Academy Award winnerTilda Swintonputs on her director’s cap with her debut feature,The Hexagonal Hive and the Mouse in a Maze, premiering at Sheffield DocFest. According toDeadline, Swinton’s documentaryexplores the varying mechanics of learning in different corners of the world, encouraging viewers to reconsider the variety of pedagogies that satisfy humans’ hunger for knowledge. Swinton describes the film as a “smorgasbord of suggestions, observations, and wonderings.”
The Hexagonal Hive and the Mouse in a Mazefollows Swinton and her fellow co-directorBartek Dziadoszas they journey through the UK, Bangladesh, West Africa, and North America, exploring unique, diverse learning methods. Examining the role of education across time, the documentarypeeks into the educational experiences of young people and adults. Featuring insights from scientists, farmers, philosophers, educators, and children, Swinton’s directorial debut emphasizes theimportance of lifelong curiosity in a complex world.
Best known for hercool as-ice performance inOnly Lovers Left Alive, Swinton not only directs but also co-writes together with Dziadosz and.Lily Ford. Dziadosz serves as the film’s editor. Ford andVijay Vaidyanathanjoin the team as producers, with music bySimon Fisher Turner. The executive producer team includesAhsan Akbar,Adam Bartos,Colin MacCabe, andKaren Wells.The Hexagonal Hive and the Mouse in a Mazeis a production by London-based Derek Jarman Lab.
Swinton isgearing up to star in Netflix’sThe Ballad of a Small Player, alongsideColin Farrell. Adapted fromLawrence Osborne’s 2014 novel of the same name, the story follows Farrell’s character, a gambler and con man escaping the UK for Macau’s glitzy gambling scene. However, upon his arrival, the last thing he expected was to encounter a kindred soul who might just help him get out of his situation. While details of Swinton’s role remain a mystery, filming is set to kick off in Asia this summer.
Last year, Swinton took on a quirky role in A24’sProblemista, a hilariously surrealist film thattakes a jab at America’s complex immigration system. The story centers on Alejandro (Julio Torres), a toy designer from El Salvador who heads to New York City to chase his dreams. Once there, he ends up working for Swinton’s eccentric artist character, who becomes his only shot at getting a work visa in order to stay in the States and achieve his artistic ambitions.An empathetic testament to the struggles of life,Problemistahas been praised for revealing the many layers of its characters, showing that it is not entirely the characters' faults, but rather the circumstances that force them to act in questionable ways.
Problemistais currently available to stream on Max. Stay tuned at Collider for more news on Swinton’s future projects.
Problemista
Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in NY. As time runs out on his work visa, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country.
WATCH ON MAX
