Filmmaker Neil Jordan accepted the Master Of Cinema award at the Atlàntida Mallorca Film Fest opening gala in Palma, acknowledging a deep love for Hollywood while noting its stubborn contradictions. The Irish director has spent decades shaping a storied career, most notably with the acclaimed film Game of Tears, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this year and earned the Best Screenplay Oscar in 1993. A special screening of that landmark work was announced to accompany the award ceremony.
Jordan, however, downplayed the notion that he is a master filmmaker in any definitive sense. He suggested that praise from the industry is something others bestow, not something a person can claim for themselves, and he reminded attendees that the film business remains challenging even amid recognition.
In candid remarks, he pointed out an irony: acclaim is handed out publicly while the practical realities of running a film operation are often painstaking and complex. He observed that younger directors tend to receive larger budgets, and that aging in a creative field can complicate the pursuit of new projects.
Speaking about Hollywood, Jordan observed that studios often gravitate toward younger talent and large franchises. He noted that giant budgets are now common with blockbuster productions, and he criticized this path for potentially boosting industry income while offering limited opportunities for a broader range of filmmakers.
According to him, there is a crisis facing cinema as a whole. He suggested that while some audiences embrace streaming platforms, his own stylistic approach may be finding more visibility online than in traditional theaters, underscoring a shift in how contemporary audiences discover films.
The festival invitation came in part because he views independent online cinema as a vibrant proving ground. Platforms that champion director-driven projects echo the early days of his career and serve as a model for how meaningful storytelling can flourish outside traditional gatekeeping channels.
On Game of Tears, Jordan stated that a remake would not happen and that the film would be nearly impossible to shoot today given the changed social landscape. He observed that topics such as gender identity and racial dynamics have evolved, challenging old labels while inviting fresh conversations about what certain identifiers once signified.
He also touched on his next project, Marlowe, a straightforward challenge for private detective Philip Marlowe, drawn from Raymond Chandler’s classic. The production is planned to reach theaters before Christmas, with much of the filming taking place in Spain to recreate a Los Angeles of 1938 that no longer exists in its original form.
Jordan explained that recreating that era required locating locations whose architecture could evoke a Mediterranean Spanish style. The production design team sought spaces that could convincingly evoke the look and mood of a city in flux, a challenge he described as essential to preserving the story’s atmosphere for contemporary audiences. The project reflects a deliberate approach to crafting period detail that resonates with today’s viewers while honoring the source material, a balance many contemporary filmmakers strive to achieve. [Citation: Mallorca Film Fest press materials]