Nothing fake about Jersey filmmaker's art fraudster film

Friday 25 February 2022

A local film producer has been spending time with a renowned art forger - whose exquisite imitations ended up landing him in jail - to help bring his story to the big screen.

'Genuine Fakes' is being brought to life by Julie Daly-Wallman, the Jersey-born founder and CEO of both Green Eye Production Academy and its Jersey equivalent Green Eye Productions.

“The 1980s and 1990s witnessed a dramatic increase in the price of works of art… and so did the potential for fraud," runs the strapline.

Genuine Fakes is the story of John Myatt - a talented artist who found himself in a difficult situation.

By 1985 his wife had left him, his house was falling apart, and he had children to look after. John realised something had to be done. 

From an early age, John had a particular skill at imitating the styles of famous artists. Surrounded by desperate circumstances, making the jump into the world of art fraud was all too appealing.

Pictured: John Myatt is a talented artist who, under difficult circumstances, felt pushed into the world of art forgery.

“There are probably around 200 John Myatt forgeries still in circulation," Julie told Express.

“In short, John was caught, and he paid the price for what he did,” she explained. “He spent eight months in jail, away from his children.”

“He used that time to take back control. When the judge that sentenced John commissioned paintings from him, that marked the start of his new life.”

Genuine Fakes is the name of John’s new business, where he has found success selling legitimate copies of classic paintings as well as his original work.

It is a true story, and Julie has spent many hours with John himself to retell it.

Video: Made You Look, a documentary released on Netflix last year, ignited public interested in the shady world of art fraud.

“John and his wife Rosemary have very much become part of our family,” says Julie. “In fact, Rosemary has published a book based on our film screenplay”

“It was her dream to write her book, so we helped her make that happen."

Julie is vastly experienced in the film industry, having worked on over 40 productions to date. She trained alongside “legendary” movie figure Roger Corman,  who was also writer of Little Shop of Horrors, and actor in The Silence of the Lambs.

The fact that Julie and her team became so personally involved with John and his family comes as no surprise once you understand the underlying philosophy behind Green Eye.

Pictured: Julie, with Green Eye, helped John's wife Rosemary publish a book based on the film's screenplay.

“Everyone has a story, and it is important to us that the vision of our writers stay intact,” says Julie.

“Whenever people come to work with us, we make sure they leave with a 90-minute film that is made without being wasteful. There is always minimal interference, so that we can avoid the potential disappointment of the movie turning out vastly different to what the writer originally intended.”

Julie is a carer for her father, and that selfless nature shines through when she talks about her films

Since she was a child, she always wanted to see her name “appear on the credits on the big screen”. Julie’s true passion, however, is enabling others to be able to live their dreams.

Pictured: Julie, who spoke at a Carers Jersey event last Wednesday, takes her selflessness as a carer and uses it to help others follow their dreams.

“There is much talent around, especially in Jersey. Many people never get the chance to really follow the path that their heart pulls them toward. I'm so lucky to have met so many great people who have helped us helped others - Andrew Smith at Pinewood studios, MP Sir Bill Cash, Anna Kennedy OBE at Autism's Got Talent, to name a few.

“We always work closely with people and communities local to where we are shooting, whether that be in the UK, Jersey or elsewhere.

“The people are always, always the most important factor.”

Genuine Fakes is due to start filming in Staffordshire this year.