Philip Barantini (born 13 July 1980) is a British film and TV director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for his intense one-shot feature Boiling Point (2021), starring Stephen Graham.

Philip Barantini
Barantini in 2022
Born (1980-07-13) 13 July 1980 (age 44)
Occupations
  • Director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
  • actor
Years active1998–present

Early life

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Barantini was born in Liverpool and grew up in Huyton, Merseyside.[1]

Career

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Early career

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Barantini was at first an actor,[2] notably starring as Sergeant Wayne A. "Skinny" Sisk in HBO's Band of Brothers (2001). His other television roles include Billy O'Neill in Dream Team (1998-2000), Bezpalov in Chernobyl (2019), and Steve in The Responder (2022).

Barantini starred as Steve Hart in the film Ned Kelly (2003) alongside Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom. His other film roles included Joey in The Escapist (2002), David in Hard Boiled Sweets (2012), and John Morgan in A Violent Man (2022).

Whilst acting, Barantini expressed an interest in directing, taking opportunities to shadow other directors.[3] He made his directorial debut with the short film Seconds Out (2019), shortly before filming and releasing his second short Boiling Point (2019), which reunited him with his friend and Band of Brothers co-star Stephen Graham.[4] The short earned him the Lift-Off Season Award for Best Short[5] at the Manchester awards.

Barantini's first feature film was the gritty crime thriller Villain,[6] starring Craig Fairbrass.

2020 - present: Boiling Point and other activities

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Following the success of the 2019 kitchen drama, Barantini co-wrote a feature film, also titled Boiling Point (2021), with his regular writing partner James Cummings. Barantini drew inspiration for many of the story arcs from his own experiences as a head chef[7] as well as experiences of those who he knew who worked in the industry. The feature saw Stephen Graham reprise the lead role of chef Andy Jones and was filmed in one true take.[8] The film was shot on location at Jones & Sons in Dalston, London, just days before the first lockdown was enforced in the United Kingdom.

Graham described working on the single-shot feature as “the most exhilarating array of emotions I’ve ever felt on a film set in my life.”[9] The film was nominated for 11 BIFA awards in 2021, including Best Director and Best British Independent Film and won Best Cinematography for Director of Photography Matt Lewis and Best Casting for Carolyn McLeod. The film went on to be nominated for four BAFTAs[10] at the 2022 ceremony, including a nomination for Outstanding British Film of the Year and Best Leading Actor for Stephen Graham.

In September 2021, Barantini directed the music video for Sam Fender's "Spit of You", which chronicled Fender's relationship with his father, portrayed in the video by Stephen Graham.[11][12] The video won the UKMVA award for Best Rock Video in 2022, beating the likes of Muse and Florence + The Machine.

Television series

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Barantini was given a role in the Liverpool-based TV drama The Responder, with Martin Freeman and was subsequently asked to direct the final episode. He directed the finale[13] alongside the same Director of Photography as Boiling Point, Matthew Lewis.

In 2022, Barantini directed the five-part ITV drama series Malpractice (2022) starring Niamh Algar.[14]

A series sequel of Boiling Point was announced[15] in 2022, and began filming in early 2023. The four-part series was released on BBC One in December 2023 and was co-produced by Matriarch Productions (headed by Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters), and Ascendant Fox with Barantini's own production company It's All Made Up Productions.[16] Barantini was a producer, co-creator and director on the series, directing the first two episodes of the series with the final two directed by Mounia Akl. The series saw the return of many of the familiar characters from the feature and picked up a few months on from where the film ended.[17]

Barantini commenced filming the groundbreaking four-part series Adolescence in summer 2024,[18] directing all four episodes, which saw him reunite with long-term collaborator Stephen Graham. The unique series saw each episode filmed in one continuous shot and was produced by Warp Films, Plan B Entertainment and Matriarch Productions for Netflix with the release date still to be confirmed. The series was written by the award-winning Jack Thorne and stars Ashley Walters, Faye Marsay and Stephen Graham.

Awards

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Year Award Category Nominated Work(s) Result
2024 RTS Yorkshire Award Best Drama Malpractice Won
2024 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards Best Drama Series Boiling Point Nominated
2024 Royal Television Awards Limited Series Boiling Point Nominated
2022 Big Screen Awards Breakthrough British Filmmaker Boiling Point Won
2022 UKMVAs Best Rock Video Sam Fender's Spit of You Won
2022 Taormina International Film Festival Best Director Boiling Point Won
2022 Best Film Boiling Point Won
2022 BAFTA Outstanding British Film of the Year Boiling Point Nominated
2021 British Independent Film Awards Best Director Boiling Point Nominated
Best British Independent Film Boiling Point Nominated
2020 Lift-Off Season Award Best Director Boiling Point (Short 2019) Won

References

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  1. ^ "Huyton man who directed new Stephen Graham film 'Boiling Point' that's shot in one take".
  2. ^ "Villain: An interview with director Philip Barantini and actor Craig Fairbrass".
  3. ^ "On The Set Of The Upcoming British Crime Drama 'Villain'".
  4. ^ "Stephen Graham: 'Boiling Point was the most exhilarating film I've ever worked on'".
  5. ^ "Lift-Off Season Awards 2019".
  6. ^ "Villain".
  7. ^ "Philip Barantini has been working in the film and TV industry than two decades, And recently co-wrote and directed his second film, Boiling Point".
  8. ^ "'Boiling Point' Review: Gordon Ramsay Has Nothing on the Kitchen Nightmares in This Heated One-Shot Drama".
  9. ^ "Stephen Graham: 'Boiling Point was the most exhilarating film I've ever worked on'".
  10. ^ "'Boiling Point' Star Stephen Graham on His First BAFTA Film Nomination and Being the Standard-Bearer for 'Non S**t' TV".
  11. ^ "Sam Fender shares poignant 'Spit Of You' video starring Stephen Graham".
  12. ^ "Sam Fender shares new video for 'Spit Of You' starring Stephen Graham".
  13. ^ "The Responder Season 2 Release Date, Cast, Plot – All We Know So Far".
  14. ^ "ITV's Malpractice is a vital portrait of a broken NHS".
  15. ^ "'Boiling Point' BBC TV Series Greenlit With Stephen Graham Reprising Role & Philip Barantini Directing".
  16. ^ "'Boiling Point' TV series to be made with original creative team for the BBC (exclusive)".
  17. ^ "First look at Boiling Point TV series starring Stephen Graham".
  18. ^ "Philip Barantini's series 'Adolescence' starring Stephen Graham begins filming in the UK for Netflix".
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