Crowdfunding has become an invaluable tool for the indie filmmaker seeking funds for the start or completion of a project.

And here at MovieMaker, we applaud and champion workman-like campaign efforts. To raise awareness of great ideas and future talents, we will be highlighting a unique project every month during its funding campaign. If you have a project you’d like us to consider, drop us a line at: [email protected].

We hope you’ll share, support, and be inspired by their stories.


Crowdfunder Pick: Hawk the Hunter

Genre: Sword and Sorcery – Fantasy

Synopsis: Hawk the Hunter is the sequel to the 1980 fantasy feature Hawk the Slayer, a low-budget British independent movie released by Lou Grade’s ITC, which gained cult status over the ensuing years. Jack Palance (Shane) and John Terry (Lost) started in the film, as well as an iconic list of British actors: Bernard Bresslaw, Roy Kinnear, Warren Clarke, Patricia Quinn, and Annette Crosbie, to name a few. The film is held in high affection by many people within the film and music industry, such as Simon Pegg, Bill Bailey, Sean Maguire, and Gary Whitta. Hawk the Slayer is still shown as a TV movie around the world.

Once upon a time, long ago, but perhaps not far away, there are two brothers: Hawk, the younger brother, destined for greatness, possessing bountiful gifts of strength, an unswerving sense of honor, duty and justice for all. Voltan, the elder, a man whose cruel perversions admit no earthly limits, bearing the mark of Cain. Hideously deformed, Voltan roams the land under a concealing black mask so none should look on his ghastly face, so terrifying that even the creatures of the night were afraid. Where Voltan has razed monasteries to the ground, brought death and destruction to all who stand in his way, Hawk has brought peace. In the mists of time, where old scores are settled, Hawk swears to avenge the death of his father, killed by the hand of his firstborn, Voltan. Into Hawk’s hand his dying father places the magic Mindsword. Hawk has not only his father’s death to avenge but also that of his beloved fiancée Eliane. Cursed by his father to die a thousand deaths and for his soul never to find peace, Voltan seeks out to destroy his younger brother, whereupon he is killed by Hawk wielding the mighty Mindsword. Though entombed in a state of death, Voltan has been reborn by the Black Wizard, Lord of the undead, to seek out the Dark Sword, a weapon of great evil. With an army of BoneMen, dead beings born of magic neither flesh nor stone, and with the capture of the Antiquarian, a reader of riddles, the soulless Voltan looks indestructible in his quest to find the Dark Sword and act out revenge on his brother Hawk. Aware of his destiny and with his trusty companions Gort and Crow the Elf again by his side, Hawk, in a race against time, must hunt and destroy the Dark Sword or once again face his brother Voltan in a battle of good against evil.

The Slayer Returns, The Hunt Begins.

A poster for Hawk the Hunter

A poster for Hawk the Hunter‘s Kickstarter campaign

Cast: Our cast list will be announced after the Kickstarter is closed, but there will be a new Hawk, Voltan and band of followers. We can say that American actor Ray Charleson, who played Crow in the original movie, will play Bowman, an ancient Tree Elf, in Hawk the Hunter.

Crew: Terry Marcel (Creator/Writer/Producer), Keith Claxton (Director), Robertas Urbonas (Producer), Jason Kingsley (Producer), Phil Wallbank (Producer), Andrew Grocock (Producer), Joseph D’Morais (Exec Producer), Jake Lanning (Post Production/Editor), Rebellion (CGI), Rick Wakeman (Soundtrack), Gayle Sanders (Audio), Content Media Corp (Sales Company).

Says Marcel: “In 1980 I cowrote and directed a low-budget, sword-and-sorcery feature film, Hawk the Slayer. Little did I know that years later it would become a cult classic movie. My inspiration for Hawk the Slayer was Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, which had previously been remade as A Fistful of Dollars. I had a vision to make something similar and I really wanted to have a wandering warrior with a sword carried on his back, but I could never work out how to get the sword into his hands quickly. So it evolved into a magic sword, controlled by the hero’s mind. Suddenly it became a sword-and-sorcery movie.

Thirty-five years later, the Hawk fans are loyal as ever and asking for the sequel, so we’ve decided to put together a crowdfunding campaign to make it happen. I couldn’t be more excited, and am looking forward to putting Hawk the Hunter up on the silver screen.”

About the Moviemaker: Terry Marcel became one of the UK’s top 1st Assistant Directors, working with directors Ridley Scott, Richard Fleischer, Sam Peckinpah and Blake Edwards. After writing and directing Hawk the Slayer, Terry formed a company in New Zealand and shot eight Enid Blyton movies back to back. These shows have sold to over 100 countries worldwide. He created and produced 26 episodes of the highly regarded TV series Dark Knight with TVNZ and Channel 5, and is now located in both L.A. and London working on various TV and film projects.

Rick and Terry

(Left) Musician Rick Wakeman, who will work on Hawk the Hunter‘s score, and creator Terry Marcel

Platform: Kickstarter

Campaign End Date: September 30, 2015

UK Screening: London, April 2016

Request: “We are looking to raise the final $500,000 of the budget to begin production and have put together some fantastic rewards for the fans, old and new alike. We’ve raised $4.5 million so far and are all set, apart from the final casting of a few of the main players. Pre-production begins in October 2015 and principal photography in November 2015.

We launched the Kickstarter on August 30 with a screening of Hawk the Slayer at London’s Frightfest Film Festival. The movie screens again over Labor Day weekend at DragonCon sci-fi convention in Atlanta, Georgia and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Denver, Colorado. We’ve partnered with one of Europe’s premier Game and Comic publishers Rebellion, who are investing and creating our CGI. We’ve done a great studio deal to shoot in Lithuania and an ‘all-in’ post-production deal in London. Hawk fan and rock god Rick Wakeman is signed up for the all-important soundtrack and Content Media Corp are our sales company.” MM

Visit the Hawk the Hunter Kickstarter campaign page here.

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