserman Award. Previous Wasserman Award recipients include Spike Lee and Ang Lee. In addition to the Wasserman Award, JORGE was well received at Sundance and festivals around the world. But it was the $100,000 inaugural grant from the Richard Vague Production fund that led Hopkins and Adebimpe to JUMP TOMORROW.
Joel Hopkins Facts
Selected Filmography
