Andy Conlan

When Andy Conlan was seven years old, he tried to organise a play about Julius Caesar at school. His plan went awry when he couldn't find enough extras to perform as soldiers, but Conlan wasn't put off. As a teenager in Auckland, he wrote, directed and acted in theatre, and appeared in TV commercials. He started making his own films in 2003 with short Soulmate, which he directed, wrote, produced and acted in. In 2007, Conlan made his first feature film The Last Magic Show. He stars as a young escape artist seeking love. Conlan has also written and illustrated children's books, and been a ring announcer for various sports.  

Others there told me that if I really wanted a career as a mainstream Hollywood filmmaker, a movie with guns, violence and tits would be a much better calling card than a sombre, arthouse drama like the one I'd made... Andy Conlan on feedback from Hollywood for his film The Last Magic Show, Onfilm, May 2008, page 22