Biography

Jonathan has Directed more than 6 short films since 1992, AD'd for 3 more, and Produced 2 short films, and funded or co-funded 4 of these. He is also an uncredited production partner for a series of short films and fringe theatrical productions that were made in England, Italy and The Netherlands during the 1990's. His most recent short film, THE BARN, has won more than 50 film festival awards, and he is currently developing the story and screenplay with a number of trusted collaborators for FINAL TRUTH (feature film) and Chichester FilmMakers C.I.C

Jonathan made his first film in 1980 aged 14. An ambitious 8mm / 16mm stop-motion remake of THE BATTLE OF HOTH based on the snow battle of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Requiring 3 classrooms, several tons of bicarbonate of soda, with help from classmates, teachers and the headmaster to bring it all together. It was this that ignited his passion for special effects, story telling and film making, and figuring out how to rally support to overcome barriers and achieve the impossible. But it was his family's wish that Jonathan continue his education with engineering and computer science, ultimately leading to a 30 year career in technology, starting off as a software engineer and leading to the founding of various organisations in Europe and USA and leading large teams for some the the world's best known businesses, for which he has lived across Europe, Asia and USA. However, his passion for storytelling and film making never died and he's made more than 6 short films in UK, Rome, The Netherlands and Belgium between 1996 and 2024, unwittingly earning him his first festival award in '97.

In 2018, Jonathan decided it was time to return to his passion, full time. Initially founding Shouting Sound & Motion Productions in Soho, London, and then co-founding Chichester FilmMakers in 2023 with the help of a number of close friends and associates from across the film industry. He has since made a number of presentation shorts, and in 2024 led the making of the multi-award winning short film, The Barn (2024) which attracted support from the local community, Paramount Pictures UK, and the BAFTA / Oscar winning Kate Winslet. He has since gone on to work closely with the local community to develop and make more short films and embark on a series of feature films slated for 2025 - 2028 with Chichester Filmmakers C.I.C - a non-profit group of professional industry film crew and award winning production staff, supporting local talent and skills development and creating community led film productions (from script development, through production, to post-production and distribution), supported by a number of well known organisations and charities, such as the Mission Impossible editorial team, WildIndie Films, Chichester International Film Festival, and the truly talented and award-winning Kate Winslet.

Known for his passion for adventure / thriller / action genres, Jonathan has a knack for weaving intricate stories and plots in to his films, often leading the audience on wild and mysterious adventures.

Jonathan is a multi-award winner of Best Director for The Barn in 2024, with additional team wins for Best Indie Short Film, Best Narrative, Best Producer, Best Production, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, 1st place winners medal for Best Audience award, Best Costume, Best Art Director, and Best Actor.

Although a passionate admirer and follower of the early days of many of the sci-fi / fantasy styled films of the late 1970's and 1980's, such as Superman, E.T, Star Wars and Jason and the Argonauts, his film making passion was first sparked when he saw George Lucas' 2nd Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back. From then on, he was hooked. The never-done-before special effects grabbed his imagination and he began his journey in to film making, albeit more as a hobby until 2016, when he left behind his 30 year engineering and tech career behind him and turned to film and scoring full-time.

When not producing or directing film productions, Jonathan is often found collaborating with the team at Chichester Filmmakers and Old Chapel Productions to develop new productions and funding opportunities to make films and develop film making opportunities within the local community.

He has worked with and supported a plethora of film projects, musicians and composers worldwide over the years, and supported a number of award winning productions including various theatrical fringe productions in London and Rome, occassionally working with the legendary Anthony Minghella.

For more about how Jonathan got started in film, please check out the Trivia section.
- IMDb mini biography by: Jonathan Brooker

Once lost a bet to George Michael when his luggage appeared before Jonny's at the British Airways lost property desk at Gatwick airport having returned from the Cannes Film Festival back in the mid 1990's.

Jonny was lucky enough to work with Kate Winslet whilst developing the final screenplay and preproduction for The Barn (2024). Jonny is quoted saying, "This was a particularly inspiring journey for us that really helped to bring the story to life. She [Kate] was a force of energy and inspiration".