ABOUT
We are an independent film and TV production company, based in London and established in Harrogate in 2005 by writer/director Tim Reynard. Tim met Will and Oli working on short films in the late '00s and we founded DeCantillon as a limited company in 2012.
We received plaudits in The Times and The Guardian for our first project, "Denied" and soon after were honoured to have Richard Briers narrate our WWII feature, "The Only One Who Knows You’re Afraid". We have since been nominated for Best Film and Best Director at a BIFA-qualifiying festival for our debut pro feature, "Upon the Edge". We are currently in development on our first TV project, "ARMOUR".
As a gay, working-class Yorkshireman, Tim’s motivation is routed in telling stories about under-represented communities and exploring the practical ethics of the everyday. He is a screenwriter, director and WGGB Candidate Member, currently tutored by Anna Seifert-Speck (“God’s Own Country”, “Supernova”) on the competitive Script Development postgrad diploma at National Film and Television School.
We specialise in ambitious, character driven scripted dramas and suspense thrillers.
The name of the company originated from Tim's family history. Tim's great-great-great-something-grandfather, Thomas Cantillon, was an eccentric, wealthy surgeon and owner of Ballyheigue Castle in a coastal town in County Kerry, Ireland in the 1700s.
Napoleon spent a drunk evening with Cantillon during a tour of Ireland and shortly after, invited Cantillon to join his entourage. Years later, Napoleon sent Cantillon to London to make an attempt on the Duke of Wellington's life. Cantillon failed, but on his return to France was knighted for his bravery, thus becoming Chevalier de Cantillon (Knight of the Cantillon family). The 'de' was permitted to be used for Thomas' offspring and 'DeCantillon' was passed down through the generations. It’s use ended with Tim's great-grandmother who was an only child and took her husband's surname when she married. To restore this historic name and story, Tim adopted it for his company in 2007.
