Battle in Seattle

Stuart Townsend has recently made a promotional stop in Dallas where Todd Jorgenson reports. Townsend talked to the press about his american experience and the events in 1999, which spoke volumes to him about corporate culture in the U.S. 9 years later, the first time director has made a feature film of the riots and even snagged a high profile cast for the independant film. 

"...I really loved the story, and I wanted to tell it. This was a war against corporate power. Corporations were ruining our world. You have to have corporations, but the whole point is to try and make them sustainable and responsible..."

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Artist Direct has caught up Stuart Townsend and Martin Henderson regarding their latest film, "Battle in Seattle". They talk about where they were when the actual battle in seattle happened, and the fact that most people don't remember the event. That being said, Townsend shares that it is because of this, he found it inspiring to big it to the big screen. They also both chat about the cast, the ideas and what they got out of the film.

"... wanted to use actors that young people really liked. If I made a documentary, no one would have seen it. By this approach, we thought that if we could make it more about the characters and the emotional connections, not just political connections, we could hit somewhat of a mainstream audience..."

Read the full interview here.

About.com has caught up with Stuart Townsend after the release of his latest film, "Battle in Seattle". Townsend describes himself as a movie nerd inspired by the 1999 protesting event that turned him to directing. With that, the actor embarked on a 6 year journey to get "Battle in Seattle" in theaters. Townsend also talks about the cast and how they made his first time an easy ride.

"...It is amazing, as a first-timer, to be working with Ray Liotta and Woody Harrelson and Martin and Charlize. There were different styles, different ages, different characters. It was like an actor’s conveyor belt because it was just like one actor after another. Sometimes you would see eight actors in a day because you’d be moving from different scenes. I was so lucky. Some actors were very easy. Other actors had a lot of questions. There was the whole range. It was great..."

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Cinema Blend has caught up with "Battle in Seattle" director Stuart Townsend. Townsend shares his interest in globalization, and the kind of research he did for the film. "Battle in Seattle" was shot in 29 days, and Townsend light-heartedly describes it as "military operation", with no divas on set and great energy throughout.  Townsend also discusses the message: how anyone can make a difference.

"...It's a people power movie. I think everyone doesn't feel like they're being listened to. Most people feel like they can't make a difference. It was really a diverse collection of regular Americans, who shut down the world's most powerful trade organization. It really made a difference. I think when you're tactical about things, and you join together, you can make a difference, and that's the message..."

Read the full interview here.

Cinema Blend chats with actor Ray Liotta who plays Mayor Jim Tobin in "Battle in Seattle". Since Liotta usually portrays the bad guy or thug, he is especially proud of his latest role because it is more mature than what we are used to seeing him in. Liotta also talks politics, acting and inspiration.

"...I got to wear a suit. It was a good part, a mature part. I wasn't beating people up or doing any of that silly stuff. I liked the combination of people that were attached to it. Just actor reasons, in terms of growing as an actor. To play someone that conflicted, with that kind of choice. It was a compelling part..."

Read the full interview here.

Cinema Blend caught up with Michelle Rodriguez who plays 'Lou' in her latest film, "Battle in Seattle". Rogriguez gets political and discusses her protesting experience, police brutality and the kind of research she did for the role. Rodriguez admits she wasn't very aware of political issues before the film and credits "Battle in Seattle" for changing her menatlity towards the subject. She also discusses her upcoming projects, including writing a kid's movie where havoc breaks loose.

"...The premise behind it is all the animals on earth freak out and start attacking anything that's not pure, because of a seance that occurred in the rainforest after its depletion in 2012. Local tribes, even the ones that used to fight each other, looked around and said "What's going on?"

Read the full interview here. 

ComingSoon.net sat down with Stuart Townsend to talk about how an actor from Ireland ended up directing one of the more impressive civil rights related non-doc films of the year. "Battle in Seattle" has just released nationwide on September 19th. The film stars Charlize Theron, Michelle Rodriguez, Channing Tatum, Andre Benjamin, Martin Henderson, and Woody Harleson. Townsend also discusses his idea for the movie and the stings he pulled for his diverse and talented cast.

"...we were a day from shutting down. We were ten weeks into pre production with no cast, and we waited on one actress for seven weeks and she then came back and said "no," and it pretty much devastated us and we didn't know what to do. Our producers said, "Look I'll give you a week and if we don't have anyone we'll have to shut down," and it came right up to the last day when Woody actually said yes..."

Read the full interview here.

Democracynow.org has caught up with "Battle In Seattle" writer and director Stuart Townsend. During the production of "Battle In Seattle", a group of activists who helped lead the Seattle protest approached Stuart Townsend with concerns about how the protests would be portrayed on the big screen. Democracynow.org shares a conversation with Townsend and David Solnit, a key organizer of the shutdown of the WTO in Seattle. With an A-List cast, the film stars Michelle Rodriguez, Andre Benjamin, Charlize Theron, Martin Henderson, Channing Tatum and Woody Harrelson.

"...I wanted to really take that idea and fictionalize it and bring it to a new audience, because I feel like the event itself really was forgotten about, and I feel like the media really misrepresented the story in the first place..."

Read the full article here.

The Huffington Post has interviewed 'Battle In Seattle' director Stuart Townsend. The film opens September 19th and stars Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta, Andre Benjamin, Connie Nielsen, Channing Tatum and Michelle Rodriguez. Townsend spend a lot of time carefully researching the 1999 riots at the World Trade Organization in Seattle in order to create a realistic portrayal in the film. He talks about the politics behind the WTO, working with Ray Liotta and how manage such a complex story in a film.

"...I suppose the basic premise was to create characters that an audience would attach itself to, to try to connect on a different level, not on an explicitly intellectual level, and not even on a political level. I focused on the conflict and the drama and slipped the politics in between. I'm not trying to speechify or hit people over the head. I'm trying to engage people with a really entertaining, visual film. And hopefully they'll get something out of it at the end..."

Read the full interview here.

Minnesota Public Radio has posted an interview with Battle In Seattle director Stuart Townsend. The film stars Michelle Rodriguez, Andre Benjamin, Charlize Theron and Woody Harrelson. He talks about the 6 years leading up to the making of the film, financing issues and telling a story about an issue that people have strong opinions about.

"...Through my research I found there were so many viewpoints. There was the media, there was the protesters, there was the cops, there was the mayor, and there was this sense of escalation with all of these viewpoints. So that's what I did, I just tried to capture as many viewpoints as possible..."

Read the full interview here.