Quay (film)

2015 documentary short film

Quay

DVD cover

Directed by| Christopher Nolan
Produced by|

* Christopher Nolan
* Andy Thompson

Cinematography| Christopher Nolan
Edited by| Christopher Nolan
Music by| Christopher Nolan

Production
company

Syncopy

Distributed by| Zeitgeist Films

Release date

* 19 August 2015 (2015-08-19)

Running time

| 8 minutes[1]
Country| United Kingdom
Language| English
Box office| $51,858[2][3]

Quay is a 2015 British short documentary film composed, shot, edited, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan[4] about animators Stephen and Timothy Quay. The film premiered at the Film Forum theatre in New York City on 19 August 2015.[5]

## Cast

[edit]

* Stephen Quay as himself
* Timothy Quay as himself

## Production

[edit]

Nolan had been an admirer of the Quay Brothers' work since coming across their films when they were originally screened on Channel 4 in the UK in the early 1990s. In addition to making a documentary about the inner workings of the brothers' studio, Nolan curated a theatrical tour called The Quay Brothers in 35mm, showcasing newly restored 35mm prints of the Quay's films In Absentia (2000), The Comb (1990) and Street of Crocodiles (1986).[5][6]

## Release

[edit]

Quay had its world premiere at the Film Forum theatre in New York City on 19 August 2015.[5] The short film was released on Blu-ray on 20 October 2015.[7][8][9]

### Box office

[edit]

As of 7 July 2025, Quay grossed $51,858 in the United States.[2][3]

### Critical reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 6 critics' reviews are positive.[10]

The programme and Nolan's short received critical acclaim, with Indiewire writing in their review that the Brothers "will undoubtedly have hundreds, if not thousands more fans because of Nolan, and for that The Quay Brothers in 35mm will always be one of latter's most important contributions to cinema".[11] Stephanie Zacharek of The Village Voice wrote, "Nolan gives us a glimpse into their world: His delightful and mischievous little film swoops in on the brothers as they work in their studio, which looks like a long-abandoned — and haunted — toymaker’s studio, a repository of trays and drawers full of rusty metal parts, pots of paints and potions, and tufts of antique doll hair."[12]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Quay (U)". British Board of Film Classification. 5 September 2016. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
2. ^ a b "The Quay Brothers in 35MM (2015)". The Numbers. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
3. ^ a b "Quay". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
4. ^ Adlakha, Siddhant. "Christopher Nolan's Next Film Is QUAY In 35mm". Birth.Movies.Death. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
5. ^ a b c Labrecque, Jeff (27 July 2015). "Christopher Nolan's next movie is a documentary short". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
6. ^ Hoffman, Jordan (20 August 2015). "The Quay Brothers: a nightmarish inspiration for Christopher Nolan". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
7. ^ "The Quay Brothers: Collected Short Films Blu-ray". Blu Ray. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
8. ^ "The Quay Brothers: Collected Short Films Blu-ray (DigiPack)".
9. ^ Thill, Scott (17 August 2015). "The Brothers Quay Take Christopher Nolan's 'Quay' Documentary On Tour". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
10. ^ "Quay". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
11. ^ Sharf, Zack (20 August 2015). "Why 'The Quay Brothers in 35mm' is One of Christopher Nolan's Greatest Accomplishments". Indiewire. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
12. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (18 August 2015). "Explore the World of the Quay Brothers With a Spirited Doc From Christopher Nolan". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Quay at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Christopher Nolan

* Filmography
* Accolades
* Cinematic style

Films directed|

| Features|

* Following (1998)
* Memento (2000)
* Insomnia (2002)
* Batman Begins (2005)
* The Prestige (2006)
* The Dark Knight (2008)
* Inception (2010)
* The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
* Interstellar (2014)
* Dunkirk (2017)
* Tenet (2020)
* Oppenheimer (2023)
* The Odyssey (2026)

|

Shorts|

* Larceny (1996)
* Doodlebug (1997)
* Quay (2015)

Film produced|

Man of Steel (2013, also сo-story writer)

Related|

* Barbenheimer
* Syncopy Inc.
* Emma Thomas (wife)
* Jonathan Nolan (brother)
* John Nolan (uncle)
* Lisa Joy (sister-in-law)

Category

* v
* t
* e

Brothers Quay

Feature films|

* Institute Benjamenta (1995)
* The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes (2005)
* Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass (2024)

Short films|

* The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer (1984)
* The Epic of Gilgamesh, or This Unnameable Little Broom (1985)
* Street of Crocodiles (1986)
* The Sandman (2000)
* In Absentia (2000)
* The Doll's Breath (2019)

Miscellaneous|

* Quay (2015 documentary)

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