Meet Jonathon Williams | Film director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jonathon Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jonathon, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
As a young kid I grew up in a broken home and troubled area of Melbourne, Australia. But, I always had movies as an outlet to transport my mind, ideals, dreams and hopes. So, I moved to Hollywood to pursue a film director career and craft stories and films that help people, like they helped me. My upcoming feature film “I Want To Thank The Academy” is all about chasing your dreams in life and will be released in theaters on December 16th.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I grew up in a troubled home with an alcoholic mom in a suburb that borders on the world famous Broadmeadows in Victoria , Australia.

As a kid and throughout life as I was growing up there was always conflict and fighting, at home or at school or in the streets. It is an area of Melbourne with a lot of conflict, poverty, drugs, racism and many other issues.

But, every Tuesday my dad would rent 5 movies for $5 (Blockbuster 🙂 and we would have them for a week. I used to watch movies all day, and it really began to be an escape for me. A device to escape and transport myself into another story, home or world, it allowed me to dream. I used to dream big about moving to Hollywood and to work in movies, it was really aiming big in my world. It was a hidden dream and I never really shared it with anyone, until much later in life. I never had the guidance to progress and approach something as impossible as moving to Hollywood. I began to make a lot of mistakes and hangout with the wrong crowd in life, I moved into a career in carpentry and tunneling around Australia.

As my life progressed and as I was more mature in my ways I finally decided to begin an acting class at “Queensland Actors Playhouse” ,and I was a dangerous young actor whipping out Al Pacino monologues and going big. I knew I had some Instinct or gift, but it certainly had to be harnessed and trained. I began to find a network and group of people who were like me, crazy artists or dreamers who were a fringe click of artists pursing a wild moon shot to stardom or to entertain someone.

I was still tunneling and working underground and I had begun this new artistic journey, or found a portal to begin some form of expression that tied back full circle to when I was a child in a broken home with my imagination.

In my heart it was always Hollywood or broke. In 2013 I applied for Stella Adler two year program and was accepted and I begun a two year program into the arts. My entire artistic foundation was founded and molded in that school over two years. After I graduated I self funded and absolutely stumbled through directing, producing and acting in a short film titled “The Measure of your Faith” it is a movie about faith and it is supernatural thriller in some sense that centered around a preacher who is challenged by demonic forces. The movie had some really awesome elements and components that I still admire, we did aim the bar high with our production and the big movie look we were shooting for. Years later that movie has been broadcasted all over the world on free to air broadcast and helped so many people just with encouragement and inspiration.

Based off that movie, the following year I was hired to direct and produce a short film titled “Frenchman’s Flat” which is a biopic centered around the classified atomic weapons program that was conducted in Nevada many decades ago. It was a real challenge to recreate the 50s and those elements and get a vintage war plane for the movie, and so many other such needed fundamental production pieces to tell the story. We had a shoe string budget and we were able to pull that movie off. That movie was selected at Laughlin Film Festival in Nevada, which was the hometown of Jim Roger who was the center of the story.

In 2016 I was selected as a Masterclass Director for James Franco and Studio Four, it was a 6 month course and program centered around film production and the craft of indie filmmaking. I really learnt a lot and I was able to assemble what I could use from Stella Adler as an actor and then through more creative endeavors as a producer and director and harness them into my new movie.

“I Want To Thank The Academy” is my feature film debut, and it is an audacious and fun ride through Hollywood centered around some my personal experiences and harassed out of my imagination.

I Want To Thank The Academy is a movie I directed, produced, co-wrote and acted in, it is a comedy/drama centered around a fish out of water cattle farmer from Wagga Wagga who moves to Hollywood to become an actor.

I have always adored Crocodile Dundee and the genius around Paul Hogan and those movies. As Shlicky as they might be, they truly are movie magic and stories that touched the hearts of people all over the world.

As an artist, I was always inspired to be involved with a movie like that and that is where “I Want To Thank The Academy” steps into the picture.

I feel this movie showcases an incredible array of actors and artists from all over the world and resents the common theme of Dreams. This movie also shows the wonder-some spirit of Australia and our multi versed cultures, we truly are an endearing nation and people to most of the world, and I thought it was a great tool to use for a movie and to showcase in Hollywood.

This movie is exceptional and it pushes the boundaries of indie filmmaking to the complete brink of ruin, iv self financed 90 percent of this movie and spent 1000’s of unpaid hours rehearsing, scripting, directing, editing, audio, coloring, and so on.

This is fueled by the ambition to bring a Hollywood level story, production and movie to the screen with a few dollars, out of the box thinking, wit, hard work, training, courage, blood, sweat, dreams and tears.

The movie is fueled by passion and a dream.

It is a wild ride that takes audiences through the journey of acting and dream chasing in Hollywood. It is also a movie circled around the absolute shellacking you get when you first arrive in Hollywood. I feel in some sense we all kinda have this unrealistic belief that we can be a walk up start and get a big role or something relatively easy. But the reality is very contrary. Delusions are wonderful and the crazy and exciting dreams are the only ones to chase in life, or the most risky and adventurous.

But, Hollywood is a real rain check on them. I, like most creatives, have been rejected and failed so many times, earlier on it was like a harpoon to my soul, these days, I do not like it, and it hurts, but Iv been able to navigate the emotions back into the creative process or use it as fuel for the future. I believe that over all of the hurt and pitfalls Iv experienced I could circumvent those into a movie. The movie also shows the polar opposite of the Hollywood landscape and how some can get it all and fall away into the trappings of addiction and the Hollywood excess. There is a character portrayed in the movie who is a fallen star and an alcoholic who is seeking redemption and a way out of the darkness, alcoholism took my mothers life and it was an aspect I wanted to show to audiences in this movie.

Movies help, they foster dreams and help people when they are down, they inspire and motivate and change hearts and minds, they educate people on the wonders of this world, and also the cruelty of it. I have always chosen a story based off a factor of helping others through that story, and I feel as actors, and artists we are compelled to use our gifts to help others in various ways. This was something that helped me when I was younger and now I can help others.

Sincerely

Jonathon James Williams

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It would have to be a trip down to Hollywood Blvd, in all its glory and messiness, it has such. beauty and a dazzling array of entertainment, it always gets me 🙂

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I truly thank America and every single American and foreigner iv met since I moved to Hollywood nine years ago. Immigrating to a new country has many incredibly difficult hurdles, but there has aways been an American to help me and support me and I’m forever in debt and grateful.

Website: https://www.iwanttothanktheacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/i_want_to_thank_the_academy/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathonjameswilliams/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IWantToThankTheAcademy

Youtube: https://vimeo.com/showcase/6352598

Other: Upcoming theatricals run at a theater in Beverly Hills https://lumierecinemala.com/film-i-want-to-thank-the-academy/