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At the younger end of the British National Treasures collection, Emma Thompson is surely one of the most sparkling gems, working her way up from telly sketch shows in the Eighties to winning an Oscar for both writing and acting in the Nineties (for Sense and Sensibility and Howards End respectively), flitting between character roles (The Legend Of Barney Thomson), comedy (Late Night) and costume drama (The Remains Of The Day) with ease. She's the perfect choice then to play the older half in this two-hander pairing about retired schoolteacher Nancy, who decides to finally take control of her sex life by hiring the services of much younger sex worker Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack).

Sophie Hyde's film, written by comic Katy Brand (Glued), would be in a lot trickier territory if the genders were flipped in terms of who is hiring who in this situation and it's fair to say the.

We’re still a couple of weeks out from The Boys returning with its second season, but based on the footage we’ve seen so far, it certainly looks as if we’re in for another wild ride. One that may even top the first run of the show, which was one of the best things that we’d seen on television in a long time.

Of course, trying to predict how something as crazy as The Boys is going to end up is a fool’s errand, but let’s not forget that it won’t be the only new thing arriving on Amazon Prime in September. Far from it, in fact.

Earlier today, the streaming service announced their entire line-up of new titles for next month and it’s a meaty list, comprising both films and television shows. And though The Boys may be the highlight for many...

An election season is fast-approaching in the U.S. So for its new releases in September 2020, Amazon Prime is bringing back one of its most political shows.

The Boys season 2 premieres its first three episodes on September 4. Though the show on its face is a superhero story, viewers of season 1 will know it’s really about America’s troubling embrace of entertainment with fascism. Sounds fun and not at all terrifying right before a presidential election!

That’s not the only bleak Amazon original on the schedule for September. British TV adaptation Utopia arrives on September 25. This Gillian Flynn-produced series follows fans of a comic book who believe it predicts…world-ending pandemics. Darn it. Amazon’s only original film this month is a…documentary about voter suppression from Liz Garbus called All In: The Fight for Democracy. Yikes.

For those of us who want to relax with some ‘member berries,...

Exclusive: The Vancouver-based distributor has picked up all Canadian rights to the documentary by Rick Barnes, Jon Nguyen, and Olivia Neergaard-Holm.

Pacific Northwest Pictures (Pnp) plans a spring release for the film, which chronicles the artist and filmmaker’s life from his roots in small town America.

David Lynch: The Art Life infuses Lynch’s own art, music and early films to reveal the creative forces that drove him from an early age.

The film premiered in Venice last September and will open in the Us theatrically in spring through Janus Films and proceed to the small screen in the summer via Amazon Studios and Criterion Collection.

Pnp negotiated the Canadian deal with Fabien Westerhoff’s Film Constellation.

The distributor’s slate includes Ed Gass-Donnelly’s Lavender starring Abbie Cornish, A Perfect Day starring Benicio del Toro and Tim Robbins, Julie Delpy’s French rom-com Lolo, and The Legend Of Barney Thomson starring Robert Carlyle, [link...

Brian Cox will attend a screening of The Carer The Edinburgh International Film Festival has announced a slew of Scottish titles to be screened at the festival ahead of the full programme being unveiled next week.

The move builds on last year’s decision to open and close the film festival with homegrown films – The Legend Of Barney Thomson and Iona – with this year’s edition again showing support for Scottish talent, having previously announced it will open with the world premiere of Jason Connery’s Tommy’s Honour and close with Gillies Mackinnon’s remake of Whisky Galore!

Neither Wolf Nor Dog Titles include Moon Dogs, which is produced by former Eiff Talent Lab participant Kathy Spiers and directed by Downton Abbey and Outlander helmer Philip John. The film features Scots talent and locations and its website promises “an anarchic, funny, sexy coming-of-age movie, following two teenage step brothers...

Our own Heather Wixson was pleasantly surprised by The Blackout Experiments when it premiered at Sundance earlier this year, and those in North America will be able to see it for themselves this summer thanks to Gravitas Ventures:

“Press Release: Los Angeles, CA (April 14, 2016) — Gravitas Ventures has secured all North American rights to “The Blackout Experiments” following a successful premiere from the Midnight Section at Sundance 2016. Directed by Rich Fox, the terror-inducing documentary focuses on a culture that has embraced fear-seeking, interactive entertainment.”

The most extreme immersive horror experience in America is called “Blackout.” Deemed “the extreme event of the year” by The New York Times, it is not for the faint of heart; it is a terrifying, psychosexual thrill-ride designed to play on people’s deepest psychological fears.

Fox’s innovative horror documentary follows a group of friends whose experience with Blackout becomes deeply personal, developing into an...

Demon Bumbler: Carlyle’s Serial Killer Comedy Hit or Miss

Actor Robert Carlyle directs his feature debut Barney Thomson from a first-time screenplay by producer and Ad Richard Cowan, an adaptation of novel by Douglas Lindsay. Released in the UK last year with The Legend of appearing as part of the title, the Us release divorces itself from such a lofty claim, reducing it instead to merely the name of its title character, hoping the star wattage of supporting players such as Emma Thompson and Ray Winstone will drive audiences to the film. A Glasgow set serial killer comedy, mild comparisons to another famed murderous barber, Sweeney Todd, the famed demon of Fleet Street, are completely superficial. Mildly amusing, Carlyle squanders the film’s focus, allowing his more flamboyant co-stars to score more perversely entertaining heights.

Opportunity has yet to present itself to the continually downtrodden Barney Thomson (Carlyle), a...

Distributor also acquired Freeheld, starring Julianne Moore and Ellen Page, and Robert Carlyle’s The Legend Of Barney Thomson.

Arthouse, the leading Russian distributor of foreign and independent films that was fully acquired by Us firm Lorem Ipsum Corp earlier this year, has picked up a hat-trick of titles.

The films include John Michael McDonagh’s War on Everyone, starring Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Peña as corrupt cops; Peter Sollett’s Freeheld, starring Julianne Moore and Ellen Page as lesbian partners who fight for equal rights; and Robert Carlyle’s directorial debutThe Legend of Barney Thomson, in which Carlyle stars opposite Emma Thompson and Ray Winstone.

The Freeheld acquisition follows pick-ups of Lgbt title Pride and Oscar-nominated lesbian drama Carol, which Arthouse is set to release on March 10 despite Russia’s apparent laws against “gay propaganda”.

War on Everyone debuted at Berlin and Arthouse MD Evgeny Pivovarov said: “We’re happy to get one of the funniest...

Read More: Gravitas Ventures Acquires Serial Killer Comedy 'Barney Thomson' For the new crime comedy "Barney Thomson,"  Glasgow native Robert Carlyle sits in the director's chair for the very first time and takes us home with him. The movie, which stars Carlyle as the titular Thomson, also features Emma Thompson and Ray Winstone. In what looks to be a riff on "Sweeney Todd," "Barney Thomson" follows a Glasgow barber who quickly finds himself in the comically grotesque and absurd world of serial killers. Richard Cowan and Colin McLaren wrote the adaptation based on Douglas Lindsay's "The Barbershop Seven" book series. The film debuted at the Edinburgh Film Festival last year and won the Best Film prize at the BAFTA Scotland Awards, with Thompson named Best Actress. The comedy finally his U.S. theaters on March 11. Watch the trailer above. ...

The 15th anniversary celebration of the Whistler Film Festival wrapped Sunday night, living up to its title as ‘Canada’s coolest film fest’ by hosting more premieres, filmmakers, industry executives, and celebrities than ever before, including unique experiences from films, music and parties to high adrenaline races.

The Whistler Film Festival’s Pandora Audience Award went to British-American romantic drama "Carol," directed by Todd Haynes from the screenplay by Phyllis Nagy (Variety 10 Screenwriters to Watch class of 2014) starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, which received its Canadian premiere at Whistler. The Wff Audience Award runner-ups were "The Legend of Barney Thomson," character-actor Robert Carlyle's first theatrical feature and directorial debut, which received its North American premiere at the festival, followed by Ricardo Trogi’s mid-life crisis dramedy, Quebec film "Le Mirage," the highest grossing and most popular Canadian film of the year so far. The Wff Audience Award is a non-cash prize presented to the highest-rated film as voted by the audience.

Paul Gratton, Director of Programming had this to say about this year’s event: "We were very fortunate to open this year's fest with the Canadian premiere of "Carol," a film we are convinced will be a major contender in this year's awards season race. The festival took off from there, with many sold out screenings, packed and newsworthy industry sessions, and over 450 guests who made a point of trekking out to beautiful Whistler to support their films and talk business with the high-level movers and shakers also in attendance. 2015 represented another step forward towards making Wff the coolest festival in the world. Can't wait 'til next year.”

Total attendance for this year’s fest was 13,233 attendees (a 18% increase over 11,273 in 2014) . This included 7,740 film-screening attendees and 3,533 special event attendees (Signature Series, Music Café, ShortWork Showcase, R-Rated Party, Awards Brunch, L’Oreal Men Expert Bobsleigh Race and Celebrity Challenge Ski Race), in addition to 2,530 Summit attendees. Several of the feature films were at or near capacity, including: "Born to be Blue," "Chasing Bansky," "Forsaken," "How to Plan and Orgy in a Small Town," "Legend,""Legend of Barney Thomson," "Numb," "The Lady in the Van," "the Steps," and "Trumbo."

Designed to facilitate international alliances and financial partnerships, Wff’s industry Summit program presented 30 interactive sessions that addressed a range of issues affecting the film, television, and digital media industry. Overall Summit attendance was at 86% capacity with 2,530 attendees (a 13% increase over 2,231 in 2014) including 855 delegates (on par with 2014). The Whistler Summit directly connects to Wff’s slate of project development programs designed to provide creative and business immersion experiences for 42 Canadian artists including its Feature Project Lab, Praxis Screenwriters Lab, Aboriginal Filmmaker Fellowship, and Music Café. Wff also collaborates with several industry organizations by hosting specific third party initiatives at the Whistler Summit including the Women in the Director’s Chair Industry Immersion, Women in Film & Television Film Market Preparation Mentorship, and the Mppia Short Film Award Pitch with the Motion Picture Production Industry Association and Creative BC. In addition to the

204 scheduled meetings (a 10% increase over 186 in 2014) that took place during the Summit, there was again a notable increase in unscheduled meetings that took place outside of scheduled blocks proving the festival remains an important place for the industry to meet and do business. Industry guests came from Canada, USA, UK, India, and China to participate, and included some of the top talent and executives in the business.

Film met music when Morning Show, one of the ten-featured BC artists from Wff’s Music Café, performed the live score for "He Hated Pigeons." Wff’s Music Café, which expanded to include two showcases over two days and featured five music supervisors, was well received with several deals in the works and over 526 guests in attendance.

Toronto’s first-time feature director Jamie M. Dagg’s "River" dominated Whistler prize-giving, winning for best Canadian feature, Best Director and Best Screenplay in the Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature presented by the Directors Guild of Canada – British Columbia. The jury also awarded French-Canadian actor Paul Savoie with Best Performance in a Borsos Film for his performance in "The Diary of an Old Man," as well as provided honorable mention for Rossif Sutherland’s work in "River" and Laura Abramsen’s roles in "Basic human Needs" and "The Sabbatical." Lastly, Best Cinematography in a Borsos Film, presented by I.A.T.S.E. Local 669, went to cinematographer Dylan Macleod for "He Hated Pigeons," directed by Ingrid Veninger. The Borsos Jury was comprised of three accomplished film industry artists that included the highly versatile director and screenwriter and WFF15 Alumni Carl Bessai ("Rehearsal), beloved actor and director Marc-André Grondin , and award-winning producer extraordinaire, Kim McCraw.

Other Whistler award winners included "Last Harvest" by first-time female director Hui (Jane) Wang that won the World Documentary Award presented by Tribute.ca with honorable mention for Brian D. Johnson’s "Al Purdy Was Here." The Best Mountain Culture Film presented by Whistler Blackcomb went to Anthony Bonello’s "Eclipse." The Canadian ShortWork Award went to "Withheld" directed by Johnathan Sousa, with an honorable mention to Amanda Strong and Bracken Hanuse Corlett’s Mia’. The International ShortWork Award was awarded to "Dissonance" by Germany filmmaker Till Nowak, with Langara College’s Canadian ShortWork Award for Best Screenplay given to Jem Garrard’s "The World Who Came to Dinner." Emily Carr University of Art and Design’s Lawrence Lam won the ShortWork Student Award presented by Capilano University Film Centre for "The Blue Jet," and Maja Aro won the Mppia Short Film Award for "Hoods" presented by Mppia and Creative BC, which consists of a $15,000 cash award plus up to $100,000 in services. The Alliance of Women Film Journalists (Awfj) Eda Awards gave Best Female-Directed Narrative Feature to Valerie Weiss’ "A Light Beneath Their Feet," Best Female-Directed Documentary to Hui (Jane) Wang’s "Last Harvest," with a special mention for Brian D. Johnson’s "Al Purdy Was Here." In addition, Céline Devaux’s "Sunday Lunch" took home the Best Female-Directed Short Award.

Receiving Wff’s Trailblazer Award and Tribute presented by Pandora, British-born Canadian actor, film producer, and film director Kiefer Sutherland discussed his extensive acting career spanning film, stage and television, with CTV Film Critic Jim Gordon , followed by the Western Canadian Premiere of his latest film, "Forsaken." Scottish-born Robert Carlyle , one of the most recognizable actors today, graced the Festival’s red carpet at this year’s Spotlight event as Wff’s Maverick Award honoree and sat down with Jim Gordon to discuss his bold choices that have led to the creation of some of the most dynamic, memorable, and beloved characters of our time before the North American Premiere of his directorial debut, "The Legend the Barny Thomson." One of Canada's hardest working and most accomplished character actors, Bruce Greenwood was the recipient of Wff’s Career Achievement Award, at the World Premiere of his latest film "Rehearsal," directed by admired Wff Alumni Carl Bessai.

The Whistler Film Festival proudly hosted the Variety 10 Screenwriters to Watch for the fourth consecutive year hosted by Variety Vice President and Executive Editor, Steven Gaydos . This year’s slate of screenwriters in attendance included Bryan Sipe ("Demolition"), John Scott III ("Maggie"), Meg LeFauve ("Inside Out"), Mike Le ("Patient Zero"), and Emma Donoghue ("Room"), who also delivered a Master Class for the Wff Praxis Screenwriters Lab participants.

To top it all off, Lauren Lee Smith ("How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town"), Jakob Davies ("The Birdwatcher"), Taylor Russell and Rustin Gresiuk ("Suspension") were recognized as Wff’s Rising Stars sponsored by Ubcp/Actra at this year’s Keynote Filmmaker Luncheon presented by Pacific Northwest Pictures, and all had films premiering at the fest.

Over 400 guests attended the fest with other notable talent in attendance with films premiering at the fest including: actor Rossif Sutherland ("River"), director Jon Cassar ("Forsaken"), actor Callum Keith Rennie ("Born to Be Blue"), director/writer Sandy Wilson ("My American Cousin), actors Aleks Paunovic, Stefanie von Pfetten, Marie Avgeropoulos and Colin Cunningham ("Numb"), actors Chelah Horsdal and Alex Zahara ("Patterson's Wager"), actor Sage Brocklebank ("Suspension"), actors Gabrielle Rose and Camille Sullivan ("The Birdwatcher"), actor Rebecca Dalton ("The Colossal Failure of the Modern Relationship"), actor Paul Savoie ("The Diary of an Old Man"), director and founder of the Toronto Film Critics Association Brian D. Johnson ("Al Purdy Was Here"), director and co-founder of World Elephant Day Patricia Sims and co-director Michael Clark ("When Elephants Were Young"), "The Steps" director Andrew Currie and actor Steven McCarthy , and award-winning directors Philippe Lesage ("The Demons") and Ricardo Trogi ("The Miracle"). Veteran director Bruce McDonald attended as a mentor of the Wff Praxis Screenwriters Lab, as well as Canadian actress, writer, filmmaker, comedian, and social activist Mary Walsh , who participated in the Women In The Director’s Chair program and got a standing ovation as Wff’s Keynote Speaker at the Filmmaker Luncheon.

Gravitas Ventures has obtained the U.S. rights to Robert Carlyle's directorial debut Deadline, "Barney Thomson," reports  Known overseas as "The Legend of Barney Thomson," the comedic thriller stars Emma Thompson, Ray Winstone, Tom Courtenay and Carlyle himself.  Richard Cowan and Colin McLaren wrote the adaptation based upon Douglas Lindsay's "The Barbershop Seven" book series. The story follows an awkward barber named Barney Thomson, who is stuck in a mediocre life with his crude mother. Everything changes, however, when he stumbles into the life of a serial killer. The film debuted at the Edinburgh Film Festival and won the Best Film prize at the BAFTA Scotland Awards last week, with Thompson named Best Actress. The film was financed by Westerkirk Capital, Creative Scotland and Telefilm Canada and is a Canadian/UK co-production. Myriad is handling worldwide sales.  The deal was negotiated by Gravitas founder and CEO Nolan...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired U.S. rights to Barney Thomson, the comedic thriller starring and helmed by Robert Carlyle in his feature directorial debut. Carlyle and Emma Thompson lead a cast that includes Ray Winstone and Tom Courtenay. The pic world premiered on the opening night of the Edinburgh Film Festival. Gravitas plans a February 2 VOD bow followed by a theatrical release March 11. The film, known overseas as The Legend Of Barney Thomson, won the Best…...

★★☆☆☆ Robert Carlyle exhibits little flair in his dispensable directorial debut The Legend of Barney Thomson (2015). With a crack-shot cast and well captured locations in and around Glasgow, the film passes by easily enough but is a lightweight affair never aspiring to more than poking fun and raising the odd smile. Any - and all - depth and characterisation is sacrificed in the process. Socially inept and unloved, Barney (played by Carlyle himself) has built his life around being a barber, the one thing in life that's stable and rewarding.

Robert Carlyle and Emma Thompson in The Legend Of Barney Thomson Robert Carlyle's directorial debut The Legend Of Barney Thomson picked up the top movie award at the Scottish BAFTAs last night.

The film, which is released on DVD today, tells the story of a hapless barber who becomes an accidental murderer. It was named best film - beating 16 Years Till Summer and What We Did On Our Holiday - and also saw Emma Thompson walk off with the prize for best actress.

Carlyle was pipped to the acting prize, however, by newcomer David Elliot, who took home the award for his portrayal of an Edinburgh soldier who was killed in Afghanistan in Kajaki: The True Story.

Glaswegian Bill Paterson - who will soon be seen in the film adaptation of Dad's Army - won a special award for outstanding contribution to film and television. David Balfour - who...

Myriad Pictures’s genre label will finance and handle worldwide sales on the thriller to star Lena Headey.

The Woman Of The Woods tells of a couple preparing to separate who take their young daughter on a camping trip only for the child to succumb to an evil force that later implicates her in a series of missing persons cases.

Russell Friedenberg wrote and will direct the thriller and Heather Rae produces.

Myriad svp of marketing and acquisitions Audrey Delaney and COO Kevin Forester negotiated with Rae.

“We absolutely loved this contemporary gothic thriller script and are excited to work with Heather and Russell,” said Myriad president and CEO Kirk D’Amico.

“We are also completely smitten with Lena Headey’s incredible acting ability and know that she will bring this complex leading character of Kelsay fully to light.”

Myriad’s sales slate includes Jeepers Creepers 3, SXSW selection Hangman and Robert Carlyle’s feature directorial debut [link=tt...

Myriad Pictures’s genre label will finance and handle worldwide sales on the thriller to star Lena Headey.

The Woman Of The Woods tells of a couple preparing to separate who take their young daughter on a camping trip only for the child to succumb to an evil force that later implicates her in a series of missing persons cases.

Russell Friedenberg wrote and will direct the thriller and Heather Rae produces.

Myriad svp of marketing and acquisitions Audrey Delaney and COO Kevin Forester negotiated with Rae.

“We absolutely loved this contemporary gothic thriller script and are excited to work with Heather and Russell,” said Myriad president and CEO Kirk D’Amico.

“We are also completely smitten with Lena Headey’s incredible acting ability and know that she will bring this complex leading character of Kelsay fully to light.”

Myriad’s sales slate includes Jeepers Creepers 3, SXSW selection Hangman and Robert Carlyle’s feature directorial debut [link=tt...

Robert Carlyle and Emma Thompson in The Legend Of Barney Thomson

This year's Scottish BAFTA nominations were announced today, and things are looking good for Robert Carlyle's debut film as a director, The Legend Of Barney Thomson. The bloody tale of an earnest hairdresser out of his depth, it opened the Edinburgh International Film Festival earlier this year and went on to enjoy a warm reception at the box office. Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin's What We Did On Our Holiday has also secured multiple nominations.

"It is with immense joy and a huge honour that I have been asked to host the British Academy Scotland Awards again this year," said radio DJ Edith Bowman. "Any opportunity to celebrate and shout about the huge amount of talent coming out of Scotland is a genuine must for me. I can't wait."

The awards ceremony will take place in Glasgow...

The BBC First British Film Festival has revealed its full program.

Featuring 31 titles, the program aims to capture the magic, unique humour, romance, traditions and new age vitality of British culture.

The festival will open with Paolo Sorrentino.s film, Youth, nominated for the Palme d.Or at this year.s Cannes film festival, and the follow up to his Academy Award-winning film, The Great Beauty (2013)..

Following two old friends, retired composer Fred (Michael Caine) and film director Mick (Harvey Keitel), on vacation at a prestigious hotel in the Swiss Alps, the film is an introspective and thought-provoking, wry buddy comedy — and it employs Sorrentino.s hallmark stunning visuals to majestic effect.

Straight from its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Man Who Knew Infinity — the retelling of mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan.s life — will close the festival..

Featuring performances from Dev Petal (Slumdog Millionaire) as Ramanujan, and...

News of a possible Trainspotting sequel - based on Irvine Welsh's follow-up novel Porno, released in 2002 - has left us climbing on the ceiling with anticipation. Could director Danny Boyle really wrangle together the cast once more? And could Trainspotting 2 - as they definitely won't call it - live up to the hype?

With the 20th anniversary coming up just next year, here's what Spud and company have been up to since they all chose life...

Digital Spy's Porno poster:

The original Trainspotting poster:

1. Robert Carlyle

Character: Francis "Franco" Begbie

Age then: 33

Age now: 54

Biggest acting gigs since: The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes and TV's Once Upon A Time, Stargate Universe and 24: Redemption

Carlyle joined forces with Boyle again on The Beach, and worked alongside Samuel L Jackson in 51st State, but his "career highlight" has been directing his first film, The Legend of Barney Thomson,...

News of a possible Trainspotting sequel - based on Irvine Welsh's follow-up novel Porno, released in 2002 - has left us climbing on the ceiling with anticipation. Could director Danny Boyle really wrangle together the cast once more? And could Trainspotting 2 - as they definitely won't call it - live up to the hype?

With the 20th anniversary coming up just next year, here's what Spud and company have been up to since they all chose life...

Digital Spy's Porno poster:

The original Trainspotting poster:

1. Robert Carlyle

Character: Francis "Franco" Begbie

Age then: 33

Age now: 54

Biggest acting gigs since: The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes and TV's Once Upon A Time, Stargate Universe and 24: Redemption

Carlyle joined forces with Boyle again on The Beach, and worked alongside Samuel L Jackson in 51st State, but his "career highlight" has been directing his first film, The Legend of Barney Thomson,...

Nearly 60 international and Canadian producers will head to the Ontario Media Development Corporation’s (Omdc) annual International Financing Forum in Toronto.

The 10th anniversary edition of Omdc’s International Financing Forum (Iff), a feature co-financing market for English-language projects, will run Sept 13-14 during Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 10-20).

The projects include Drama, the third feature to be directed by Oscar-winning Us actress Helen Hunt, written by Justin W. Lo (‘Mistresses’).

Scroll down for more projects

The two-day event includes one-on-one meetings, an industry panel discussion, roundtable meetings, a networking luncheon, and a producers’ opening night networking reception.

Iff partners include Telefilm Canada, UK Trade and Investment (Ukti) and new sponsor Canadian Media Producers Association (Cmpa).

More than 750 meetings will be scheduled for the 37 producer teams (20 Canadian projects and 17 international projects).

In total, 56 producers have been selected to participate in the programme from countries including: Australia, Germany, India, Israel, Spain, Uganda...

Fortissimo Films’ sells Spanish rights to the Toronto-bound period drama.

Bilbao-based Festival Films has picked up the Spanish distribution rights to Terence Davies’ Sunset Song from Fortissimo Films.

The period drama, starring Peter Mullan (Tyrannosaur), Agyness Deyn (Pusher) and Kevin Guthrie (The Legend Of Barney Thomson), will receive its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 10-20) in Special Presentations.

Davies’ long-gestating passion project is an adaptation of the 1932 classic Scottish novel by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, about a farmer’s daughter in early 20th-century Scotland facing a series of hardships.

Davies has frequently played in Toronto, starting with Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988 and most recently with The Deep Blue Sea in 2011, which Festival Films previously released in Spain.

Sunset Song is also playing in competition at San Sebastian (Sept 18-26).

Metrodome previously picked up UK and Irish rights (excluding TV, which area owned by the BBC) and is planning to release in Q4 2015.

The...

Exclusive: The Sand and Aaaaaaaah! among first FrightFest Presents acquisitions.

UK distributor Icon Film Distribution and UK horror festival FrightFest have set the first films to be released under their FrightFest Presents banner.

An initial seven genre films have been selected by the distributor and festival for the new online label, with others to be added soon.

The films will premiere at FrightFest, which gets underway in London on Thursday (Aug 27), before unspooling online between October and February 2016.

Digital partners will include iTunes, Virgin Movies, Sky, Google Amazon, Xbox , Blinkbox, Google, Wuaki, TalkTalk and Volta.

First titles

Among the first batch of titles is Sightseers actor-writer Steve Oram’s surreal ‘monkey comedy’ Aaaaaaaah!, which Icon will release online this October.

Oram stars alongside Noel Fielding (The Mighty Boosh), Alice Lowe (Sightseers), Lucy Honnigman (The Ex-pm), Julian Rhind-Tutt (Lucy), Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh) and Toyah Willcox (Quadrophenia) in the story of a tribe of warring ‘monkeys’.

Creature...

Fortissimo locks UK deal with Metrodome for Toronto title; BBC boards TV rights.

Fortissimo has secured a deal with Metrodome for UK and Irish rights to Terence Davies’ anticipated drama, Sunset Song, ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month.

Metrodome has all rights excluding TV – which belong to BBC – and will release in Q4, 2015.

Agyness Deyn (Pusher), Peter Mullan (Tyrannosaur) and Kevin Guthrie (The Legend of Barney Thomson), star in the early 1900s coming-of-age story in which the daughter of a Scottish farmer draws strength from the land in order to cope with her harsh reality.

Based on the novel by Scottish writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon, the film will also feature in competition at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

The deal was negotiated between Fortissimo Films’ Nicole Mackey, evp of international sales, and Metrodome’s head of acquisitions Giles Edwards and MD Jezz Vernon.

Sunset Song marks the...

To mark the release of The Legend of Barney Thomson on 24th July, we’ve been given 1 prize bundle containing a poster, a copy of the source novel by Douglas lindsay and a blu-ray bundle of Icon titles of similar genre – The Guest, starring Dan Stevens and Maika Monroe, While We’re Young starring Naomi

The post Win goodies from The Legend of Barney Thomson appeared first on HeyUGuys.

The film team review this week's big cinema releases, including Pixar's journey with the squabbling emotions in a young girl's mind and Jake Gyllenhaal as a rough, tough boxing champ

Henry Barnes and Peter Bradshaw join Xan Brooks for our weekly round-up of the big cinema releases. This week the team watch feelings deal with their feelings in Pixar's pop psychology comedy Inside Out; nod along sagely with the studiously cool scenesters of Mia Hansen-Løve's French house film, Eden; go many rounds with Antoine Fuqua's thudding boxing drama Southpaw; and have a close shave with Robert Carlyle's directorial debut The Legend of Barney Thomson, about a hapless Glaswegian barber. Plus, an interview with Southpaw star Jake Gyllenhaal.

• This is the audio-only version of this week's Guardian film show

Continue reading...

Henry Barnes and Peter Bradshaw join Xan Brooks for our weekly round-up of the big cinema releases. This week the team watch feelings deal with their feelings in Pixar's pop psychology comedy Inside Out; nod along sagely with the studiously cool scenesters of Mia Hansen-Løve's French house film, Eden; go many rounds with Antoine Fuqua's thudding boxing drama Southpaw; and have a close shave with Robert Carlyle's directorial debut The Legend of Barney Thomson, about a hapless Glaswegian barber. Plus, an interview with Southpaw star Jake Gyllenhaal Continue reading...

Emma Thompson had a few words for Hollywood in a recent overseas interview with Radio Times. Regarding opportunities for women in the industry, the Oscar-winning actress and screenwriter said "I think it’s still completely s*** actually," going on to say "I don’t think there’s any appreciable improvement and I think that for women, the question of how they are supposed to look is worse than it was even when I was young. So, no, I am not impressed at all." Thompson, who's doing press rounds for her role in Scottish thesp Robert Carlyle's directorial debut "The Legend of Barney Thomson," said that even her casting was "a bit ageist," since she's only 56 and playing a 77-year-old. “It would be really nice to get someone who is actually 77 to play her, but it’s a wildly comic role and I couldn’t resist.” Thompson joins a slew...

Emma Thompson has hit out at sexism in the movie industry

The actress told Radio Times that the problem is worse than when she was starting out.

10 Things About... Emma Thompson

"I think it's still completely s**t, actually," she said.

"I don't think there's any appreciable improvement and I think that for women, the question of how they are supposed to look is worse than it was even when I was young. So, no, I am not impressed at all."

She added: "When I was younger I really did think we were on our way to a better world and when I look at it now, it is in a worse state than I have known it, particularly for women and I find that very disturbing and sad.

"Nothing has changed, and that some forms of sexism and unpleasantness to women have become more entrenched and indeed more prevalent.

He dominated the 90s with hits such as Trainspotting and The Full Monty, but has spent the past 10 years avoiding blockbusters. Now he’s back as the director, and accidental star, of Glaswegian comedy The Legend of Barney Thomson

Robert Carlyle walks into the room holding a small, pale pink alarm clock. Not, it turns out, a way of keeping tabs on how long he has to put up with me, but a present from Lorraine Kelly, whose TV show he’s just come from. “That’s going in my daughter’s bedroom later,” he says, with an hint of paternal triumph.

If being invited on to breakfast TV is any guide, Carlyle is still riding the wave of admiration, respect and popularity he earned in the mid-90s, when first Trainspotting and then The Full Monty propelled him to household-name status. But in truth, he’s been off the...

When she joined Creative Scotland as Director, Film And Media, last summer, Natalie Usher already had an intimate involvement with several of the films that Creative Scotland was backing.

As a senior film lawyer in the Film & TV Group at Lee & Thompson, Usher had been working on both the opening and closing films at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival: Robert Carlyle’s The Legend Of Barney Thomson and Scott Graham’s Iona.

“For me, this is personally a very interesting and exciting festival because a number of films I worked on as a lawyer, Creative Scotland also invested in and now they are here.”

Usher has come into her job at Creative Scotland at a time when the Scottish film industry looks set for a major resurgence.

Plans for a large scale Scottish studio are edging slow but surely forward. Meanwhile, at the Scottish Film Summit during Eiff earlier this week, Scottish culture...

Robert Carlyle and his wife Anastasia on the red carpet for The Legend Of Barney Thompson world premiere. Photo: Courtesy of Eiff Ashley Jensen on the red carpet for Eiff Photo: Courtesy of Eiff The 69th Edinburgh International Film Festival officially got under way last night with the world premiere of Robert Carlyle's directorial debut The Legend Of Barney Thomson.

The cast were out in force to support the screening of the film that tells the story of the hapless titular barber, who finds himself unwittingly drawn into a murder investigation. Carlyle stars as Thomson, with Emma Thompson wrinkling up to play his dear old mum. Although Thompson was unable to attend because she's currently shooting Disney's Beauty And The Beast remake, cast members including James Cosmo, Martin Compston, Ashley Jensen, Brian Pettifer, Tom Courtenay, Sam Robertson and Kevin Guthrie all graced the red carpet.

Carlyle introduced the screening...

The Edinburgh International Film Festival gets underway today with a local hero leading the way. Robert Carlyle’s first directorial gig, The Legend Of Barney Thomson, is the opening gala this year. The film has a new poster timed perfectly for the occasion. Click on the thumbnail for a closer look. Adapting a comic crime novel series, Carlyle stars as Barney, a hopeless barber overcome by some dark urges that lead him into a murderous spree. Cue Ray Winstone’s Glasgow detective and his high-testorone colleagues blundering about in a pursuit that may or may not end in a literal Ray Winstone floating head. Have a bang on that.In case you were wondering, Emma Thompson's Oscar campaigning hasn’t aged her terribly. She’s been made up by X-Men and Harry Potter alumnus Mark Coulier to put the years on as Barney’s domineering mum and “good-time girl", Cemolina.

Edinburgh International Film Festival unveils juries and guests for 2015 edition.

The 69th Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) (June 17-28) has revealed the juries that will judge its five award categories - The Michael Powell Award for Best British Film; Best Performance in a British Feature; Best International Feature; Best Documentary; and Best Short Film.

Jurors include:

Karen Gillan, actressNatascha McElhone, actressKenneth Turan, film criticAmy Berg, directorArchie Panjabi, actressKyle Patrick Alvarez, directorJessica Hynes, actressDenis Lawson, actorJacqueline Lyanga, AFI film festival directorDolly Wells, actress.

Doctor Who and Guardians of the Galaxy star Gillan will see her dirctorial debut - short film Coward - screened at the Festival.

Us director Berg’s films Prophet’s Prey and Every Secret Thing will screen at Eiff while Alverez will see his feature, The Stanford Prison Experiment, shown at the Festival.

Wells stars in Black Mountain Poets, 45 Years and Doll & Em 2, all showing at this year’s festival.

Other awards...

Ewan McGregor, Jane Seymour, Malcolm McDowell and Hong Kong director Johnnie To among the guests set to attend the festival.Scroll down for competition titles

The line-up for the 69th Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has been unveiled this morning by new artistic director Mark Adams.

This year’s Eiff (June 17-28) will comprise 164 features from 36 countries, including 24 world premieres, eight international premieres, 16 European premieres and 84 UK premieres.

Highlights including the UK premiere of Asif Kapadia’s documentary Amy, about the life of singer Amy Winehouse; the latest Disney-Pixar animation Inside Out; Arnold Schwarzenegger in zombie drama Maggie; comedy The D-Train, starring Jack Black and James Marsden; and a biopic of The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Love & Mercy, in which John Cusack and Paul Dano play different aged versions of the musician.

Classic Screenings will include a rare outing for Noel Marshall’s Roar, a cult 1981 big cat movie.

Star power

This year’s Eiff will present...

Robert Carlyle in The Legend Of Barney Thomson, which will open Eiff Photo: Courtesy of Eiff The 69th edition of Edinburgh Film Festival will open with the world premiere of Robert Carlyle's directorial debut The Legend Of Barney Thomson on June 17 at the city's Festival Theatre.

Carlyle - who is an honorary patron of the festival - also stars in the darkly humorous Glasgow-set thriller alongside Emma Thompson, Ray Winstone, Tom Courtenay, Ashley Jensen and Martin Compston.

Carlyle said: “After a career-long association with Eiff it gives me enormous pleasure to have The Legend Of Barney Thomson chosen as Opening Night film. It really is such an honour for me to have my first feature as director premiered here in Edinburgh at the Festival that has played such a huge part in my life."

The screenplay - based on Douglas Lindsay's The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson - is...

Robert Carlyle's directorial debut will receive its world premiere at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff).

The Legend of Barney Thomson will open the 69th year of the annual festival on Wednesday, June 17.

The black comedy - which is set in Glasgow - sees Carlyle star alongside Emma Thompson, Ray Winstone, Ashley Jensen, Martin Compston and Brian Pettifer.

Carlyle said: "After a career-long association with Eiff it gives me enormous pleasure to have The Legend of Barney Thomson chosen as Opening Night film.

"It really is such an honour for me to have my first feature as director premiered here in Edinburgh at the festival that has played such a huge part in my life."

Mark Adams, the new Artistic Director of Eiff, added: "We are thrilled to be opening this year's festival with Robert Carlyle's wonderful black comedy.

"It is a marvellously macabre and playful film,...

The Legend Of Barney Thomson to world premiere at the 69th Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff).

Robert Carlyle’s feature film directorial debut, The Legend Of Barney Thomson, is to open the 69th edition of the Festival on June17 , where it will receive its world premiere.

Directed by and starring Carlyle alongside Emma Thompson and Ray Winstone, the Glasgow-set thriller will kick off the 12-day festival at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh.

Co-stars includeTom Courtenay, Ashley Jensen, Martin Compston, Brian Pettifer, Kevin Guthrie, James Cosmo, Stephen McCole and Samuel Robertson, with a screenplay by Colin McLaren and Richard Cowan.

Trainspotting star Carlyle is an honorary patron of the festival and said: “After a career-long association with Eiff it gives me enormous pleasure to have The Legend Of Barney Thomson chosen as Opening Night film. It really is such an honour for me to have my first feature as director premiered here in Edinburgh at the Festival that has...

The sales agent has commenced international sales on the Sigma Films and Thruline Entertainment horror supported by Creative Scotland.

Former Screen UK Star Of Tomorrow Sophie Cookson, riding high on the success of global hit Kingsman: The Secret Service, plays a young woman who runs a ghostbusting racket with her sibling.

When the pair investigate a haunted foster home where a sadistic killer used to operate, they uncover a far more terrifying supernatural force.

Iceland’s Olaf de Fleur will direct Hush and Sigma’s Brian Coffey and Thruline’s Danny Sherman produce. Coffey produced The Legend Of Barney Thomson and Citadel, while Sherman is working on the upcoming The Wild One Hundreds and Bathing Flo.

Principal photography is set to kick off in October in Scotland.

Ben Ketai, whose credits include The Forest and The Strangers 2, adapted the screenplay from a novella by Em Blomqvist. Eva Konstantopoulos made script revisions.

de Fleur won...

UK cinema in 2015 has plenty to recommend it. Here are 36 UK films of all genres to look forward to this year…

Dig past the litterfall of Kray Brothers biopics and tales of nubile teens on camping trips gone wrong, and you’ll unearth plenty for the UK film industry to boast about in 2015. From sci-fi romps and thrillers like Robot Overlords and Ex Machina to dramas like High-Rise, comedies like War On Everyone, spy flicks like Spectre and kids’ films like Bill, there’s no shortage of inventive, highly promising cinema coming from these isles.

We’ve included a few choice co-productions in 2015’s pick of the year’s most interesting-looking pictures, which bolsters our list in both size and breadth (and mostly means we Brits can claim partial credit for ace-sounding dystopian flick The Lobster).

In alphabetical order then, here are the 36 UK (or UK-ish) movies we’re excited about seeing this year…...

Exclusive: Icon Film Distribution (Ifd) has signed a deal with UK sales and distribution company Park Circus to represent the Ifd library for UK theatrical release.

The Ifd library comprises more than 200 titles including Mel Gibson’s The Passion Of The Christ, Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, John Hillcoat’s The Road, John Carney’s Once, Emilio Estevez’s The Way, and Tom Ford’s A Single Man.

Park Circus specialises in putting classic films back on the big screen and represents more than 20,000 titles from major studios and independent rights owners. This summer, it will handle the international re-release of Some Like It Hot, The Lady From Shanghai, The Deer Hunter and To Catch A Thief.

Ifd, which re-launched last September backed by New Sparta, recently released animated feature Postman Pat: The Movie, which has generated nearly £3m ($5m) at the UK box office after three weeks on release.

The independent...

Robert Carlyle is currently making his directing debut with the British-Canadian co-production The Legend Of Barney Thomson, and with shooting just underway, the final bits of the cast have fallen into place. Emma Thompson and Ray Winstone have both just joined the roster that includes Brian Pettifer, Tom Courtney, James Cosmo, Ashley Jensen, Martin Compston, Kevin Guthrie and Stephen McCole.Carlyle himself is playing the title character, a socially awkward Glaswegian barber living a dull life with his wife and mother until he crosses the path of a deranged serial killer. The film is based on The Long Midnight Of Barney Thomson, the first in a series of blackly comic crime novels about the "barbershop death junky" by Douglas Lindsay. Emma Thompson (in old lady make-up by X-Men and Harry Potter alumnus Mark Coulier) is Barney's mum, while Winstone is a copper chasing down the murderer...There are seven Barney Thomson books in total,...

Actor Robert Carlyle is making his directorial debut on the new horror comedy The Legend of Barney Thomson (formerly The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson), and we have the first image from the set for you. Check it out!

Myriad Pictures announced Tuesday that principal photography has begun in the UK on the darkly humorous film which will star two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks, Sense and Sensibility), Ray Winstone (Snow White and the Huntsman, The Departed, Hugo), and Carlyle, who will also play the title role.

The script is based on a widely popular series of novels by Douglas Lindsay and was adapted for the screen by BAFTA award-winner Colin McLaren (Donkeys) and Richard Cowan. Myriad Pictures is handling worldwide sales on the film.

In The Legend of Barney Thomson, Carlyle plays the title character, a downtrodden Glaswegian barber who inadvertently stumbles into serial murder, with both absurd and macabre consequences.

Principal photography has begun in the UK on Robert Carlyle’s feature directorial debut The Legend of Barney Thomson (formerly The Long Midnight Of Barney Thomson). Myriad Pictures handles world sales.

Emma Thompson, Ray Winstone and Carlyle star in the tale adapted from Douglas Lindsay’s novels by Colin McLaren and Richard Cowan about a downtrodden Glaswegian barber who inadvertently stumbles into serial murder.

Brian Pettifer, Tom Courtney, Martin Compston, James Cosmo, Ashley Jensen, Kevin Guthrie and Stephen McCole have joined the cast.

The film is being financed by Westerkirk Capital, Creative Scotland and Telefilm Canada. Pacific Northwest Pictures will distribute the film in Canada, and Icon Film Distribution in the UK.

John G Lenic and Kaleena Kiff of Trinity Works Entertainment produce with Brian Coffey of Sigma Films, Holly Brydson and Cowan.

Myriad chief Kirk D’Amico and Doug Apatow are executive producers.

Keiynan Lonsdale has joined the cast of The Divergent Series: Insurgent and will...

Exclusive: Myriad Pictures announced (April 2) that production on the comedy-drama starring Chace Crawford and Tyler Labine will take begin on April 5 in Revelstoke, British Columbia.

Cameron Labine wrote and will direct Mountain Men, about two brothers stranded at their family’s mountain cabin during a search for their missing father.

Myriad Pictures will commence talks with buyers immediately and handles worldwide sales excluding Canada, where Pacific Northwest Pictures will release the film.

“We are very excited to be working with the Labine brothers in partnership with the very talented Chace Crawford,” said Pacific Northwest Pictures vice-president Emily Alden. “Cam is a very exciting new and innovative voice. As a whole package we expect the team to achieve something remarkable and we are thrilled to be part of it.”

“I’m thrilled to be working with Tyler and Chace, who have compelling odd-couple chemistry,” said Cameron Labine. “Set against the rugged Rockies, Mountain Men will be...

Exclusive: Myriad Pictures is reuniting with Ruba Nadda, producer Daniel Iron and their Cairo Time star Patricia Clarkson on October Gale.

Kirk D’Amico’s company has secured world sales on the Canadian thriller and has been introducing to buyers at the Efm.

Principal photography is set to kick off in spring with Toronto-based Iron of Blue Ice Pictures producing with David Collins of Ireland’s Samson Films.

Myriad chief D’Amico is an executive produce with Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Emily Alden of Canada’s Pacific Northwest Pictures.

October Gale centres on a woman who gets involved in a deadly struggle for survival as she spends time at her island cabin home putting her late husband’s affairs in order.

“We are very happy to be working with Ruba and Danny again,” said D’Amico, whose company handled sales on Nadda’s most recent film, Inescapable. “Ruba has written a taught, suspenseful script...

Emma Thompson will star in The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson, a dark comedy-thriller that will act as actor Robert Carlyle's directorial debut. Carlyle will also star as Barney Thomson in the film, which will also star Ray Winstone and Ewen Bremner. Richard Cowan and Colin McLaren wrote the script, which is an adaption based on the popular series of novels by Douglas Lindsay. Myriad Pictures, which is handling worldwide sales (excluding Canada and the UK), will introduce the film to international buyers at the upcoming Efm in Berlin.   The story follows Barney, a Scottish barber who, through

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Emma Thomson will star in actor Robert Carlyle's directorial debut, the dark comedy-thriller "The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson"

Carlyle plays a Scottish barber who, through a series of accidental events, stumbles into the world of serial murder. Thompson will play Barney's emasculating mother.

Ray Winstone plays a detective inspector in charge of an inept homicide department. Ewen Bremner also stars.

Richard Cowan and Colin McLaren wrote the script, based on the novel series by Douglas Lindsay. John G. Lenic and Kaleena Kiff are producing.

Source: THR...

Robert Carlyle’s Efm-bound feature directorial debut The Long Midnight Of Barney Thomson to star Emma Thompson and Ray Winstone.

The darkly comical thriller will also star Ewen Bremner and Carlyle, who will play the title role.

Richard Cowan and Colin McLaren adapted the screenplay from the novel series by Douglas Lindsay.

The Canada-uk co-production is scheduled to begin shooting in the first half of the year.

The Long Midnight Of Barney Thomson centres on a downtrodden Scottish barber who inadvertently stumbles into serial murder.

Vancouver-based John G Lenic and Kaleena Kiff produce through their Trinity Works Entertainment label. Myriad chief Kirk D’Amico will serve as executive producer.

Myriad’s Thomas Loftus negotiated worldwide sales rights with Arthur Evrensel and Lenic on behalf of the filmmakers.