John Giwa-Amu

John Giwa-Amu runs production and gaming company Good Gate Media Ltd and sister company Red and Black Films. John’s first produced feature film, Little White Lies, won two BAFTA Cymru Awards and director, Caradog James, was BIFA nominated. His follow up feature, sci-fi cult hit The Machine, also directed by Caradog, was selected from over 6,000 films to premier in Tribeca and won three BAFTAs Cymru including Best Picture, a BIFA and the Screen Award for UK distribution also managed by John. The film was commissioned to be made into a $9m TV Pilot by NBC Universal/SyFy which John and his company Produced in 2017. Brit List winning screenplay The Call Up premiered at BIFF 2016 and is released in cinemas by Altitude. Co Production, The Silent Storm, starring Damien Lewis and Andrea Riseborough was also released in cinemas in May 2016 by Sony. Don’t Knock Twice, by director Caradog James, has been sold internationally by Kew Media and was released in the UK by Red and Black Distribution and Kew Media during spring 2017 – the film generated c.$4m at the international box office and spawned a computer game released on Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo. John fully financed The Party with Great Point Media – it was written and directed by Sally Potter and stars Cillian Murphy, Timothy Spall, Kristen Scott Thomas and Bruno Ganz. The film won the Guild Prize at Berlin 2017, a BIFA for Patricia Clarkson, Evening Standard Awards for best screenplay and leading actress in Feb 2018 and has grossed c.$7m. John also collaborated on Sally’s next feature, The Roads Not Taken starring Javier Bardem, Salma Hayek, Laura Linney and Elle Fanning which premiered in the Berlinale. Currently on release worldwide on Netflix is feature drumming documentary, Count Me In, featuring exclusive interviews with the drummers of Queen, Red Hot Chill Peppers, Foo Fighters and many other of the worlds biggest rock bands. Good Gate’s first interactive film was the Sci-Fi Thriller, The Complex, by the screenwriter of The Handmaid’s Tale. It was released March 2020 on Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo and Steam and became the most successful interactive title in week-for-week revenues which distributor Wales Interactive has ever released. Interactive romantic comedy Five dates, shot during full lockdown in June 2020, was released in November to a range of 4 and 5 star reviews. GGM went on to produce another six interactive titles during and since lockdown including Five Dates, Deathtrap Dungeon:The Golden Room, Night Book, Bloodshore and Five Dates 2 which released Valentine’s Day 2023 to a range of 4 and 5 star reviews. John has won the BBC talent Award, a Screen Award, a BIFA, has been honoured as a Breakthrough Brit and a Future Leader by Screen International. He sat on the board of Film Cymru Wales as a director for 7 years and advised Welsh Government’s Media Investment Fund. He has graduated from the internationally acclaimed film/media business initiative, Inside Pictures and C4/Ingenious/BBC/ Barclays sponsored Indielab. John and Good Gate Media are in development on a varied range of genres across film, games, interactive and high end scripted television.