Scottish born and sometime NZ resident screenwriter Alan Sharp has died in the US, aged 79. Best known internationally for his script for the 1995 Rob Roy with Liam Neeson, Sharp also adapted a Lord Dunsany novella for Dean Spanley.
Dean Spanley was Alan Sharpe’s last produced feature script, and an icon of New Zealand cinema. Directed by Toa Fraser, it won four gongs at the 2009 Qantas Film & TV Awards, including Best Film (over $1 million) and Best Screenplay for Sharp. A fantastic piece of whimsy, it did well at the Toronto and London Film Festivals, before the Weinsteins released it straight to video in the US.
