SOUNDTRACK SCREENPLAY DOWNLOADS SCREENINGS DVD

FILM MAKERS

YES is the fourth feature film by the award-winning team of writer/director Sally Potter and producer Christopher Sheppard. Following the ground-breaking and much lauded ORLANDO (1992), they went on to make the THE TANGO LESSON (1997) and THE MAN WHO CRIED (2000). For YES they have been joined by independent New York producer Andrew Fierberg in a complex production that was shot in six short weeks in London, Belfast, the Dominican Republic and Havana with an international team that included Russian cinematographer Alexei Rodionov, Argentinian production designer Carlos Conti and French sound mixer Jean-Paul Mugel, all of whom had worked on one or more of Potter's previous films. YES was produced by Adventure Pictures and co-financed by GreeneStreet Films and the UK Film Council.



SPBallroom

SP Rest

SP Ladder
SALLY POTTER (WRITER / DIRECTOR)

Sally Potter left school at sixteen to become a filmmaker, joining the London Filmmakers Co-op and starting to make experimental short films. She later trained as a dancer and choreographer at the London School of Contemporary Dance, before founding her own company, The Limited Dance Company.

Sally went on to become an award-winning performance artist and theatre director, with shows including Mounting, Death and the Maiden and Berlin. In addition, she was a member of several music bands (including FIG and The Film Music Orchestra) working as a lyricist and singer. She collaborated (as a singer-songwriter) with composer Lindsay Cooper on the song cycle Oh Moscow which was performed throughout Europe, Russia and North America. (Her music work continued later when she co-composed with David Motion the soundtrack to ORLANDO, and created the score for THE TANGO LESSON. Her most recent music work is as producer and composer of the original tracks for YES.)

Sally returned to filmmaking with her short film THRILLER (1979) which was a hit on the international festival circuit. This was followed by her first feature film, THE GOLD DIGGERS (1983), starring Julie Christie; a short film, THE LONDON STORY (1986); a documentary series for Channel 4, TEARS, LAUGHTER, FEARS AND RAGE (1986); and a programme about women in Soviet cinema, I AM AN OX, I AM A HORSE, I AM A MAN, I AM A WOMAN (1988).

The internationally acclaimed ORLANDO (1992) brought Sally's work to a wide audience. Starring Tilda Swinton, the film was based on Virginia Woolf's classic novel (adapted for the screen by Sally Potter). In addition to two Academy Award nominations, ORLANDO won more than 25 international awards, including the "Felix" awarded by the European Film Academy for the best Young European Film of 1993, and first prizes at St Petersburg, Thessaloniki and other festivals.

Sally's next film was THE TANGO LESSON (1997), (in which she also performed, with renowned tango dancer, Pablo Veron). First presented at the Venice Film Festival, the film was awarded the "Ombu de Oro" for Best Film at Mar del Plata Festival, Argentina, the SADAIC Great Award from the Sociedad Argentina de Autores y Compositores de Musica, as well as receiving "Best Film" nominations from BAFTA and the US National Board of Review.

In 2000 she completed THE MAN WHO CRIED (starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Cate Blanchett and John Turturro), a story set just before World War II in Paris, in the world of the opera.

 Visit Sally Potter's YES Blog

www.sallypotter.com



Alexi





ALEXEI RODIONOV (DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY)

Alexei Rodionov graduated from the Union State Film Institute (Department of Cinematography) in Moscow 1972. He worked on features for television as a camera operator and then as a Director of Photography of feature films at Mosfilm Studio in Moscow. To date, Alexei has completed eighteen feature films including COME AND SEE, Elem Klimov's anti-war masterpiece. He has been twice nominated as Best Cinematographer in the Russia's prestigious Nika Awards for his work on MUSULMANIN (1995) and ZHENA KEROSINSHCHIKA (1988). YES re-unites Alexei with Sally for the first time since ORLANDO.  Click here for his filmography.  Click here to read an interview with Alexei Rodionov in American Cinematographer magazine.

Carlos





CARLOS CONTI (PRODUCTION DESIGNER)

Born in Cordoba, Argentina, Carlos Conti moved to Paris over twenty years ago where he has established an international reputation as one of cinema's great production designers. His credits include: BETTY BLUE , directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix; MA SAISON PREFEREE, directed by Andre Techine, NELLY AND MR ARNAUD, directed by Claude Sautet and MOTORCYCLE DIARIES, directed by Walter Salles. YES is his third collaboration with Sally Potter after THE TANGO LESSON and THE MAN WHO CRIED.  Click here for his filmography.

Jaqueline





JACQUELINE DURRAN (COSTUME DESIGNER)

Jacqueline Durran assisted Academy Award-winner Lindy Hemming on several films including THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, Mike Leigh's TOPSY TURVY, and Sally Potter's THE MAN WHO CRIED. She then made the transition to costume designer with Mike Leigh's ALL OR NOTHING and has since designed the costumes for several films including David Mckenzie's acclaimed debut YOUNG ADAM. She was recently awarded a BAFTA for her work on Mike Leigh's VERA DRAKE.  Click here for her filmography.






CHANTAL LEOTHIER (CHIEF MAKE-UP ARTIST)

Chantal Leothier has worked in the cinema for over 20 years, with some of the best known French directors such as Alain Corneau, Claude Goretta, Pascal Thomas and Philippe de Broca.  Chantal calls meeting with Sally Potter for THE TANGO LESSON “an important moment” in her career, both artistically and personally.  A collaboration which was followed by THE MAN WHO CRIED and YES.

Jean





JEAN-PAUL MUGEL (SOUND MIXER)

Jean-Paul Mugel has a distinguished career as one of France's most accomplished sound-recordists and mixers. As part of his work for the screen he has often recorded live music as well as films in French, English and Spanish. His credits include: BEAU TRAVAIL (1999) - Claire Denis, KIKA (1993) - Pedro Almodovar, and WINGS OF DESIRE (1987) - Wim Wenders. YES is his third collaboration with Sally Potter after THE TANGO LESSON and THE MAN WHO CRIED.  Click here for his filmography.

Vincent





VINCENT TULLI (RE-RECORDING MIXER)

Vincent Tulli had a career as a sound-recordist before moving into post-production sound. (He sometimes combines the two). He is also involved with music production. His credits include: JOAN OF ARC (1999) - Luc Besson, L'APARTEMENT (1996) - Gilles Mamouni and LA HAINE (1995) - Mathieu Kassovitz.  Click here for his filmography.

Dan





DANIEL GODDARD (EDITOR)

Daniel Goddard's work as a feature film editor began with John Maybury's LOVE IS THE DEVIL (1998) and has been in parallel with directing his own short experimental films and installations with his brother, under the name 'Honey Brothers' He also writes and performs music.  Click here for his filmography.







NICK LAWS (LINE PRODUCER/FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR)

Nick Laws started his film career as a Post Boy at 20th Century Fox in London and then worked his way up in the Industry as an Assistant Director on Feature Films. He has worked on a range of films such as David Lean's 'A Passage to India' to the Bafta winning docu-drama 'Touching the Void'. He has worked on five feature films with Michael Winterbottom, including 'The Claim', a Western set in the American Goldrush. YES was hls first move into Production Management followed by Bridget Jones - Edge of Reason and The Constant Gardener, and has produced 'DOG', a short film for Andrea Arnold.
He is currently working on a project for director Pan Nalin set in the Far East. View Nick's filmography.



Christopher





CHRISTOPHER SHEPPARD (PRODUCER)

YES is producer Christopher Sheppard's fourth collaboration with Sally Potter. After a successful career in publishing, first as a journalist (with assignments across five continents) then as a co-editor of 'The New Internationalist', Christopher Sheppard began producing and directing documentary films in 1985. The first of these, MAN-MADE FAMINE, presented by Glenda Jackson, won several international awards. He has made more than twenty documentary films, most of them independent productions tackling social and political issues, including DEATH OF A RUNAWAY (1992) and CHILD'S EYE (1995), both nominated for Royal Television Society Awards.

Adventure Pictures was formed in 1988 by Christopher Sheppard when he joined forces with director Sally Potter. The widely acclaimed ORLANDO (1992) marked his debut as a feature film producer, and was a five-nation co-production (one of the earliest independent films to be structured this way). This was followed by THE TANGO LESSON (1997), where Christopher once again brought together a dynamic team of independent film companies from around the world, and then THE MAN WHO CRIED (2000).

His work as a producer has been characterised by the creative management of extremely low budget films which nevertheless have impressively high production values. For YES, Christopher enlisted the collaboration of Andrew Fierberg to tackle the challenge of even-lower-budget filmmaking. Click here for his filmography.


Andy





ANDREW FIERBERG (PRODUCER)

Andrew Fierberg is the principal of the newly formed Vox3 Films created with Director Steven Shainberg and Producer Christina Weiss Lurie. Fierberg also co-founded double A films in 1995, a leading New York-based production company, and has produced provocative independent films under his own label, Studio Fierberg.

His current films include Lodge Kerrigan's KEANE, starring Damian Lewis (Telluride, Toronto and New York Film Festivals), and AMERICA BROWN (Tribeca, Montreal and Austin Film Festivals). He also produced Isaac Julien's BALTIMORE, a moving-image art installation, starring Melvin Van Peebles, which premiered at the FACT Gallery in Liverpool, won the prestigious Grand Jury Prize at the Kunstfilm Biennale in Cologne and is represented by Metro Pictures Gallery.

Recently, Fierberg produced Steven Shainberg's SECRETARY which won a Special Jury Prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards including Best Feature, and introduced Maggie Gyllenhaal in her first feature role; Jill Sprecher's 13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING, starring Matthew McConaughey, John Turturro, and Alan Arkin, which was released by Sony Pictures Classics; and Michael Almereyda's HAMLET, starring Ethan Hawke, Sam Shepard, Bill Murray and Julia Stiles, released by Miramax.

His past producing credits include SUNDAY (1997) which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival; STRINGER(1999) starring Burt Reynolds; CORPS PLONGÉS(1998) directed by Raoul Peck and NADJA(1996) which was produced with David Lynch.

He was supervising producer of a series of six short films that accompanied THE CONCERT FOR NEW YORK CITY, which helped to raise more than $30 million for 9/11 related charities, collaborating with directors Woody Allen, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Ed Burns, Kevin Smith and Jerry Seinfeld.

Fierberg is an Associate at HARVARD UNIVERSITY Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. He sits on the Finance Committee of the FILM FORUM and is Secretary of the organization's Board of Directors. Click here for his filmography.


John





JOHN PENOTTI (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

John Penotti is a founding partner of GreeneStreet Films. He began his film career by working on various Sidney Lumet features including Q+A, FAMILY BUSINESS and A STRANGER AMONG US, in addition to acting as an associate producer on Fine Line's NAKED IN NEW YORK. His other producing credits include Miramax's A PRICE ABOVE RUBIES, Universal's I’M NOT RAPPAPORT and Paramount's COMPANY MAN.

John executive produced IN THE BEDROOM, starring Sissy Spacek, Marisa Tomei, Tom Wilkinson and Nick Stahl. John produced PINERO starring Benjamin Bratt and released domestically by Miramax Films. In addition, he produced the #1 box office hit SWIMFAN, as well as the 2003 box office hit UPTOWN GIRLS, directed by Boaz Yakin. John executive produced Fisher Stevens' JUST A KISS, as well as two other projects for GSF; THE CHATEAU, distributed by IFC Films and the critically acclaimed LISA PICARD IS FAMOUS. Currently John is producing ROMANCE AND CIGARETTES, a musical starring James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Mandy Moore and Christopher Walken, directed by John Turturro, and executive produced by Joel and Ethan Coen. Click here for his filmography.


Paul





PAUL TRIJBITS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

Paul Trijbits is Head of the New Cinema Fund at the UK Film Council. Before joining the UK Film Council Paul produced and executive produced a number of feature films with both first-time and established directors. His credits include Paul Hills’ BOSTON KICKOUT, Richard Stanley’s HARDWARE, Danny Cannon’s THE YOUNG AMERICANS, William Brookfield’s MILK, Dom Rotheroe’s MY BROTHER TOM, Paul Weiland’s ROSEANNA’S GRAVE, John Duigan’s PARANOID, Philippa Cousins’ HAPPY NOW and Menhaj Huda’s IS HARRY ON THE BOAT?  Click here for his filmography.

Fisher





FISHER STEVENS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

As an actor, Fisher made his motion picture debut at the age of sixteen in the horror film THE BURNING. But it was THE FLAMINGO KID in 1984 that established Fisher as a serious young actor. Since then, Fisher has gone on to star in such films as MY SCIENCE PROJECT, REVERSAL OF FORTUNE, SHORT CIRCUIT, HACKERS, ONLY YOU, UNDISPUTED, and many others. On stage he was seen on Broadway in Torch Song Trilogy, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and the Lincoln Center’s production of Carousel, as well as numerous television appearances.

Fisher co-founded the New York-based theater company NAKED ANGELS in 1986, which is still going strong after fifteen years. He is also a founding partner of GreeneStreet Films and has executive produced several films including the five-time Oscar-nominated IN THE BEDROOM. JUST A KISS marked Fisher’s directorial debut. Currently, he is executive producing SLOW BURN a sexy thriller starring Ray Liotta, LL Cool J, Mekhi Pfeifer and Taye Diggs.  Click here for his filmography.

Cedric





CEDRIC JEANSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

Cedric has been a partner and President, Production Financing of GreeneStreet Films since August 2001. As President of GSFI, Cedric supervises all aspects of the acquisitions, sales and distribution of all GSF and Raw Nerve films on a worldwide basis.

Prior to GSF Cedric joined Miramax in 1993, rising to Executive Vice President, Miramax International, a position he held during his last three years there. While at Miramax, Cedric was involved in the international sales, distribution, and marketing of all the Miramax and Dimension films, a total of 150 films including PULP FICTION, HEAVENLY CREATURES, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, GOOD WILL HUNTING, JACKIE BROWN and the SCREAM franchise, among many others. Prior to Miramax, Cedric co-wrote and co-produced award-winning television commercials in France and later obtained his MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in 1991. He then worked as a Manager of International Distribution for Dino De Laurentiis Communications.

Click here to view the FULL PRODUCTION CREDITS for YES

http://www.adventurepictures.co.uk/

http://www.greenestreetfilms.com/

http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org/