Chris Brown

Chris Brown began his journey back in the UK in 1983 as Managing Director with Stephen Woolley of Palace Productions. During this time, he produced two films with Neil Jordan, "The Company of Wolves" and "Mona Lisa", which won two Golden Globes and was nominated for an Oscar (Best Actor - Bob Hoskins). He also produced "Absolute Beginners", starring David Bowie, James Fox, Ray Davies and Sade, as well as "Siesta" with Ellen Barkin, Gabrielle Byrne, Jodie Foster, Grace Jones and Julian Sands. He also worked on the script development of "Scandal" and produced two other feature films as well as three shorts. In the late 80s, Brown ran the Comic Strip Film Company with the likes of Peter Richardson, Rik Mayall, Jennifer Saunders, Ade Edmondson, Robbie Coltrane, Alexei Sayle, Keith Allen, Nigel Planner and Dawn French. He also produced "The Yob", starring Keith Allen, and "The Strike", winner of the Golden Rose of Montreaux and the Royal Television Society Award for Best Comedy. In 1988, Brown worked with writer Willie Russell (of "Educating Rita") as Executive Producer on "Dancing Through The Dark" before moving to Australia. He then produced a series of films for HBO through Rysher and Channel Ten ("Crimebroker", "Seventh Floor", "Blackwater Trail" and "White Lies"), two of which were shot in Queensland. Brown made a third film in Queensland, "All Men Are Liars", and won Best Film in the San Remo Film Festival. In 1996, Brown and Ruth Harley (CEO of the New Zealand Film Commission - NZFC) established a low budget scheme for new talent in New Zealand with funding from NZFC, New Zealand On Air and TVNZ. This firm, now called ScreenVisioNZ, has produced three films: "Via Satellite" (distributed by Columbia TriStar); "Savage Honeymoon" (distributed by Universal Pictures), which was selected for the London Film Festival and Palm Springs Film Festival; and "Scarfies", which was selected for the Edinburgh Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival.

In 1998 Brown co-produced a $22.5 million Special Effects film, Komodo, for Scanbox and BVI, directed by Michael Lantieri (Steven Spielberg's SFX director and Oscar winner for "Jurassic Park"), with Computer Graphics produced by Phil Tippet (Oscar winner for "Star Wars".)

1999 saw him set up his own production company, Pictures in Paradise, on Queensland's Gold Coast where he has lived for the past five years. In 2000 Brown completed production of the $5.5 million horror picture, Cubbyhouse, shot in Queensland. The film has sold in over 14 territories and received a wide theatrical release in France.

Brown returned to New Zealand to Executive Produce two more successful low budget features, Stickmen and Snakeskin, between them winners of eleven awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Script and Best Actor at the 2001 Nokia Awards.

In 2000 he teamed up with Chris Fitchett to initiate the first of a series of script development programs with the Pacific Film & Television Commission (PFTC). Six scripts by new Queensland writers were selected by Brown and Fitchett for further development, and to date two of these projects have been produced with two more in development.

In 2002 the script development program with Fitchett and the PFTC bore fruit and Pictures in Paradise produced Blurred, the long-awaited movie about Schoolies Week, released nationwide in October 2002.

2003; PiP produced Under the Radar, another script sourced from the new writers scheme, directed once again by Evan Clarry it starred Nathan Phillips (Australian Rules), Clayton Watson (Matrix 2), and comedian Steady Eddie. The film was released in August 2004 Australia wide by Hoyts.

2004 saw him team Up with Autonomous Films in the UK to produce The Austrlian epic The Proposition an Australian/UK co-production.

It attracted a stellar international cast including Guy Pearce (LA Confidential; Memento); Ray Winstone (Sexy Beasy); Danny Huston (Constant Gardener); John Hurt (Love and Death On Long Island); David Wenham (The Lord of The Rings Trilogy) and Emily Watson (Life and Death of Peter Sellers)

The original screenplay was written by music icon Nick Cave. It was directed by John Hillcoat (Ghosts of the Civil Dead) The Proposition was co-produced by Autonomous (UK) and in association with Pictures in Paradise. The film was sold internationally by The Works. The The Proposition won The IF Lexus Award for Best Australian Film 2005 and four AFI Awards. It was subsequently selected for The Toronto, Sundance and Berlin Festivals.

In 2004 Brown won Independent Producer Of the Year, from the Australian Producers Association (SPAA)

Brown is currently attached as producer on the Spierig Brothers vampire picture Daybreakers to be shot entirely in Queensland early 2007.