The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain

Background:

Emmy nominated Welsh director and writer Christopher Monger is perhaps most celebrated for directing and writing the Huge Grant starring comedy “The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain” (1995), from which he won the Ecumenical Jury Award at the 1995 Moscow International Film Festival. He also wrote the HBO biopic “Temple Grandin” (2010), where he received an Emmy nomination for his work. His directing credits include such films as “Voice Over” (1983), “Waiting for the Light” (1990), “Just Like a Woman” (1992) and “Chica de Río” (2001) and episodes of CBS' “That's Life” (2000-2002).

Cold Mountain

Childhood and Family:

Christopher Monger was born in 1950, in Taffs Well, Cardiff, Wales, to David Monger, a doctor, published author and playwright. His father was also an amateur photographer, filmmaker and painter. Christopher began painting as a child and by age 16 had paintings exhibited in the South Wales Group at the National Museum of Wales. He later received the Bidduph Scholarship for painting at the Chelsea School of Art in London. His graduation short, “Cold Mountain,” a comic interpretation of the life of 8th Chinese poet Han Shan, was selected as the opening film in the first British Festival of Independent Film in 1974. Along with his younger brother Antony and a friend, Christopher started up a village newspaper called The Taff's Well Times. It ran for two years and earned the kids interviews on BBC and HTV television.

Temple Grandin

Career:

After completing his studies in London, Christopher Monger returned to Wales and co-founded the Chapter Film Workshop, a full production service that provided the chance for local talent to make films. The workshop was able to produce eight feature films and more than fifty shorts within five years of its formation. Monger made his first features there, including “Voice Over,” a controversial drama starring Ian McNeice, Bish Nethercote and John Cassady. The film was first released in the U.S. in January 1983 in New York City. About the same time, he served as the video and film producer for the theatre company Moving Being, which regularly toured Western Europe. In 1986, he wrote and directed the Welsh television drama “Mae'n Talu With,” starring Anne Bowen, Angie Brown and Eluned Jones.

Following the success of “Voice Over,” Monger went to Los Angeles to work with producer Ed Pressman. He made his American debut in 1990 with “Waiting for the Light,” a comedy starring Shirley MacLaine, Teri Garr and Louis Guzzo. Two years later, he directed “Just Like a Woman,” a British comedy starring Julie Walters, Adrian Pasdar and Paul Freeman that was an adaptation of the novel “Geraldine, For the Love of a Transvestite” by Monica Jay.

Monger's big breakthrough arrived in 1995 when he wrote and directed the British romantic comedy “The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain.” Starring Hugh Grant, Ian McNeice, Tara Fitzgerald, Colm Meaney and Kenneth Griffith, the film was screened at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, and earned an Ecumenical Jury Award at the 1995 Moscow International Film Festival. Distributed by Miramax Films, it was released in the U.S. on May 12, 1995, and the U.K. on August 4, 1995.

In 2000, Monger returned to the small screen as the writer of the British TV film “Seeing Red,” starring Ann Aris, Joseph Aston and Judith Barker. He shared a Christopher Award for TV & Cable Programs for his efforts. The same year, he also began directing episodes of the CBS series “That's Life.” In 2001, Monger wrote and directed the comedy film “Chica de Río,” starring Hugh Laurie, Vanessa Nunes and Santiago Segura. He won the Hollywood Discovery Award for Best International Feature at the 2001 Hollywood Film Festival for his work.

Monger resurfaced in 2005 when he directed the documentary “Special Thanks to Roy London,” a homage to acting coach Roy London. He also edited the documentary with Daniel Fort. Three years later, he directed the biographical video “A Sense of Wonder,” which was about author and activist Rachel Carson.

In 2010, Monger wrote the HBO biopic “Temple Grandin,” based on the life of an autistic woman. Starring Claire Danes, the film was nominated for fifteen Emmy Awards and won seven categories, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie and Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special, among other awards and nominations. Monger also netted an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special, which he shared with Merritt Johnson.

Awards:

• Christopher: TV & Cable Programs, “Seeing Red,” 2001

• Hollywood Film Festival: Hollywood Discovery Award, Best International Feature, “Chica de Río,” 2001

• Moscow International Film Festival: Ecumenical Jury Award, “The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain,” 1995