Grand Theft Hamlet (Film Bath Festival 2024)

I had the great honour of contributing to Film Bath Festival this year, and one of my highlight was to introduce Grand Theft Hamlet (Imdb link) to the audience of the Everyman Cinema.

Film Bath Festival Screening Description

In January 2021, as the UK enters its third lockdown and theatres remain closed, actors Sam and Mark face a bleak future. Mark, living alone, becomes increasingly isolated, while Sam worries about supporting his family.

To cope, they dive into the violent yet stunning virtual world of Grand Theft Auto Online. Amidst car thefts and gunfights, they discover moments of peace in meadows of wildflowers. Their idea to stage ‘Hamlet’ within the game is audacious, given the game’s chaos and destruction, but they find parallels to the raucous nature of Shakespearean theatre.

This groundbreaking documentary, filmed entirely within Grand Theft Auto, explores the potential of virtual spaces as new platforms for storytelling. It questions how we can adapt ancient narratives to modern digital realms and whether they retain their meaning. With Los Santos’ intricate cityscapes and dynamic environments providing a cinematic backdrop, the film uses the in-game camera to create intimate close-ups and sweeping pans, blending pathos and lyricism with the game’s inherent chaos and violence.

The two-hour documentary, entirely shot in-game (GTA Online) using machinima technique, is a celebration of the untamed creative spirit of its makers, gathering cyber-mischiefs as part of their virtual theatre production – sharing every hurdle, doubt, and moment of real-life gravity in the midst of intrusive gunfights.

The documentary attracted a large demographic of audience members ranging from teenagers to seniors viewers. The audience laughed heartily, rooted deeply for the team, empathised with the real-life challenges of Covid-19, and cheered for every achievement made by Sam and his crew – it was joyful, emotional, and profound.

Our screening was followed by a fascinating conversation with Bath theatre director / producer Matt Emeny (Calf 2 Cow), discussing the film’s themes, the many ways creatives adapted to lockdown restrictions, as well as the various interpretations of Shakespeare’s work across different mediums and genres.

I can't recommend GTH enough, keep an eye out for local screenings! The documentary will soon be available on Mubi.

Grand Theft Hamlet Credits: Directors / Writers Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls, Stars Sam CraneMark Oosterveen Pinny Grylls.