Colin Vaines, film producer; began his career in the film industry in 1977 as a journalist with the trade paper Screen International. In 1984, he left journalism to run the UK’s National Film Development Fund, and act as consultant to parent body British Screen Finance.
In 1987, he oversaw UK development for Columbia Pictures during David Puttnam’s tenure at the studio, subsequently becoming head of development for Puttnam’s own production company, Enigma, working on films including Memphis Belle.
He made his debut as a producer in 1992 with the Emmy-winning TV film A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia,[1] which introduced Ralph Fiennes in the title role.
During this time, in addition to developing projects as an independent producer, Vaines was artistic director of both the Performing Arts Screenwriting Lab in the UK, and the writers’ lab SCRAWL in South Africa.[2] Among the writers he handpicked to develop their projects at these workshops were Simon Beaufoy, who went on to write The Full Monty, John Hodge, who went on to write Trainspotting, Lee Hall, who went on to write Billy Elliot, and John Michael McDonagh, who went on to write and direct the acclaimed The Guard.
After co-producing Michael Radford’s B. Monkey, Vaines supervised production and development for UK lottery franchise The Film Consortium from 1997 to 1999, overseeing movies including Hideous Kinky , starring Kate Winslet.
He was appointed Executive Vice-President, Development for New York-based Miramax Films in 1999, becoming Executive Vice-President, European Production and Development in 2002. He was Co-executive producer of Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, and Executive in Charge of Production on Anthony Minghella's Cold Mountain.
In October 2005, he was appointed Executive Vice-President, European Production and Development for The Weinstein Company working closely with Harvey Weinstein.[3] He was an executive producer of Anthony Minghella’s Breaking and Entering, starring Jude Law, and Chris Noonan’s Miss Potter, starring Renée Zellweger. He also developed and oversaw production on numerous projects for The Weinstein Company, including The Reader, Factory Girl and Minghella’s final film for television, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
He joined Graham King’s GK Films in Los Angeles as Co-President of Production in 2007,[4] where he became Executive Producer of The Young Victoria, The Rum Diary, starring Johnny Depp, and London Boulevard, the directing debut of Oscar-winning writer William Monahan, starring Keira Knightley and Colin Farrell.
Returning to freelance production in 2010, at the start of the year he produced Coriolanus,[5] which marks the directing debut of its star, Ralph Fiennes, twenty years after Vaines and Fiennes first worked together on A Dangerous Man. The film also stars Gerard Butler and Vanessa Redgrave. It received its European premiere at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival, and its North American premiere at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival.
Vaines is co-producer of W.E., the directing debut of Madonna, which stars Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, Oscar Isaac, and James D'Arcy[6]. The film was premiered at the 2011 Venice Film Festival, and had its North American premiere at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival.
He is co-executive producer of My Week With Marilyn, starring Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne and Kenneth Branagh, which had its world premiere at the 2011 New York Film Festival.