QT8: THE FIRST EIGHT Quentin Tarantino Documentary Movie

PLOT

A documentary that focuses on the first 21 years of Quentin Tarantino’s career and includes interviews with his frequent collaborators.

SYNOPSIS

Quentin Tarantino is the most influential filmmaker of the past 30 years. His bloody, talky, nonlinear films pull together dozens of influences to form bracingly original cinematic events. In a Hollywood that worships at the altar of franchises and remakes, Tarantino’s films are the best kind of tentpoles – wholly unique cinematic visions from a filmmaker at the peak of his powers.

As Tarantino’s newest film ​Once Upon a Time in Hollywood a​ rrives to praise and controversy, filmmaker Tara Wood takes us on a journey through the first 8 wildly divergent films that Tarantino has helmed, narrated by the actors and collaborators who have worked with him.

From Reservoir Dogs through The Hateful Eight, from the video store to the fall of Harvey Weinstein, QT8 digs deep into the story of the most important and controversial filmmaker of our time.

FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH:

​Zoe Bell, Louis Black, Bruce Dern, Robert Forster, Jamie Foxx, Richard Gladstein, Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Diane Kruger, Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Eli Roth, Tim Roth, Kurt Russell, Stacey Sher, Scott Spiegel, and Christoph Waltz

RELEASE DATE: ​December 3rd On Demand and Digital

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Quentin Tarantino is one of the greatest directors of all time. His movies have grossed nearly $2 billion dollars worldwide. He’s won multiple Academy Awards. His fans are voracious in their loyalty. He’s one of the few directors in the world who can open a movie just on the strength of his name. And he’s spawned a host of imitators and copycats whose inability to match the original just confirms how singular Quentin is.

Whether you’re a fan or not, his talent and influence on American cinema is clear. That alone would be a great reason to create a meaningful documentary about the man. But that’s just the surface.

I went to Quentin in 2015 to get his blessing to make his film. Quentin appreciated my first documentary, 21 YEARS: RICHARD LINKLATER because it focused on the filmography and doesn’t interview the subject. He agreed to let me to move forward with one condition – that he and I not meet until after the doc was complete, so as not to influence the film’s narrative. I was shocked, because based on what I knew about him, I assumed he wanted to talk about himself full stop.

We started digging into his filmography by interviewing the people who know him best. To put into perspective how much Quentin’s friends and colleagues care for him – we were rarely given more than 30 minutes to talk to the various actors by their reps. But not one interviewee stayed for less than hour, and most stayed for 2 hours or more, sharing stories about their professional and often very personal experiences with Quentin. I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to sit with these extraordinary people as they communicated their heartfelt respect and adoration for their friend and director.

To pretend I might understand how Quentin’s mind works is absurd. But in creating this film from the anecdotes we’ve collected, the behind-the-scenes footage we’ve unearthed, and the genuine, sometimes touching insights into his character and his films from the people who know him best, I like to think we’ve done the next best thing – sketched an outline of the man – his process, his mind, his heart – which can be filled with all of those wonderful experiences we’ve captured here to form a unique picture of a fascinating human being.

Beyond the kinetic filmmaking, the memorable dialogue, the gratuitous violence and over-the-top offensive language, there is a love of film so great and deep that it inspires everyone who comes in contact with it. I hope that love bursts through the screen.

For the first 2 years of shooting, I didn’t know how we were going to end this documentary, as Quentin claims to be making only 10 films, and he was just completing his eighth at the time. But on October 17, 2017, Quentin’s longtime partner Harvey Weinstein’s downfall kickstarted the #metoo movement, bringing a darkness that I hadn’t encountered at any point during filming, an opposite energy to what I’ve come to know in Quentin’s world. My decision was made for me, leaving these eight films encapsulated in one of the most polarized film partnerships of all time, marking the end of an era in Hollywood.

– Director Tara Wood

Q&A WITH FILMMAKER TARA WOOD

Q) How did you settle on Tarantino for your next documentary feature following Linklater?

Austin is my second home and I’ve had the insight about Quentin being “all heart” for a very long time because of my experience of him spending a lot of time there… the QT Fest in Austin and Rick’s and Louis Black’s relationship with Quentin and being that TRUE ROMANCE is one of my favorite films, it was natural.

​Q) What is your favorite Tarantino film and why?
If I have to pick one of his “films”, it’s RESERVOIR DOGS because of its perfection in its rawness, it was a shocking new voice. My favorite screenplay is TRUE ROMANCE, it’s my favorite story and has my favorite characters. Every character is developed, all the way down to what would have been a day player role for the part of Floyd. But it was SO good that Brad Pitt wanted to play “Floyd”, a day player role! I fell in love with Clarence and Alabama Worley’s love.

Q) With so many people to potentially interview, who did you prioritize and was there an order that you wanted to ideally go in when sitting down with them?
I started with the people that worked most often with Quentin. I wanted to get to know him first, through the people that knew him from the beginning, TRUE ROMANCE script/Reservoir Dogs, who have personally witnessed his arc and growth. Madsen and Tim Roth were first on my list and Scotty Spiegel.

Q) When you decided to start the process to take back your film from The Weinstein Company, what was the most challenging part?
Knowing that I’ve had my own #metoo moments. It’s also what made it easy.

Q) What was the general industry reaction after that decision? Did you receive more support or backlash, either publicly or privately?
Most were frightened by it. I was surprised at the cowardice, to be honest. Many thought I wouldn’t win, I was told I was “too small”, many thought Harvey would make a comeback and retaliate, it was a very long fight and a very lonely time. But I knew what needed to be done… on many levels both personally and professionally, and I did win.

And after digging into Quentin, and who he is… it is very clear that Quentin is, to his core, a natural champion of women, a complete contradiction to Harvey. It’s not a second thought to him, it’s part of him to naturally include women in his films and his business affairs, his life. I now find it exasperating to read/hear people challenge Quentin on it, they haven’t done their homework. Quentin took a chance and trusted me from the beginning when I asked him for his support to move forward, then his friends and colleagues trusted me in turn, I take that very seriously. I respect him and their appreciation of him very much.

Quentin and his audience deserve to see QT8, it was worth the fight.

Q) Has Tarantino seen the film yet and if he has, what does he think? If not, what do you hope he takes away from it?
I hope that Quentin simply enjoys it. I hope that the audience learns that Quentin loves people and that passion drives his exploration of the human condition resulting in everything he writes/directs is deeply considered, there is nothing out of place and there is nothing gratuitous, thus making Quentin one of the most effective directors of all time.

Q) And is there a trilogy in mind; if so, who are you considering to profile next?

Tim Burton, David Fincher, or Robert Rodriguez.

Featured Films

Quentin Tarantino Films

RESERVOIR DOGS (1992) Directed by Quentin Tarantino ©MIRAMAX

PULP FICTION (1994) Directed by Quentin Tarantino ©MIRAMAX

JACKIE BROWN (1995) Directed by Quentin Tarantino ©MIRAMAX

KILL BILL Vol:1 (2003) Directed by Quentin Tarantino ©MIRAMAX

KILL BILL Vol:2 (2004) Directed by Quentin Tarantino ©MIRAMAX

DEATH PROOF (2007) Directed by Quentin Tarantino ©MIRAMAX

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (2009) Directed by Quentin Tarantino ©Lantern Entertainment

DJANGO UNCHAINED (2012) Directed by Quentin Tarantino ©Lantern Entertainment

HATEFUL EIGHT (2015) Directed by Quentin Tarantino ©Lantern Entertainment

ONCE UPON A TIME IN Directed by Quentin Tarantino ©Sony Pictures Entertainment /

Additional Footage

TRUE ROMANCE (1993) Directed by Tony Scott ©Morgan Creek Productions

NATURAL BORN KILLERS (1994) Directed by Oliver Stone ©Warner Bros.

Milano Calibro 9 (1972) Directed by Fernando DiLeo
© Cineproduzioni Daunia 70 / Raro

LE SAMOURAÏ (1967) Directed by Jean Pierre Melville © FIMEL-CICC TCP

GOLDEN GIRLS (1985-1992)
Sophia’s Wedding (episode #82)
©Touchstone Pictures and Television, a.a.d.o. the Walt Disney Company

ACROSS 110TH STREET (1972) Directed by Barry Shear
© United Artists /2000 Columbia Pictures Group

SWEET SWEETBACK’S BAADASSSS SONG (1971) Directed by Melvin Van Peebles
©YEAH, Inc. / Xenon Pictures

BLACK CEASAR (1973) Directed by Larry Cohen
© American International Pictures / MGM

BUCKTOWN (1975)
Directed by Arthur Marks
© American International Pictures / MGM / YEAH, Inc.

FOXY BROWN (1974) Directed by Jack hill
© American International Pictures

COFFY (1973)
Directed by Jack Hill
© American International Pictures

BANYON (1971-1973) T.V. SERIES © Warner Bros. Television

MEDIUM COOL (1969) Directed by Haskell Wexler © Paramount Pictures

CITY ON FIRE (1979) Directed by Alvin Rakoff
© Cinema City Film Production Co. Ltd

GONE IN 60 SECONDS (1974) Directed by H.B. Halicki
© H.B. Halicki Mercantile Co.

THE KILLING (1956) Directed BY Stanley Kubrick © United Artists

LADY SNOWBLOOD (1973) Directed by Toshiya Fujita © Toho Film (Elga) Co. Ltd

GAME OF DEATH (1978) Directed by Robert Clouse
© Columbia Pictures / Paragon Films Ltd

BLAZING SADDLES (1974) Directed by Mel Brooks
© Warner Bros.

THE HAUNTING (1974) Directed by Robert Wise © MGM / Warner Bros.

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE Directed by Tobe Hooper
© Bryanston Distributing

12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013) Directed by Steve McQueen © Regency Entertainment, Inc.

VANISHING POINT (1971) Directed by Richard C. Sarafian 20t​ h​ Century Fox

MOESHA (1996 – 2001) Paramount Domestic Television

BREAKING BAD (2013) Directed by Peter Gould AMC

THE COWBOYS (1972) Directed by Mark Rydell © Warner Bros.

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