TED HOPE
Producer/Partner/Co-Founder, This is that corporation
In the late ‘80’s, American Independent Film burst on the media scene with the promise of new visions, new stories and new approaches. Ted Hope was amongst the first producers to emerge from the pack and today remains one of the few consistently delivering vital and exciting new work. As times, platforms and tastes change, Ted’s work continues to break new ground, reach new audiences and define the term “Independent”.
With partner Anne Carey, Hope co-founded and runs the New York production company This is that. In its six years, This is that has produced fourteen features. A survey of Hope’s work, numbering close to sixty films, includes many highlights and breakthroughs of the last two decades. This is that’s films have received numerous awards including four Academy Award Best Screenplay nominations.
Hope most recently completed Adventureland by writer/director Greg (Superbad) Mottola, a co-production with Miramax and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment which was released on April 3, 2009.
Hope’s production of Oscar-winner Alan Ball’s feature film directorial debut Towelhead starring Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette and Maria Bello opened in September 2008. Towelhead is Hope’s 18th production of a first time feature film director. In addition to Ball, Hope has brought the first features of Todd Field, Michel Gondry, Hal Hartley, Nicole Holofcener, Moises Kaufman, Ang Lee, Bob Pulcini and Shari Berman amongst others, to the screen.
Ted had four features released in 2007. The Savages, directed by Tamara Jenkins and starring Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman, was nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Actress and Best Screenplay. Among Ted’s twenty-three Sundance entries are three Grand Jury Prize winners: American Splendor (2003), The Brothers McMullen (1995) and What Happened Was… (1994). American Splendor also won the FIPRESCI Award at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, the Critics prize at the 2003 Deauville Film Festival and was nominated for five Spirit Awards and one Academy Award.
Among Hope’s many notable productions are 21 Grams which earned two Academy Award nominations and five BAFTA nominations, In The Bedroom which earned five Academy Award nominations, and the Cannes Critics’ Prize-winning Happiness which Hope and his partners released themselves when its distributor’s corporate parent censored the film.
Hope has produced, with James Schamus, Ang Lee’s early films including Ride with the Devil, The Ice Storm, Pushing Hands, the Academy Award nominated The Wedding Banquet and Eat Drink Man Woman. Ted previously co-founded and ran the feature production and sales company Good Machine which he and his partners sold to Universal in 2002. Good Machine was honoured by a retrospective at the Museum Of Modern Art in 2001.
Ted has been a jury member at many film festivals including Karlovy Vary, Sundance and SXSW. Ted has lectured throughout the world and speaks at numerous events on issues regarding the film industry including recently at Forbes Global CEO Conference and as the Keynote Speaker at Film Independent’s annual Filmmaker Forum. He has also published articles in several periodicals, and consults on independent film and media. He maintains several blogs including Bowl Of Noses (a curated site for children age 6+), These Are Those Things and Truly Free Film. He also co-founded HammerToNail.com, a film review site focused on Truly Independent Film.