George Jaques, the 'Tom Holland of Filmmaking' — SkimNews
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- "Sunny Dancer," the second feature directed by George Jaques, opens in U.S. theaters this week with a cast that includes Bella Ramsey, Neil Patrick Harris, James Norton, and Jessica Gunning
- Hermès hosted a London dinner celebrating the 10th anniversary of Jaques' production company Athenaeum, which he founded at age 16 with £4,000 raised at his local pub to stage a play in an abandoned railway arch at London Bridge
- David O. Russell called Jaques "the Tom Holland of filmmaking" during a dinner at L.A.'s San Vicente Bungalows set up with Al Pacino, who told Jaques he was "excited" to see "Sunny Dancer"
- David Parfitt, the Oscar-winning producer of "Shakespeare in Love," described Jaques as "the kind of guy that's beating up the industry" — a characterization Jaques said he loved
- Kylie Minogue attended the U.K. launch of "Sunny Dancer" after Jaques got backstage at one of her concerts shortly after finishing the shoot
- Jaques cold-emailed Sony Pictures Television's Wayne Garvie using an address obtained from the 2014 Sony hack; Garvie has since become a mentor and ongoing collaborator
- Jaques is also an actor — at 20 he landed a joint lead alongside Jude Law in Sky's "The Third Day," and later played King Francis II opposite Samantha Morton in Starz's "The Serpent Queen"
Why it matters: At 26, Jaques has landed a U.S. theatrical release and an A-list indie cast (Ramsey, NPH) for only his second feature as director — a trajectory built on cold emails, the Sony hack, and personal hustle that won public endorsements from Al Pacino, David O. Russell, and an Oscar-winning producer.
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