Forget “Saltburn” – now, it’s up to BBC Three’s series “Boarders” to take an honest look at Britain’s most exclusive private schools.
“You hear so many horror stories about these places, but it’s a rite of passage. So many of our PMs and people of power went there. I think there is something called ‘boarding school syndrome’ when you deal with politicians who exhibit complete lack of compassion. That’s what they learnt there,” explains Daniel Lawrence Taylor, who created the show.
His actor, Josh Tedeku, agrees.
“I went to Oxford recently and there is a similar vibe. My friend would say: ‘This is where Boris Johnson went, this is where Rishi Sunak went.’ You start to understand why they are all so loopy.”
“I loved the place, they shot ‘Harry Potter’ there and I was just nerding out. Then, I met someone who watched ‘Boarders’ and...
“You hear so many horror stories about these places, but it’s a rite of passage. So many of our PMs and people of power went there. I think there is something called ‘boarding school syndrome’ when you deal with politicians who exhibit complete lack of compassion. That’s what they learnt there,” explains Daniel Lawrence Taylor, who created the show.
His actor, Josh Tedeku, agrees.
“I went to Oxford recently and there is a similar vibe. My friend would say: ‘This is where Boris Johnson went, this is where Rishi Sunak went.’ You start to understand why they are all so loopy.”
“I loved the place, they shot ‘Harry Potter’ there and I was just nerding out. Then, I met someone who watched ‘Boarders’ and...
- 3/22/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
As an over-40 on the Gen X/Millennial cusp, modern teenagers unsettle me. On screen. On buses. On the street with their midriff out and no coat on. I feel a powerful urge both to protect them and for them to stay 100 metres away from me at all times. Watching modern teen TV as a non-teen feels suspect, like eating Farleys Rusks with a full set of adult teeth.
Watching BBC Three comedy-drama Boarders then, which is set at the sixth form of a swanky English private school, I was primed to feel like a chaperone at a prom – unwelcome, uncomfortable and wishing to God there was a bar. What I actually felt was joy.
Created by Timewasters’ Daniel Lawrence Taylor and inspired by a news article about an elite, majority-white UK boarding school offering scholarship places to clever young Black students from underprivileged backgrounds, Boarders is shrewd, funny and well-cast.
Watching BBC Three comedy-drama Boarders then, which is set at the sixth form of a swanky English private school, I was primed to feel like a chaperone at a prom – unwelcome, uncomfortable and wishing to God there was a bar. What I actually felt was joy.
Created by Timewasters’ Daniel Lawrence Taylor and inspired by a news article about an elite, majority-white UK boarding school offering scholarship places to clever young Black students from underprivileged backgrounds, Boarders is shrewd, funny and well-cast.
- 2/20/2024
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Tannaz Anisi and sales team to present first-look footage next week.
13 Films has boarded worldwide sales for AFM on Bk Studios’ psychological thriller My Sister’s Bones starring Olga Kurylenko, Jenny Seagrove and Anna Friel and produced by the late Bill Kenwright.
Heidi Greensmith, whose debut feature Winter earned a 2015 Bifa nomination, directs the Bk Studios feature based on Nuala Ellwood’s novel of the same name about a woman who returns from war-torn Iraq following the death of her mother.
While packing up her mother’s belongings she begins to believe something terrifying is happening in the house next door.
13 Films has boarded worldwide sales for AFM on Bk Studios’ psychological thriller My Sister’s Bones starring Olga Kurylenko, Jenny Seagrove and Anna Friel and produced by the late Bill Kenwright.
Heidi Greensmith, whose debut feature Winter earned a 2015 Bifa nomination, directs the Bk Studios feature based on Nuala Ellwood’s novel of the same name about a woman who returns from war-torn Iraq following the death of her mother.
While packing up her mother’s belongings she begins to believe something terrifying is happening in the house next door.
- 10/27/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Bill Kenwright, the prolific West End producer behind the hit musicals Blood Brothers, Whistle Down the Wind and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat who would later go on to become an owner and chairman of his boyhood soccer club Everton, has died. He was 78.
In a statement, Everton said Kenwright died peacefully, “surrounded by his family and loved ones.” This month, the Premier League club revealed that Kenwright had recently undergone surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his liver.
“The world of British theatre without Bill Kenwright seems impossible,” said fellow theater impresario Cameron Mackintosh in a statement on X. “In my lifetime, there has never been anyone like Bill. He’s totally irreplaceable, and we will miss him so.”
“Dearest Bill, Somewhere you’ll be singing Let It Be Me and challenging heavenly choirs to look into your Ebony Eyes,” Andrew Lloyd Webber tweeted. “The theatre will...
In a statement, Everton said Kenwright died peacefully, “surrounded by his family and loved ones.” This month, the Premier League club revealed that Kenwright had recently undergone surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his liver.
“The world of British theatre without Bill Kenwright seems impossible,” said fellow theater impresario Cameron Mackintosh in a statement on X. “In my lifetime, there has never been anyone like Bill. He’s totally irreplaceable, and we will miss him so.”
“Dearest Bill, Somewhere you’ll be singing Let It Be Me and challenging heavenly choirs to look into your Ebony Eyes,” Andrew Lloyd Webber tweeted. “The theatre will...
- 10/25/2023
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kenwright ran Bill Kenwright Films for over 30 years.
Bill Kenwright, the UK film producer who ran several popular stage shows, has died at the age of 78.
Kenwright had surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his liver eight weeks ago. A statement from Everton Football Club, of which Kenwright was chairman from 2004 until his death, said Kenwright “passed away peacefully last night [Monday, October 23] surrounded by his family and loved ones.”
Kenwright founded Bill Kenwright Films in 1986, having already established a successful career as a theatre and musicals producer.
In the film sector, his credits as producer included Lewis Gilbert’s 1991 musical Stepping Out starring Liza Minnelli,...
Bill Kenwright, the UK film producer who ran several popular stage shows, has died at the age of 78.
Kenwright had surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his liver eight weeks ago. A statement from Everton Football Club, of which Kenwright was chairman from 2004 until his death, said Kenwright “passed away peacefully last night [Monday, October 23] surrounded by his family and loved ones.”
Kenwright founded Bill Kenwright Films in 1986, having already established a successful career as a theatre and musicals producer.
In the film sector, his credits as producer included Lewis Gilbert’s 1991 musical Stepping Out starring Liza Minnelli,...
- 10/24/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
A cast of emerging talent has been set for BBC comedy-drama “Boarders,” from Daniel Lawrence Taylor, creator of the BAFTA nominated “Timewasters.”
The 6 x 45′ series produced by Studio Lambert (“The Nest”) in association with All3Media International, follows the lives of five talented underprivileged Black students from inner-city London who win scholarships to St. Gilbert’s, an elite boarding school. Stepping out of the urban metropolis, they experience the highs and lows of boarding school, learn about themselves, their identity and what life on the other side looks like.
“Boarders” will star Josh Tedeku (“Supacell”), Jodie Campbell (“Bulletproof”) and Myles Kamwendo (“The School for Good and Evil”) alongside Sekou Diaby and Aruna Jalloh, both making their screen debuts. Lawrence Taylor will play a mentor figure to the students.
The cast also includes Derek Riddell (“Happy Valley”), Niky Wardley (“Queen of Oz”), Harry Gilby (“Tolkien”), Tallulah Grieve (“Our Ladies”), Rosie Graham (“The School for Good and Evil...
The 6 x 45′ series produced by Studio Lambert (“The Nest”) in association with All3Media International, follows the lives of five talented underprivileged Black students from inner-city London who win scholarships to St. Gilbert’s, an elite boarding school. Stepping out of the urban metropolis, they experience the highs and lows of boarding school, learn about themselves, their identity and what life on the other side looks like.
“Boarders” will star Josh Tedeku (“Supacell”), Jodie Campbell (“Bulletproof”) and Myles Kamwendo (“The School for Good and Evil”) alongside Sekou Diaby and Aruna Jalloh, both making their screen debuts. Lawrence Taylor will play a mentor figure to the students.
The cast also includes Derek Riddell (“Happy Valley”), Niky Wardley (“Queen of Oz”), Harry Gilby (“Tolkien”), Tallulah Grieve (“Our Ladies”), Rosie Graham (“The School for Good and Evil...
- 7/19/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Studiocanal and Working Title have unveiled the official trailer for Shekhar Kapur’s keenly anticipated cross-cultural British romantic comedy “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”
The film will have its world premiere as a gala presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10.
It follows documentary-maker and dating app addict Zoe (Lily James), for whom swiping right has only delivered an endless stream of Mr. Wrongs, to her eccentric mother Cath’s (Emma Thompson) dismay. For Zoe’s childhood friend and neighbor Kaz (Shazad Latif), the answer is to follow his parents’ example and opt for an arranged (or “assisted”) marriage to Maymouna (Sajal Aly), a bright and beautiful bride from Pakistan. As Zoe films Kaz’s journey from London to Lahore to marry a stranger, chosen by his parents, she begins to wonder if she might have something to learn from a profoundly different approach to finding love.
The film will have its world premiere as a gala presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10.
It follows documentary-maker and dating app addict Zoe (Lily James), for whom swiping right has only delivered an endless stream of Mr. Wrongs, to her eccentric mother Cath’s (Emma Thompson) dismay. For Zoe’s childhood friend and neighbor Kaz (Shazad Latif), the answer is to follow his parents’ example and opt for an arranged (or “assisted”) marriage to Maymouna (Sajal Aly), a bright and beautiful bride from Pakistan. As Zoe films Kaz’s journey from London to Lahore to marry a stranger, chosen by his parents, she begins to wonder if she might have something to learn from a profoundly different approach to finding love.
- 9/7/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Variety can exclusively reveal the first look of top Pakistani star Sajal Aly from keenly anticipated rom-com “What’s Love Got to Do with It?,” which will have its world premiere at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival.
Directed by veteran Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur (“Elizabeth”), “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” follows documentary-maker and dating app addict Zoe (Lily James), for whom swiping right has only delivered an endless stream of Mr Wrongs, to her eccentric mother Cath’s (Emma Thompson) dismay. For Zoe’s childhood friend and neighbor Kaz (Shazad Latif), the answer is to follow his parents’ example and opt for an arranged (or “assisted”) marriage to a bright and beautiful bride from Pakistan. As Zoe films Kaz’s journey from London to Lahore to marry a stranger, chosen by his parents, she begins to wonder if she might have something to learn from a profoundly different approach to finding love.
Directed by veteran Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur (“Elizabeth”), “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” follows documentary-maker and dating app addict Zoe (Lily James), for whom swiping right has only delivered an endless stream of Mr Wrongs, to her eccentric mother Cath’s (Emma Thompson) dismay. For Zoe’s childhood friend and neighbor Kaz (Shazad Latif), the answer is to follow his parents’ example and opt for an arranged (or “assisted”) marriage to a bright and beautiful bride from Pakistan. As Zoe films Kaz’s journey from London to Lahore to marry a stranger, chosen by his parents, she begins to wonder if she might have something to learn from a profoundly different approach to finding love.
- 7/28/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Warning: contains major spoilers for You Don’t Know Me, all episodes of which are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.
You Don’t Know Me is a story told from a perspective rarely heard from at any length: that of a young Black man being tried for murder in the UK. In the final days of his trial, the defendant (nameless and known only in Imran Mahmood’s novel and Tom Edge’s script as ‘Hero’) dismisses his barrister and chooses to deliver the defence’s closing speech to the jury himself. A four-episode monologue told in flashback follows. It’s an engaging and emotional torrent of narrative that acts as a dramatic redress of the lawyer-advised ‘no comment’ silence that TV drama teaches us to expect from such characters in such a situation. Led by a powerhouse performance from lead Samuel Adewunmi, You Don’t Know Me is a murder...
You Don’t Know Me is a story told from a perspective rarely heard from at any length: that of a young Black man being tried for murder in the UK. In the final days of his trial, the defendant (nameless and known only in Imran Mahmood’s novel and Tom Edge’s script as ‘Hero’) dismisses his barrister and chooses to deliver the defence’s closing speech to the jury himself. A four-episode monologue told in flashback follows. It’s an engaging and emotional torrent of narrative that acts as a dramatic redress of the lawyer-advised ‘no comment’ silence that TV drama teaches us to expect from such characters in such a situation. Led by a powerhouse performance from lead Samuel Adewunmi, You Don’t Know Me is a murder...
- 12/6/2021
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, Helen Simmons and Rienkje Attoh were taking part in the Restart conference.
Film and TV productions should have lines in the budget for mental health services and childcare provision, according to a panel of emerging producers.
“On Boxing Day [Aml Ameen’s debut feature which shot in December 2020] we had a wellbeing practitioner,” said producer Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, who produced Rapman’s debut feature Blue Story in 2019. “This is somebody available who is independent from us – if you were struggling, you could book a session.
“We covered it – it was a little line in the budget, we could get 10-15 sessions out of it,...
Film and TV productions should have lines in the budget for mental health services and childcare provision, according to a panel of emerging producers.
“On Boxing Day [Aml Ameen’s debut feature which shot in December 2020] we had a wellbeing practitioner,” said producer Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, who produced Rapman’s debut feature Blue Story in 2019. “This is somebody available who is independent from us – if you were struggling, you could book a session.
“We covered it – it was a little line in the budget, we could get 10-15 sessions out of it,...
- 5/21/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
One of the bright lights of this year’s awards season, BAFTA best actress nominee Bukky Bakray of the film “Rocks” will star in forthcoming BBC One and Netflix drama “You Don’t Know Me.”
Produced by Snowed-In Production and co-produced with Netflix, the show has now begun filming in Birmingham. The project is an adaptation of Imran Mahmood’s bestselling novel, and is written by “The Crown” and “Judy” writer Tom Edge.
Directed by Sarmad Masud, the four-part drama turns on a young man named Hero (Samuel Adewunmi) who, with overwhelming evidence against him, stands accused of murder. At his trial, Hero tells an extraordinary story about the woman he loves, and how he risked everything to save her. Hero swears he is innocent, but can we believe him?
Bakray plays Bless, Hero’s younger sister, who is a guiding force for her older brother and believes fiercely in his innocence.
Produced by Snowed-In Production and co-produced with Netflix, the show has now begun filming in Birmingham. The project is an adaptation of Imran Mahmood’s bestselling novel, and is written by “The Crown” and “Judy” writer Tom Edge.
Directed by Sarmad Masud, the four-part drama turns on a young man named Hero (Samuel Adewunmi) who, with overwhelming evidence against him, stands accused of murder. At his trial, Hero tells an extraordinary story about the woman he loves, and how he risked everything to save her. Hero swears he is innocent, but can we believe him?
Bakray plays Bless, Hero’s younger sister, who is a guiding force for her older brother and believes fiercely in his innocence.
- 3/18/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Lily James Rom-Com Adds Cast
Sajal Ali, Shabana Azmi, Rob Brydon and Asim Chaudhry have joined the cast of Working Title and Studiocanal’s romantic comedy What’s Love Got To Do With It? Shoot is now underway in London on the pic, which Deadline previously revealed would star Lily James, Shazad Latif and Emma Thompson. Jemima Khan wrote the screenplay and will produce, with Shekhar Kapur directing. Nicky Kentish Barnes is also producing alongside Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan, with Sarmad Masud as executive producer. Story is a cross-cultural rom-com about love and marriage and is set between London and South Asia.
‘Last Warrior’ Slays Russian Box Office
Russia’s box office got a big boost in the early part of 2021 as The Last Warrior: Root Of Evil set a record gross of $22.1M across its first ten days of release. Originally opening to $2M on January 1, the movie from...
Sajal Ali, Shabana Azmi, Rob Brydon and Asim Chaudhry have joined the cast of Working Title and Studiocanal’s romantic comedy What’s Love Got To Do With It? Shoot is now underway in London on the pic, which Deadline previously revealed would star Lily James, Shazad Latif and Emma Thompson. Jemima Khan wrote the screenplay and will produce, with Shekhar Kapur directing. Nicky Kentish Barnes is also producing alongside Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan, with Sarmad Masud as executive producer. Story is a cross-cultural rom-com about love and marriage and is set between London and South Asia.
‘Last Warrior’ Slays Russian Box Office
Russia’s box office got a big boost in the early part of 2021 as The Last Warrior: Root Of Evil set a record gross of $22.1M across its first ten days of release. Originally opening to $2M on January 1, the movie from...
- 1/15/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Working Title and Studiocanal romantic comedy “What’s Love Got To Do With It?,” directed by Shekhar Kapur (“Elizabeth”), has added to its cast.
Joining the existing cast of Lily James (“Yesterday”), Shazad Latif (“Departure”) and Emma Thompson (“Last Christmas”) are British actors Rob Brydon (“The Trip to Greece”) and Asim Chaudhry (“Wonder Woman 1984”), Pakistan’s Sajal Ali (“Mom”) and veteran Indian actor Shabana Azmi (“Kaali Khuhi”).
The film is based on an original script by Jemima Khan “(The Clinton Affair,” “The Case Against Adnan Syed,” “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks”).
“It’s a story of identities,” Kapur has said, describing the film. “It’s about cultural clashes and it’s a comedy, but it’s about hiding behind an identity and how identities can become tribal, and how tribalism can lead to clashes and fundamentalism. It’s a romcom, but based on this fundamental idea of people...
Joining the existing cast of Lily James (“Yesterday”), Shazad Latif (“Departure”) and Emma Thompson (“Last Christmas”) are British actors Rob Brydon (“The Trip to Greece”) and Asim Chaudhry (“Wonder Woman 1984”), Pakistan’s Sajal Ali (“Mom”) and veteran Indian actor Shabana Azmi (“Kaali Khuhi”).
The film is based on an original script by Jemima Khan “(The Clinton Affair,” “The Case Against Adnan Syed,” “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks”).
“It’s a story of identities,” Kapur has said, describing the film. “It’s about cultural clashes and it’s a comedy, but it’s about hiding behind an identity and how identities can become tribal, and how tribalism can lead to clashes and fundamentalism. It’s a romcom, but based on this fundamental idea of people...
- 1/15/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
berlinBen Miller, Franco Nero also cast; Metro doing sales.
Kelly Preston, Jenny Seagrove and Sally Phillips will lead the cast of Off The Rails, a UK comedy-drama from production outfit Bill Kenwright Films. Metro Films has boarded international sales and is talking to buyers at this week’s European Film Market in Berlin.
Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips has also been cast in the film, making her feature debut after breaking out in Sky Atlantic series Fortitude. She is joined by UK comedy actor Ben Miller and Italian actor Franco Nero.
Set to begin principal photography on February 17 in Mallorca, Barcelona and London,...
Kelly Preston, Jenny Seagrove and Sally Phillips will lead the cast of Off The Rails, a UK comedy-drama from production outfit Bill Kenwright Films. Metro Films has boarded international sales and is talking to buyers at this week’s European Film Market in Berlin.
Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips has also been cast in the film, making her feature debut after breaking out in Sky Atlantic series Fortitude. She is joined by UK comedy actor Ben Miller and Italian actor Franco Nero.
Set to begin principal photography on February 17 in Mallorca, Barcelona and London,...
- 2/10/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Rungano Nyoni’s feature debut premiered in Cannes in 2017.
Rungano Nyoni’s debut feature I Am Not A Witch has been selected as the UK’s entry for best foreign-language film at the 2019 Academy Awards.
The BFI-backed English and Nyanja-language project was produced by France’s Juliette Grandmont with the UK’s Emily Morgan.
Bafta is responsible for selecting the UK’s submission for the category, which was open to any predominantly English-language British feature or documentary that was released theatrically between October 1 2017 and September 30 2018.
I Am Not A Witch is a satire about an eight-year-old girl sent to a witches’ camp in Zambia.
Rungano Nyoni’s debut feature I Am Not A Witch has been selected as the UK’s entry for best foreign-language film at the 2019 Academy Awards.
The BFI-backed English and Nyanja-language project was produced by France’s Juliette Grandmont with the UK’s Emily Morgan.
Bafta is responsible for selecting the UK’s submission for the category, which was open to any predominantly English-language British feature or documentary that was released theatrically between October 1 2017 and September 30 2018.
I Am Not A Witch is a satire about an eight-year-old girl sent to a witches’ camp in Zambia.
- 8/22/2018
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Programme includes I Am Not A Witch, My Pure Land.
The Festival of Commonwealth Film has announced the programme for its first edition, which will take place at the British Museum in London on April 14-15.
With a focus on human rights across the Commonwealth, the event includes seven feature films and a shorts programme.
Films screening across the two days include Rungano Nyoni’s darkly satirical debut I Am Not A Witch. The film won outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer at this year’s BAFTAs as well as best director and best debut director for...
The Festival of Commonwealth Film has announced the programme for its first edition, which will take place at the British Museum in London on April 14-15.
With a focus on human rights across the Commonwealth, the event includes seven feature films and a shorts programme.
Films screening across the two days include Rungano Nyoni’s darkly satirical debut I Am Not A Witch. The film won outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer at this year’s BAFTAs as well as best director and best debut director for...
- 3/26/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
One of Britain's irregular submissions in the Foreign Language Oscar category, My Pure Land is a tense siege thriller shot in Pakistan with dialogue in Urdu. British-Pakistani writer-director Sarmad Masud's feature debut dramatizes the true story of a Nazo Dharejo, a teenage girl who took up arms to defend her rural family homestead against an army of gunmen. Combining spaghetti western elements with a strong female lead and an inspirational feminist message, Masud's low-budget drama ticks plenty of Academy-friendly boxes on paper, although it suffers from some first-film flaws in tone and structure.
Produced by the veteran British theater impresario...
Produced by the veteran British theater impresario...
- 11/4/2017
- by Stephen Dalton
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
They can be set anywhere from Australia to Pakistan – and increasingly it’s women who are shooting from the hip. With new westerns such as My Pure Land and Brimstone, the gunslinger genre continues to reinvent itself
Always changing, the western never changes. Whatever era it is, the essence remains. If I told you about a pivotal scene in which a gunslinger turns to the camera and stares, hard-eyed, at the audience, I might be describing The Great Train Robbery, made in 1903, a silent cinema milestone whose star, Justus D Barnes, was a middle-aged stage actor. Or I could mean My Pure Land, a new film about three women in rural Pakistan defending their home from bandits. Its star is Suhaee Abro, a classically trained dancer in her first major role. Thousands of miles and more than a century apart, she and Barnes share a western moment.
Westerns in 2017 are politically open-minded,...
Always changing, the western never changes. Whatever era it is, the essence remains. If I told you about a pivotal scene in which a gunslinger turns to the camera and stares, hard-eyed, at the audience, I might be describing The Great Train Robbery, made in 1903, a silent cinema milestone whose star, Justus D Barnes, was a middle-aged stage actor. Or I could mean My Pure Land, a new film about three women in rural Pakistan defending their home from bandits. Its star is Suhaee Abro, a classically trained dancer in her first major role. Thousands of miles and more than a century apart, she and Barnes share a western moment.
Westerns in 2017 are politically open-minded,...
- 10/13/2017
- by Danny Leigh
- The Guardian - Film News
The final deadline for submitting each country’s film for consideration for the foreign-language Oscar was October 2. Last year 85 were finally deemed eligible by the Academy; this year the number is a record 92. Haiti, Honduras, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Senegal and Syria are first-time entrants. These films are vying for the initial shortlist of 9, and final five nominations to be announced on January 23. See the final list below.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
- 10/5/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The final deadline for submitting each country’s film for consideration for the foreign-language Oscar was October 2. Last year 85 were finally deemed eligible by the Academy; this year the number is a record 92. Haiti, Honduras, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Senegal and Syria are first-time entrants. These films are vying for the initial shortlist of 9, and final five nominations to be announced on January 23. See the final list below.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
- 10/5/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
A gun-trained female trio resist robbers bent on stealing their home in this Pakistan drama that pays homage to Hollywood and south-Asian film-making
Related: 'Anything is possible in Pakistan – but everything is impossible': Sarmad Masud on filming My Pure Land
Directed by British-based Sarmad Masud and shot on location in Pakistan, this modern-day masala western finds a two feisty young teenage girls and their mother fighting off a bandit army, led by the girls’ uncle, determined to take the women’s home by force. Via a clean blend of arthouse mannerisms and action-movie suspense, this based-on-a-true-story lesson in practical feminism reveals how the sisters learned shooting and self-defence in preparation for a day like this from their ill-fated father (Syed Tanveer Hussain). (Opening titles explain that land disputes such as this are relatively common in Pakistan and often victimise single women who have inherited property.) Lithe but steely-gazed Suhaee Abro...
Related: 'Anything is possible in Pakistan – but everything is impossible': Sarmad Masud on filming My Pure Land
Directed by British-based Sarmad Masud and shot on location in Pakistan, this modern-day masala western finds a two feisty young teenage girls and their mother fighting off a bandit army, led by the girls’ uncle, determined to take the women’s home by force. Via a clean blend of arthouse mannerisms and action-movie suspense, this based-on-a-true-story lesson in practical feminism reveals how the sisters learned shooting and self-defence in preparation for a day like this from their ill-fated father (Syed Tanveer Hussain). (Opening titles explain that land disputes such as this are relatively common in Pakistan and often victimise single women who have inherited property.) Lithe but steely-gazed Suhaee Abro...
- 9/15/2017
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
Domestic paranoia is on the cards in Darren Aronofsky’s latest movie, while Sarmad Masud’s Pakistani siege thriller could almost be a western
Continue reading...
Continue reading...
- 9/15/2017
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
MaryAnn’s quick take… Behold a modern-day feminist western set in deeply patriarchal Pakistan. Stark and spare, with a heroine full of mean grace, it’s even a true story. I’m “biast” (pro): I’m desperate for stories about women
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Just today announced as Britain’s official submission for Best Foreign Language film for the upcoming Oscars, My Pure Land — it’s in Urdu, the official language of Pakistan — is a marvel all around. Shot guerilla-style in a rural region outside Lahore (and set in the province of Sindh), where heavily armed civilians make up their own private militias and outsiders are not generally welcomed except as potential kidnap victims to be ransomed — so, you know, potentially problematic for visiting filmmakers — this is a retelling of a true story about a woman who...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Just today announced as Britain’s official submission for Best Foreign Language film for the upcoming Oscars, My Pure Land — it’s in Urdu, the official language of Pakistan — is a marvel all around. Shot guerilla-style in a rural region outside Lahore (and set in the province of Sindh), where heavily armed civilians make up their own private militias and outsiders are not generally welcomed except as potential kidnap victims to be ransomed — so, you know, potentially problematic for visiting filmmakers — this is a retelling of a true story about a woman who...
- 9/14/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
The United Kingdom has picked My Pure Land, an Urdu-language feature from first-time director Sarmad Masud, to be its contender for the 2018 Oscars in the foreign language category.
This marks the first time Britain has submitted an Urdu-language title to be its Oscar hopeful. The U.K. has only twice been nominated in the foreign language category: in 1993 for Paul Turner's Hedd Wyn and in 1999 with Paul Morrison's Solomon and Gaenor, both films shot in the Welsh language. The United Kingdom has yet to win a foreign language Oscar.
Masud's drama, described as a “feminist Western” is based...
This marks the first time Britain has submitted an Urdu-language title to be its Oscar hopeful. The U.K. has only twice been nominated in the foreign language category: in 1993 for Paul Turner's Hedd Wyn and in 1999 with Paul Morrison's Solomon and Gaenor, both films shot in the Welsh language. The United Kingdom has yet to win a foreign language Oscar.
Masud's drama, described as a “feminist Western” is based...
- 9/14/2017
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
My Pure Land
The UK today revealed its submission for Best Foreign Language Film consideration at the 2018 Oscars. Sarmad Masud's My Pure Land is the first Urdu language film ever to be put forward by the UK in this category.
The film, which is based on a true story, sees a mother and her two daughters defending their remote rural home from bandits and ultimately taking on a gang of 200 armed men. The production itself was a risky one, with the UK citizens involved facing a high risk of kidnap and ransom in the areas where they were filming, and with an extra actually opening fire on set, though fortunately no-one was hurt.
Masud, for whom this is a first feature, has previously attracted notice for shorts Two Dosas and Adha Cup....
The UK today revealed its submission for Best Foreign Language Film consideration at the 2018 Oscars. Sarmad Masud's My Pure Land is the first Urdu language film ever to be put forward by the UK in this category.
The film, which is based on a true story, sees a mother and her two daughters defending their remote rural home from bandits and ultimately taking on a gang of 200 armed men. The production itself was a risky one, with the UK citizens involved facing a high risk of kidnap and ransom in the areas where they were filming, and with an extra actually opening fire on set, though fortunately no-one was hurt.
Masud, for whom this is a first feature, has previously attracted notice for shorts Two Dosas and Adha Cup....
- 9/14/2017
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The British Pakistani film-maker on how he brought a local legend to the big screen, despite a tiny budget and a difficult shoot
Nazo Dharejo had barely mastered the alphabet when her father, Haji Khuda Buksh, first showed her how to load a gun. The kalashnikov would be kept on the wall, hung above the living quarters of the family’s two-storey home, where she grew up with her two sisters, and their older brother Sikander in rural Sindh, Pakistan. They were comfortable, but not extravagantly well off; Khuda Buksh worked as a farmer and had inherited a few dozen acres of land from his own father. His wife, Waderi Jamzadi, raised their children and, once the girls left school, aged seven, taught them what she could at home.
The girls were moulded to be tough and resilient. Their father would dress them in trousers and shirts – “boy’s clothes” – instead of more feminine,...
Nazo Dharejo had barely mastered the alphabet when her father, Haji Khuda Buksh, first showed her how to load a gun. The kalashnikov would be kept on the wall, hung above the living quarters of the family’s two-storey home, where she grew up with her two sisters, and their older brother Sikander in rural Sindh, Pakistan. They were comfortable, but not extravagantly well off; Khuda Buksh worked as a farmer and had inherited a few dozen acres of land from his own father. His wife, Waderi Jamzadi, raised their children and, once the girls left school, aged seven, taught them what she could at home.
The girls were moulded to be tough and resilient. Their father would dress them in trousers and shirts – “boy’s clothes” – instead of more feminine,...
- 9/7/2017
- by Nosheen Iqbal
- The Guardian - Film News
Highlights include the UK premiere of Cars 3 and 17 world premieres.Scroll Down For Competition Titles
The line-up for the 71st Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has been unveiled this morning by artistic director Mark Adams.
This year’s Eiff (June 21-2 July) will comprise a total 151 features from 46 countries including 17 world premieres, 12 international premieres, 9 European premieres and 69 UK premieres.
Highlights include the UK Premiere of Disney-Pixar’s animation Cars 3, appearances from Stanley Tucci, Oliver Stone and Kevin Bacon and the Opening and Closing Gala premieres of the previously announced God’s Own Country and England Is Mine.
There will also be a special screening of Raiders Of The Lost Ark accompanied by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra performing the score live.
Best of British
The Best of British strand includes Bryn Higgins’ Access All Areas featuring Rizzle Kicks’ Jordan Stephens; Simon Hunter’s Edie starring Sheila Hancock; the Donmar Warehouse’s all-female adaptation of [link...
The line-up for the 71st Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has been unveiled this morning by artistic director Mark Adams.
This year’s Eiff (June 21-2 July) will comprise a total 151 features from 46 countries including 17 world premieres, 12 international premieres, 9 European premieres and 69 UK premieres.
Highlights include the UK Premiere of Disney-Pixar’s animation Cars 3, appearances from Stanley Tucci, Oliver Stone and Kevin Bacon and the Opening and Closing Gala premieres of the previously announced God’s Own Country and England Is Mine.
There will also be a special screening of Raiders Of The Lost Ark accompanied by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra performing the score live.
Best of British
The Best of British strand includes Bryn Higgins’ Access All Areas featuring Rizzle Kicks’ Jordan Stephens; Simon Hunter’s Edie starring Sheila Hancock; the Donmar Warehouse’s all-female adaptation of [link...
- 5/31/2017
- by orlando.parfitt@screendaily.com (Orlando Parfitt)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Independent boards doc about the life and career of acting legend Ian McKellen.
London-based sales and production outfit Independent has boarded feature documentary McKellen: Playing The Part and will introduce the title to buyers at Cannes.
Watch an exclusive first clip below, or click here to watch on mobile.
Joe Stephenson (Chicken) is directing the feature about the life of revered English actor Ian McKellen, whose career has spanned nearly 50 years and has seen him Oscar nominated for roles in Gods And Monsters and The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.
The film, which is based around an exclusive 14-hour interview with McKellen, will also feature archive material of the actor’s early work, and never-before-seen photography from McKellen’s private collection.
English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel has written music for the film, which also features the likes of Luke Evans, Frances Barber, Adam Brown, Scott Chambers, Milo Parker and [link...
London-based sales and production outfit Independent has boarded feature documentary McKellen: Playing The Part and will introduce the title to buyers at Cannes.
Watch an exclusive first clip below, or click here to watch on mobile.
Joe Stephenson (Chicken) is directing the feature about the life of revered English actor Ian McKellen, whose career has spanned nearly 50 years and has seen him Oscar nominated for roles in Gods And Monsters and The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.
The film, which is based around an exclusive 14-hour interview with McKellen, will also feature archive material of the actor’s early work, and never-before-seen photography from McKellen’s private collection.
English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel has written music for the film, which also features the likes of Luke Evans, Frances Barber, Adam Brown, Scott Chambers, Milo Parker and [link...
- 4/28/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Includes the first award winner from Bame filmmaker scheme, who will join director David Yates on the set of his next feature.
Film London staged its London Calling Awards last night, showcasing the 24 filmmaking teams who made a short film through the London Calling and London Calling Plus schemes.
New this year, London Calling Plus produced five shorts by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (Bame) filmmaking teams, delivered as part of the BFI Net.Work for supporting new talent.
The films were assessed by Harry Potter director David Yates, who selected Sarmad Masud as the winner with his film Two Dosas. Sarmad will now join Yates on the set of a Tarzan, which he is currently shooting in the UK.
A total of 19 filmmakers also competed for the London Calling Jury Award, worth £2,000.
This was selected by a jury of industry representatives including BAFTA-winning producer Stephen Woolley, who presented the award. Some Candid...
Film London staged its London Calling Awards last night, showcasing the 24 filmmaking teams who made a short film through the London Calling and London Calling Plus schemes.
New this year, London Calling Plus produced five shorts by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (Bame) filmmaking teams, delivered as part of the BFI Net.Work for supporting new talent.
The films were assessed by Harry Potter director David Yates, who selected Sarmad Masud as the winner with his film Two Dosas. Sarmad will now join Yates on the set of a Tarzan, which he is currently shooting in the UK.
A total of 19 filmmakers also competed for the London Calling Jury Award, worth £2,000.
This was selected by a jury of industry representatives including BAFTA-winning producer Stephen Woolley, who presented the award. Some Candid...
- 9/12/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
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