The Writer with No Hands

The Writer with No Hands is a 2017 British documentary feature film, which follows writer Matthew Alford as he tries to establish that the accidental death of Hollywood screenwriter Gary DeVore was, in fact, an assassination by the United States government.

The Writer with No Hands
Directed byWilliam Westaway
Starring
Music byLorenzo Tomio
Production
company
Drum Roll Films
Release date
  • 27 June 2017 (2017-06-27)
Running time
71 minutes; 55 minutes (TV)

The finished film, directed by William Westaway, was screened at venues on 27 June 2017 to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of DeVore's fate and a 2018 television edit subsequently sold to Norway's VGTV and New Zealand's Rialto Channel. Means TV released it worldwide in 2020.

An alternative 86 minute cut feature had premiered at Hot Docs as early as 2014 but was pulled from the festival circuit at the end of that year, heavily re-worked, and never distributed.[1]

Background

On Friday 27 June 1997, Gary DeVore had been driving home after completing a new film script. He was last seen at a Denny's diner in the Mojave Desert around 1:00 on the morning of the 28th. The subsequent manhunt remained unsuccessful until July 1998 when an amateur detective located fragments of DeVore's car next to the California Aqueduct near Palmdale.

The California Highway Patrol's investigation concluded that DeVore must have driven against oncoming traffic along the highway, crashed into the water and drowned in his vehicle.[2]

Production

In an eponymous book and audiobook, Alford characterised the filmmaking process as highly erratic. Although he produced the 2014 version of the documentary, he was not similarly accredited on the final film.[3]

In 2016, director William Westaway raised £4,769 through a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund completion of technical aspects to the production. The original film's score was by Ian Kellett and Andy Nunn.[4]

Reception

Critical response

The 2014 cut prompted concerns about taste. Cineinstyle called the documentary "riveting" but added "I wouldn't want to be Westaway's friend - or enemy".[5] It was also dubbed a "sour" and "dubious" product that "borders on unethical".[6]

In 2020, the Morning Star called the final film "unmissable" and "as tense and telling as any Hollywood fiction".[7]

Awards and nominations
  • In 2017–2018, the film won Best Documentary at the Vienna Independent Film Festival[8] and the Creation International Film Festival[9] and was runner-up in the same category at the Beloit International Film Festival.[10] It received nominations at the Wayward Film Festival, the San Mauro International Film Festival,[11] the Marietta International Film Festival, In-Short Film Festival, and Fabrique Du Cinema.[12]
  • The 2014 cut premiered in the Future Cult Classics strand at Hot Docs and won the Tablet of Honor, signifying second place, at the Ammar International Popular Film Festival.[13] It was also nominated that year at Dallas International Film Festival, Tacoma Film Festival and Light House International Film Festival.

References
  1. "Writer With No Hands". Hot Docs. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  2. Glover, Scott (10 October 1998). "CHP Pieces Together Writer's Final Hours". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  3. "'The Writer With No Hands' - An Interview With Matthew Alford". Standing Stone's Blog. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  4. "Follywood: A conspiracy documentary like no other". Kickstarter. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  5. Petrov, Dana (6 June 2014). "The Writer With No Hands". Cine in Style. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  6. Brown, Phil (21 April 2014). "Hot Docs 2014: The Writer with No Hands Review". Dork Shelf. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  7. https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/c/film-round-up-april-3-2020
  8. "VIFF 2017 Winners". Vienna Independent Film Festival. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  9. "Creation International Film Festival". Facebook. 2 September 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  10. "The BIFFY Award Winners for 2018!". Beloit International Film Festival. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  11. "Stiffmovies". Facebook.
  12. "Fabrique Awards: il 15 la cerimonia di premiazione". Fabrique Du Cinema (in Italian). 15 December 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  13. "AIPFF 2015". Ammar International Popular Film Festival. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
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