Why ‘the next Spielberg’ – the UK’s youngest film director, Elliott Hasler – is screening his films at Soneva Jani in the Maldives

Jun 28 , 2019

Promising young British film director Elliott Hasler completed his first film when he was just 16 years old. The luxury Soneva Jani resort in the Maldives will host a visit from him next month when he will present a film making workshop.

Want to learn from an established film director while staying at a luxury resort?

Soneva Jani in the Maldives is to host Elliott Hasler, the youngest feature film director in the UK and pegged by some to be the next Steven Spielberg.

At just 18, Elliott Hasler is the youngest feature film director in the UK, and is pegged in the industry to be “the next Spielberg”.

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Hasler, 18, will screen three of his films Charlie’s Letters, To Hunt a Tiger and Nootau during his stay from July 1 to 7 at Soneva Jani’s Cinema Paradiso, the Maldives’ first overwater cinema.

Cinema Paradiso, the Maldives’ first outdoor, overwater cinema, will be the first to publicly screen Elliott Hasler's new films.

The latter two films aren’t released until later and next year, making Soneva Jani the first public screening of Hasler’s films.

During his week-long visit, Hasler is to shoot a short two-minute story about the resort, while hosting a dinner and conducting a mobile video shooting workshop for guests.

Guests will attend a dinner and video making workshop with Elliott Hasler while enjoying the luxurious Soneva Jani resort in the Maldives.

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Elliott Hasler filming To Hunt a Tiger, a film set in British Raj in the early 20th century. The film was made in Sri Lanka.

To Hunt a Tiger is a short film featuring John Locke (Darkest Hour, The Favourite) and Charlotte Peters (Pound of Flesh, Interlude in Prague). The film depicts love, loss and adventure in the British Raj, during the early 20th century in India. The original score is by Emmy Award Winning composer, Daniel Clive McCallum. The feature was shot in Sri Lanka.

Hasler heads Relsah Productions, an independent production company based in Brighton, which offers feature films and documentaries for cinema and television.

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His next project Vindication Swim is a feature film based on the true story of swimmer Mercedes Gleitze. It is set in the 1920s when she was forced to battle the Channel Swimming Association to retain her record and legacy as being the first English woman to swim the English Channel.

Soneva Jani can be reached in 45 minutes by seaplane flight from Malé International Airport, which operates between 7am and 4.30pm. The last seaplane passengers need to arrive in Male by 3.30pm. Alternatively, a 60-minute speedboat ride from Soneva Fushi is available, or a half-day cruise from Soneva Fushi on board the Soneva in Aqua.

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Maldives

He’s just 18, but UK film director Elliott Hasler could be the next Steven Spielberg. Meet him and learn from him at the Soneva Jani luxury resort in the Maldives