News

In his latest podcast/interview, host and screenwriter Stuart Wright talks to filmmaker Gabriel Foster Prior about his sci-fi comedy The Bystanders starring Seann Walsh and “3 Films That Have Impacted Everything In Your Adult Life,” which includes:

London To Brighton (2006) Wings Of Desire (1987) Waking Life (2001)

“3 Films That Have Impacted Everything In Your Adult Life” is about those films that made you fall in love with film. The guest selects their trio of movies and we talk for 5 minutes, against the clock. When the alarm goes off for five minutes we move on to the next film.

The Bystanders is out now and available to stream and download on the major platforms

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Vanessa Redgrave and Andrea Riseborough are to star in 'The Nest'.The actresses have boarded the cast of the film from director Paul Andrew Williams that is going on sale at the Cannes market.The picture tells the story of two neighbours who form an unlikely friendship to the disapproval of others around them.After witnessing the lack of care that her elderly neighbour Elsie (Redgrave) gets from supposed professionals, Colleen (Riseborough) takes it upon herself to look after her.However, Colleen's intentions may not be as they seem.Filming will begin this summer in Yorkshire with Dominic Tighe and Marie-Elena Dyche producing for Giant Productions and Meraki Films respectively.Williams is coming off the back of his well-received film 'Bull' and has also worked on projects including 'London to Brighton' and 'Murdered By My Boyfriend'.The director said: "The chance to bring this project to the screen with such amazing,...

Robey will start in her role in January 2024.

Rachel Robey, producer at UK company Wellington Films, is to join the the UK’s National Film and Television School (Nfts) as head of producing.

Robey will start in the role in January 2024. Her role will involve leading the producing department, overseeing the production of the school’s films, as well as guiding students on the Producing degrees as they learn project development and financing skills.

She takes over from Chris Auty, who left the Nfts in September to become CEO at the London Film School.

Robey will continue working at Wellington Films in a key role,...

Dale worked at Independent Entertainment for 10 years

Daniel Dale, Independent Entertainment’s former head of acquisitions and development, passed away last month at the age of 42.

Dale first joined Independent in 2005 in a junior role before being quickly promoted to work on all of the company’s development projects as well as acquisitions for the international side of the business.

In development and production, Dale worked on the films We Need To Talk About Kevin; Mr Nice; New Town Killers; The Sea and The Falling among many others.

Some of the titles he helped to acquire include London To Brighton...

Exclusive: Longtime Independent Film Company MD Andrew Orr has joined Comcast-owned Sky as Head Of Original Film.

Orr will be working on the pay-tv broadcaster’s development slate and strategy as well as acting as commissioner on a number of projects alongside Julia Stuart, Director of Original Film, and Laura Grange, Commissioning Manager, Original Film. He will also be working with James Newton on content partnerships.

Orr, who will be in Cannes this week for Sky, spent almost 17 years at UK sales and production firm Independent, selling movies including Moon, Starred Up, Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry, Hallam Foe, London To Brighton and Adulthood. He was an executive producer on movies including We Need to Talk About Kevin, Mr Nice, The Falling and Out of Blue.

In more recent years Orr segued to a role as executive producer and developed the company’s first TV slate. Prior to Independent he was at The Works,...

FX and BBC have announced the main cast for the upcoming “Great Expectations” limited series, Variety has learned.

The six-episode version of the Charlies Dickens classic will star: Olivia Colman as Miss Havisham, Fionn Whitehead as Pip, Ashley Thomas as Jaggers, Johnny Harris as Magwitch, Shalom Brune-Franklin as Estella, Hayley Squires as Sara, Owen McDonnell as Compeyson, and Matt Berry as Mr. Pumblechuck.

Steven Knight is writing and executive producing the series. Tom Hardy, Ridley Scott, Dean Baker, David W. Zucker, Kate Crowe, and Mona Qureshi for the BBC will also executive produce. The series is produced by FX Productions in association with the BBC, Scott Free Productions, and Hardy Son & Baker. Lucy Forbes will serve as lead director.

“Great Expectations,” which tells the coming of age story of orphan boy Philip “Pip” Pirrip, was originally released in weekly chapters beginning in December 1860 before being published in its entirety as a novel.

Virtual meetings, panels and networking to take place September 12-13.

New projects from producers and production companies behind The Father, Born To Be Blue, Mustang and I’m No Longer Here are among the roster at the virtual 16th Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (iff) set to run from September 12-13.

The two-day co-financing and co-production market, which will run online due to the pandemic, serves international and Canadian producers developing mostly English-language projects and takes place in association with Toronto International Film Festival.

Sessions encompass one-on-one producer and executive meetings with 42 executives in attendance including new companies like Voltage Pictures,...

A startling one-two punch of new statistics from the British Film Institute and industry body U.K. Producers’ Roundtable have revealed the stark challenges facing the country’s independent filmmakers.

After a BFI study published in late January revealed that spending on U.K. independent film production fell by 45% to £175 million ($228 million) in 2019, a recent U.K. Producers’ Roundtable report shows that many independent producers earn less than £6,000 a year for their film production work. Most had given up their producing fee multiple times to get their films made.

The unforgiving climate for independent filmmakers was last investigated in 2018 by a BFI commission, which put forward recommendations such as maximizing the value of rights as well as setting up more commercial development funding that involves private investment.

However, the new figures underline that the independent film financing landscape is only getting tougher.

Digital disruption, increased competition for audiences and the...

The end of the London Film Festival highlights the growing success of a new wave of UK film-makers, including Michael Pearce and Rungano Nyoni

Ever since the late Colin Welland collected his screenwriting Oscar for Chariots of Fire in 1982 and declared with a most un-British triumphalism that “The British are coming!”, such public displays of confidence in the country’s film industry have been uncommon, even frowned upon. Perhaps it is time to amend Welland’s cry this year and state the obvious: the British are here. In 2017, there have been more distinctive homegrown debut features funded, made and released, displaying a greater diversity of theme and focus, than in any other year in recent memory.

Previously it has been possible to identify small, localised pockets of new talent: think of 2006, when both Andrea Arnold (Red Road) and Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton) made their debuts, or 2008, which brought...

Pippa Middleton's big day is almost here!

The 33-year-old sister of Kate Middleton will be tying the knot with fiancé James Matthews on Saturday. The event will undoubtedly be a royal affair; with the nuptials taking place at St Mark’s Church in Englefield, followed by a lavish ceremony at the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, England. Before the gorgeous couple say "I do," here is what you need to know about the charming 41-year-old financier who stole Pippa's heart.

Related: Exclusive: How Pippa Middleton Is Prepping for Her Big Wedding to James Matthews!

1. He first dated Pippa in 2012

After Middleton's then-boyfriend, Alex Loudon, broke up with her because he couldn’t handle her sudden fame, Matthews connected with Middleton and the two dated for a few months. Their relationship didn't last long, with reports citing that their 8-year age difference was a problem for James. Middleton then went on to date Nico Jackson for three...

Johnny Harris packs a powerful punch as the star and writer of this heartfelt drama inspired by his experiences as a teenage champion in the ring

Related: Johnny Harris on Jawbone: ‘The film was always going to be about boxing and addiction’

Johnny Harris is the tough, charismatic London actor who made an indelible impression in Paul Andrew Williams’s 2006 crime drama London to Brighton and in successive series of Shane Meadows’s TV version of This Is England. Now he has written, produced and starred in a boxing film, inspired by his experiences as an Aba teenage champion.

Continue reading...

Exclusive: First look at feature starring Michael Socha, Georgia Groome; Matt Wilkinson, Maggie Monteith produce; Dexter Fletcher among cameos.

UK sales outfit Film Constellation has boarded international rights to recently wrapped UK comedy-horror Double Date, the directorial debut from UK filmmaker Benjamin Barfoot, written by UK actor Danny Morgan.

The co-production between Dignity Group and Stigma Films stars Michael Socha (This is England), Georgia Groome (London to Brighton), Danny Morgan (On The Road) and Kelly Wenham (Merlin).

The film follows the story of Jim, aided by his obnoxious but charming best friend Alex, on his quest to lose his virginity before he turns 30. The night before the big day they meet Kitty and Lulu, two beautiful sisters who seem determined to seduce them, but who secretly have another darker agenda for Jim’s birthday – virgin sacrifice.

Cameos include Dexter Fletcher (Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels), Tom Sturridge (Far From The Madding Crowd), Olivia Poulet (Sherlock), [link...

She might have given her heart to investment banker James Matthews, but attending a charity dinner on the eve of Valentine's weekend, it was her heart-shaped bag that Pippa Middleton happily parted with - all in the name of charity. In her role as ambassador for the British Heart Foundation Middleton, 32 attended the glitzy "Roll Out the Red Ball" fundraiser at The Savoy on Thursday night, giving a heartfelt speech as to why she felt so passionate about the cause. • Want to keep up with the latest royals coverage? Click here to subscribe to the Royals Newsletter.Wearing a bespoke...

Pippa Middleton likes nothing better than a challenge. She's taken part in a series of grueling tests, such as a 47-mile swim and run in Sweden, a marathon in the daunting heat of Kenya and the world's longest ski race. Now, she's asking for others to take up the challenge - and follow her by taking the 54-mile cycle from London to Brighton and raise money for a favorite charity. • Want to keep up with the latest royals coverage? Click here to subscribe to the Royals Newsletter.Pippa, 32, signed up for the bike ride last year, completing it with her brother James,...

Exclusive: Hope Dickson Leach writes and directs Somerset floods film now underway.

Principal photography is underway in the UK on iFeatures drama The Levelling, starring Game Of Thrones actress Ellie Kendrick.

Writer-director Hope Dickson Leach, a former Screen Star of Tomorrow, makes her feature debut on the drama, which is set in the aftermath of the 2014 Somerset floods and follows a young woman who returns home to her family dairy farm following the tragic death of her younger brother.

The film is the second to go into production through the most recent round of the iFeatures initiative, a low-budget filmmaking scheme funded by Creative England, BBC Films, Creative Skillset and the BFI.

Dickson Leach’s award-winning short The Dawn Chorus was selected for Sundance, Edinburgh and the BFI London Film Festival.

Kendrick, best known for her role as Meera Reed in HBO series Game of Thrones and the title role in BBC miniseries The Diary of Anne Frank, was recently...

Exclusive: Hope Dickson Leach writes and directs Somerset floods film now underway.

Principal photography is underway in the UK on iFeatures drama The Levelling, starring Game Of Thrones actress Ellie Kendrick.

Writer-director Hope Dickson Leach, a former Screen Star of Tomorrow, makes her feature debut on the drama, which is set in the aftermath of the 2014 Somerset floods and follows a young woman who returns home to her family dairy farm following the tragic death of her younger brother.

The film is the second to go into production through the most recent round of the iFeatures initiative, a low-budget filmmaking scheme funded by Creative England, BBC Films, Creative Skillset and the BFI.

Dickson Leach’saward-winning short The Dawn Chorus was selected for Sundance, Edinburgh and the BFI London Film Festival.

Kendrick, best known for her role as Meera Reed in HBO series Game of Thrones and Anne Frank in the BBC’s 2009 miniseries The Diary of Anne Frank, was recently...

Special Mention: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Directed by Jim Sharman

Screenplay by Richard O’Brien and Jim Sharman

1975, USA

For the unfamiliar, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the film adaptation of a popular musical stage production composed and written by Richard O’Brien, a struggling actor at the time who was best known for his performances in such musicals as Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. For O’Brien, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was an homage to drive-in double features and science fiction B-movies of the fifties, and ironically, the film itself went on to become the ultimate midnight movie. To this day, screenings held in and around its anniversary as well as on Halloween sell out. It has never been pulled by 20th Century Fox from its original 1975 release, and it continues to play in cinemas four decades after its premiere, making it the longest-running theatrical release in film history.

Family Matters: Wolfe’s Unsettling Debut a Thriller with a Mean Streak

Premiering in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, director Daniel Wolfe’s directorial debut, Catch Me Daddy, is most likely to inspire awe or ire as a denuded genre thriller, pared down to the barest essentials of abject miserabilism. There’s no one to innately empathize with, beyond being exposed to a central victim whom we must logically root for given her ambitious rebellion against the patriarchal straightjacket she was weaned from. Unfolding with methodical calm, the first time filmmaker manages to instill a mounting dread thanks to surprising, even shocking moments of gruesome violence, and that’s despite its lack of emotional posturing. Down and out working class folks thrust into dire straits is the name of the game here, and though a bit of additional context would’ve enhanced the basic premise,...

James and Pippa Middleton did it! The siblings took part in a 54-mile bike ride from London to Brighton earlier today in honor of the British Heart Foundation. Pippa spoke to reporters shortly after completing the charity race, which is in its 40th year, about her second time riding in the lengthy ride. "This event is a testament to the fact that cycling is such an inclusive sport that everyone can enjoy," the ambassador for the charity explained. "Through the money raised, the Bhf can continue to help the millions of people affected by coronary heart disease—the U.K's single biggest killer." The news of Pippa and James' participation in the race was...

She’s always been a charitable chick and on Sunday (June 21) Pippa Middleton participated in a fundraiser for the British Heart Foundation.

Joined by her brother James, the beautiful Brit rode her bike, along with thousands of other cyclists, from London to Brighton, clowning around at the seafront after she crossed the finish line.

Pippa told press, “This event is testament to the fact that cycling is such an inclusive sport that everyone can enjoy. Through the money raised, the Bhf can continue to help the millions of people affected by coronary heart disease – the UK’s single biggest killer.”...

Kate Middleton may be the Duchess of Cambridge and new mom to a new princess, but her siblings, Pippa and James Middleton, deserve some time in the spotlight too! Pippa, 31, and James, 28, completed the London to Brighton Bike Ride on Sunday, cycling 54 miles from England's capital to the coastal town to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. Sporting matching red tops and cycling shorts, the siblings sported huge grins as they completed the race. "As a keen cyclist, I am thrilled to be involved in this milestone year of the London to Brighton Bike Ride," Pippa told the research organization earlier this year. "This event is testament to the fact that cycling is such a great inclusive sport that everyone can enjoy and at the same time, through the money raised, it continues to help millions of people affected by heart disease." Last year, the pair traveled 3,000 miles across...

Well, this is going to sell out in a flash! Pippa Middleton can now add dress designer to her already impressive repertoire: The 31-year-old has partnered with Tabitha Webb to create a perfect-for-summer dress (and matching scarf!) that will benefit the British Heart Foundation. Pippa, an ambassador for the foundation, will be biking for the cause on June 21—riding all the way from London to Brighton, England. But really, this dress is so chic that we wouldn't be surprised to see Pippa's big sister Kate Middleton rocking it once or twice (we know she loves to recycle her favorite looks). We're also hoping just a little bit (Ok, a lot) for a pint-sized version of the frock in the future (so...

Almost as sweet as George and Charlotte's pictures! Announced on Monday, June 8, Pippa Middleton has teamed up with London-based fashion designer Tabitha Webb on two sweet pieces that will benefit a cause dear to her: the British Heart Foundation's upcoming London to Brighton Bike Race. "As an Ambassador for the British Heart Foundation, I wanted to do something different and exciting on behalf of this inspiring charity," the athletic royal-in-law, 31, who will be participating in the race, said in a press statement. Middleton added, "I'm really looking [...]...

Fancy a red L.K. Bennett dress once worn by Pippa Middleton? If so, the sister of Princess Kate has put one up for sale as she bids to try to help a charity close to her heart - and it can be yours. Middleton, 31, who is an ambassador for the British Heart Foundation, is among a group of well-known names who have donated goodies for a fundraising effort and it heralds her next big adventure - to ride from London to Brighton. The online sale of the scarlet size 2 (size 6 U.K.) dress has been opened at £500 ($750) and will...

New films on Screenbase this week include the directorial debuts of Michael Lennox and Rachel Tunnard, Terry Jones’ economics doc and Chris Crow’s The Lighthouse.

Boardwalk Empire star Stephen Graham leads the cast of Michael Lennox’s feature debut A Patch of Fog, beginning principal photography in Northern Ireland next week.

The Fyzz Facility production follows a celebrated novelist and TV personality who finds his reputation on the line when his life invaded by a lonely security guard who catches him shoplifting.

Graham will star alongside Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones), Arsher Ali (Four Lions) and Ian McElhinney (Game of Thrones).

Producers are Robert Jones (The Usual Suspects), Wayne Marc Godfrey (Cake) and David Gilbery (Bone Tomahawk) for The Fyzz Facility with backing from The Fyzz Facility, Northern Ireland Screen and the BFI.

Tunnard’s feature debut

Principal photography has wrapped on UK comedy How To Live Yours starring Jodie Whittaker.

The film, about...

How To Live Yours, starring Jodie Whittaker, heads to post-production.

Principal photography has wrapped on UK comedy How To Live Yours, starring Jodie Whittaker.

The film, about a young woman who moves back home in order to regain her confidence, marks the feature debuts of writer-director Rachel Tunnard and Screen Star of Tomorrow producer Michael Berliner.

Supporting cast including Lorraine Ashbourne, Alice Lowe, Brett Goldstein, Eileen Davies and Edward Hogg, and introducing 7-year-old Ozzy Myers.

The Pico Pictures production is backed by Creative England and Swedish regional fund Film i Väst.

Koch Media has acquired UK distribution rights, with NonStop Entertainment taking Scandinavian rights.

Ken Marshall (London to Brighton, Filth) executive produces, alongside Jodie Whittaker, Sean Wheelan of Filmgate Films, and representatives from Creative England.

Here’s a first look at the latest trailer for Monsters Dark Continent.

Monsters Dark Continent directed by first timer Tom Green is the much-anticipated continuation to Gareth Edwards’ critically acclaimed film Monsters and will hit UK cinemas on November 28th.

Directed by BAFTA winner Tom Green in his debut feature, Monsters Dark Continent stars Johnny Harris (Welcome to the Punch, ‘This is England’ series, London To Brighton), Sam Keeley (What Richard Did; forthcoming Ron Howard feature Heart of The Sea), Joe Dempsie (‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Skins’), Kyle Soller (Anna Karenina), Parker Sawyers (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) and Nicholas Pinnock (Captain America: The First Avenger).

Gareth Edwards who has been very supportive of Tom Green adds;

“Monsters was a very personal film to me, so it’s been a surreal honour to have such talented filmmakers and actors work so hard to create such a beautiful and heartfelt sequel. Tom Green...

For obvious reasons, Vertigo have released another trailer for the follow-up to the Gareth Edwards movie Monsters. If you don’t know the story, British filmmaker Gareth Edwards (my personal hero!) created the movie 2010 Monsters completely off his own back, wrote it, directed it, edited and, did all the CG for it and due to its success, caught the eye of Warner Bros. who got him to make their new low-budget movie called Godzilla (out now!)!!

Although Edwards only has an Executive Producing credit for Monsters: Dark Continent, we’re still very excited to see what new director Tom Green will do with the project. The first trailer was released August last year and we’ve not really seen much since but the sequel us set to hit UK cinemas September 26th. The cast includes Johnny Harris (London To Brighton, Welcome To The Punch) Sam Keeley (What Richard Did) and...

Some movies kick around in development, trying to get made. "Miss You Already" is one of those movies. It first surfaced back in 2012,  when Jennifer Aniston signed up to star with Paul Andrew Williams ("London To Brighton," "Unfinished Song") directing his Brit List script he co-wrote with Morwenna Banks. Toni Collette joined not too long after, but then everything stalled out. Now, two years later, the project is back on with some big changes. Collette is still on board, but Aniston is out, and Rachel Weisz is in, while Catherine Hardwicke has replaced Williams in the director's chair. And suddenly, we're much more interested in this one. Said to be in the vein of "Beaches," the story follows two best friends whose relationship ruptures when one becomes pregnant and the other becomes ill. The script was originally London-based, but has apparently been broadened to include other U.K. cities.  Like...

Despite releasing The Fall of the Essex Boys only at the start of this year, Paul Tanter is about to return with the follow-up, Essex Boys: Retribution, a fictionalised story picking up eighteen years after the famed Range Rover murders.

The film hits cinemas just in time for Christmas next month, and we’ve got the first trailer to share with you as we head into the weekend.

Leading the cast this time around are Ian Virgo (Rise of the Footsoldier), Alex Ismail (Attack the Block), Ryan Winsley (The Fall of the Essex Boys), and Kyle Summercorn (Turnout), with Lorraine Stanley (London to Brighton), Vas Blackwood (Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels), and Billy Murray (The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan) completing the cast nicely.

Tanter (Jack Falls, The Fall of the Essex Boys) is once more directing from his own script, and he produces alongside frequent collaborator Simon Phillips (GBH/Riot,...

Film: "Vidiyum Munn"; Cast: Pooja Umashankar, Malavika Manikuttan, Vinoth Kishan, John Vijay and Amarendran; Director: Balaji K Kumar; Rating: *** - Suspenseful, well executed thriller.

Films on child trafficking usually throw at us startling facts and numbers in an attempt to emotionally hijack us but debutant Balaji K Kumar's "Vidiyum Munn" avoids all such genre cliches and sticks to presenting a well executed thriller that intrigues with suspense from start to finish.

Although inspired from British thriller "London to Brighton", to which the makers have not given due credit, "Vidiyum Munn" stands out as one.

Shooting has begun on London crime drama, with a cast including Leo Gregory, Ricci Harnet and Vincent Regan.

Principal photography has commenced on Top Dog, produced by Richwater Films, on location across London.

Directed by Martin Kemp (The Krays), it is produced by Jonathan Sothcott (Vendetta, Assassin) andwritten by Dougie Brimson, based on his original novel.

The cast includes Leo Gregory (Green Street, Cass), Ricci Harnett (28 Days Later, Rise Of The Foot Soldier), Vincent Regan (Bonded By Blood, Clash Of The Titans), Danielle Brent (Ill Manors), Lorraine Stanley (London To Brighton) and George Russo.

The film centres on hooligan gang leader Billy Evans (Gregory) who gets in over his head when he joins a dangerous criminal gang.

Universal Pictures UK, part of Universal Pictures International Entertainment - the home entertainment division of NBC Universal – has picked up the rights.

It’s The Raid meets Taken in this first trailer for Paul Tanter’s upcoming British action-thriller, He Who Dares.

We got a look at the first poster when it surfaced back in the spring. And we can now go one better with the first trailer to share, teasing plenty of action coming our way soon.

On Christmas Eve a group of ruthless masked terrorists kidnap the Prime Minister’s daughter, fortifying themselves in an underground car park rigged with explosives. Crack Sas operative Chris Lowe and his team are sent in and must take the building one level at a time.

Tom Benedict Knight (Kick-Ass 2) leads the cast alongside Simon Phillips (The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan), Christina Bellavia, Ewan Ross (The Fall of The Essex Boys), Ben Loyd-Holmes (Torchwood), Lorraine Stanley (London to Brighton), Kye Loren, and Zara Phythian (Alien Uprising).

Tanter (The Rise...

Hawking, a fascinating, inspirational documentary about the great Professor Stephen Hawking comes to UK cinemas on 20 September 2013 – and on the 19 September Hawking himself will be taking part in a live Q&A after the Cambridge Film Festival premiere which will be beamed live to cinemas across the UK.

To mark the release of the film we have a pair of tickets to see the live Q&A in your local cinema on 19 September, plus a bundle of eight of Hawking’s greatest books – including his new memoir My Brief History – and Vertigo DVDs including The Cove, Monster and London To Brighton to give away. Two lucky runners-up will also win a DVD bundle.

Co-produced by Channel 4, the film, written and narrated by Stephen Hawking himself, is the only official biographical account of his life chronicling his extraordinary story in his own words for the very first time. Featuring interviews with Buzz Aldrin,...

DVD Release Date: Sept. 24, 2013

Price: DVD $24.98

Studio: Anchor Bay/The Weinstein Company

Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp go hand-in-hand in Unfinished Song.

Terence Stamp (The Adjustment Bureau) and Vanessa Redgrave (Letters to Juliet) star in Unfinished Song, an inspirational comedy-drama film about the healing power of music.

In the film, Arthur (Stamp), a curmudgeonly old soul, is perfectly content with his reliable daily routine until his beloved wife (Redgrave) introduces him to a spirited local singing group led by the youthful and charming Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time). Despite his initial resistance, this unexpected friendship leads to Arthur’s discovery of music that revitalizes his passion for new adventures and reconnects him with the people who matter most.

Written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton), the PG-13-rated movie opened to favorable reviews in June, 2013, ringing up a not-bad $1.5 million at the domestic box office.

Unfinished Song, written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton, The Cottage), is a British film that’s sure to fly under the radar this summer, which is a shame since it’s an entertaining little story about love, regret and aging. The always-stellar Vanessa Redgrave stars as Marion Harris, a British pensioner (retiree) who’s fighting cancer. Her favorite respite is the time spent at the local community center with her friends in the senior choir, something her grumpy, but doting, husband Arthur (Terence Stamp) can’t quite grasp....

★★☆☆☆ Cashing in on the current craze for 'Grey pound'-targeted filmmaking - heralded by the success of The King's Speech (2010) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) - Song for Marion (2012) arrives boasting a robust cast and a supposedly heart-warming story about the celebration of life and the joys of spontaneity. Directed by Paul Andrew Williams, who here veers away from the darker, moodier qualities of previous films such as London to Brighton (2006), the film is an admirable attempt at bringing insight into the simultaneously tranquil and devastating effects of old age - yet becomes congested by sentimentality.

The remarkable Vanessa Redgrave stars as the titular Marion, a vivacious, spunky older woman whose terminal cancer doesn't stop her from attending and remaining a treasured member of her local choir, who - under the guidance of Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton) - go by the name The Oap'z [sic]. Marion's husband Arthur (Terence Stamp) is a...

Undercooked Film: William’s Change of Pace Rings False

How could one not be curious to see Paul Andrew Williams’ (the UK director responsible for strange genre creatures like The Cottage, 2008, and London to Brighton, 2006) Unfinished Song, a take on formulaic drama concerning a long married couple coping with impending death due to cancer and conflict revolving around a kooky local choir? Especially when said couple is played by the likes of Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp. Sounds like a musically inclined take on Amour mixed with Quartet. Due to the emotionally invested performances from several cast members, there happen to be a few glimmering moments of quality to be experienced, but these kernels are few and far between in a mixed bag that has far too many bland elements. Unfortunately, the film is a disservice to its iconic leads and its offbeat director, who is bravely trying something new,...

Film London announces Lilting, the latest project from Film London Microwave, will be distributed by Curzon Film World’s Artificial Eye in the UK with Protagonist Pictures to manage international sales. A striking feature debut from director Hong Khaou with an all-star cast led by Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, Cloud Atlas) and Cheng Pei Pei (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), Lilting explores love without a common language.

Written and directed by Khaou and produced by Dominic Buchanan, Lilting is the eighth film from the successful feature film fund Film London Microwave. Alongside Whishaw and Pei Pei, the film also stars Peter Bowles (Blow-Up, The Bank Job), Morven Christie (House of 9, The Young Victoria) and Andrew Leung (The List).

As part of Film London Microwave’s mentorship component, award-winning film-maker Michael Winterbottom acted as writer/director Khaou’s mentor, while producer Buchanan received guidance and support from his mentor Ken Marshall, the producer of London to Brighton, Filth and Song for Marion.

Curzon Film World’s Artificial Eye is known for its discerning taste in the best of European and world cinema. The label has released more winners of the Cannes Palme d'Or than any other UK distributor, with titles including The Class (2008) and The White Ribbon (2009).

Commercially-minded and creatively-spirited Protagonist Pictures is an international sales company committed to strong relationships with film-makers. Recent highlights in their catalogue include Searching for Sugar Man, Sightseers, The Imposter and Microwave’s Shifty. This year at Cannes they represent The Selfish Giant by Clio Barnard, screening in Directors’ Fortnight, and in the Critics’ Week, Paul Wright’s debut feature For Those In Peril.

Lilting tells the story of a Chinese mother (Pei Pei) as she grieves for her son (Leung) following his untimely death. He was her eyes and ears in the UK, their adopted country, and without him she is stranded. The only person left is his lover (Whishaw) – who she knows only as his flat mate. Together they are forced to overcome their differences and unite in sorrow whilst struggling against the absence of a shared language. An intimate and thoughtful film, Lilting addresses overcoming cultural and generational boundaries, the power of memory, and the lifelines and relationships formed in the face of grief.

Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, said: “Lilting is a moving cinematic achievement and I am delighted that it will reach UK audiences through Curzon Film World and that Protagonist will be managing international sales. It is a testament to Microwave’s innovative approach to film-making that its projects attract high-calibre talent and prestigious commercial distributors and sales agents. The scheme’s successful track record is also a result of the Microwave team, who are integral to nurturing and guiding all our film-makers. I am proud to see another Microwave feature proving itself in the commercial marketplace and hope this is only the start of Lilting’s success.”

Louisa Dent, Managing Director of Curzon Film World said: "When we read the script, it was clear that this was something special. There is an emotional urgency that is compelling and honest. Hong is a real emerging talent and his short films marked him out. We knew that the Microwave/Film London team would be great partners on this and with a quality cast it seemed liked a perfect fit for us.”

Mike Goodridge, CEO of Protagonist Pictures said: “I had admired Hong's shorts so it was with great excitement that I watched his first feature Lilting. But Hong exceeds expectations: the film is an accomplished and mature portrait of love and loss, graced by two extraordinary lead performances. The whole Protagonist team was knocked out by it and we are confident it will be embraced by distributors around the world.”

Funded by Film London Microwave, additional finance came from production companies Stink Films and Andy Brunskill’s recently launched Sums Film and Media Ltd., supported by financier/producer Bob & Co, Lim Kay Sui and Neo Swee Lin.

Film London Microwave is a unique training-through-production scheme delivered in partnership with BBC Films and with support from Creative Skillset. Challenging London-based film-makers to shoot a feature film for up to £120,000, Film London Microwave enables talent to thrive in a limited budget with its integrated training programme which offers crucial guidance and mentoring throughout the film-making process.

The Film London Microwave team is made up of Creative Producer Mia Bays, who also acts as the Distribution/Marketing Consultant and Mike Kelly, Business and Finance Producer, alongside Film London’s Talent Development Manager Kevin Dolan and Development and Production Officer Tessa Inkelaar. Film London will soon be appointing a new Head of Talent Development and Production, who will head up the Microwave team.

Encompassing training and development from script to screen and beyond, Film London Microwave has enjoyed excellent results. Last year saw the successful UK theatrical releases of Ben Drew’s iLL Manors, released by Revolver, and Frances Lea’s Strawberry Fields, released through Soda Pictures’ New British Cinema Quarterly programme. Other films produced through the scheme include the BAFTA-nominated Shifty, award-winning horror Mum & Dad, documentary The British Guide to Showing Off, teen drama Freestyle and the yet to be release Borrowed Time which was awarded Best in Fest at the 2012 Edinburgh International Film Festival.

About Film London Microwave

Launched in 2006, Microwave is the acclaimed micro-budget feature film scheme set up by Film London with BBC Films, with support from Creative Skillset. Committed to discovering and investing in emerging London-based film-makers, Microwave backs talented teams with fresh voices and strong stories. A unique ‘apprenticeship’ scheme, it provides an intensive approach to film-making with the emphasis on original ideas, tightly focussed scripts and short production schedules. Film-makers are supported by an extensive training and mentoring programme from development, through production, all the way to the film’s release in the UK and internationally.

In pre production:

Seekers Written by Arinze Kene, directed by Nicole Volavka and produced by Rob Watson.

A thriller set in the world of London's underclass. An African single mother finds new happiness with Jean-Baptiste, a refugee from Rwanda, and their struggle to survive in the big city eases. But a chance sighting of a ghost from the past exposes long buried traumas, which puts their lives in danger and everything they have is threatened.

Completed features:

Mum & Dad (2008) Directed & written by Steven Sheil and produced by Lisa Trnovski. Released Boxing Day 2008 in the UK and Mother’s Day 2009 in North America courtesy of Revolver Entertainment

Shifty (2008) Directed & written by Eran Creevy and produced by Rory Aitken and Ben Pugh. Released on 24 April 2009 in the UK courtesy of Metrodome Distribution. Shifty received a BAFTA nomination for the Carl Foreman Award (Best Debut) in 2010 and 5 Bifa nominations in 2008

Freestyle (2009) a teen romance based around the world of freestyle basketball, directed by Kolton Lee and produced by Lincia Daniel. Released in London and key cities by Revolver in February 2010 and became the first Microwave film to receive a theatrical release in the Us through Phase 4

The British Guide to Showing Off, director Jes Benstock’s Alternative Miss World documentary produced by Dorigen Hammond. Distributed by Verve Pictures in autumn 2011

Strawberry Fields, directed by Frances Lea and produced by Liam Beatty and Lucie Wenigerova, is an intense rites of passage film bursting with energy, sex and humour set during a perfect English summer. It received its World Premiere at the 55th BFI London Film Festival and released by Soda Pictures on 6 July

iLL Manors, written and directed by Ben Drew and produced by Atif Ghani

A unique crime thriller set on the unforgiving streets of London, following six disparate lives, all struggling to survive the circles of violence that engulf them. Released by Revolver on 8 June 2012

Borrowed Time, a bittersweet comedy about growing up and rediscovering youth, written and directed by Jules Bishop and produced by Olivier Kaempfer, starring Philip Davis, Theo Barklem-Biggs and Perry Benson. The film received its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2012 and is set for release in 2013.

Lilting Written and directed by Hong Khaou and produced by Dominic Buchanan

Starring Ben Whishaw and Cheng Pei Pei, Lilting is an intimate and thoughtful film about communication, falling in love and forming relationships without a common language. A mother’s attempt at understanding who her son is after his untimely death, her emotions are stirred up by presence of his partner.

The Film London Microwave team includes Kevin Dolan, Talent Development Manager, Tessa Inkelaar, Development and Production Officer, Creative Producer Mia Bays, who also acts as the Distribution/Marketing Consultant, and Mike Kelly, Business and Finance Producer.

About Film London

Film London, as the capital’s film and media agency, aims to ensure London has a thriving film sector that enriches the city’s businesses and its people. The agency works with all the screen industries to sustain, promote and develop London as a major international production and film cultural capital, and it supports the development of the city’s new and emerging film-making talent. Film London is funded by the Mayor of London, the National Lottery through the BFI, and receives significant support from Arts Council England and Creative Skillset.

About BBC Films

BBC Films is the feature filmmaking arm of the BBC. It aims to make strong British films with range and ambition, bringing the best of British talent to audiences. BBC Films is firmly established at the forefront of British independent filmmaking and co-produces around eight films a year, working in partnership with major international and UK distributors. Christine Langan is the Head of BBC Films, responsible for the development and production slate, strategy and business operations.

Recent releases include Sally Potter’s reflection on troubled friendship Ginger and Rosa currently in cinemas, Ol Parker’s teen romance Now is Good, Fernando Meirelles’ stylish and contemporary drama 360, James Marsh’s heart-wrenching thriller Shadow Dancer, Julien Temple’s documentary feature London – The Modern Babylon, Lasse Hallström’s romantic comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Max and Dania’s kinetic 3D film StreetDance 2, Ralph Fiennes’ contemporary Shakespeare adaptation Coriolanus, Simon Curtis’ comedy drama My Week with Marilyn, Nick Murphy’s supernatural mystery The Awakening, Lynne Ramsay’s adaptation of the Winner for the Orange Prize for Fiction We Need to Talk About Kevin, David Mackenzie’s romantic thriller Perfect Sense, Cary Fukunaga’s modern retelling of Jane Eyre, and James Marsh’s moving documentary Project Nim.

Forthcoming films include Mike Newell’s sumptuous Dickens classic Great Expectations in cinemas 30 November and Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, the wickedly comic Quartet, which will be in cinemas 4 January 2013, and in March Terri Hooley biopic Good Vibrations from directors Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn will feature in cinemas. Also set for a Spring release is Nick Murphy’s gripping thriller Blood.

BBC Films has an impressive back catalogue, which includes titles such as Nigel Cole’s Made in Dagenham, Lone Scherfig’s Academy Award® nominated and BAFTA award-winning An Education; Armando Iannucci’s Academy Award® and BAFTA award-nominated In the Loop; Jane Campion’s Academy Award®nominated Bright Star; and Andrea Arnold’s BAFTA award-winning Fish Tank.

Twitter @BBCFilms...

Tom Hiddleston could make a career out of only playing Asgardian troublemaker Loki in future Marvel movies. He was the lynchpin holding The Avengers together. He.ll be a driving force in Thor: The Dark World later this year. And if he wanted to, I.m sure he could worm his way into The Avengers 2 in some shape or form. He.s just that good in that role. But Hiddleston isn.t content to torment his half-brother Thor for the rest of his life, and so he.s locking down a juicy role in a pending biopic. Shortlist.com quotes Hiddleston as saying he.ll play famed war photographer Robert Capa in the film Capa, which will be directed by Paul Andrew Williams (Song for Marion, London to Brighton). Capa was a refugee run out of multiple European countries who took a firm stance against fascism. Hiddleston says of the...

Fan of British films? Have we got a giveaway for you, poppet!

In honor of the upcoming Entertainment One Blu-Ray/DVD release of the British action film The Sweeney on April 2, 2013, we invite you to enter to win a British DVD Prize Pack. The Sweeney is a stylish action thriller starring Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis (Homeland) and Ray Winstone (Hugo, The Departed) and based on the popular UK television series from the 70’s with the same name.

One winner will receive the following items and DVD titles:

A desk-top safe The Sweeney Starring Damian Lewis, Ray Winstone (April 2, 2013) Cleanskin Starring Sean Bean (Sep 11, 2012) The Big I Am Starring Steven Berkoff, Michael Madsen, Leo Gregory, et al. (Mar 22, 2011) London to Brighton Starring Lorraine Stanley, Georgia Groome, Johnny Harris, et al. (Aug 11, 2009)

Prizepack value: $100

Answer the following:

The title of the movie “The Sweeney” derives from Sweeney Todd, the cockney rhyming...

He Who Dares, the latest film from Paul Tanter (The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan), has officially wrapped production. The movie is a British action thriller described as a cross between The Raid and Die Hard. And with a description like that, our interest is understandably piqued.

Due out at the end of the year, we’ve been given the first poster for He Who Dares to debut, bearing the slogan, ‘Fight. Kill. Win.’ Just the kind of sentiment you want from an action film.

On Christmas Eve a group of ruthless masked terrorists kidnap the Prime Minister’s daughter, fortifying themselves in an underground car park rigged with explosives. Crack Sas operative Chris Lowe and his team are sent in and must take the building one level at a time.

Tom Benedict Knight, Simon Phillips, Christina Bellavia, Ewan Ross, Ben Lloyd-Holmes, Zara Pythian, Kye Loren, and Lorraine Stanley star,...

Paul Andrew Williams made an impressive debut in 2006 with London to Brighton, a brutally realistic crime movie that he followed with a couple of less good but still enjoyable thrillers. With Song for Marion he changes direction, pulling together into a crowd-pleasing, tear-jerking package some elements of Brassed Off, Calendar Girls, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Quartet and TV's The Choir. Shot around Tyneside and Durham, but with no particular regional feeling, it focuses on the long-married lower-middle-class couple, Marion and Arthur, both well played by Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp.

She's ebullient, outgoing and terminally ill. He's gruff, laconic, alienated from their son and incapable of showing his feelings. Moreover, he refuses to join the choir of chirpy, eccentric old folk called the "OAPz", being organised by a patronising young music teacher (Gemma Arterton). Marion represents the life force (working-class division), Arthur the embodiment of British emotional repression. Everything that follows is as predictable,...

Paul Andrew Williams made an impressive debut in 2006 with London to Brighton, a brutally realistic crime movie that he followed with a couple of less good but still enjoyable thrillers. With Song for Marion he changes direction, pulling together into a crowd-pleasing, tear-jerking package some elements of Brassed Off, Calendar Girls, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Quartet and TV's The Choir. Shot around Tyneside and Durham, but with no particular regional feeling, it focuses on the long-married lower-middle-class couple, Marion and Arthur, both well played by Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp.

She's ebullient, outgoing and terminally ill. He's gruff, laconic, alienated from their son and incapable of showing his feelings. Moreover, he refuses to join the choir of chirpy, eccentric old folk called the "OAPz", being organised by a patronising young music teacher (Gemma Arterton). Marion represents the life force (working-class division), Arthur the embodiment of British emotional repression. Everything that follows is as predictable,...

Grit-meister Paul Andrew Williams switches to the key of C major for a commercial crowdpleaser about a seniors' choir

Paul Andrew Williams is a director associated with edgy and challenging movies, one of which, the gritty London to Brighton, was one of the best British films of the last decade. But now, just to show versatility, he has created a likable, mainstream and commercial heartwarmer about old people in a choir. It's a movie in the key of C major – perhaps inspired by Stephen Walker's 2007 documentary about the Young@Heart chorus of eightysomethings in the Us who cover rock standards. This is a sweet-natured, charming, if modestly conceived picture, which is much better than Dustin Hoffman's recent oldie-song drama Quartet – more relaxed, more persuasive, and it actually delivers the all-important musical climax that Hoffman somehow managed to omit. Terence Stamp plays Arthur, the grumpy old husband of Marion,...

Song for Marion is out in UK cinemas today and what feels like a long time ago, I sat down with writer / director Paul Andrew Williams on the set of the movie to discuss where the idea for the movie and how it materialised into a feature-length film. Paul has previously directed London to Brighton, Cherry Tree Lane which are both fabulous but hard-to-watch films. Song for Marion goes in a very different direction but which is guaranteed to make you cry looking at what can happen when a grumpy old man finds himself in a situation where his world is about to be turned upside-down by the terminal illness of his long-term wife.

Song for Marion stars Terrence Stamp, Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Eccleston Gemma Arterton and is guaranteed to make you cry. Our review is up here and you can read my great and frank interview with Director Paul Andrew Williams below.

The success of last year’s Oap fish-out-of-water yarn The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was solid proof that the cinema was more than capable of enticing a demographic outside of those flocking to witness the latest superhero firework displays.

As studios and filmmakers are coming around to catering for the grey pound (and let’s face it, cinema should be there to tell stories which straddle age barriers anyway), Song for Marion arrives with an emotional wallop and an enjoyably feel-good vibe which should see a fair share of wrinkled bottoms on seats for the next couple of weeks.

Using the world explored in the 2007 documentary Young @ Heart as a basis, this somewhat radical departure from London to Brighton and Cherrytree Lane director Paul Andrew Williams is a heartfelt and surprisingly touching look at loss and love, buoyed by two stunning performances from its elderly leads.

Vanessa Redgrave is the titular character,...

Director: Paul Andrew Williams; Screenwriter: Paul Andrew Williams; Starring: Terence Stamp, Gemma Arterton, Vanessa Redgrave; Christopher Eccleston, Anne Reid; Running time: 93 mins; Certificate: PG

Growing old gracefully is easier said than done for Terence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave, especially in a film that borders on patronising the elderly. Tears of sadness and laughter are quite forcefully jerked by writer/director Paul Andrew Williams; thankfully his leads are able to rise above, playing an old married couple whose life together is rocked by cancer and choir lessons.

Initially, Stamp keeps his emotions bottled up as Arthur, except when he's lashing out at his son (Christopher Eccleston) and members of the local old folks' choir presided over by a young teacher, Elizabeth (a rosy-cheeked Gemma Arterton). Arthur is angry most of the time, but even more so when wife Marion (Redgrave) is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Though Marion is dying, she lives...

The Weinstein Company has released the trailer for Unfinished Song with Terrence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave singing unconventional songs for their age like Salt-n-Pepa’s good old practice-safe-sex song ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’.

Previously titled Song for Marion, the feel-good drama debuted to little fanfare at Tiff back in September.

Gemma Arterton plays the upbeat music teacher who runs the local choir that doesn’t seem quite up my alley.

The London-set comedic drama about grumpy pensioner Arthur (Stamp) who is reluctantly inspired by his beloved wife Marion (Redgrave) to join a highly unconventional local choir is directed by Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton) from his own script.

Christopher Eccleston also stars as Arthur’s estranged son James along with a supporting cast that includes Anne Reid, Calita Rainford, Alan Ruscoe and Ram John Holder.

The film will hit theaters on February 8th, 2013.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the movies there are plenty of examples of crotchety old men who find a new lease on life thanks to a plucky younger woman. In As Good As It Gets, Jack Nicholson's spiteful novelist perks up because of Helen Hunt's suffer-no-fools waitress. A nineteen-year-old Lauren Bacall romanced a jaded 45-year-old Humphrey Bogart in To Have or Have Not. And a seventy-something Peter O'Toole found inspiration in a troublemaking teenager played by Jodie Whittaker in Venus. Now Terence Stamp and Gemma Arterton join their ranks in the British dramedy Unfinished Song. Formerly known as Song for Marion, the movie written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams marks a departure for the filmmaker best known for thrillers like London to Brighton and Cherry Tree Lane. This spirited offering stars Stamp as a cantankerous retiree who joins a local choir because of the wish of his ailing wife, played by Vanessa Redgrave.