Mike Leigh’s struggles to raise money for his recent projects only started when his $18M period battle epic, “Peterloo” (Amazon), bombed at the box office in 2018, garnering mixed reviews and only earning $2M worldwide. Leigh subsequently entered “director’s jail” because of it.
It’s been six years since “Peterloo,” and Leigh hasn’t been shy in talking about the troubles to find financing for his projects, including his most recent work, the acclaimed “Hard Truths,” which he started to write in late 2019, just a year after “Peterloo.”
Things were looking grim for Leigh, he even went as far as to call out Netflix for rejecting the film (“Netflix just turned me down, which is a shame, because they have plenty of money”). He was "struggling like mad to get anybody to back” the film (via BBC).
In late 2022, when it looked like “Hard Truths” might never get made, I reported that Leigh had finally secured the money needed to make the film. Bleecker Street and a group of European backers put together a modest budget, Leigh’s lowest in years, for the small-scale film.
It turns out that “Hard Truths,” which had its world premiere at TIFF last month, was well worth making. It’s Leigh’s best film in years. The film has been earning raves (87 on Metacritic) on the festival circuit and continued its triumphant trajectory over the weekend at the New York Film Festival.
The 81-year-old Leigh, Oscar-nominated five times for writing and twice for directing (“Secrets & Lies,” “Vera Drake”) doesn’t want to stop either, he feels like he has a few more films left in him, but only if he can find the money to make them.
“It’s increasingly difficult for me to get the dosh,” he told IndieWire. “Retirement doesn’t seem particularly attractive. I’ve got notions kicking around. I’m not going to tell you. It depends on how much money we get.”
The iconic British filmmaker isn’t short on ideas or energy, just money.
“Hard Truths” is set to screen at the BFI London Film Festival this month. The film will then have a limited theatrical release on December 6 before expanding nationwide in January.