Gareth Huw Evans (born 1980) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter, film editor, and action choreographer. He is best known for bringing the Indonesian martial art pencak silat into world cinema through his films Merantau, The Raid, and The Raid 2.
Early life
Evans was born and raised in Hirwaun, Cynon Valley. He graduated from the University of Glamorgan with an MA in screenwriting, and made his living by helping people learn Welsh over the Internet.
Career
After directing a small-budget film called Footsteps, Evans was hired as a freelance director for a documentary about the Indonesian martial art pencak silat. He became fascinated with it, and discovered Indonesian martial artist Iko Uwais, who was working as a deliveryman for a phone company. Evans cast Uwais in his 2009 film Merantau, which became a cult hit. He planned to produce a larger action film, but scaled the production budget down and created an action film called The Raid: Redemption (2011). After the success of The Raid, the larger action film eventually became the basis for its sequel, The Raid 2: Berandal (2014).
Personal life
Evans lives in Jakarta with his wife, Maya, and their daughter, Sophie.
Filmography
Awards
In November 2011, The Raid: Redemption won the Midnight Madness Award at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011.
References
External links
- Gareth Evans at the Internet Movie Database
- Gareth Evans on Twitter