Julian Richards, (born 31 July 1968, Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales) is a Welsh film director.

Biography

Early life
Julian Richards was born in Newport, South Wales, where his father owned DIY retail store Handiland. Inspired by his uncle Rex Richards Hollywood acting career, Julian decided to become a film director and produced several short films on super 8 mm including The Curse Of Cormac, Gang War, Evil Inspirations and The Girl That Cried Wolf which was broadcast by the BBC in the "16 and Up Video Showcase".


Education
In Newport, Julian attended St Julian's Comprehensive School and Gwent College of Higher Education where he studied Art & Design Foundation. In 1985 he attended the film school at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art where he directed two Super 8 mm shorts "Time" and "Infanticide" and two 16 mm shorts Pirates and Queen Sacrifice. Pirates won The Starting Out Award at the Celtic Media Festival 1988 and Queen Sacrifice won the Thames Television Award for Best Fiction Film at the BP Expo - British Short Film Festival 1990 before being broadcast in the BBC Series Screenplay Firsts.

In 1988, Richards attended the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, where he was invited to direct In With The Rent a playhouse for BBC Wales and A Week In The Life a documentary about a cattle drover for S4C. In 1992, Richards graduated the NFTS with the 16 mm short Bad Company, which was broadcast on ITV Wales and selected to screen at AFI Fest in Los Angeles.


Career
In 1992, Richards moved to Los Angeles where he worked for Shapiro Glickenhaus Entertainment directing an EPK for Slaughter of the innocents starring Scott Glenn and adapted Chris Westwood's novel Calling All Monsters for Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment at Universal Studios. In 1994 he returned to the UK to direct A Mutter Of Voices for BBC2 and twelve episodes of the Channel 4 soap Brookside, including the body under the patio episodes.

In 1996 Richards wrote and directed his debut feature film Darklands, a brooding tale of underground paganism starring Jon Finch, Craig Fairbrass and Rowena King. A festival favourite winning several awards including the Melies D'Argent for Best European Fantasy Film 1997, Darklands was picked up for distribution by Pathé. Richards followed up with Silent Cry starring Emily Woof, Douglas Henshall, Frank Finlay, Kevin Whately, Clive Russell and Craig Kelly, an urban thriller which received its UK premiere on Channel 5.

In 2003, Richards expanded into film production, establishing Prolific Films through which he produced and directed the micro-budget shocker The Last Horror Movie. A cult sensation, winning sixteen awards including Best UK Feature at Raindance Film Festival and the Melies D'Argent for Best European Fantasy Film 2005. This video diary of a serial killer was theatrically released in the USA by Fangoria and in the UK by Tartan Films.

In 2006 Richards produced and directed coming-of-age thriller Summer Scars which won two BAFTA Cymru awards and was nominated for Best Film. Summer Scars was released in North America by TLA Releasing and the UK by Soda Pictures.

In 2008, Richards directed Charles Dickens's England featuring Derek Jacobi, a documentary about the life of the 19th century author. The film received a theatrical release in the UK by Guerilla Films before being broadcast by Sky Television.

In 2011 Richards directed "Shiver" a psychological horror starring Danielle Harris, John Jarratt, Casper Van Dien and Rae Dawn Chong which was released in North America by Image Entertainment.


International sales
In 2005, Richards set up the international sales agency Jinga Films with his Brazilian partner Rosana Coutinho. Jinga represents over fifty feature films including Hansel And Gretel & The 420 Witch starring Lara Flynn Boyle, Michael Welch, Molly C. Quinn and Cary Elwes, Timer starring Emma Caulfield, Desmond Harrington, Michelle Borth and John Patrick Amedori, Everything starring Ray Winstone, Shadow directed by Federico Zampaglioni and A Serbian Film directed by Srdjan Spasojevic. Jinga's distribution clients include IFC, Lionsgate, XLrator, Strand and Wild Bunch.


Miscellaneous
Richards has served as a guest of honour at the Cannes Film Festival|Producers Network and he has also worked as a professional advisor to Film Agency Wales and Skillset. He has also served on several film festival juries including Sitges Film Festival, Fantasporto, Belgrade Auteur Festival, Raindance, Grossman Fantastic Film & Wine Festival and Festival De Cine de Terror de Molins de Rei.

His teaching activities include running the Directors Series at ShortCourses@NFTS (the National Film and Television School), which included seminars by Stephen Frears, Iain Softley, Brian Tufano BSC and Stephen Scott, overseeing a directors workshop at Rits Films School in Belgium for the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and running directing workshops at the University of Wales Film School and Napier University Film School. Richards is also a regular guest speaker at London Film School and Raindance.