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Grand Theft Hamlet

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Grand Theft Hamlet
US theatrical release poster
Directed by
Written by
  • Sam Crane
  • Pinny Grylls
Produced byJulia Ton
Rebecca Wolff
StarringSam Crane
Mark Oosterveen
Music byJamie Perera
Production
companies
  • Project 1961
  • Grasp the Nettle Films
  • Park Pictures
Distributed byTull Stories[1]
Release dates
  • March 2024 (2024-03) (SXSW)
  • 6 December 2024 (2024-12-06) (United Kingdom)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Grand Theft Hamlet is a 2024 British documentary film directed by Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls.[2] The film is about the staging of a production of Hamlet in the video game Grand Theft Auto Online during one of the UK's COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in 2021.[3]

Premise

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The documentary follows Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen as they attempt to cast and produce a live virtual production of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet in the video game Grand Theft Auto Online while staying home due to lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The film is shot entirely within the video game as a Machinima production and the subjects are all depicted by their in-game avatars.[4]

Release

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The film premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, where it won the Jury Award for best documentary feature.[3][5] The film was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2024 by Tull Stories, with Mubi releasing the film globally on its streaming service in addition to US theatrical release on January 17, 2025.[6]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 37 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "A startling example of using any tools at your disposal to make memorable art, Grand Theft Hamlet's experimental approach does justice by the Bard."[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[8]

Accolades

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Award / Film Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
SXSW Film Festival 2024 Jury Award for best documentary feature Grand Theft Hamlet Won [5]
British Independent Film Awards 2024 Best debut director (feature documentary) Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls Won [4]
2024 Raindance Maverick Award Grand Theft Hamlet Won [4]

References

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  1. ^ Dalton, Ben (15 October 2024). "Tull Stories acquires 'Grand Theft Hamlet' for UK-Ireland theatrical release". Screen International. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  2. ^ "'Grand Theft Hamlet': Altitude Boards SXSW Doc About Actors Who Staged Hamlet Production Inside 'Grand Theft Auto' Video Game". Deadline Hollywood. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b Zilko, Christian (2024-03-13). "'Grand Theft Hamlet' Filmmakers Talk Staging Shakespeare Inside 'GTA': 'If They Thought We Were Sh*t, They Were Gonna Shoot Us'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  4. ^ a b c "Grand Theft Auto: How Shakespeare's Hamlet found a virtual stage". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  5. ^ a b "'Bob Trevino Likes It', 'Grand Theft Hamlet' top SXSW juried award winners". screendaily.com. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  6. ^ Kennedy, Victoria (15 October 2024). "Hamlet film made in GTA Online coming to US cinemas and global streaming services". Eurogamer. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Grand Theft Hamlet". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  8. ^ "Grand Theft Hamlet". Metacritic. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
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