Good news for those who wish to know what their Twitter feed’s jacking off to: the Criterion Channel are launching an erotic thriller series that includes De Palma’s Dressed to Kill and Body Double, the Wachowskis’ Bound, and so many other movies to stir up that ceaseless, fruitless “why do movies have sex scenes?” discourse. (Better or worse than middle-age film critics implying they have a hard-on? I’m so indignant at being forced to choose.) Similarly lurid, if not a bit more frightening, is a David Lynch retro that includes the Criterion editions of Lost Highway and Inland Empire (about which I spoke to Lynch last year), a series of shorts, and a one-month-only engagement for Dune, a film that should be there in perpetuity.
Retrospectives of Harold Lloyd, Rohmer’s Tales of the Four Seasons, and shorts by Fanta Régina Nacro round out the big debuts,...
Retrospectives of Harold Lloyd, Rohmer’s Tales of the Four Seasons, and shorts by Fanta Régina Nacro round out the big debuts,...
- 3/20/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Tosin Cole was larking about on the set of the Warner Bros House Party reboot in Los Angeles when an email dropped from casting director Kim Coleman (BlacKkKlansman) about Emmett Till’s story.
“I was like, ‘I’m filming for months non stop, I want to go home,’ ” he recalls thinking. “They wanted me to go for Medgar Evers, and I was like, ‘I don’t know who that is. Let me think about it.’ “
His agent brought him up short telling him, “No, you got to do it. At least send a tape.”
“I was like, ‘I’m doing night shifts in LA. I don’t know when I’ll have time,’ ” he worried.
That’s when Barbara Broccoli, an executive producer of Uar’s Till, zinged him a message saying, “We’d love to have you on board, if you can.”
That missive sharpened Cole’s mind.
Besides...
“I was like, ‘I’m filming for months non stop, I want to go home,’ ” he recalls thinking. “They wanted me to go for Medgar Evers, and I was like, ‘I don’t know who that is. Let me think about it.’ “
His agent brought him up short telling him, “No, you got to do it. At least send a tape.”
“I was like, ‘I’m doing night shifts in LA. I don’t know when I’ll have time,’ ” he worried.
That’s when Barbara Broccoli, an executive producer of Uar’s Till, zinged him a message saying, “We’d love to have you on board, if you can.”
That missive sharpened Cole’s mind.
Besides...
- 1/14/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Musician and actor David Bowie has topped a Sky Arts list celebrating the 50 most influential British artists of the last 50 years.
Bowie was named most influential by judges as they commended his influence across the industry and ability to transcend a variety of mediums including music, film and fashion.
A team of judges across music, film and TV, performing arts, literature and visual art were asked to create the list by TV channel Sky Arts in a celebration of British artists past and present and their influence on global culture. The 15-person judging panel, led by DJ, presenter and author Lauren Laverne, included Mobo Awards founder Kanya King, writer Bonnie Greer, film critic Ali Plumb and theater critic Lyn Gardner.
The top 10 also includes artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen (“Small Axe”) in second place; Russell T. Davies in third; fashion designer Vivienne Westwood fourth; playwright Caryl Churchill fifth; dancer-choreographer Michael Clark...
Bowie was named most influential by judges as they commended his influence across the industry and ability to transcend a variety of mediums including music, film and fashion.
A team of judges across music, film and TV, performing arts, literature and visual art were asked to create the list by TV channel Sky Arts in a celebration of British artists past and present and their influence on global culture. The 15-person judging panel, led by DJ, presenter and author Lauren Laverne, included Mobo Awards founder Kanya King, writer Bonnie Greer, film critic Ali Plumb and theater critic Lyn Gardner.
The top 10 also includes artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen (“Small Axe”) in second place; Russell T. Davies in third; fashion designer Vivienne Westwood fourth; playwright Caryl Churchill fifth; dancer-choreographer Michael Clark...
- 8/11/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Netflix’s Rapman-created Supacell series, about a group of regular people who gain superpowers, is up, up and away with Tosin Cole (61st Street) signed on to play lead character Michael Lasaki. Filming begins in South London on Monday.
Speaking exclusively to Deadline, Blue Story creator Rapman Aka Andrew Onwabolu said Cole’s Michael is a “van driver, an everyday working man, who’s deep in love” with Dionne, played by Adelayo Adedayo (The Responder).
The cast also includes Nadine Mills (The Weekend), Eric Kofi Abrefa, Calvin Demba (The Rig), Josh Tedeku (Moonhaven), Rayxia Ojo (Call The Midwife) and Giacomo Mancini (Top Boy).
Commissioned in 2021, the six-part superhero show sees a certain number of Black people in South London develop superpowers. Rapman is showrunner and lead director and Sebastian Thiel (Dreaming Whilst Black) will direct three of the episodes.
Cole’s casting...
Speaking exclusively to Deadline, Blue Story creator Rapman Aka Andrew Onwabolu said Cole’s Michael is a “van driver, an everyday working man, who’s deep in love” with Dionne, played by Adelayo Adedayo (The Responder).
The cast also includes Nadine Mills (The Weekend), Eric Kofi Abrefa, Calvin Demba (The Rig), Josh Tedeku (Moonhaven), Rayxia Ojo (Call The Midwife) and Giacomo Mancini (Top Boy).
Commissioned in 2021, the six-part superhero show sees a certain number of Black people in South London develop superpowers. Rapman is showrunner and lead director and Sebastian Thiel (Dreaming Whilst Black) will direct three of the episodes.
Cole’s casting...
- 8/11/2022
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The producers of the U.K.’s most successful movie franchise are being awarded one of the British film industry’s highest honors.
Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, longtime James Bond producers and custodians, are set to receive the BFI Fellowship, the top honor from the British Film Institute.
The BFI said it was recognizing the pair’s “extraordinary achievements and enormous contribution to cinema, with arguably the best loved and most enduring film franchise in the world — James Bond — celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.” The two will receive the fellowship at the BFI Chair’s Dinner, hosted by BFI Chair Tim Richards, on June 28 in London.
“We are so proud to be awarded the BFI Fellowship on behalf of all of those who have been a part of the James Bond series over 60 years and feel honored to join such...
The producers of the U.K.’s most successful movie franchise are being awarded one of the British film industry’s highest honors.
Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, longtime James Bond producers and custodians, are set to receive the BFI Fellowship, the top honor from the British Film Institute.
The BFI said it was recognizing the pair’s “extraordinary achievements and enormous contribution to cinema, with arguably the best loved and most enduring film franchise in the world — James Bond — celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.” The two will receive the fellowship at the BFI Chair’s Dinner, hosted by BFI Chair Tim Richards, on June 28 in London.
“We are so proud to be awarded the BFI Fellowship on behalf of all of those who have been a part of the James Bond series over 60 years and feel honored to join such...
- 6/17/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Unscripted
Bollywood actress and fitness buff Shilpa Shetty is lined up to host a new wellness-themed chat show, produced by Mirchi, an Entertainment Network India Limited company, and presented by Pintola Peanut Butter with Sofit. Focusing on physical and mental wellness, “Shape of You” will invite a wide range of India’s most popular celebrities to share their best tips for caring for their physical and mental wellbeing. Confirmed guests include actor John Abraham (“Dhoom”), Sri Lankan actor Jacqueline Fernandez (“Aladin”), designer-actor Masaba Gupta (“Masaba Masaba”), rapper Badshah, actor Shehnaz Gill (“Honsla Rakh”) and more. The show will stream on Mirchi’s YouTube channel starting in March.
“My journey with fitness and wellness started over 15 years ago, and my involvement in this journey grew post giving birth to my first child,” said Shetty. “Over time I have realized the importance of health and fitness in my life, and I want...
Bollywood actress and fitness buff Shilpa Shetty is lined up to host a new wellness-themed chat show, produced by Mirchi, an Entertainment Network India Limited company, and presented by Pintola Peanut Butter with Sofit. Focusing on physical and mental wellness, “Shape of You” will invite a wide range of India’s most popular celebrities to share their best tips for caring for their physical and mental wellbeing. Confirmed guests include actor John Abraham (“Dhoom”), Sri Lankan actor Jacqueline Fernandez (“Aladin”), designer-actor Masaba Gupta (“Masaba Masaba”), rapper Badshah, actor Shehnaz Gill (“Honsla Rakh”) and more. The show will stream on Mirchi’s YouTube channel starting in March.
“My journey with fitness and wellness started over 15 years ago, and my involvement in this journey grew post giving birth to my first child,” said Shetty. “Over time I have realized the importance of health and fitness in my life, and I want...
- 2/24/2022
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
If 2021 has been a calvacade of bad decisions, dashed hopes, and warning signs for cinema’s strength, the Criterion Channel’s monthly programming has at least buttressed our hopes for something like a better tomorrow. Anyway. The Channel will let us ride out distended (holi)days in the family home with an extensive Alfred Hitchcock series to bring the family together—from the established Rear Window and Vertigo to the (let’s just guess) lesser-seen Downhill and Young and Innocent—Johnnie To’s Throw Down and Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons in their Criterion editions, and some streaming premieres: Ste. Anne, Lydia Lunch: The War is Never Over, and The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love.
Special notice to Yvonne Rainer’s brain-expanding Film About a Woman Who . . .—debuting in “Female Gaze: Women Directors + Women Cinematographers,” a series that does as it says on the tin—and a Joseph Cotten retro boasting Ambersons,...
Special notice to Yvonne Rainer’s brain-expanding Film About a Woman Who . . .—debuting in “Female Gaze: Women Directors + Women Cinematographers,” a series that does as it says on the tin—and a Joseph Cotten retro boasting Ambersons,...
- 11/21/2021
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The nameless Black characters who make up the ensemble of Debbie Tucker Green’s “Ear for Eye” have a lot to say, but are also in no mood to explain themselves. As their words hit the screen with crisp, rapid purpose, forming hard truths on subjects ranging from privilege to police violence to updated family values, the contemporary Black experience is conveyed in a way that brooks no debate — after all, as one man states, “change is gonna do its thing with or without you.”
An electrifying adaptation of Tucker Green’s own theater piece, “Ear for Eye” is not out to coax audiences into taking its point of view, to reach across the aisle or to change hearts and minds in the process. Rather, this abrasive, exhilarating film is out to candidly say its piece, to identify and evoke the world as Tucker Green sees it, and doesn’t...
An electrifying adaptation of Tucker Green’s own theater piece, “Ear for Eye” is not out to coax audiences into taking its point of view, to reach across the aisle or to change hearts and minds in the process. Rather, this abrasive, exhilarating film is out to candidly say its piece, to identify and evoke the world as Tucker Green sees it, and doesn’t...
- 11/10/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
MGM’s Orion Pictures’ film “Till,” starring Danielle Deadwyler, Whoopi Goldberg and Jalyn Hall as Emmett Till, has rounded out its cast.
Frankie Faison, Jayme Lawson, Tosin Cole, Kevin Carroll, Sean Patrick Thomas, John Douglas Thompson and Roger Guenveur Smith have boarded the project, directed by Chinonye Chukwu. “Till” is currently filming in Atlanta, with the full cast pictured above.
“Till” tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley (Deadwyler), chronicling her decision to have an open casket at Emmett’s funeral and allowing Jet magazine to publish David Jackson’s funeral photos in order to ensure people everywhere saw the true horrors of her son’s murder. The decision from the grieving mother was a galvanizing moment that led to the creation of the civil rights movement. Goldberg is set to portray Till’s grandmother, Alma Carthan.
Chuwku also wrote the screenplay for the film, about a mother’s pursuit of justice,...
Frankie Faison, Jayme Lawson, Tosin Cole, Kevin Carroll, Sean Patrick Thomas, John Douglas Thompson and Roger Guenveur Smith have boarded the project, directed by Chinonye Chukwu. “Till” is currently filming in Atlanta, with the full cast pictured above.
“Till” tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley (Deadwyler), chronicling her decision to have an open casket at Emmett’s funeral and allowing Jet magazine to publish David Jackson’s funeral photos in order to ensure people everywhere saw the true horrors of her son’s murder. The decision from the grieving mother was a galvanizing moment that led to the creation of the civil rights movement. Goldberg is set to portray Till’s grandmother, Alma Carthan.
Chuwku also wrote the screenplay for the film, about a mother’s pursuit of justice,...
- 10/11/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Lashana Lynch has joined the cast of TriStar Pictures’ The Woman King, starring Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis and International Emmy nominee Thuso Mbedu.
The Old Guard director Gina Prince-Bythewood is helming. The film is a historical epic inspired by true events that took place in the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The story follows Nanisca, general of the all-female military unit, and Nawi, an ambitious recruit, who together fought enemies who violated their honor, enslaved their people and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for.
Based on an original screenplay by Dana Stevens and current draft by Dana Stevens and Prince-Bythewood, the film is being produced by Academy Award-winning producer Cathy Schulman though her Welle Entertainment. She the EP and showrunner of Showtime’s upcoming series The First Lady, which also stars Davis. Davis and Julius Tennon...
The Old Guard director Gina Prince-Bythewood is helming. The film is a historical epic inspired by true events that took place in the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The story follows Nanisca, general of the all-female military unit, and Nawi, an ambitious recruit, who together fought enemies who violated their honor, enslaved their people and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for.
Based on an original screenplay by Dana Stevens and current draft by Dana Stevens and Prince-Bythewood, the film is being produced by Academy Award-winning producer Cathy Schulman though her Welle Entertainment. She the EP and showrunner of Showtime’s upcoming series The First Lady, which also stars Davis. Davis and Julius Tennon...
- 9/2/2021
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Debbie Tucker Green’s “Ear for Eye,” starring Lashana Lynch (“No Time to Die”), will receive a multi-platform launch, premiering at the 65th BFI London Film Festival and on the BBC.
The film will world premiere at the festival on Oct. 16 and will bow the same evening on BBC Two and streamer BBC iPlayer. It is produced by Fiona Lamptey, who is also director of U.K. features at Netflix.
The cast also includes Tosin Cole (“The Souvenir”), Carmen Munroe (“Desmond’s”), Danny Sapani (“MotherFatherSon”), Nadine Marshall (“Sitting In Limbo”) and Arinzé Kene (“I’m Your Woman”).
Tucker Green has adapted her acclaimed 2018 Royal Court stage production for the screen, with backing from BBC Film, BBC Two and the BFI. It is the second feature film from the BAFTA and Olivier Award-winning writer and director after “Second Coming” (2014).
The film explores demonstrations vs direct action, violence vs non-violence, the personal vs structural across Black families,...
The film will world premiere at the festival on Oct. 16 and will bow the same evening on BBC Two and streamer BBC iPlayer. It is produced by Fiona Lamptey, who is also director of U.K. features at Netflix.
The cast also includes Tosin Cole (“The Souvenir”), Carmen Munroe (“Desmond’s”), Danny Sapani (“MotherFatherSon”), Nadine Marshall (“Sitting In Limbo”) and Arinzé Kene (“I’m Your Woman”).
Tucker Green has adapted her acclaimed 2018 Royal Court stage production for the screen, with backing from BBC Film, BBC Two and the BFI. It is the second feature film from the BAFTA and Olivier Award-winning writer and director after “Second Coming” (2014).
The film explores demonstrations vs direct action, violence vs non-violence, the personal vs structural across Black families,...
- 8/26/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
It’s the first time the festival has had a joint television premiere on the same night.
debbie tucker green’s second feature ear for eye, is to receive its world premiere at the 65th BFI London Film Festival (October 6-17) and will be broadcast and streamed simultaneously on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. It is the first time the London Film Festival (Lff) has had a multi-platform premiere of this kind.
Writer and director tucker green is expected to attend the BFI premiere, along with key cast members.
tucker green has adapted her 2018 Royal Court stage production for the screen,...
debbie tucker green’s second feature ear for eye, is to receive its world premiere at the 65th BFI London Film Festival (October 6-17) and will be broadcast and streamed simultaneously on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. It is the first time the London Film Festival (Lff) has had a multi-platform premiere of this kind.
Writer and director tucker green is expected to attend the BFI premiere, along with key cast members.
tucker green has adapted her 2018 Royal Court stage production for the screen,...
- 8/26/2021
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
The Sheffield DocFest has unveiled its line-up for its 2021 programme that includes the World Premiere of the first instalment of Academy Award winner Steve McQueen’s new series for the BBC, ‘Uprising’.
For the first time, Sheffield DocFest goes nationwide with five premiere screenings showing in up to 16 partner cinemas in cities around the UK, and online, followed by pre-recorded Q&As. It also includes the previously announced Retrospective: Films belong to those who need them – fragments from the history of Black British Cinema.
The celebration of Black British screen culture – curated by guest curators including David Olusoga. Films of all lengths will all be presented as part of the retrospective including titles such as ‘Burning An Illusion’ by Menelik Shabazz, ‘It Ain’t Half Racist’, ‘Mum’ by Stuart Hall, ‘Looking for Langston’ by Isaac Julien, ‘Second Coming’ by Debbie Tucker Green, ‘The Black Safari’ by Colin Luke, ‘Baby Mother...
For the first time, Sheffield DocFest goes nationwide with five premiere screenings showing in up to 16 partner cinemas in cities around the UK, and online, followed by pre-recorded Q&As. It also includes the previously announced Retrospective: Films belong to those who need them – fragments from the history of Black British Cinema.
The celebration of Black British screen culture – curated by guest curators including David Olusoga. Films of all lengths will all be presented as part of the retrospective including titles such as ‘Burning An Illusion’ by Menelik Shabazz, ‘It Ain’t Half Racist’, ‘Mum’ by Stuart Hall, ‘Looking for Langston’ by Isaac Julien, ‘Second Coming’ by Debbie Tucker Green, ‘The Black Safari’ by Colin Luke, ‘Baby Mother...
- 5/17/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Exclusive: Rising stars Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and Tosin Cole are in negotiations to lead New Line’s reimagining of the 1990 cult comedy House Party, produced by The SpringHill Company. Award-winning music video director Calmatic will be helming in his feature debut.
SpringHill’s LeBron James and Maverick Carter will produce. Reginald Hudlin and Warrington Hudlin will exec produce along with Spencer Beighley and Jamal Henderson for SpringHill. Emmy-nominated Atlanta writing duo Stephen Glover and Jamal Olori wrote the script. New Line executives Richard Brener, Josh Mack and Victoria Palmeri are overseeing for the studio.
The beloved original House Party follows a high schooler (Christopher “Kid” Reid) sneaking out to his buddy’s (Christopher “Play” Martin) house party in what turns into a wild night of antics, music and plenty of fun. The film was a surprise box office hit for New Line in 1990 and is credited with helping catapult hip-hop into the mainstream.
SpringHill’s LeBron James and Maverick Carter will produce. Reginald Hudlin and Warrington Hudlin will exec produce along with Spencer Beighley and Jamal Henderson for SpringHill. Emmy-nominated Atlanta writing duo Stephen Glover and Jamal Olori wrote the script. New Line executives Richard Brener, Josh Mack and Victoria Palmeri are overseeing for the studio.
The beloved original House Party follows a high schooler (Christopher “Kid” Reid) sneaking out to his buddy’s (Christopher “Play” Martin) house party in what turns into a wild night of antics, music and plenty of fun. The film was a surprise box office hit for New Line in 1990 and is credited with helping catapult hip-hop into the mainstream.
- 4/7/2021
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
An adapted and reimagined version of a stage production, the movie is being backed by BBC Film and the BFI, via funds from the National Lottery. Principal photography has wrapped on ear for eye, the second feature by BAFTA- and Olivier Award-winning writer-director debbie tucker green (Second Coming), at Kennington Studios, London. Produced by Fiona Lamptey, the film’s ensemble cast includes Lashana Lynch, Tosin Cole, Carmen Munroe (Desmond’s), Danny Sapani, Nadine Marshall (Sitting in Limbo) and Arinzé Kene (I’m Your Woman). tucker green has adapted and reimagined ear for eye, her highly acclaimed 2018 stage production at the Royal Court Theatre, for the screen. The Guardian review of the play stated: “[ear for eye] is driven by anger at racial injustice. The cumulative impact is overwhelming as tucker green explores the subject’s present practice and historic roots… It...
“Captain Marvel” and “No Time To Die” star Lashana Lynch has wrapped principal photography on BAFTA and Olivier-winning Debbie Tucker Green’s “Ear For Eye” at Kennington Studios.
The film is an adaptation of Tucker Green’s own acclaimed play, which was staged at London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2018, starring Lynch.
The play, and the film, follows British and American Black characters of different generations navigating their way through today’s society, offering a critical perspective on the state of the nation.
The film is produced by Fiona Lamptey for Fruit Tree Media. In October, Lamptey joined Netflix as director of U.K. features.
The cast also includes Tosin Cole (“The Souvenir”), Carmen Munroe (“Desmond’s”), Danny Sapani (“MotherFatherSon”), Nadine Marshall (“Sitting In Limbo”) and Arinzé Kene (“I’m Your Woman”).
The film is backed by BBC Film and the British Film Institute (BFI). Executive producers are Rose Garnett for BBC Film,...
The film is an adaptation of Tucker Green’s own acclaimed play, which was staged at London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2018, starring Lynch.
The play, and the film, follows British and American Black characters of different generations navigating their way through today’s society, offering a critical perspective on the state of the nation.
The film is produced by Fiona Lamptey for Fruit Tree Media. In October, Lamptey joined Netflix as director of U.K. features.
The cast also includes Tosin Cole (“The Souvenir”), Carmen Munroe (“Desmond’s”), Danny Sapani (“MotherFatherSon”), Nadine Marshall (“Sitting In Limbo”) and Arinzé Kene (“I’m Your Woman”).
The film is backed by BBC Film and the British Film Institute (BFI). Executive producers are Rose Garnett for BBC Film,...
- 12/1/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
No Time To Die actress Lashana Lynch has wrapped filming on UK indie Ear For Eye, Debbie Tucker Green’s feature film adaptation of her well received play of the same name, which debuted at the Royal Court in 2018 with Lynch in the lead role.
Tosin Cole (Doctor Who), Carmen Munroe (Desmond’s), Danny Sapani (Harlots), Nadine Marshall (Sitting In Limbo) Arinzé Kene (I’m Your Woman), and Jade Anouka (His Dark Materials) are also cast in the pic, which follows British and American Black characters of different generations navigating their way through today’s society, offering a timely and critical perspective on the state of the nations.
The film shot at London’s Kennington Studios. Fiona Lamptey produced through her banner Fruit Tree Media; Lamptey recently joined Netflix as its Director of UK Features.
BBC Film and the BFI backed the project. Executive Producers are Rose Garnett for BBC Film,...
Tosin Cole (Doctor Who), Carmen Munroe (Desmond’s), Danny Sapani (Harlots), Nadine Marshall (Sitting In Limbo) Arinzé Kene (I’m Your Woman), and Jade Anouka (His Dark Materials) are also cast in the pic, which follows British and American Black characters of different generations navigating their way through today’s society, offering a timely and critical perspective on the state of the nations.
The film shot at London’s Kennington Studios. Fiona Lamptey produced through her banner Fruit Tree Media; Lamptey recently joined Netflix as its Director of UK Features.
BBC Film and the BFI backed the project. Executive Producers are Rose Garnett for BBC Film,...
- 12/1/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix has hired Fruit Tree Media executive Fiona Lamptey as its director of U.K. features.
Based in London, the newly created role will see Lamptey identify books, theater and other material to develop into feature films, focused on British productions and IP. Lamptey is also charged with spotting new, emerging U.K. talent. The newly created role comes as Netflix looks to widen its reach in the U.K. and focus on dedicated local productions.
Lamptey spent 13 years at U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 and film division Film4 working on features and short film productions before launching talent hub Fruit Tree Media in 2016 to champion underrepresented voices and stories. In 2019, the former production executive was identified as a future leader in film through Film London’s leadership initiative.
She sits on the BAFTA film committee and the BAFTA Learning and New Talent Committee, and has also served as a...
Based in London, the newly created role will see Lamptey identify books, theater and other material to develop into feature films, focused on British productions and IP. Lamptey is also charged with spotting new, emerging U.K. talent. The newly created role comes as Netflix looks to widen its reach in the U.K. and focus on dedicated local productions.
Lamptey spent 13 years at U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 and film division Film4 working on features and short film productions before launching talent hub Fruit Tree Media in 2016 to champion underrepresented voices and stories. In 2019, the former production executive was identified as a future leader in film through Film London’s leadership initiative.
She sits on the BAFTA film committee and the BAFTA Learning and New Talent Committee, and has also served as a...
- 10/22/2020
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
The speakers are Adrian Wootton, Gareth Ellis-Unwin, Sara Putt and Kate Norrish.
The latest in our Screen Talks webinar series is taking place on Tuesday June 16 at 15.30 BST and will look at how the UK’s new Covid-19 guidelines can help independent film producers and their creative departments to safely get back up and running on set and on location.
This episode of Screen Talks is sponsored by the British Film Institute and the British Film Commission.
Click here to register
The ‘Working Safely During Covid-19 in Film and High-End TV Drama Production’ guidance published last week signalled the road...
The latest in our Screen Talks webinar series is taking place on Tuesday June 16 at 15.30 BST and will look at how the UK’s new Covid-19 guidelines can help independent film producers and their creative departments to safely get back up and running on set and on location.
This episode of Screen Talks is sponsored by the British Film Institute and the British Film Commission.
Click here to register
The ‘Working Safely During Covid-19 in Film and High-End TV Drama Production’ guidance published last week signalled the road...
- 6/10/2020
- by 14¦Screen staff¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
The BBC Films-backed project stars ‘Blue Story’, ‘1917’ actors.
The threat of coronavirus has seen production suspended on Reggie Yates’ feature directorial debut Pirates.
The film, starring Elliot Edusah (1917), Jordan Peters (Blue Story) and Reda Elazouar (The Little Drummer Girl), had been filming in London for the last three weeks.
But the spread of Covid-19 has led producers Hillbilly Films to suspend filming, with the backing of financiers BBC Films and the British Film Institute (BFI).
“It is with great sadness that filming on Pirates has stopped,” said producers Polly Leys and Kate Norrish.
“The Covid-19 virus has become a...
The threat of coronavirus has seen production suspended on Reggie Yates’ feature directorial debut Pirates.
The film, starring Elliot Edusah (1917), Jordan Peters (Blue Story) and Reda Elazouar (The Little Drummer Girl), had been filming in London for the last three weeks.
But the spread of Covid-19 has led producers Hillbilly Films to suspend filming, with the backing of financiers BBC Films and the British Film Institute (BFI).
“It is with great sadness that filming on Pirates has stopped,” said producers Polly Leys and Kate Norrish.
“The Covid-19 virus has become a...
- 3/19/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
Yates’ debut follows extensive television work.
Elliot Edusah (1917), Jordan Peters (Blue Story) and Reda Elazouar (The Little Drummer Girl) have signed to lead the cast of Reggie Yates’ feature debut Pirates, which began shooting this week in London.
Polly Leys and Kate Norrish of Hillbilly Films are producing the project, which was developed with BBC Films and is financed by BBC Films and the BFI.
Written and directed by Yates, the film is a comedy focusing on three friends driving from North to South London on New Year’s Eve 1999 in search of tickets to the supposed hottest party in town.
Elliot Edusah (1917), Jordan Peters (Blue Story) and Reda Elazouar (The Little Drummer Girl) have signed to lead the cast of Reggie Yates’ feature debut Pirates, which began shooting this week in London.
Polly Leys and Kate Norrish of Hillbilly Films are producing the project, which was developed with BBC Films and is financed by BBC Films and the BFI.
Written and directed by Yates, the film is a comedy focusing on three friends driving from North to South London on New Year’s Eve 1999 in search of tickets to the supposed hottest party in town.
- 2/27/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
Claire McGlasson’s debut novel about a real-life cult, set in 1920s England, is being turned into a television series after Hillbilly Television optioned the rights.
The UK drama production company, which was founded byPolly Leys and Kate Norrish, is to develop a TV adaptation of The Rapture, which will be published in June 2019 by Faber and Faber, after fighting off fierce competition for the novel.
The Rapture is a story of madness and friendship, repressed emotions and acts of true devotion. It is set in 1926 in the UK market town of Bedford. A woman calling herself Octavia and claiming to be the Daughter of God is gathering followers, in what she believes was the original site of Eden. After the First World War claims countless husbands and sons, leaving many women alone, they are ready to find hope in Octavia’s Panacea Society. But one young member of the cult,...
The UK drama production company, which was founded byPolly Leys and Kate Norrish, is to develop a TV adaptation of The Rapture, which will be published in June 2019 by Faber and Faber, after fighting off fierce competition for the novel.
The Rapture is a story of madness and friendship, repressed emotions and acts of true devotion. It is set in 1926 in the UK market town of Bedford. A woman calling herself Octavia and claiming to be the Daughter of God is gathering followers, in what she believes was the original site of Eden. After the First World War claims countless husbands and sons, leaving many women alone, they are ready to find hope in Octavia’s Panacea Society. But one young member of the cult,...
- 4/20/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Titles backed by Film4 this year have a total of 15 Oscar nominations including a Best Picture and Best Director nomination and three of the five Oscar Best Actress Nominees: Cate Blanchett, Brie Larson, Charlotte Rampling. The total tally of Film4’s awards nominations and wins across the Academy, BAFTA, critics groups, guilds, etc. in 2015 to date is: 181 wins out of a total 581 nominations (95% of which were in the U.S.) across 11 films - “Room”, “Carol”, “Suffragette”, “Youth”, “The Lobster", "Ex Machina", "45 Years”, “Amy”, “Macbeth”, “Slow West”, and “Dark Horse”.
Film4 has already had two Academy Best Picture wins in recent years with "Slumdog Millionaire" and "12 Years A Slave" amid other Academy Award nominations, so we can declare they are a force to be reckoned with.
This year again they have more nominations than most Hollywood Studios! The New York based Distribution and Production Company A24 has seven nominations, and people are talking about them as serious players in the Oscar race, so let’s talk about Film4.
Film4 is known for working with the most distinctive and innovative, both new and established, talent. It develops and co-finances films and is well known for its involvement with “The Last King of Scotland” (2006), “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), “This is England” (2006), “Seven Psychopaths” (2012), “12 Years a Slave” (2013) as well as its most recent crop of successes in the current awards season which has also already garnered a record number of BAFTA nominations this year - 22 in all.
Sue Bruce Smith is the head of distribution and brand strategy at Channel 4’s feature film division, Film4. She supports the building and financing of projects from the U.K. broadcaster. She works in some capacity across most of the Film4 slate but has been particularly associated with films like “Room”, “The Lobster”, “Slumdog Millionaire”, “The Last King of Scotland”, “Tyrannosaur”, “The Imposter” and “Le Weekend”,
Sue has been at Film4 over 12 years. Prior to this she has worked variously in U.K. distribution, broadcaster investment in film, international sales and independent production at Palace Pictures, BBC Films, Littlebird and Film4.
Sl: Can you define what exactly you do at Film4?
Sue Bruce Smith: What I do varies quite a bit from film to film. Some of the seasoned producers are more adept at finding partners and don’t need much in the way of help putting their finance together. However, we also work with emerging producers and directors who require more guidance so I am on hand to help them access the right co-production or distribution partners to ensure the film is built in the best possible way. Once the film is completed, I again get involved in the strategy for the launch of the film and I oversee the distribution activity. Protecting and maximizing the strength of our Film4 brand is a key consideration in everything I do. We are also the only free-to-air channel dedicated to film in the U.K. so this really helps define our strong brand.
Sl: How are productions greenlit at Film4?
Sue Bruce Smith:The creative and commercial team within Film4 will guide a project through development to final greenlight. David Kosse, Director of Film4 is a key part of the whole progression of the film and his final decision, based very much on the soundings he gets from his senior team, also obviously draws heavily on his valuable experience and understanding of film investment and the international marketplace. The Film4 team is a very inclusive team of about 23 people working across development, production, finance and distribution. it is also able to draw upon additional resources within the Channel4, most specifically in marketing and press.
Sl: Do you do co-productions?
Sue Bruce Smith: If you mean financial co-productions, yes lots. These tend to be U.S. set financial co-productions or they might come out of Europe. But official co-productions are relatively rare as it is more difficult and takes longer to set up. “Room”, however, was an official co-production with Telefilm Canada and “The Lobster” was the result of a wonderful collaboration of over five different European co-producers.
Sl: What sort of budget parameters do you work with?
Sue Bruce Smith: We span from the very low to sometimes quite high. We try not to limit ourselves and allow the project to find its optimum level. When we developed “Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk” with Ink Factory, in the course of looking for partners we found a fan in Tom Rothman who at that time was in the process of rebuilding production at TriStar and we have ended up, as a result, being involved in an Ang Lee film! However these are the exceptions and the range is usually between Us $3m to Us$15m.
Going forward, we are keen to be bolder in how Film4 invests especially when we feel a film is a potential break out. We operate a cross subsidy model where the bigger, more commercial investments allow us to generate revenue that then supports the new emerging talent. It is worth noting that absolutely everything we earn from our films goes straight back into more development and film investment.
Sl: Do you have special “strands” for particular types of films?
Sue Bruce Smith: We don’t really distinguish films in strands we just work across many levels and genres. First time filmmakers tend to have smaller budgets - around Us$3m and they are built in a slightly different way. For our larger projects I’d say our sweet spot is $10 – 15 million.
Sl: How do you find projects?
Sue Bruce Smith:: We are constantly scouting for interesting new talent, watching shorts like “Robots of Brixton” where we found Kibwe Tavares, culling talent from our TV arm (like Yann Demange who worked with us on the TV series “Top Boy” before making “'71”) from theater (Lucy Kirkwood who we are making a short film with and developing a feature), the arts (which is where Steve McQueen originated and is still very active) and writing (Alex Garland who adapted “Never Let Me Go” for us and went on to make his striking debut “Ex Machina”)
Sl: I notice you don’t do international sales like you used to in the 80s.
Sue Bruce Smith: Yes we shed the international sales division and the U.K. Distribution arm back in 2002 and brought the focus back to our core development and co-financing activities. We currently work with a wide range of sales agents like Protagonist, Hanway, Cornerstone, FilmNation, Westend, Pathe, Studio Canal, Independent and others.
Sl: In the early days in the 1980s operations were different.
Sue Bruce Smith: David Rose, in 1982, was the real visionary behind Film4. He decided Channel4 would be different from all other TV channels. Channel4 was the first U.K. broadcaster, through its film arm, Film on Four, to develop and co-finance films and, crucially, to allow these films to play in cinemas before their television transmission on Channel4. Our theatrical model became Film on Four and HBO, Sbs and Arte followed this lead. “Walter” by Stephen Frears followed this route in 1982. Frear's next film “My Beautiful Laundrette” followed shortly after in 1985
(An aside here by Sydney Levine):
If my readers will indulge me for a little history lesson in how films change with technological change, I want to point out that in the early days of home video, in 1985, Sue and I (a couple of the pioneer women in the modern business) shared in the good fortune resulting from the shift in the movie and TV business.
Working for the biggest TV production house in U.S. in the days of “Dallas”, I came to Lorimar to buy for home video, the fastest growing new technological distribution tool yet. We put up $175,000 advance to acquire home video rights to the Film4 feature “My Beautiful Laundrette” for U.S. $75,000 of that was to be used as P&A by theatrical distributor Orion Pictures Classics’ platform theatrical release – to platform first in N.Y. and L.A for critical reviews, and then, if profitable, to expand across the nation. It was the first British film to come to U.S. in many a year (except of course for the James Bond franchise). Orion Classics was headed by Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Donna Gigliotti who paid no advance but used the P&A allotment wisely and well. It was a happy association that we shared a couple of more times before they moved on to form Sony Pictures Classics and I moved on to Republic Pictures, reconstructed by Cnb’s Russell Goldsmith, former CEO of Lorimar. This Film4 picture, “My Beautiful Laundrette” was by complete unknowns in the U.S. and was a first for us all. We did not know it would go on to gross $7 million at the box office (a huge amount at that time for an independent film) and would sell 75,000 video units (at $50 wholesale a piece = $3,750,000). We at Lorimar made a $1 million profit and overages of $1 million went to Channel 4 and $1 million went to Working Title. I got a $100 bonus, and we were all delighted. My association with Film4 was followed by many loyal and loving years and reunions, but that is another lesson.
To quote Adam P. Davies, the writer of the U.K. Film Finance Handbook 2005/6: How to Fund Your Film:
Stephen Frears’s 1985 “My Beautiful Laundrette” signalled a change in direction for the industry in that TV backed film investment started to feed local productions. The Channel4 film encouraged the broadcasters to increase investment in filmmaking over the late 80s and also launched Working Title, initially run by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radcliffe (who left in 1992 to run her own company) and later Eric Fellner, with whom Bevan runs the company today [in a longstanding deal with Universal-Focus]. Video distributor and producer Palace Pictures, run by Nik Powell and Stephen Woolley, followed the success in 1985 of Neil Jordan’s “Company of Wolves” with “Mona Lisa” in 1986. The British Film Commission launched in 1992 [when “The Crying Game” had its world success].
Sue was at Palace Productions when I was at Lorimar and Republic and our paths crossed many times and so I was quite eager to share the latest good fortune of the 2016 Academy Awards at a time when the Academy is being besieged by negative publicity. At that time, back in ’85, I suggested to Michael and Tom that they put up Daniel Day Lewis for Best Actor Nomination and as I recall, they told me British films or British actors in British films were not acceptable to the Academy, and so neither he nor the film was put up for nomination.
“My Beautiful Laundrette” obviously had Asian actors; it was about a gay skinhead and a Pakistani. Diversity was at its core, but it did not get past the British line of demarcation the Academy had drawn in ’85. Its ethnic boundaries might have existed if anyone had tried to test them but that was not even an issue in 1985. “Diversity” in those days did not exist as a word one used and the very idea of diversity was even more limited than today.
Film4 has had a key role in proactively promoting different voices and stories since the 1980s. And today diversity is a crucial consideration in the decisions Film4 makes about its developments and productions with the aim of increasing diversity across all areas of the business. They have several films currently in development with Bame writers and directors and are successfully working with many female directors such as Andrea Arnold, Debbie Tucker Green, Susanna White, Clio Bernard, Sarah Gavron and Lynne Ramsay.
In January last year parent company Channel4 launched the 360 Degree Diversity Charter which is all about a commitment to implementing diversity on and off screen and to measuring its progress. It is tied to Project Diamond, an industry-wide diversity monitoring system. Its results will be published in the next few months.
Film4 has developed and co-financed many of the most successful U.K. films of recent years, Academy Award-winners such as Steve McQueen’s "12 Years a Slave", Danny Boyle’s "Slumdog Millionaire", Phyllida Lloyd’s "The Iron Lady” and Martin McDonagh’s "In Bruges" in addition to critically-acclaimed award-winners such as Mike Leigh’s "Mr. Turner", Chris Morris’ "Four Lions", Shane Meadows’ "This is England", Ben Wheatley’s “Sightseers", Clio Barnard’s "The Selfish Giant" Jonathan Glazer’s "Under the Skin" and David Mackenzie’s "Starred Up".
Film4’s recent releases include; Lenny Abrahamson’s “Room", Todd Haynes’ “Carol", Sarah Gavron’s “Suffragette", Justin Kurzel’s “Macbeth", Yorgos Lanthimos’ "The Lobster", Asif Kapadia’s box office record breaking documentary “Amy", Andrew Haigh’s "45 Years", Alex Garland’s "Ex Machina", Paolo Sorrentino’s “Youth", Peter Strickland’s "The Duke of Burgundy", Daniel Wolfe’s "Catch Me Daddy" and John Maclean’s "Slow West".
Forthcoming releases include; Ben Wheatley’s "High-Rise" and "Free Fire", Ang Lee’s "Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk", Benedict Andrews’ “Una" and Andrea Arnold’s "American Honey".
For further information visit www.film4.com/productions, but for now, here is the Cheat Sheet on Film4’s 2016 Total Oscar Nominations numbering 15. It will be at my side as I watch the Awards on February. Parenthetically, I am also looking forward to watching the fashions before the show, and inside the show, to catching that one loose cannon who will deliver the only inspirational speech in a rather inspirationless, basically boring, but still worthy traditional show.
3 of 5 Oscar Best Actress Nominees – Cate Blanchett, Brie Larson, Charlotte Rampling
Nomination tally by film:
“Room” – 4 - Picture, Actress, Director, Best Adapted Screenplay
“Carol” – 6 –Actress, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, Original Score
“Ex Machina” – 2 –Original screenplay, Visual Effects
“Amy” – 1 – Documentary Feature
“45 Years” – 1 – Actress
“Youth” – 1 – Original Song
Film4-backed films Oscar® nominations in full:
“Carol”
Actress in a Leading Role: Cate Blanchett
Actress in a Supporting Role: Rooney Mara
Adapted Screenplay: Phyllis Nagy
Achievement in Cinematography: Ed Lachman
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original score): Carter Burwell
Achievement in Costume Design: Sandy Powell
“Room”
Best Motion Picture of the Year: Ed Guiney
Achievement in Directing: Lenny Abrahamson
Actress in a Leading Role: Brie Larson
Adapted Screenplay: Emma Donoghue
“Ex Machina”
Original Screenplay: Alex Garland
Achievement in Visual Effects: Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett
“45 Years”:
Actress in a Leading Role: Charlotte Rampling
“Youth”
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original song): Simple Song # 3, music and lyrics by David Lang
“Amy”
Best Documentary Feature: Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees...
Film4 has already had two Academy Best Picture wins in recent years with "Slumdog Millionaire" and "12 Years A Slave" amid other Academy Award nominations, so we can declare they are a force to be reckoned with.
This year again they have more nominations than most Hollywood Studios! The New York based Distribution and Production Company A24 has seven nominations, and people are talking about them as serious players in the Oscar race, so let’s talk about Film4.
Film4 is known for working with the most distinctive and innovative, both new and established, talent. It develops and co-finances films and is well known for its involvement with “The Last King of Scotland” (2006), “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), “This is England” (2006), “Seven Psychopaths” (2012), “12 Years a Slave” (2013) as well as its most recent crop of successes in the current awards season which has also already garnered a record number of BAFTA nominations this year - 22 in all.
Sue Bruce Smith is the head of distribution and brand strategy at Channel 4’s feature film division, Film4. She supports the building and financing of projects from the U.K. broadcaster. She works in some capacity across most of the Film4 slate but has been particularly associated with films like “Room”, “The Lobster”, “Slumdog Millionaire”, “The Last King of Scotland”, “Tyrannosaur”, “The Imposter” and “Le Weekend”,
Sue has been at Film4 over 12 years. Prior to this she has worked variously in U.K. distribution, broadcaster investment in film, international sales and independent production at Palace Pictures, BBC Films, Littlebird and Film4.
Sl: Can you define what exactly you do at Film4?
Sue Bruce Smith: What I do varies quite a bit from film to film. Some of the seasoned producers are more adept at finding partners and don’t need much in the way of help putting their finance together. However, we also work with emerging producers and directors who require more guidance so I am on hand to help them access the right co-production or distribution partners to ensure the film is built in the best possible way. Once the film is completed, I again get involved in the strategy for the launch of the film and I oversee the distribution activity. Protecting and maximizing the strength of our Film4 brand is a key consideration in everything I do. We are also the only free-to-air channel dedicated to film in the U.K. so this really helps define our strong brand.
Sl: How are productions greenlit at Film4?
Sue Bruce Smith:The creative and commercial team within Film4 will guide a project through development to final greenlight. David Kosse, Director of Film4 is a key part of the whole progression of the film and his final decision, based very much on the soundings he gets from his senior team, also obviously draws heavily on his valuable experience and understanding of film investment and the international marketplace. The Film4 team is a very inclusive team of about 23 people working across development, production, finance and distribution. it is also able to draw upon additional resources within the Channel4, most specifically in marketing and press.
Sl: Do you do co-productions?
Sue Bruce Smith: If you mean financial co-productions, yes lots. These tend to be U.S. set financial co-productions or they might come out of Europe. But official co-productions are relatively rare as it is more difficult and takes longer to set up. “Room”, however, was an official co-production with Telefilm Canada and “The Lobster” was the result of a wonderful collaboration of over five different European co-producers.
Sl: What sort of budget parameters do you work with?
Sue Bruce Smith: We span from the very low to sometimes quite high. We try not to limit ourselves and allow the project to find its optimum level. When we developed “Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk” with Ink Factory, in the course of looking for partners we found a fan in Tom Rothman who at that time was in the process of rebuilding production at TriStar and we have ended up, as a result, being involved in an Ang Lee film! However these are the exceptions and the range is usually between Us $3m to Us$15m.
Going forward, we are keen to be bolder in how Film4 invests especially when we feel a film is a potential break out. We operate a cross subsidy model where the bigger, more commercial investments allow us to generate revenue that then supports the new emerging talent. It is worth noting that absolutely everything we earn from our films goes straight back into more development and film investment.
Sl: Do you have special “strands” for particular types of films?
Sue Bruce Smith: We don’t really distinguish films in strands we just work across many levels and genres. First time filmmakers tend to have smaller budgets - around Us$3m and they are built in a slightly different way. For our larger projects I’d say our sweet spot is $10 – 15 million.
Sl: How do you find projects?
Sue Bruce Smith:: We are constantly scouting for interesting new talent, watching shorts like “Robots of Brixton” where we found Kibwe Tavares, culling talent from our TV arm (like Yann Demange who worked with us on the TV series “Top Boy” before making “'71”) from theater (Lucy Kirkwood who we are making a short film with and developing a feature), the arts (which is where Steve McQueen originated and is still very active) and writing (Alex Garland who adapted “Never Let Me Go” for us and went on to make his striking debut “Ex Machina”)
Sl: I notice you don’t do international sales like you used to in the 80s.
Sue Bruce Smith: Yes we shed the international sales division and the U.K. Distribution arm back in 2002 and brought the focus back to our core development and co-financing activities. We currently work with a wide range of sales agents like Protagonist, Hanway, Cornerstone, FilmNation, Westend, Pathe, Studio Canal, Independent and others.
Sl: In the early days in the 1980s operations were different.
Sue Bruce Smith: David Rose, in 1982, was the real visionary behind Film4. He decided Channel4 would be different from all other TV channels. Channel4 was the first U.K. broadcaster, through its film arm, Film on Four, to develop and co-finance films and, crucially, to allow these films to play in cinemas before their television transmission on Channel4. Our theatrical model became Film on Four and HBO, Sbs and Arte followed this lead. “Walter” by Stephen Frears followed this route in 1982. Frear's next film “My Beautiful Laundrette” followed shortly after in 1985
(An aside here by Sydney Levine):
If my readers will indulge me for a little history lesson in how films change with technological change, I want to point out that in the early days of home video, in 1985, Sue and I (a couple of the pioneer women in the modern business) shared in the good fortune resulting from the shift in the movie and TV business.
Working for the biggest TV production house in U.S. in the days of “Dallas”, I came to Lorimar to buy for home video, the fastest growing new technological distribution tool yet. We put up $175,000 advance to acquire home video rights to the Film4 feature “My Beautiful Laundrette” for U.S. $75,000 of that was to be used as P&A by theatrical distributor Orion Pictures Classics’ platform theatrical release – to platform first in N.Y. and L.A for critical reviews, and then, if profitable, to expand across the nation. It was the first British film to come to U.S. in many a year (except of course for the James Bond franchise). Orion Classics was headed by Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Donna Gigliotti who paid no advance but used the P&A allotment wisely and well. It was a happy association that we shared a couple of more times before they moved on to form Sony Pictures Classics and I moved on to Republic Pictures, reconstructed by Cnb’s Russell Goldsmith, former CEO of Lorimar. This Film4 picture, “My Beautiful Laundrette” was by complete unknowns in the U.S. and was a first for us all. We did not know it would go on to gross $7 million at the box office (a huge amount at that time for an independent film) and would sell 75,000 video units (at $50 wholesale a piece = $3,750,000). We at Lorimar made a $1 million profit and overages of $1 million went to Channel 4 and $1 million went to Working Title. I got a $100 bonus, and we were all delighted. My association with Film4 was followed by many loyal and loving years and reunions, but that is another lesson.
To quote Adam P. Davies, the writer of the U.K. Film Finance Handbook 2005/6: How to Fund Your Film:
Stephen Frears’s 1985 “My Beautiful Laundrette” signalled a change in direction for the industry in that TV backed film investment started to feed local productions. The Channel4 film encouraged the broadcasters to increase investment in filmmaking over the late 80s and also launched Working Title, initially run by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radcliffe (who left in 1992 to run her own company) and later Eric Fellner, with whom Bevan runs the company today [in a longstanding deal with Universal-Focus]. Video distributor and producer Palace Pictures, run by Nik Powell and Stephen Woolley, followed the success in 1985 of Neil Jordan’s “Company of Wolves” with “Mona Lisa” in 1986. The British Film Commission launched in 1992 [when “The Crying Game” had its world success].
Sue was at Palace Productions when I was at Lorimar and Republic and our paths crossed many times and so I was quite eager to share the latest good fortune of the 2016 Academy Awards at a time when the Academy is being besieged by negative publicity. At that time, back in ’85, I suggested to Michael and Tom that they put up Daniel Day Lewis for Best Actor Nomination and as I recall, they told me British films or British actors in British films were not acceptable to the Academy, and so neither he nor the film was put up for nomination.
“My Beautiful Laundrette” obviously had Asian actors; it was about a gay skinhead and a Pakistani. Diversity was at its core, but it did not get past the British line of demarcation the Academy had drawn in ’85. Its ethnic boundaries might have existed if anyone had tried to test them but that was not even an issue in 1985. “Diversity” in those days did not exist as a word one used and the very idea of diversity was even more limited than today.
Film4 has had a key role in proactively promoting different voices and stories since the 1980s. And today diversity is a crucial consideration in the decisions Film4 makes about its developments and productions with the aim of increasing diversity across all areas of the business. They have several films currently in development with Bame writers and directors and are successfully working with many female directors such as Andrea Arnold, Debbie Tucker Green, Susanna White, Clio Bernard, Sarah Gavron and Lynne Ramsay.
In January last year parent company Channel4 launched the 360 Degree Diversity Charter which is all about a commitment to implementing diversity on and off screen and to measuring its progress. It is tied to Project Diamond, an industry-wide diversity monitoring system. Its results will be published in the next few months.
Film4 has developed and co-financed many of the most successful U.K. films of recent years, Academy Award-winners such as Steve McQueen’s "12 Years a Slave", Danny Boyle’s "Slumdog Millionaire", Phyllida Lloyd’s "The Iron Lady” and Martin McDonagh’s "In Bruges" in addition to critically-acclaimed award-winners such as Mike Leigh’s "Mr. Turner", Chris Morris’ "Four Lions", Shane Meadows’ "This is England", Ben Wheatley’s “Sightseers", Clio Barnard’s "The Selfish Giant" Jonathan Glazer’s "Under the Skin" and David Mackenzie’s "Starred Up".
Film4’s recent releases include; Lenny Abrahamson’s “Room", Todd Haynes’ “Carol", Sarah Gavron’s “Suffragette", Justin Kurzel’s “Macbeth", Yorgos Lanthimos’ "The Lobster", Asif Kapadia’s box office record breaking documentary “Amy", Andrew Haigh’s "45 Years", Alex Garland’s "Ex Machina", Paolo Sorrentino’s “Youth", Peter Strickland’s "The Duke of Burgundy", Daniel Wolfe’s "Catch Me Daddy" and John Maclean’s "Slow West".
Forthcoming releases include; Ben Wheatley’s "High-Rise" and "Free Fire", Ang Lee’s "Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk", Benedict Andrews’ “Una" and Andrea Arnold’s "American Honey".
For further information visit www.film4.com/productions, but for now, here is the Cheat Sheet on Film4’s 2016 Total Oscar Nominations numbering 15. It will be at my side as I watch the Awards on February. Parenthetically, I am also looking forward to watching the fashions before the show, and inside the show, to catching that one loose cannon who will deliver the only inspirational speech in a rather inspirationless, basically boring, but still worthy traditional show.
3 of 5 Oscar Best Actress Nominees – Cate Blanchett, Brie Larson, Charlotte Rampling
Nomination tally by film:
“Room” – 4 - Picture, Actress, Director, Best Adapted Screenplay
“Carol” – 6 –Actress, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, Original Score
“Ex Machina” – 2 –Original screenplay, Visual Effects
“Amy” – 1 – Documentary Feature
“45 Years” – 1 – Actress
“Youth” – 1 – Original Song
Film4-backed films Oscar® nominations in full:
“Carol”
Actress in a Leading Role: Cate Blanchett
Actress in a Supporting Role: Rooney Mara
Adapted Screenplay: Phyllis Nagy
Achievement in Cinematography: Ed Lachman
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original score): Carter Burwell
Achievement in Costume Design: Sandy Powell
“Room”
Best Motion Picture of the Year: Ed Guiney
Achievement in Directing: Lenny Abrahamson
Actress in a Leading Role: Brie Larson
Adapted Screenplay: Emma Donoghue
“Ex Machina”
Original Screenplay: Alex Garland
Achievement in Visual Effects: Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett
“45 Years”:
Actress in a Leading Role: Charlotte Rampling
“Youth”
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original song): Simple Song # 3, music and lyrics by David Lang
“Amy”
Best Documentary Feature: Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees...
- 2/10/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Leave it to the Brits! The BAFTA nominations were announced and they gave us a slightly different look at the awards season! For instance, Tom McCarthy's "Spotlight," the leading Oscar contender in the U.S. just received 3 noms including Best Film, Supporting Actor for Mark Ruffalo and Original Screenplay. No Director nomination for McCarthy.
Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg's "Bridge of Spies," a handsomely-produced period piece led the pack along with Todd Haynes' "Carol," another handsomely-produced period piece. Both films garnered nine nominations each including Best Picture. "Bridge of Spies" and "Carol" will duke it out with "Spotlight," Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu's "The Revenant" (eight nominations), and Adam McKay's "The Big Short" (five nominations) for the Best Picture trophy.
So where's "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" you ask? They're relegated to the technical categories. Apparently, sequels, no matter how great they are, can't compete with originals.
Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg's "Bridge of Spies," a handsomely-produced period piece led the pack along with Todd Haynes' "Carol," another handsomely-produced period piece. Both films garnered nine nominations each including Best Picture. "Bridge of Spies" and "Carol" will duke it out with "Spotlight," Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu's "The Revenant" (eight nominations), and Adam McKay's "The Big Short" (five nominations) for the Best Picture trophy.
So where's "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" you ask? They're relegated to the technical categories. Apparently, sequels, no matter how great they are, can't compete with originals.
- 1/9/2016
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
With the Academy Award nominations coming up next week, it's time for the Brits to reveal their favorites first. The nominations for the 69th Annual BAFTA Awards (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) were announced today. The top films are Todd Haynes' Carol and Spielberg's Bridge of Spies, each rounding up a total of nine nominations. The BAFTAs have a large set of categories similar to the Oscars, and they always feature some very unique picks among the nominees. This year's Best Film line-up: The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Carol, The Revenant and Spotlight. Mad Max: Fury Road also received seven noms. Here's the complete list of nominations for this year's 69th Annual BAFTAs: Best Film The Big Short Bridge of Spies Carol The Revenant Spotlight Outstanding British Film 45 Years Amy Brooklyn The Danish Girl Ex Machina The Lobster Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director...
- 1/8/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
As awards show season shifts into high gear, the BAFTA Awards just released the list of hopefuls ahead of the February 14th ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House.
Leading the way with nine nominations each are “Bridge of Spies” and “Carol,” while “The Revenant” scored eight chances for glory.
“Mad Max: Fury Road” has seven nods followed by “Brooklyn” and “The Martian” with six each. Meanwhile, Alicia Vikander was nominated for Best Actress along with Cate Blanchett, Brie Larson, Dame Maggie Smith and Saoirse Ronan.
And the 2016 BAFTA Awards Nominees are…
Best Actor
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Dame Maggie Smith, The Lady In The Van
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Brie Larson, Room
Best Film
Carol
Bridge Of Spies
The Revenant
The Big Short
Spotlight
Supporting Actor
Benicio del Toro,...
Leading the way with nine nominations each are “Bridge of Spies” and “Carol,” while “The Revenant” scored eight chances for glory.
“Mad Max: Fury Road” has seven nods followed by “Brooklyn” and “The Martian” with six each. Meanwhile, Alicia Vikander was nominated for Best Actress along with Cate Blanchett, Brie Larson, Dame Maggie Smith and Saoirse Ronan.
And the 2016 BAFTA Awards Nominees are…
Best Actor
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Dame Maggie Smith, The Lady In The Van
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Brie Larson, Room
Best Film
Carol
Bridge Of Spies
The Revenant
The Big Short
Spotlight
Supporting Actor
Benicio del Toro,...
- 1/8/2016
- GossipCenter
Believe it or not, members of the Academy will likely have finalized their nomination decisions by the time you’re reading this. Yes, the deadline for ballots to be in is today, and that’s coming right on the heels of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (or BAFTA) making their nomination announcement in the wee hours. They function almost as an extra guild, as many BAFTA members are in the Academy as well, so it bears referencing. Oscar isn’t going to be able to refer to DGA nominations this year, so I think some voters will look for clues as to what their colleagues support anywhere that they can find it. This might lead to some surprises, for sure, but it also makes things almost impossible to pin down right now. Still, we try. First up, here are the BAFTA nominations: Best Film The Big Short...
- 1/8/2016
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
The BAFTAs - The British Academy Film Awards (essentially the British Oscars) - announced its 2016 nominations this morning. BAFTA chair Anne Morrison was joined by Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Stephen Fry to announce the nominations, which follow below. Not much African diaspora representation as you'd probably expect. Of note, Idris Elba is nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for his performance in "Beasts of No Nation"; Abderrahmane Sissako's "Timbuktu" is nominated in the Best Film Not in the English Language category; and Debbie Tucker Green is nominated in the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer or Producer for her feature film...
- 1/8/2016
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
On Friday the nominations for the Ee British Academy Film Awards in 2016 were revealed. The BAFTAs will be announced on Sunday, February 14 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. The ceremony will be hosted by Stephen Fry and broadcast exclusively on BBC One and BBC One HD, with the ceremony being rebroadcast on BBC America.
Bridge of Spies and Carol each receive nine nominations. The Revenant is nominated in eight categories. Mad Max: Fury Road has seven nominations. Brooklyn and The Martian are each nominated six times. The Big Short, The Danish Girl and Ex Machina receive five nominations. Star Wars: The Force Awakens receives four nominations.
Bridge of Spies is nominated in the following categories: Best Film, Director for Steven Spielberg, Original Screenplay, Original Music, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design and Sound. Mark Rylance is nominated for Supporting Actor.
Carol is nominated for Best Film, Director for Todd Haynes,...
Bridge of Spies and Carol each receive nine nominations. The Revenant is nominated in eight categories. Mad Max: Fury Road has seven nominations. Brooklyn and The Martian are each nominated six times. The Big Short, The Danish Girl and Ex Machina receive five nominations. Star Wars: The Force Awakens receives four nominations.
Bridge of Spies is nominated in the following categories: Best Film, Director for Steven Spielberg, Original Screenplay, Original Music, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design and Sound. Mark Rylance is nominated for Supporting Actor.
Carol is nominated for Best Film, Director for Todd Haynes,...
- 1/8/2016
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
After getting snubbed in the Producers Guild award nominations earlier this week, "Carol" has risen from the ashes to lead all movies, along with "Bridge of Spies," in BAFTA award nominations.
"Carol" and "Bridge of Spies" netted nine nods apiece, including Best Film. They are joined in that category by "The Big Short," "The Revenant," and "Spotlight."
Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon continued to cement their roles as Oscar frontrunners with nominations in the lead actor category.
In an interesting turn for awards season watchers, Alicia Vikander was nominated as lead actress for "The Danish Girl." She also received mention in the supporting category for "Ex Machina." Here is the full list of nominations:
Best Film
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Carol
The Revenant
Spotlight
Outstanding British Film
45 Years
Amy
Brooklyn
The Danish Girl
Ex Machina
The Lobster
Director
Todd Haynes - Carol
Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu - The Revenant...
"Carol" and "Bridge of Spies" netted nine nods apiece, including Best Film. They are joined in that category by "The Big Short," "The Revenant," and "Spotlight."
Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon continued to cement their roles as Oscar frontrunners with nominations in the lead actor category.
In an interesting turn for awards season watchers, Alicia Vikander was nominated as lead actress for "The Danish Girl." She also received mention in the supporting category for "Ex Machina." Here is the full list of nominations:
Best Film
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Carol
The Revenant
Spotlight
Outstanding British Film
45 Years
Amy
Brooklyn
The Danish Girl
Ex Machina
The Lobster
Director
Todd Haynes - Carol
Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu - The Revenant...
- 1/8/2016
- by Kelly Woo
- Moviefone
Nominations for the 69th annual British Academy Film Awards arrived early this morning and in welcome news, the proceedings were topped by Todd Haynes’ Carol and Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies (both of which made our top 50 of the year), with 9 nominations each. Not far behind was The Revenant, which was nominated in eight categories. while Mad Max: Fury Road has seven nominations.
Following that, Brooklyn and The Martian are each nominated six times. The Big Short, The Danish Girl and Ex Machina received five nominations with Alicia Vikander picking up two acting nominations. A little film called Star Wars: The Force Awakens also managed to rack up four nominations.
Check out the full list below ahead of a ceremony on February 14th.
2015 Nominations
(presented in 2016)
Best Film
The Big Short Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Brad Pitt
Bridge Of Spies Kristie Macosko Krieger, Marc Platt, Steven Spielberg
Carol Elizabeth Karlsen,...
Following that, Brooklyn and The Martian are each nominated six times. The Big Short, The Danish Girl and Ex Machina received five nominations with Alicia Vikander picking up two acting nominations. A little film called Star Wars: The Force Awakens also managed to rack up four nominations.
Check out the full list below ahead of a ceremony on February 14th.
2015 Nominations
(presented in 2016)
Best Film
The Big Short Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Brad Pitt
Bridge Of Spies Kristie Macosko Krieger, Marc Platt, Steven Spielberg
Carol Elizabeth Karlsen,...
- 1/8/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Bridge Of Spies Photo: Touchstone Pictures
This year's BAFTA award nominations have been revealed, with Carol and Bridge Of Spies out in front on nine nominations apiece. The Revenant has eight nominations and Mad Max: Fury Road seven. This year's Rising Star nominations, meanwhile, include John Boyega, whose role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which received four nominations, means some people might argue that he has already risen.
The winners will receive their awards in a ceremony on Valentine's Day.
Those nominations in full:-
Best film
The Big Short Bridge Of Spies Carol The Revenant Spotlight
Outstanding British film
45 Years Amy Brooklyn The Danish Girl Ex Machina The Lobster
Outstanding debut by British writer, director or producer
Alex Garland (director, Ex Machina) Debbie Tucker Green (writer/director, Second Coming) Naji Abu Nowar (writer/director, Theeb), Rupert Lloyd (producer, Theeb) Sean McAllister (director/producer, A Syrian Love Story), Elhum Shakerifar (producer,...
This year's BAFTA award nominations have been revealed, with Carol and Bridge Of Spies out in front on nine nominations apiece. The Revenant has eight nominations and Mad Max: Fury Road seven. This year's Rising Star nominations, meanwhile, include John Boyega, whose role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which received four nominations, means some people might argue that he has already risen.
The winners will receive their awards in a ceremony on Valentine's Day.
Those nominations in full:-
Best film
The Big Short Bridge Of Spies Carol The Revenant Spotlight
Outstanding British film
45 Years Amy Brooklyn The Danish Girl Ex Machina The Lobster
Outstanding debut by British writer, director or producer
Alex Garland (director, Ex Machina) Debbie Tucker Green (writer/director, Second Coming) Naji Abu Nowar (writer/director, Theeb), Rupert Lloyd (producer, Theeb) Sean McAllister (director/producer, A Syrian Love Story), Elhum Shakerifar (producer,...
- 1/8/2016
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has just announced there nominations and there’s quite a lot to process, so let’s start from the top. Steven Spielberg’s Cold War drama Bridge of Spies and Todd Haynes’ gorgeous relationship drama Carol have tied for the lead with nine nominations apiece, with both films receiving nominations for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay (in their respective categories). Not far behind is Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s revenge epic The Revenant with eight nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Editing.
What may come as a surprise to some is that Adam McKay’s comedy-drama about the 2008 financial crisis did rather well. It may have only received five nominations, but they were all major nods: Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale), and Best Editing. Meanwhile, the film that has...
What may come as a surprise to some is that Adam McKay’s comedy-drama about the 2008 financial crisis did rather well. It may have only received five nominations, but they were all major nods: Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale), and Best Editing. Meanwhile, the film that has...
- 1/8/2016
- by Jeff Beck
- We Got This Covered
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Carol, The Revenant, Bridge Of Spies, Spotlight and more lead the charge at the 2016 BAFTAs...
The annual BAFTA film awards roll around again on February 14th, with Stephen Fry once again hosting. And it was Fry and Gugu Mbatha-Raw who read out the nominations for this year's gongs nice and early in London today.
Without further ado, here's what's up for said prizes in a few weeks' time.
Best Film
The Big Short Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Brad Pitt
Bridge Of Spies Kristie Macosko Krieger, Marc Platt, Steven Spielberg
Carol Elizabeth Karlsen, Christine Vachon, Stephen Woolley
The Revenant Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Arnon Milchan, Mary Parent, Keith Redmon
Spotlight Steve Golin, Blye Pagon Faust, Nicole Rocklin, Michael Sugar
Outstanding British Film
45 Years Andrew Haigh, Tristan Goligher
Amy Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees
Brooklyn John Crowley, Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey, Nick Hornby
The Danish Girl Tom Hooper, Tim Bevan,...
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Carol, The Revenant, Bridge Of Spies, Spotlight and more lead the charge at the 2016 BAFTAs...
The annual BAFTA film awards roll around again on February 14th, with Stephen Fry once again hosting. And it was Fry and Gugu Mbatha-Raw who read out the nominations for this year's gongs nice and early in London today.
Without further ado, here's what's up for said prizes in a few weeks' time.
Best Film
The Big Short Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Brad Pitt
Bridge Of Spies Kristie Macosko Krieger, Marc Platt, Steven Spielberg
Carol Elizabeth Karlsen, Christine Vachon, Stephen Woolley
The Revenant Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Arnon Milchan, Mary Parent, Keith Redmon
Spotlight Steve Golin, Blye Pagon Faust, Nicole Rocklin, Michael Sugar
Outstanding British Film
45 Years Andrew Haigh, Tristan Goligher
Amy Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees
Brooklyn John Crowley, Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey, Nick Hornby
The Danish Girl Tom Hooper, Tim Bevan,...
- 1/8/2016
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Film Movement has now released award-winning British playwright Debbie Tucker Green’s feature film directorial debut, "Second Coming," here in the USA on home video platforms (DVD and streaming), bypassing a theatrical run. The film has become available to members of Film Movement's DVD/streaming club (anyone can become a member for as little as just over $8/month), and, on February 9, 2015 non-members will have access. Visit the full-service North American distribution company's website here for more info on how to become a member: http://www.filmmovement.com/filmclub.asp if you'd like to get your hands on the film right now; or wait...
- 12/31/2015
- by Wendy Okoi-Obuli
- ShadowAndAct
Earlier this year, Film Movement acquired USA distribution rights to award-winning British playwright Debbie Tucker Green’s feature film directorial debut, "Second Coming," and has now set December and January release dates for the drama. The film will become available to members of Film Movement DVD/streaming club starting on December 1, 2015, and on February 9, 2015 to non-members. Visit the full-service North American distribution company's website here for more info on how to become a member: http://www.filmmovement.com/filmclub.asp. Green’s feature film debut, "Second Coming," has a premise that, religious or not, will probably pique your interest....
- 11/17/2015
- by Wendy Okoi-Obuli
- ShadowAndAct
Asif Kapadia’s Amy, Anna Muylaert’s The Second Mother, Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu, John Maclean’s Slow West and Céline Sciamma’s Girlhood are among the fiction and documentary line-up.
The fiction selections are: Chus Gutiérrez’s Ciudad Deliro (Colombia); Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court (India); Miguel Llansó’s Crumbs (Ethiopia-Spain); Girlhood (France), Mario Crespo’s Gone With The River (Venezuela); Ana V. Bojórquez, Lucía Carreras’ The Greatest House In The World (Guatemala-Mexico); Alonso Ruizpalacios’ Güeros (Mexico); Rebecca Johnson’s Honeytrap (UK); Shonali Bose’s Margarita, With A Straw (India); Jean-Paul Civeyrac’s My Friend Victoria (France); and Carolina Borrero, Pinky Mon, Luis Franco, Abner Benaim and Pituka Ortega Heilbron’s Panama Canal Stories (Panama).
The section continues with: Nagesh Kukunoor’s Rainbow (India); Debbie Tucker Green’s Second Coming (UK); The Second Mother (Brazil, pictured); Walter Tournier’s Selkirk, The Real Robinson Crusoe (Uruguay-Argentina-Chile-Spain); John Maclean’s Slow West (UK-New Zealand); Jim Chuchu’s Stories Of Our Lives (Kenya-South...
The fiction selections are: Chus Gutiérrez’s Ciudad Deliro (Colombia); Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court (India); Miguel Llansó’s Crumbs (Ethiopia-Spain); Girlhood (France), Mario Crespo’s Gone With The River (Venezuela); Ana V. Bojórquez, Lucía Carreras’ The Greatest House In The World (Guatemala-Mexico); Alonso Ruizpalacios’ Güeros (Mexico); Rebecca Johnson’s Honeytrap (UK); Shonali Bose’s Margarita, With A Straw (India); Jean-Paul Civeyrac’s My Friend Victoria (France); and Carolina Borrero, Pinky Mon, Luis Franco, Abner Benaim and Pituka Ortega Heilbron’s Panama Canal Stories (Panama).
The section continues with: Nagesh Kukunoor’s Rainbow (India); Debbie Tucker Green’s Second Coming (UK); The Second Mother (Brazil, pictured); Walter Tournier’s Selkirk, The Real Robinson Crusoe (Uruguay-Argentina-Chile-Spain); John Maclean’s Slow West (UK-New Zealand); Jim Chuchu’s Stories Of Our Lives (Kenya-South...
- 8/19/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Well-received race and identity comedy Dear White People marks the first acquisition for The New Black Film Collective but the film faces significant challenges in the UK.
Justin Simien’s Sundance-winning feature debut Dear White People, the identity comedy about the tension between white and black students at an elite university, was a critical and commercial success in the Us.
The low-budget indie – part-backed by crowd-funder Indiegogo - took $4.5m at the Us box office in October and was widely praised by Us and international critics.
Tessa Thompson (Copper) stars alongside well-known TV faces Tyler James Williams (Everybody Hates Chris) and Dennis Haysbert (24) in the film, which carries important messages about race and identity but also “smartly pinpoints people’s universal needs”.
The New York Times’ A.O Scott hailed the film as “as smart and fearless a debut as I have seen from an American filmmaker in quite some time…everyone should...
Justin Simien’s Sundance-winning feature debut Dear White People, the identity comedy about the tension between white and black students at an elite university, was a critical and commercial success in the Us.
The low-budget indie – part-backed by crowd-funder Indiegogo - took $4.5m at the Us box office in October and was widely praised by Us and international critics.
Tessa Thompson (Copper) stars alongside well-known TV faces Tyler James Williams (Everybody Hates Chris) and Dennis Haysbert (24) in the film, which carries important messages about race and identity but also “smartly pinpoints people’s universal needs”.
The New York Times’ A.O Scott hailed the film as “as smart and fearless a debut as I have seen from an American filmmaker in quite some time…everyone should...
- 6/22/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Debbie Tucker Green’s dreamy, ambiguous urban parable is rooted in utterly believable performances
Miracles may be an everyday occurrence, but in a secular age they can be less of a blessing than a curse. Films as diverse as Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Ordet, Denys Arcand’s Jesus of Montreal and, more recently, Dietrich Brüggemann’s Stations of the Cross have wrestled with the anachronistic intersection between the domestic and the allegedly divine, with results ranging from comedy to tragedy. In terms of subject matter, playwright Debbie Tucker Green’s beautifully ambiguous debut feature perhaps bears comparison with Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland’s 2006 oddity Quinceañera (aka Echo Park La), in which a Mexican-American girl approaching her 15th birthday discovers she is pregnant, despite her certainty that she is still a virgin.
In Second Coming, Jackie (Nadine Marshall) is a middle-aged mum with a history of miscarriages whose family life...
Miracles may be an everyday occurrence, but in a secular age they can be less of a blessing than a curse. Films as diverse as Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Ordet, Denys Arcand’s Jesus of Montreal and, more recently, Dietrich Brüggemann’s Stations of the Cross have wrestled with the anachronistic intersection between the domestic and the allegedly divine, with results ranging from comedy to tragedy. In terms of subject matter, playwright Debbie Tucker Green’s beautifully ambiguous debut feature perhaps bears comparison with Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland’s 2006 oddity Quinceañera (aka Echo Park La), in which a Mexican-American girl approaching her 15th birthday discovers she is pregnant, despite her certainty that she is still a virgin.
In Second Coming, Jackie (Nadine Marshall) is a middle-aged mum with a history of miscarriages whose family life...
- 6/7/2015
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Debbie Tucker Green’s dreamy, ambiguous urban parable is rooted in utterly believable performances
Miracles may be an everyday occurrence, but in a secular age they can be less of a blessing than a curse. Films as diverse as Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Ordet, Denys Arcand’s Jesus of Montreal and, more recently, Dietrich Brüggemann’s Stations of the Cross have wrestled with the anachronistic intersection between the domestic and the allegedly divine, with results ranging from comedy to tragedy. In terms of subject matter, playwright Debbie Tucker Green’s beautifully ambiguous debut feature perhaps bears comparison with Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland’s 2006 oddity Quinceañera (aka Echo Park La), in which a Mexican-American girl approaching her 15th birthday discovers she is pregnant, despite her certainty that she is still a virgin.
In Second Coming, Jackie (Nadine Marshall) is a middle-aged mum with a history of miscarriages whose family life...
Miracles may be an everyday occurrence, but in a secular age they can be less of a blessing than a curse. Films as diverse as Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Ordet, Denys Arcand’s Jesus of Montreal and, more recently, Dietrich Brüggemann’s Stations of the Cross have wrestled with the anachronistic intersection between the domestic and the allegedly divine, with results ranging from comedy to tragedy. In terms of subject matter, playwright Debbie Tucker Green’s beautifully ambiguous debut feature perhaps bears comparison with Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland’s 2006 oddity Quinceañera (aka Echo Park La), in which a Mexican-American girl approaching her 15th birthday discovers she is pregnant, despite her certainty that she is still a virgin.
In Second Coming, Jackie (Nadine Marshall) is a middle-aged mum with a history of miscarriages whose family life...
- 6/7/2015
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Leaves no doubt that its central supernatural event is 100% real, yet it makes absolutely no case for it whatsoever, and refuses to even engage with it. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
A few interesting things — very unusual things — about writer-director Debbie Tucker Green’s Second Coming. It opens with 40-ish Londoner Jackie (Nadine Marshall: Leave to Remain) confiding in a friend over lunch about her misgivings regarding her unexpected pregnancy, and discussing her abortion options. The words “pregnancy” and “abortion” are never mentioned, but their conversation isn’t coded, per se, merely presented more as the sort of everyday conversation that women everywhere have all the time and we all know what we’re talking about. Yet we hardly ever see this sort of conversation onscreen, which is unforgivable given how this subject is...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
A few interesting things — very unusual things — about writer-director Debbie Tucker Green’s Second Coming. It opens with 40-ish Londoner Jackie (Nadine Marshall: Leave to Remain) confiding in a friend over lunch about her misgivings regarding her unexpected pregnancy, and discussing her abortion options. The words “pregnancy” and “abortion” are never mentioned, but their conversation isn’t coded, per se, merely presented more as the sort of everyday conversation that women everywhere have all the time and we all know what we’re talking about. Yet we hardly ever see this sort of conversation onscreen, which is unforgivable given how this subject is...
- 6/6/2015
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Debbie Tucker Green’s feature film debut, "Second Coming," has a premise that, religious or not, will probably pique your interest. That it’s set in present day London and that the family at the centre of the story is black, was another reason for me to get excited. Indeed, it was a delight to see a black family – a Normal – black family, portrayed on screen. No drugs, no knives, no guns… No drama. And therein lies the problem. Jax, played admirably by Nadine Marshall, has a dilemma. A dilemma the proportions of which you don’t really get too many clues about. Her husband, Mark, played by Idris Elba, is as perfect a husband as any woman could want. Her son, Jj (Kai Francis-Lewis)...
- 6/5/2015
- by Wendy Okoi-Obuli
- ShadowAndAct
In this excerpt from the Guardian film show, Xan Brooks, Peter Bradshaw and Benjamin Lee review Debbie Tucker Green's drama, which imagines what would happen if a virgin birth occurred in modern south London. Nadine Marshall plays Jackie, a social security worker who suddenly becomes pregnant, despite not having had sex with her husband (Idris Elba) for months. Second Coming is released in the UK on Friday 5 June Continue reading...
- 6/4/2015
- by Xan Brooks, Peter Bradshaw, Benjamin Lee, Henry Barnes, Richard Sprenger and Andrea Salvatici
- The Guardian - Film News
★★★★☆ The feature debut of playwright Debbie Tucker Green, Second Coming (2014) opens with a shot of a murmuration of starlings. Their symbolic meaning - and particularly their endlessly beguiling flight - is often interpreted as purporting to familial relationships and improved communication. Both are vital elements of this terrific British drama that places God in the kitchen sink. Ostensibly a high-concept premise, what transpires is a scintillating psychological drama that explores the effect of an unexpected and unannounced pregnancy on an Afro-Caribbean family in London. The immaculate nature of the conception just adds further tension.
- 6/2/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
The directorial debut from acclaimed playwright Debbie Tucker Green, Second Coming hits our shores this Friday, June 5th, after a very good showing on the festival circuit. Starring Nadine Marshall and Idris Elba, the movie follows Jackie (Marshall) who finds herself falling pregnant, even though she hasn’t been with her husband Mark (Elba), or anyone else for that matter, in months. Keeping it a secret from her family, Jackie’s sanity starts to crumble as this seemingly immaculate conception begins to take a toll on her life.
- 6/1/2015
- by noreply@blogger.com (Tom White)
- www.themoviebit.com
Film Movement has acquired USA distribution rights to award-winning British playwright Debbie Tucker Green’s feature film directorial debut, "Second Coming," and has set a 2016 release for it (no specific date given yet). Green’s "Second Coming" has a premise that, religious or not, will probably pique your interest. That it’s set in present day London and that the family at the centre of the story is black, was another reason for me to get excited. Indeed, it was a delight to see a black family – a Normal – black family, portrayed on screen. No drugs, no knives, no guns… No drama. And therein lies the problem. Jax, played admirably by Nadine Marshall, has a...
- 5/19/2015
- by Wendy Okoi-Obuli
- ShadowAndAct
Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
- 5/6/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Debbie Tucker Green’s feature film debut, "Second Coming," has a premise that, religious or not, will probably pique your interest. That it’s set in present day London and that the family at the centre of the story is black, was another reason for me to get excited. Indeed, it was a delight to see a black family – a Normal – black family, portrayed on screen. No drugs, no knives, no guns… No drama. And therein lies the problem. Jax, played admirably by Nadine Marshall, has a dilemma. A dilemma the proportions of which you don’t really get too many clues about. Her husband, Mark, played by Idris Elba, is as perfect a husband as any woman could want. Her son, Jj (Kai Francis-Lewis)...
- 5/5/2015
- by Wendy Okoi-Obuli
- ShadowAndAct
It's been often said that film festivals are so crushed with programming that intriguing smaller films don't get the chance to shine. While "Second Coming" made its debut last fall at the Toronto International Film Festival, it's only making its mark now, and this intriguing first teaser should only help on that score. Nadine Marshall and Idris Elba star in the Debbie Tucker Green directed movie following a woman who has something rather remarkable happen to her: an immaculate conception. She's pregnant, but the baby isn't her husband's, with whom she hasn't slept in months —nor is it anyone else's. Here's the official synopsis: Set in present day London, Jackie (Nadine Marshall) is pregnant and knows it’s not her husband’s (Idris Elba). She says she hasn’t slept with anybody else, now she doesn’t know if she is losing her mind. Communication, trust and intimacy are at the heart of this warm,...
- 5/5/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Those keenly awaiting "Shame" and "12 Years a Slave" director Steve McQueen's next film are going to have to wait a while longer it seems.
On top of the already ordered six-part series "Codes of Conduct" he's developing and directing for HBO, the filmmaker is set to do another six-part series, this one a period drama commissioned by The BBC.
Rainmark Films is set to produce the show which deals with the experiences of a black community in west London in a period covering between the 1960s and the present day.
McQueen will direct and co-write the show alongside several other writers including Debbie Tucker Green ("Random"). BBC drama controller Ben Stephenson took the unusual step of commissioning the series before reading a script in order to secure McQueen.
The show is currently untitled and will begin shooting Spring next year.
Source: Screen...
On top of the already ordered six-part series "Codes of Conduct" he's developing and directing for HBO, the filmmaker is set to do another six-part series, this one a period drama commissioned by The BBC.
Rainmark Films is set to produce the show which deals with the experiences of a black community in west London in a period covering between the 1960s and the present day.
McQueen will direct and co-write the show alongside several other writers including Debbie Tucker Green ("Random"). BBC drama controller Ben Stephenson took the unusual step of commissioning the series before reading a script in order to secure McQueen.
The show is currently untitled and will begin shooting Spring next year.
Source: Screen...
- 3/30/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
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