Latest news with #BBCFilm
Daily Record
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Jack's the lad as teenager debuts in GOWK - short film set in Wishaw housing estate
Emerging director Ryan Pollock's latest work will world premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival A rising film maker returned to his roots by using Wishaw as the backdrop for his latest work. Ryan Pollock produced a number of well-received short films which landed him a place in a year-long programme with the Sean Connery Talent Lab for emerging filmmakers. The Netherton man was matched up with other aspiring talents and they were provided a budget of £25,000 and tasked with producing a short film to be showcased to the industry, with support and creative guidance from BBC Film. It was produced by duo Kitty McMurdo-Schad and Katriona Tweedie. The talented crew also included cinematographer Vasileios Kapnis and was edited by Fraser Ballantyne. Written and directed by Ryan, GOWK will be one of six short films which are set to world premier at the Edinburgh Film Festival in August. An invited audience was treated to preview the finished article on Thursday night at Garrion People's Housing Co-op (GHPC) in Wishaw. 'This was the second screening, we had the first screening in Edinburgh on Tuesday there,' said Ryan. 'We've had plaudits from people like Walter Murch, who did the Godfather and Apocalypse Now, who gave us a great review. "Big producers from across Britain have seen it and it's went down really well. 'That's the biggest budget I've had and it was a bigger crew and production. It's turned out well and I've definitely learned more. It is strange working on something for a year that's 15 minutes long. 'It's a true story from when my dad was a boy, so it's good having him see it here in the place it actually happened. And it's good for Wishaw to see itself on the screen.' Among the audience at the screening in Gowkthrapple was 14-year-old Jack Mavin from Pather, an S3 pupil at St Aidan's High, who plays the main character in the 15-minute-long film. The teenager looks like a natural in the role, despite being a newcomer to acting with no previous experience. 'It's exciting to see it,' Jack admitted. 'It wasn't filmed in chronological order, different parts were filmed at different times so it's good seeing it finished.' Jack spent his October week holidays from school filming in Gowkthrapple. 'It was brilliant,' he added. 'It's the first time I've done any acting but I absolutely want to do more now. 'I'm in a drama class at school but I don't do drama out of school. My mates love it and think it's dead cool.' Jack's face also features on the film's poster, he has linked up with BAFTA award-winning London-based agents Des Hamilton Casting, so an exciting future could lie ahead. 'It's an exciting opportunity but when he first told me about the film I thought he was at it,' his mum Siobhan admitted. 'Although Jack has been jumping about in a James Bond suit since he's been a wee boy.,' she laughed. Kitty McMurdo-Schad said: 'Working on this we've just had continuous yes's and we're really appreciative of everyone who's helped us along the way. 'We couldn't have done it without the help of every single person in this community. It's been such a heartwarming experience. 'It's all came together really well and the performances in the film are amazing. We've made quite a lot of shorts but this one has been a really special experience for us. 'It's a big step up in scale for all of us and has been a great opportunity. We've got so much from it personally as well as professionally.' Katriona Tweedie, added: 'It's been a long road but it's been so exciting getting to share it this week with and audience, the people involved in the film and family and friends who've supported us on the journey. "The feedback has been so positive and there's been huge compliments to Jack, the lead in the film. We're really excited for its launch at the Edinburgh Film Festival, and hopefully that's the start of its journey across the world in the festival circuit. It's a really exciting moment. 'It's been great having mentors and working with BBC Film and getting their feedback on the script and on the edit has been really valuable. Hopefully we can develop a feature next as a team.' *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here. And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head over to our page to give us a like and share.
Metro
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
This Is England director announces first film in 17 years
Shane Meadows, the mastermind behind indie drama This Is England, is set to release his first movie in almost two decades. The filmmaker is most famous for his work on independent projects, which include the cult film This Is England (2006) and its three sequels. The original starred Stephen Graham, Vicky McClure, and Thomas Turgoose, telling the story of a rebellious young boy who joins a group of skinheads. Meadows, 52, hasn't released a film in 17 years but is making a comeback to the silver screen in 2026, it has now been announced. The film in question is titled Chork, described by the man himself as a 'runaway road trip' movie. As if Meadows' touch wasn't enough, the film has also been co-written by his long-time collaborator Jack Thorne, with whom he created the This Is England flicks. Most recently, Thorne co-wrote three-part Netflix series Adolescence, which starred Graham, Erin Doherty, and rising star Owen Cooper, going on to break streaming records. Produced by 42 and Unified alongside Meadows' and Thorne's own production companies and funded partly by BBC Film, Chork will be released into cinemas in the UK and Ireland next year, but an exact date is yet to be confirmed. In conversation with Variety, Meadows said: 'To be returning to film after 17 years, writing alongside 'megadude' Jack Thorne again, and working with so many gifted collaborators has been an absolute privilege.' He added of the project: 'Our story follows two beyond bright, funny as heck, and mischievously ingenious young people on a 'runaway' road trip the length of this glorious isle. 'Safe to say, I'm beyond excited about what we've captured on their journey. 'I'm also hugely grateful to our partners at BBC Film, BFI, Screen Yorkshire, Hoopsa Films and Altitude for their undying trust and support throughout.' Chork was shot along the East coast from Kent through Lincolnshire and up to Scotland, with its plot set in the same location. Characters include 15-year-old Kit and 11-year-old Ani on a trek across the coastline, hoping for big things after leaving their foster home. However, with police on the lookout and a national search implemented, it's anything but a blissful holiday. As such, older child Kit must do what she can to protect Ani and achieve their end goal. Eva Yates, director of BBC Film, said: 'The films of Shane Meadows are at the heart of contemporary British independent cinema, and we are hugely excited to support his return, with a cast of exceptional new actors, his brilliant writing collaborator Jack Thorne, and an anarchic story of love, redemption, and the untapped and profound potential of youth.' Meanwhile, giving fans a taste of what to expect, Louise Ortega, senior production and development executive at the BFI, described Chork as a 'typically funny, urgent, and heartfelt state of the nation piece'. She also praised Meadows, Thorne, and their 'skilled crew of collaborators' for 'weaving [in] irreverent magic which asks timely questions'. More Trending 'We can't wait for their film to be out in the world, inspiring a new generation.' As well as This Is England, Meadows' other films include Small Time (1996), Twenty Four Seven (1997), A Room for Romeo Brass (1999), and Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002). He's also responsible for Dead Man's Shoes (2004), Somers Town (2006), Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee (2009), and the latest The Stone Roses: Made of Stone (2013). Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Justin Timberlake fans gutted after Isle of Wight performance 'not allowed' on TV MORE: The 90s and 2000s were the best time for video game creativity – Reader's Feature MORE: Bruce Springsteen gives his opinion on Stephen Graham's portrayal of his father in new biopic
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Shane Meadows Teams Up With ‘Adolescence' Writer Jack Thorne for Feature Film Return
After more than a decade-long hiatus from the big screen, Shane Meadows is making a return to cinema with a new film, Chork. Penned by Adolescence writer Jack Thorne and set along the east coast of England, Chork follows 15-year-old Kit and 11-year-old Ani as they leave their foster home and trek across the coastline in hopes of a brighter future. With the police in pursuit and a national search underway, Kit must use all her determination and wits to protect Ani and fulfil their mission. More from The Hollywood Reporter UTA Appoints Darnell Strom to Lead London Office With Eye on Growth Into "Major International Hub" Global Media Warns of Escalation as U.S. Bombs Iran Nuclear Sites NATPE Budapest: BBC Studios, AMC Networks Int'l Buy Cineflix Rights Lifestyle, Travel Content Cast by Meadows' frequent collaborator, Shaheen Baig (Adolescence, Hot Milk), the two have secured the film's lead cast with open casting calls taking place earlier in the year throughout the U.K. 'To be returning to film after 17 years, writing alongside 'megadude' Jack Thorne again, and working with so many gifted collaborators, has been an absolute privilege,' said Meadows. 'Our story follows two beyond bright, funny as heck and mischievously ingenious young people on a 'runaway' road trip the length of this glorious isle.' 'Safe to say,' he continued, 'I'm beyond excited about what we've captured on their journey. I'm also hugely grateful to our partners at BBC Film, BFI, Screen Yorkshire, Hoopsa Films and Altitude for their undying trust and support throughout.' Meadows gained critical acclaim with features TwentyFourSeven, Dead Man's Shoes, A Room for Romeo Brass and Somers Town. His television credits include This Is England, which premiered in Toronto in 2006, The Virtues starring Stephen Graham and The Gallows Pole. Chork is produced by Ben Pugh and Cathy King for 42, Lauren Dark and Amy Jackson for Unified, Meadows' Big Arty and Thorne's One Shoe Films, both of whom will also executive produce. The film is financed by BBC Film, BFI (awarding National Lottery funding), Screen Yorkshire (via the Yorkshire Content Fund) and Hoopsa Films. Executive producers are Eva Yates and Kristin Irving for BBC Film, Louise Ortega for the BFI, Caroline Cooper Charles for Screen Yorkshire, Sonny Gill and Tim Macready for Hoopsa Films, and Ali Jazayeri and Keith Kehoe for Three Picture Capital alongside Laura Jackson and Joshua Horsfield. The film was developed with BBC Film. Altitude will release Chork in U.K. and Irish cinemas in 2026 and will manage international sales. Yates, director of BBC Film, added: 'The films of Shane Meadows are at the heart of contemporary British independent cinema and we are hugely excited to support his return, with a cast of exceptional new actors, his brilliant writing collaborator Jack Thorne, and an anarchic story of love, redemption and the untapped and profound potential of youth.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
BBC Film celebrates four Jury awards at Cannes Film Festival 2025
Four films backed by BBC Film premiered in Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival 2025, with all four receiving Jury recognition, including three debut features from UK-based filmmakers. The awards were as follows: The Grand Prix was awarded to SENTIMENTAL VALUE, Joachim Trier's poignant, poetic portrait of family dynamics starring Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning Akinola Davies Jnr's heartfelt father-son tale and directorial debut MY FATHER'S SHADOW, starring Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, received the Caméra d'Or Special Mention Harry Lighton's debut feature, the provocative romance PILLION starring Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling, received the Un Certain Regard Best Screenplay award Frank Dillane received the Un Certain Regard Best Actor award for his magnetic performance in Harris Dickinson's feature directorial debut, URCHIN In addition to the official juries' awards, URCHIN also received the FIPRESCI prize, voted for by international film critics. Eva Yates, Director of BBC Film says of the Cannes awards: 'It has been a privilege to develop and collaborate on four exceptional films selected to screen in Cannes and we are ecstatic that all four have all been recognised by the Cannes juries this past weekend. We're thrilled to see three wildly different and highly original independent debut features from UK-based writer-directors and UK producers - MY FATHER'S SHADOW, PILLION and URCHIN - receive this recognition. And we wholeheartedly congratulate the Grand Prix winning Joachim Trier and the whole SENTIMENTAL VALUE team for this poignant, poetic portrait of family dynamics which will resonate with BBC audiences and cinemagoers worldwide and for many years to come.' About the films: Akinola Davies' MY FATHER'S SHADOW - Un Certain Regard Akinola Davies Jr's feature directorial debut stars Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (His House, Gangs of London) and is based on a script by Wale Davies and Akinola Davies Jr, whose previous collaboration on BBC Film-backed short Lizard won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2021 and was nominated for a BAFTA. MY FATHER'S SHADOW tells the story of two kid brothers, Remi and Akin who get to spend a gift of a day with their estranged father Folarin. They go on a voyage into Lagos observing the colossal city for the first time and the hoops their father must deal with to provide. All this is happening in the backdrop of a huge 1993 presidential election result which calls into question his ability to get them home. MY FATHER'S SHADOW is produced by Rachel Dargavel for Element Pictures and Funmbi Ogunbanwo for Fatherland Productions, who also serviced production on the ground. Executive Producers are Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures, Eva Yates for BBC Film and Ama Amapadu for the BFI. Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Wale Davies and Akinola Davies Jr also act as executive producers. MY FATHER'S SHADOW was developed by BBC Film and was co-financed by BBC Film and the BFI (awarding National Lottery funding). The Match Factory is handling worldwide sales. MUBI pre-bought all rights in North America, UK, Ireland, and Turkey. Harry Lighton's PILLION - Un Certain Regard PILLION is the debut feature of BAFTA-nominated writer/director Harry Lighton (Wren Boys) and stars Harry Melling (The Pale Blue Eye, The Queen's Gambit) and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies, Succession, The Northman). In PILLION a timid man is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive. PILLION is an Element Pictures production financed by BBC Film, BFI (awarding National Lottery funding), Picturehouse Entertainment and September Film who will handle distribution in the UK and Benelux respectively. The screenplay was developed with BBC Film and is based on Adam Mars-Jones' 'Box Hill' which was the 2019 Fitzcarraldo Editions Nobel Prize winner. Producers are Element Pictures' Emma Norton, Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe together with Lee Groombridge. BBC Film's Eva Yates, Louise Ortega for the BFI, Claire Binns for Picturehouse, September Film's Pim Hermeling, Cornerstone's Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder and Alexander Skarsgård are Executive Producers. A24 have USD rights. Harris Dickinson's URCHIN - Un Certain Regard The feature debut of writer, director and acclaimed actor, Harris Dickinson who also previously made his short film 2003 with BBC Film. Written by Dickinson, the story follows Mike, a rough sleeper in London, trapped in a cycle of self-destruction as he attempts to turn his life around. URCHIN stars Frank Dillane (Harvest, The Walking Dead) as 'Mike', alongside Megan Northam, Amr Waked, Karyna Khymchuk and Shonagh Marie. The film is produced by Archie Pearch for Devisio Pictures and Scott O'Donnell for Somesuch. Developed by BBC Film, URCHIN is financed by BBC Film, BFI (awarding National Lottery funding) and Tricky Knot. Executive Producers are Eva Yates, Ama Ampadu, Alexandra Tynion and Olivia Tyson. Charades is handling international sales, Gersh and UTA Independent Film Group are co-repping the film in the US. Joachim Trier's SENTIMENTAL VALUE - In Competition Trier's sixth feature film stars Renate Reinsve who previously collaborated with Trier for The Worst Person in the World (Academy Award nominee for Best Screenplay and Best International Feature) alongside Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning. SENTIMENTAL VALUE follows actress Nora (Reinsve) and her sister Agnes (Lilleaas) as their eccentric and charismatic father, Gustav, suddenly reappears in their lives after a long absence. Once a renowned film director, Gustav now offers Nora the lead role in his new film, but working with her father is the last thing she wants. The film is produced by Maria Ekerhovd for Mer Film and Andrea Berentsen Ottmar for Eye Eye Pictures in Norway. A Norwegian, French, German, Danish, and Swedish co-production, the co-producers are MK Productions, Nathanael Karmitz and Lumen Production, Juliette Schrameck for France; Komplizen Film, Jonas Dornbach and Janine Jackowski for Germany; Zentropa, Sisse Graum and Lizette Jonjic for Denmark and Sweden; Film I Väst, Kristina Åkeson; and BBC Film, Eva Yates for the UK and Ireland. Additional support comes from Arte Grand Accord, Oslo Filmfond, and Storyline. Mk2 Films are handling international sales and NEON is handling US distribution. SENTIMENTAL VALUE is financed with partners including the Norwegian Film Institute, the Swedish Film Institute, The Danish Film Institute, Arte, Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg, FFA, and Eurimages. CG
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alexander Skarsgård-Harry Melling BDSM Romance Pic ‘Pillion' Spurs Eight-Minute Ovation At Cannes Premiere
Pillion, about the BDSM relationship between a gay biker and a timid parking attendant, kickstarted an exuberant eight-minute ovation from the audience that included Pedro Pascal after its premiere Sunday at the Cannes Film Festival. The kinky pic from British first-time feature writer-director Harry Lighton follows the burgeoning odd-couple pairing of the handsome and charismatic Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) and introverted but curious Colin (Harry Melling). The biker gang leader introduces Colin to his community and takes him on as his sexual submissive. More from Deadline Cannes Film Festival 2025 In Photos: Richard Linklater, Zoey Deutch, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson, 'New Wave' & 'Die, My Love' Premieres 'Pillion' Review: Alexander Skarsgård Is Dom For The Holidays & Harry Melling Is Hopelessly Devoted In Steamy BDSM Romance — Cannes Film Festival MK2 Seals Worldwide Deal For Films Of Nouvelle Vague Influencer & Cinema Vérité Pioneer Jean Rouch - Cannes Market RELATED: Standing Ovations At Cannes: How We Clock Those Claps, Which Movie Holds The Record and Why The Industry Loves To Hate The Ritual In his Deadline review, Glenn Garner wrote: 'Beneath the unabashed sexual content, Lighton's debut is all romance, kicking off with a French rendition of 'I Will Follow Him,' foreshadowing the hopeless devotion Colin develops for Ray in their dom/sub relationship. … Skarsgård understood the assignment, slipping seamlessly into his role as the sexually dominant yet elusive Ray, who's fearless in communicating his every desire, but emotionally closed off to any real intimacy as the leader of a gay biker gang.' The screenplay was developed with BBC Film and is based on Adam Mars-Jones' Box Hill, which was the 2019 Fitzcarraldo Editions Nobel Prize winner. A24 picked up U.S. distribution rights to Pillion in October. It is an Element Pictures production financed by BBC Film, BFI — which awarded it National Lottery funding — in association with Fremantle, Picturehouse Entertainment and September Film; the latter two will handle distribution in the UK and Benelux, respectively. Memento will bring it to France cinemas. RELATED: Full List Of Cannes Palme d'Or Winners Through The Years: Photo Gallery Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? Everything We Know About Ari Aster's 'Eddington' So Far
