A Monster Calls
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Focus Features
J.A. Bayona, Director
J.A. Bayona’s most recent feature film as director was The Impossible, starring Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, and Tom Holland; it was based on the powerful true story of a family’s survival of the tragic Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. The Impossible grossed more than $180 million at the worldwide box office and brought Ms. Watts Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and Academy Award nominations. Mr. Holland received honors including an Empire Award for Best Newcomer. The Impossible won five Goya Awards, which are Spain’s Oscars equivalent, including Best Director; and six Gaudí Awards, including Best Director.
Prior to making A Monster Calls, Mr. Bayona directed the first two episodes of Showtime’s series Penny Dreadful, starring Eva Green, which instantly attracted a loyal following. Having completed A Monster Calls, he will next direct the new Jurassic World movie, for release in June 2018.
Born in Barcelona, he grew up with a passion for film. This led him to become a journalist and later to study directing, at the Cinema and Audiovisual School of Catalonia (ESCAC).
After directing two short films, My Holidays and The Sponge Man, Mr. Bayona met screenwriter Sergio G. Sánchez, who gifted him with the script for The Orphanage, which became his first feature as director. The Orphanage world-premiered at the 2007 Cannes International Film Festival to a 10-minute standing ovation. It was then released nationally in Spain, and its opening four-day box office was the highest of the year and at the time the second-highest ever for a Spanish film.
The Orphanage was nominated for 14 Goya Awards, winning seven including Mr. Bayona’s for Best New Director.
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REACTIONS
"Unforgettable masterpiece"
ED DOUGLAS
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
"If Bayona is the Next Steven Spielberg, then A MONSTER CALLS is his E.T."
SEAN O'CONNELL
CINEMABLEND
"One of the best movies of the year."
REBECCA PAHLE
FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL
About the Film
FILTER
Videos
Trailer
Featurettes
Clips
Interviews
BTS
Photos
Unit
BTS + Conceptual Art
Cast & Crew
Felicity Jones
Sigourney Weaver
Toby Kebbell
Liam Neeson
Lewis MacDougall
J.A. Bayona
Patrick Ness
Press, Reactions & Reviews
Features
Quotes
Social
Instagram
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"Break The Windows" Clip
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"In The Eyes" Clip
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"Messily Ever After" Clip
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"I've Come To Get You" Clip
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"Face Your Fears" Spot
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Sigourney Weaver on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
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Sigourney Weaver Speaks to The Hollywood Reporter
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The New York Times Profiles Felicity Jones
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Official Trailer: Focus Features and J.A. Bayona Present A Monster Calls
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Lewis MacDougall as Conor
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The role of Conor is a very demanding one, physically and emotionally. Lewis was so courageous, so present, so truthful.
ON LEWIS MacDOUGALL
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MacDougall is fantastic in what should be considered an Academy Award-worthy performance.
JOBLO.COM
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Mom: Felicity Jones stars in J.A. Bayona's A Monster Calls.
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Entertainment Weekly Introduces A Monster Calls
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Felicity Jones is absolutely devastating.
MASHABLE
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Determination: Connor [Lewis MacDougall] and The Monster [Liam Neeson].
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Change: Struggling to understand one another, love must carry Connor [Lewis MacDougall] and his Grandma [Sigourney Weaver] to a place of comfort.
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J.A. Bayona Talks with Gold Derby
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Early Concept Art by Daniel Carrasco
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Writer Patrick Ness and the Backstory of A Monster Calls
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SFX Artist David Marti Captures BTS Moment of Rest
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Connor: In just his second on-screen role, young Lewis MacDougall portrays Connor - a boy determined not to lose his mother.
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Patrick Ness Named One of "Hollywood's 25 Most Powerful Authors"
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BTS: A Look at A Monster Calls' Animated Sequences
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Concept Art by Daniel Carrasco Jabalera
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Felicity Jones as Mom
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And if you need to break things, then by God, you break them good and hard. And I'll be right there. You might not see me, but I'll be right there, breaking 'em along with you.
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Faith: A boy confronted with a monumental shift in what he once considered "normal", Connor [Lewis MacDougall] will stand tallest when atop the shoulders of The Monster [Liam Neeson].
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Liam Neeson as The Monster
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Illustrated: Connor [Lewis MacDougall] brings his imagination to life on paper.
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Illustrator Andreu Zaragoza's Monster
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One of the best films of 2016.
COLLIDER
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J.A. Bayona, Director
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Monster Building
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I saw this as a powerful and important story to tell as a movie – an adventure that anyone can relate to.
DIRECTOR
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Sigourney Weaver as Grandma
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Life: Director J.A. Bayona brings Patrick Ness' novel A Monster Calls to life with beautiful, signature scenes lensed by cinematographer Fernando Velázquez.
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Toby Kebbell as Dad
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Origin: J.A. Bayona directs A Monster Calls from a script by the novel's author Patrick Ness. The novel was awarded 2012's Carnegie and Greenaway Medals.
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Escape: No matter the level of fear, anger or confusion, Connor [Lewis MacDougall] is able to find comfort with his pencils, pens and brushes.
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Belief is half of all healing. Belief in the cure, belief in the future that awaits. Your belief is valuable, so you must be careful where you put it. And in whom.
