Tony Kaye Directs Five-Minute Short Amid Leicester's Giant Sculptures

British director Tony Kaye will begin filming a five-minute short titled Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? this Friday in Leicester, England. The project blends documentary elements with reality drama. It takes place in the streets of Leicester, where giant monster sculptures currently stand in public spaces.

The production pairs Kaye with emerging talent from De Montfort University and the local creative scene. Hiu Man Chan, a film entrepreneur and academic at the university, is producing the project. The team is taking a collaborative approach that relies on chance encounters and real experiences rather than a rigid script. Louis Lingjaerde, known for his work on Vipers, serves as the cinematographer.

The narrative will form around the specific cast and participants involved. The film uses the physical presence of the monsters to explore how people understand one another across differences. It probes themes of belonging and commitment within a diverse city environment.

Kaye says the concept stems from a commercial he directed forty years ago. That spot featured a dog, a cat, and a mouse kissing in front of a coal fire to the tune of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow. Kaye notes that he is returning to that same idea. He views the universe as a real coal fire where animals gather to work out how to love one another.

The setting is provided by Leicester Monsters, a downtown program run by BID Leicester. The initiative places oversized creatures on the city's streets to encourage visitors to explore the center. Bristol-based firm Designs in Air installed the sculptures. Chan states that the mix of the city and the surreal backdrop allows the film to challenge conventional filmmaking methods.

Kaye is best known for his 1998 feature American History X, which earned Edward Norton an Oscar nomination for best actor. His 2011 film Detachment, starring Adrien Brody, won the Critics' Award and the Revelation Prize at the Deauville American Film Festival. He also directed the 2006 documentary Lake of Fire.

The release of American History X was marked by a dispute between Kaye and New Line Cinema. Kaye disagreed with the final edit, which ran longer than his original 95-minute cut. He spent approximately $100,000 on trade ads to voice his objections. The Directors Guild of America denied his request to change his credit to a pseudonym. Kaye later sued the guild and the studio for $200 million, a case dismissed in 2000.

Kaye documented that dispute in Humpty Dumpty X, a 74-minute documentary made from camcorder footage. The film features phone calls with studio executives and world premiered in the Spotlight Documentary section of this year's Tribeca Festival. Kaye also built a career in commercials for brands including Nike, Volvo, and British Rail.