Film producer Eric Watson hosts viewing and discussion of The Fountain

Hollywood film producer Eric Watson hosted a viewing and discussion of his popular film The Fountain on Nov. 9 in Howell Hall.

Since its release in 2006, The Fountain has won six awards, including a Chicago Film Critics Award, and has been nominated for 14 awards, including a Golden Globe. The film, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, was well received by audiences worldwide despite being shot on nearly half the intended budget (from $70 million to $35 million). The challenge of creating such a successful film on a limited budget has earned Watson praises as a producer, expanding his role and experience as a Hollywood film producer.

In addition to The Fountain, Watson is best known for his work in Requiem for a Dream and Pi. With director Darren Aronofsky, Watson produced Pi, his first feature, in 1995 in New York City. The film debuted at the Sundance film Festival in 1998 and earned Watson an IFP/West Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature. It also received applause from movie critics such as Robert Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, who described the film as "a study in madness and its partner, genius."

Requiem for a Dream was lauded by Rolling Stone as a movie "no one interested in the power and magic of movies should miss." The film earned Watson another IFP/West Spirit Award nomination for Best Feature and was named one of the Top Ten Films of 2000 by The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly.

Watson began his career as a broadcast communication arts major at San Francisco State and continued with motion picture production at the American Film Institute, where he was awarded the Mary Pickford Scholarship for Excellence in Producing. At AFI, Watson first met and collaborated with director Aronofsky and cinematographer Matthew Libatique.

Watson is currently developing several projects including the film, What’s Wrong With Virginia, starring Liam Neeson and Jennifer Connelly, and written by Academy Award winner Lance Black (Milk, Big Love). He is also working with writer and film producer Susannah Mills on a collaborative narrative project intended for a web audience.

The film viewing event was sponsored by the Scholars Program, ISSUE and ibiblio.org. For more information, please contact Paul Jones at pjones@ibiblio.org.