American Cinematheque to Honour Cliff Curtis

New Zealander Cliff Curtis, 47, who portrayed speed chess genius Genesis Potini in The Dark Horse, will be honoured by the American Cinematheque at a ceremony on 11 October at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California.

Variety’s Kristopher Tapley describes Curtis as “one of the most prolific and accomplished character actors of his generation, having racked up a list of filmmaker collaborators that would make any colleague jealous.”

“The list is impressive, probably because great directors know what they’re going to get out of the actor: David Russell (Three Kings), Martin Scorsese (Bringing Out the Dead), Michael Mann (The Insider), Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), Frank Darabont (The Majestic), Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain), Danny Boyle (Sunshine) – each presenting a unique opportunity to stand out in an ensemble cast.

“With James Napier Robertson’s The Dark Horse, however, Curtis took a turn into method actor territory for the first time in his career, at the director’s request. ‘He asked for it and he got it,’ Curtis says. ‘It was a new thing for me and trying to negotiate what that means, to inhabit a character, to live in his clothes and take on that physicality to transform myself – I lived like that for a number of months. My whole family had to live with me in this role. It was a bizarre exercise.’”

In October, The Dark Horse will receive its first public screening in the US since the Los Angeles Film Festival along with Lee Tamahori’s 1994 film Once Were Warriors.

The Dark Horse won first place in the Audience Award for Best Film at the 2015 Rotterdam International Film Festival.

Original article by Kristopher Tapley, Variety, September 24, 2015.