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Based on the Inspector Karen Pirie series of novels by Val McDermid, the British cold-case dramaKaren Pirie is one of the most underrated crime shows currently on streaming. The ITV and BritBox series' first season, which debuted back in 2022, stunned audiences with excellent, compelling performances and an enticing central mystery that boasted both clever turns and a gritty, emotionally gripping core. Now, after a long wait, the second season is upon us, with British audiences set to receive the first episode this coming Sunday, and US audiences will get Season 2 in October.

Starring Lauren Lyle as the titular crime-solver, the pending return to Police Scotland's Historic Cases Unit has been teased with both first-look images of Season 2 and a pulse-racing trailer. Now, with just a few days until its UK debut, Season 2 has had its biggest teaser yet from both executive producer Simon Heath and director Gareth Bryn. Cited via Radio Times,...

BritBox and World Productions have revealed a first look at the return of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning Original cold-case drama Karen Pirie. Double BAFTA Scotland winner Lauren Lyle reprises her role as audience-favorite Detective Inspector Karen Pirie, with a riveting new case to solve.

After captivating audiences as one of the UK’s most-watched dramas, the 3 x 120’ series, based on celebrated author Val McDermid’s A Darker Domain and adapted by Emer Kenny, will return for a second season in October on BritBox in the U.S. and Canada.

The first look pictures offer a glimpse into the thrilling new series, hailed as “a refreshing take on the detective genre.” After her bittersweet success in series one, Karen has been promoted to Detective Inspector and seemingly given the authority she has long been fighting for.

Just as she’s getting into the swing of her powerful new role, she is assigned...

The mystery has been solved, but “The Gathering” is far from done.

“We would love a second season. I am just going to put it out there,” executive producer Laura Cotton tells Variety.

“We have great plans and the show’s premise already gives it a great potential in terms of a format. These characters have so far to go. They are drawn so beautifully and we want to see where they go next.”

Creator Helen Walsh would also like to return to her Merseyside community.

“Something we didn’t get to explore in such a level of detail are their backstories. If we go into Season 2, that’s definitely something I would like to do. The need to control is often a response to a loss, low self-esteem or trauma. So where does it really come from?”

In six-part “The Gathering” – in competition at Monte-Carlo Television Festival and named...

Frankie Corio becomes youngest-ever Bafta Scotland nominee.

Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun leads the nominations for the Bafta Scotland Awards 2023, recognised in five categories: actor film, actress film, director fiction, feature film and writer film/television.

The UK-us co-production has acting nominations for Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio, with Corio becoming the youngest-ever nominee at Bafta Scotland.

Scroll down for the full list of nominations

Wells receives the other three nominations, with producers Mark Ceryak, Amy Jackson, Barry Jenkins and Adele Romanski nominated alongside her for feature film.

Aftersun previously received four nominations at the Bafta Film Awards earlier this year, winning...

Exclusive: Channel 4 has set cast for The Gathering, the show from Line of Duty producer World Productions about a violent attack on a teenage girl during a rave.

Boiling Point star Vinette Robinson is aboard the series, which is award-winning novelist Helen Walsh’s debut TV script, and filming has commenced.

BIFA-winner Robinson will play pushy mother Natalie and is joined by leads Eva Morgan and Sadie Soverall (Little Bone Lodge), who play Kelly and Jessica respectively. Also aboard are Warren Brown (Ten Pound Poms) as Kelly’s hard working single parent Paul, and Richard Coyle (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) as successful solicitor Jules, along with Sonny Walker (The Responder), Luca Kamleh- Chapman and Hebron Tedros.

Greenlit last year, The Gathering centers on the violent attack on a teenage girl in a tidal islet. Set on Merseyside and interrogating the ways in which today’s parents impose their agendas,...

Just last week, there was an American documentary series on the manhunt for the bombers that were responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing. True stories such as this one give people some kind of reality check on how safe and lucky we really are. Watching such true stories being recreated for television series makes us think the truth is indeed stranger than fiction, and that there is a lot that happens around us that we are unaware of. “The Hunt for Raoul Moat” is one such story. The story of the man who was responsible for one death and two severe injuries and who hurt all of them intending to kill them is all about how he managed to stay off the police radar. Will he manage to escape this time as well? Directed by Gareth Bryn, this episodic miniseries speaks a lot about the trauma of domestic violence.

Spoilers...

Raoul Thomas Moat wasn’t the first and won’t be the last self-pitying, self-righteous, narcissistic example of violent toxic masculinity, but he was certainly one of the most destructive. ITV’s three-part The Hunt for Raoul Moat is a superbly directed (by Gareth Bryn) dramatisation of Moat’s last murderous days on earth in the summer of 2010, during which he managed to evade the police for a week and kill, maim and destroy the lives of those around him. He took his own life in a final pathetic act of nihilism, caught by the television cameras in grainy nighttime vision, his sawn-off shotgun pointed at his head. It was the ultimate insult heaped on his victims that he escaped justice. The manhunt around Northumbria as Moat escalated his threats to kill random members of the public gripped the nation. The drama is a tense and faithful re-enactment of what happened,...

The universe of the globally popular “Death in Paradise” series is being expanded with new show “Beyond Paradise.”

The new series follows characters who have moved from sunny Saint Marie to rural Britain. Co-commissioned by BBC One and BritBox International, and reuniting Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton in the lead roles, the six-part “Beyond Paradise,” created by Tony Jordan and Robert Thorogood, will be produced by Red Planet Pictures.

Executive chair of Red Planet, Jordan, will act as showrunner and executive producer alongside Tim Key and Belinda Campbell, and Diederick Santer and Tommy Bulfin will executive produce for BritBox International and BBC respectively. BBC Studios will handle international distribution. The series is produced by Lindsay Hughes and directed by Sandy Johnson. Filming will start on location in the U.K. later this year.

The deal is part of a slate with U.K. broadcasters BBC and ITV unveiled by BritBox...

Camera are rolling on an ITV drama that tells the true story of Britain’s biggest ever police manhunt.

The Hunt For Raoul Moat will explore the major 2010 police operation to apprehend fugitive Raoul Moat, who went on the run in Northumbria after killing one person and wounding two others.

The drama focuses on the innocent victims of Moat’s crimes – Christopher Brown, Samantha Stobbart and PC David Rathband; the police officers who put themselves in the firing line to apprehend Moat; and a local journalist who sought to tell Moat’s real story in a landscape of sensationalist reporting and social media provocation.

It will begin with Moat ex-partner Stobbart piecing her life back together following Moat’s imprisonment for assault. After he is released, he attempts to rekindle their relationship but when Moat realises that won’t happen, arms himself with a shotgun and confronts her and new partner Brown.

Monte-Carlo TV Festival Unveils Competition Lineup

The Monte-Carlo Television Festival has signaled its intention to host an in-person event on June 18-22 by announcing its competition lineup. Some 27 programs from 14 countries have been officially selected to compete, with winners announced at the Golden Nymph Awards Ceremony on June 22 at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco. The nominees include Keshet series Line In The Sand and HBO Max/Channel 4’s AIDS crisis drama It’s A Sin. The full lineup can be found here. Laurent Puons, CEO of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, said: “We have wide-ranging and exceptional global content nominated for Golden Nymph Awards. The number of programs participating in the competition, shows the ever-growing interest of productions and talent to claim this trophy, a timeless symbol of internationally recognized quality. This enthusiasm confirms that our event remains the pre-eminent Festival in Europe.”

‘Outlander’s Lauren Lyle Joins ITV’s ‘Karen Pirie...

This review contains Line of Duty spoilers.

Like a plump Christmas stocking, the real treats of series six have worked their way down to where we are now – somewhere around the heel. Having dutifully unwrapped the first couple of episodes and politely smiled at the satsumas and novelty tissues, we’ve reached the really good stuff. Episode four was nothing but single malt miniatures and Hotel Chocolat, both of which, incidentally, would be excellent ways to recover our nerves after all that excitement.

Everyone fortified? Let’s go.

Rip Jonesy. Rip Jimmy. Rip AC-12? Of all the balaclava-men-and-bolt-cutter peril the team has survived over the years, who’d have thought that in the end, they’d be brought down by bureaucracy. Acc Wise can blame it on redistribution of funds, department mergers and staff redundancies, but we know the deal. There’s no place for Ted Hastings in this rotten world.

Season 6 of the BBC’s smash-hit police corruption series Line Of Duty is to premiere exclusively on BritBox in the U.S. and Canada. Future seasons of the cop drama will also be exclusive to BritBox in the two territories.

ITV Studios, which reps new seasons of the drama after Kew Media Group went bust last year, inked the deal with BritBox, the streamer that is co-owned by the BBC and ITV. Season 6 will premiere in May. Written by Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio, Line Of Duty returned with 9.6 million viewers in the UK on Sunday, its best overnight audience ever for the BBC.

Line Of Duty stars Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar, and Martin Compston as anti-corruption inspectors, with Shalom Brune-Franklin becoming a new addition to the AC-12 team for Season 6. Trainspotting star Kelly Macdonald makes her debut as guest lead Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson, the senior investigating officer on...

BBC One’s police corruption series Line Of Duty returned for its sixth season on Sunday night with a record audience of 9.56 million.

The World Productions drama, written by Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio, beat its previous best overnight performance of 9.1M viewers for Season 5’s finale back in 2019, according to overnight Barb figures supplied by overnights.tv. It was the highest-rated show in the UK on Sunday night.

Line Of Duty’s 9.6M viewers for BBC One made it the best performing drama on UK television since Bodyguard broadcast in 2018, per UK trade Broadcast. Its audience will only rise once streaming and catch-up viewing is factored in.

The crime drama was not, however, able to beat Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s brutally honest interview with Oprah Winfrey, which was watched by 11.3M viewers on ITV in the UK earlier this month.

Line Of Duty stars Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar,...

In today’s bulletin, “Line of Duty” wraps filming; ViacomCBS and Morena team on “The Kellys”; Netflix is set to change its Spanish billing system; Woodcut and Spark merge; Dazn buys key soccer rights; and Berlin sets Shooting Stars jury.

Jed Mercurio‘s hit police procedural “Line of Duty” has completed shooting its sixth season, complying with U.K. government Covid-19 protocols, and will debut on the BBC in 2021.

Kelly Macdonald (“Giri/Haji”) is the next guest series lead. She plays Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson, the senior investigating officer on an unsolved murder case whose unconventional conduct attracts the attention of AC-12, the anti-corruption internal affairs unit around which the series revolves. The series regulars include Adrian Dunbar, Martin Compston and Vicky McClure.

The shoot shut down for five months at the height of the coronavirus pandemic and resumed in August. The series is made for BBC One by World Productions.

Jed Mercurio’s hit police procedural “Line of Duty” has resumed shooting its sixth season, complying with U.K. government Covid-19 protocols.

The series is made for BBC One by World Productions. Simon Heath, executive producer for World Productions, said: “It’s been almost six months since we stopped shooting, but following our implementation of all the industry Covid protocols, we’re delighted to be able to resume filming (season six) safely.”

Mercurio said: “We know ‘Line of Duty’ fans are desperate for (season six) and we hope we can get it on air as soon as possible. Thanks so much for your patience in these difficult times.”

This instalment of the series features a new challenge for the AC-12 crime unit where Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson, played by Kelly Macdonald, investigates an unsolved murder case.

Series regulars Martin Compston, Adrian Dunbar and Vicky McClure will feature alongside...

Distributor Global Digital Releasing is known for finding award-winning indie and festival fare that would otherwise go under-the-radar and make it available to the many. Some of their award winning titles include Lorcan Finnegan’s Without Name, Dain Said’s Interchange and Gareth Bryn’s BAFTA winning drama The Passing.

Getting a jump on 2020, the group has passed along their diverse slate of release for us to share. The films tackle challenging topics, from killing your boss, to the power of self-discovery, and to the unique power of drugs. Their first release,...

Distributor Global Digital Releasing is known for finding award-winning indie and festival fare that would otherwise go under-the-radar and make it available to the many. Some of their award winning titles include Lorcan Finnegan’s Without Name, Dain Said’s Interchange and Gareth Bryn’s BAFTA winning drama The Passing. Getting a jump on 2020, the group has passed along their diverse slate of release for us to share. The films tackle challenging topics, from killing your boss, to the power of self-discovery, and to the unique power of drugs. Their first release, coming in February, is revenge thriller The Paper Store, which stars Penn Badgley from Netflix's stalker drama, You. They tell us they will also deliver award-winning documentaries throughout the year. The documentaries will cover subjects that...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Iwan Rheon also stars in feature from Western Edge Pictures.

Ryan Andrew Hooper’s feature debut The Toll, starring Michael Smiley and Annes Elwy, has wrapped after shooting on location in Wales.

Produced by Vaughan Sivell and Mark Hopkins for Western Edge Pictures through the Ffilm Cymru Wales’ Cinematic scheme, the thriller features Smiley as a man working solo shifts in the quietest toll booth in Wales, hiding from a criminal past where nobody would ever look. Elwy plays a traffic cop who heads to the booth at exactly the wrong time. It is written by Matt Redd.

Smiley’s...

Projects include a new feature from the director of The Passing and Hinterland.

Ffilm Cymru Wales, the Welsh film agency, has backed four feature projects through its development fund.

They include a second feature from Gareth Bryn – director of The Passing (2015) and TV series Hinterland – whose new project The Promise is a psychological period horror set in Wales in 1890.

Two of the five projects are in the Welsh language. Further details are below.

Ffilm Cymru Wales’ head of creative business Kimberley Warner commented: “Ffilm Cymru Wales is proud to attract some of the most exciting and original filmmaking talent in Wales. We’ve seen a 300% increase in the amount of projects in development converting into production over the last three years, which is in no small part due to our Magnifier system of support for talent, as well as our commitment to an inclusive film culture.”

Full project details:

Information provided by Ffilm Cymru Wales

Hijra

A colourful...

We have been big fans of the Welsh duo of director Gareth Bryn and writer-producer Ed Talfan around here for quite some time now. The pair of them are responsible for the arty, Welsh language ghost story The Passing and have also been key players in Welsh-English crime series Hinterland from BBC Wales - and available on Netflix - which Talfan co-created, produced and wrote large swathes of with Bryn a frequent director on the series. And the duo returns now with another Welsh crime series, Hidden (Craith). Currently airing on S4C in the entirely Welsh language version with a Welsh-English hybrid coming soon to the BBC - the same strategy followed by Hinterland - Hidden is an eight episode continuous series following a single...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

You never know what will be waiting for you in the woods... In today's Horror Highlights, we have two clips from the upcoming thriller Without Name, as well as details on the Nitehawk Shorts Festival Selects program, Frontières returning to the Fantasia International Film Festival, and the official trailer for The Passing.

Without Name Clips: Press Release: "Los Angeles, California (June 16, 2017) - Global Digital Releasing has set a distribution date for the award winning dramatic thriller Without Name. The North American release will be across multiple digital and VOD platforms, beginning Tuesday, June 20.

The story follows land surveyor Eric (Alan McKenna). He travels to a remote, unnamed Irish woodland to assess its suitability for a new development project. However, the assignment it is not as simple as it could be. Intrigued by the woods’ foreboding mysticism, Eric finds himself drawn into a dangerous game that could lead to him becoming...

More details are emerging for Gareth Bryn's The Passing. A full length trailer has been released, along with a movie poster. The trailer shows a couple involved in a car crash and their rescue. But, where has Stanley taken them? The Passing centrally stars: Annes Elwy, Dyfan Dwyfor and Mark Lewis Jones. The script was developed by Ed Talfan (Bypass, 2014). And, fans can find the first trailer for the film here and the official artwork. The Passing is a BAFTA award winner. This title has already won "Best Actor" (Mark Lewis Jones), "Best Writer" and "Best Production Design." This prestigious charity, from London, continues to support excellence in film, including Gareth Bryn's latest. The Passing will be available in mid-June. On June 13th, the film will be available via Global Digital Releasing, through Video-on-demand. The release will be worldwide. Digital hosting platforms, for The Passing, include: iTunes, Amazon Instant,...

Terror Films and iflix recently forged a partnership to distribute films digitally in multiple global markets, including Unearthed and Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary. Also: Monster Hunt DVD release details, The Passing clips, Matthew Quinn's The Thing in the Woods, and the winners recap for the 5th Annual Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival.

Terror Films and iflix's Global Distribution Digital Deal: Press Release: "Los Angeles, California (Friday, May 26th, 2017): Genre distributor Terror Films has teamed up with the world’s leading Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) service, for emerging markets, iflix. This newly formed partnership will allow the distributor to expand their digital reach into multiple territories within iflix’s footprint including South East Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, with future territories to be announced.

The films set to launch under the deal will include a wide variety from the label. They will include: the post- apocalyptic film,...

The Passing is a supernatural film from Wales. This title is slated for a mid-June release. And, two new clips have been released for The Passing, titled "Transgressions" and "Not Alone." The film, directed by Gareth Bryn, stars: Annes Elwy and Dyfan Dwyfor, along with Mark Lewis Jones. Also, The Passing involves a brutal car crash, in an isolated locale. They are rescued by a mysterious figure and taken to a farmhouse, "untouched by time." A preview of this Global Digital Releasing launch is hosted here. The "Not Alone" clip shows the film's supernatural element. A child's? hand reaches out for Sara (Elwy) as she recovers from the accident. But who is the child? The Passing will release on most Video-on-demand platforms. This title will show on: iTunes, Amazon Instant, Seed & Spark, Google Play, Sony Psn, X-Box Live, Vudu, Vimeo on Demand, Steam, Roku, Crackle, Hoopla and Tubi TV. And,...

The award winning Welsh Drama, The Passing will be released worldwide, across multiple digital and VOD platforms, this Tuesday, June 13.

The film, which was acquired for North American distribution by the mighty Xyz Films, revolves around two young lovers (Annes Elwy & Dyfan Dwyfor). They crash their car into a ravine in the remote mountains of Wales. Dragged from the river by a mysterious figure known as Stanley (Mark Lewis Jones), they are taken to a ramshackle farm, a place untouched by time. As events unfold, we learn the explosive truth about the young couple's past.

The film was written by Ed Talfan and directed by Gareth Bryn. In addition to winning three 2016 BAFTA Cymru awards (Best Actor: Mark Lewis Jones, Best Writer: Ed Talfan and Best Production Design [Continued ...]...

If you have been left wondering when you would be able to see the first ever Welsh language genre film, Gareth Bryn's dramatic horror flim The Passing, your long wait is about to end. Global Digital Releasing announced today they will release Bryn's film on multiple digital platforms worldwide on June 13th.    To celebrate the release two clips from the film were released today. We have also included the original trailer from some time ago. Gdr promisese there will be a new poster and trailer leading up to the release. While you are at it you may also want to read Pierce's review when The Passing played at Fantastic Fest back in 2015. You will find the link for that review below.    Los...

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Exclusive: Catherine Linstrum and Keri Collins movies shortlisted for development and production scheme.

Ten movie projects have been shortlisted for the Ffilm Cymru Wales/Film Wales’ Cinematic development and production scheme.

This year, nominated features include Nuclear by Cannes award-winning director Catherine Linstrum (California Dreamin’) and Sorted by former Raindance entrant Keri Collins (Convenience).

The programme, for films with budgets up to £300k, is financed in partnership with the BFI and S4C with additional support from Fields Park Entertainment and Warner Music Supervision.

Shortlisted film teams will now receive input from industry professionals including producers Julie Baines (Creep) and Emily Leo (Under the Shadow) as well as director Ben Parker (The Chamber), alongside sales and distribution representatives such as Jezz Vernon, formerly of Metrodome, and Deborah Rowland.

Three selected films will then be made over the next 18 months.

FfCW will invest approximately £180,000 production finance into each of the final three films. As part of...

Stars: Dyfan Dwyfor, Annes Elwy, Mark Lewis Jones | Written by Ed Talfan | Directed by Gareth Bryn

When it comes to ghost stories, I’m not the biggest fan. Even though I often get irrational fears such as someone grabbing my foot as I walk up the stairs or seeing a distorted reflection in the mirror when you I go for a pee in the middle of the night, I really don’t believe in ghosts or outside forces. When it comes to films about ghosts, I’m even less of a fan. How many times do I have to suffer cheap orchestra stabs when the ghost pops up in front of the camera? You know the score and you’re probably tired of it too. Thankfully, with The Passing (original title: Yr Ymadawiad), Gareth Bryn and a selection of those involved with the critically acclaimed police detective drama series Hinterland...

Long, lonely sessions of digging and praying suggest there will be blood in this chilling Welsh-language drama

A rare Welsh-language release, this handsome S4C-produced chiller sustains itself for a while on the wordless rhythms and textures in the life of woodsman Stanley (Mark Lewis Jones): long, lonely rounds of digging and praying promise there will eventually be blood. His routine is disrupted when young lovers (Annes Elwy and Dyfan Dwyfor) plunge their car into a nearby stream. So begins a period of increasingly tense cohabitation as repressed memories and emotions are hauled to the surface like water from the local well. This gradual excavation, with its spectral presences, may disappoint those who demand more bang for their buck. Yet it’s assuredly played, and its melancholy look and feel – with fading photographs of brighter, better days – ensures it lingers longer in the mind than most homegrown genre fare.

Gareth Bryn: "The house was brilliant. It had to be because it’s really the equivalent of the Psycho house."

“Everyone puts lot of pressure on a first feature but, you know, you can’t feel that kind of pressure,” says Gareth Bryn, talking about his film, The Passing, which opens in cinemas across the UK on Friday. It’s the story of a young couple rescued from their crashed car by a mysterious stranger who lives alone in an isolated house, and it shows remarkable confidence for a first feature.

Gareth has worked in television for many years, so I start by asking him why he chose this moment to take on cinema.

“I was given the opportunity to create something quite old school that reminded me films like Solaris and the Three Colours trilogy,” he says..” There’s lots of space and lots of silences so as...

This visually striking Welsh drama from director Gareth Bryn prevails at establishing a haunted ambience and fantastic characters via strong performances, but it suffers from a sauntering second act and awkwardly jimmied in genre staples. The story of twenty-something couple Iwan (Dyfan Dwyfor) and Sara (Annes Elwy), who crash their car into a ravine then

The post The Passing Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Coming off the success of BBC backed crime series Hinterland - a series shot simultaneously in Welsh and English language version - director Gareth Bryn and the core creative team behind the series have pushed the boundaries of Welsh language content even further with their debut feature film The Passing (Yr Ymadawiad). A classy, artistic chiller that had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in 2015, The Passing is the first ever Welsh language genre film and given Bryn's obvious eye behind the camera, is hopefully far from the last. Stanley has been alone with his ghosts for as long as he can remember, living an isolated life in his slowly crumbling family home in the Welsh hills. For years, it’s been only Stanley and...

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The Passing

Written by Ed Talfan

Directed by Gareth Bryn

UK, 2015

The Passing unfolds like a nightmare masquerading as a beautiful dream. The startling debut of Welsh director Gareth Bryn conceals all of its ugly secrets until escape is no longer an option. Its languid pacing and rustic beauty build an almost unbearable tension that threatens to explode at any moment. Ultimately, The Passing is a masterstroke of allegory and mood that continues to haunt long after it’s over.

Stanley (Mark Lewis Jones) lives alone. He’s always lived alone. The curtains in his dilapidated house whip in the cold country wind, and electricity is a luxury that never penetrated this desolate wilderness. Every day this hulking, gentle man toils in his deep well, shoveling mud into a bucket and hoisting it to the surface. At night he reminisces over his carefully-preserved family photos and the carved animal figurines...

Oozing rustic dread in the remote Welsh countryside, Gareth Bryn's The Passing toys with the hidden demons of three lonely characters on a sumptuous, wet and verdant stage. Beautiful to behold but perhaps too slight in the narrative department, this keenly observed supernatural chiller, which is also the first genre film to be shot entirely in the lilting Welsh language, falls just shy of outright success. Far removed from society, Stanley lives his life in a craggy house in the forest, spending his days trudging mud out of a well he is hoping will lead to water. One morning, following the sound of a blaring horn weaving through the hills, he finds a car that has crashed into a river. In it, an injured young...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

It is time for me to make my peace with the fact that I will not be at Fantastic Fest this year. Last year's fest was one of my favorites ever, fitting for a tenth anniversary, and I would love to go this year. It's just not in the cards, though. It guts me, too. The event continues to grow and change and evolve, and it features one of the greatest programming teams in the business right now. There are films playing at the festival that I'll see in Toronto, and I'm sure I'll catch up with others, but that's not the point. Fantastic Fest is an experience, and an amazing one. If you want to go, you still can. "Daytime Only Badges, Fan Badges, and 2Nd Half Badges for Fantastic Fest 2015 are available for purchase here," today's press release urged. If you can go for the second half, you'll...

One of the greatest genre film festivals in the world (some say the best) has just announced its second wave of titles, including a few titles so anticipated you’ll wish you’re in Austin next month. Below are 35 more films to add to the 23 already announced in the first wave. They include Ridley Scott’s The Martian, Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster, Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s High-Rise and Jeremy Saulnier’s follow up to Blue Ruin, The Green Room. In addition to the films, Fantastic Fest is also delivering something special this year with a performance from Itchy-o – “a blazing, 32-member aural assault from the darkest depths of Colorado.” Fantastic Fest will also host the World Premiere of Lazer Team, the first feature film from web series gods Rooster Teeth. “This is a big year for genre cinema. We’re exceptionally proud to honor incredible filmmakers...

It’s hard to believe that we are a month away from what is possibly the best genre film festival in North America! After announcing a Kurt Russell included first wave, we get a wave that probably includes all the films I have the most interest in. The French remake of what I consider is one of Mario Bava’s best films, Rabid Dogs is included. Along with Jeremy Saulnier’s follow up from Blue Ruin, Green Room where Patrick Stewart plays a Neo-Nazi club owner, Ridley Scott’s The Martian, Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of High-Rise and the horror film that has some chilling buzz, The Witch, are all included. Check out the full listing below and wait with anticipation for our coverage of the festival!

Fantastic Fest is excited to announce the second wave of programming featuring the Us Premiere of Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster as the opening night film.

Austin, TX – Wednesday, August 26, 2015 — Fantastic Fest is excited to announce the second wave of programming featuring the Us Premiere of Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster as the opening night film. Lanthimos will be in attendance to share his wonderfully surreal examination of human connections. Joining The Lobster is a dazzling array of the year’s most anticipated genre films from heavyweight directors including Ridley Scott’s sci-fi epic The Martian, Ben Wheatley’s High-rise and Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room. Fantastic Fest will also host the World Premiere of Lazer Team, the first feature film from web series gods Rooster Teeth. Lazer Team director Matt Hullum and cast members Burnie Burns, Alan Ritchson, Colton Dunn, Michael Jones, and Gavin Free will be in attendance to celebrate the highly anticipated sci-fi comedy and join Fantastic Fest’s official opening night party, presented by Rooster Teeth. “This is a big year for genre cinema.

Cannibalistic skyscraper tribes, a punk band forced to fight for survival, and 17th century-set supernatural happenings will grace the big screen this fall at Fantastic Fest 2015, as High-Rise, Green Room (co-starring Patrick Stewart), and The Witch are among the films announced in the festival's second wave of programming.

Taking place September 24th–October 1st at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar theater in Austin, TX, Fantastic Fest 2015 celebrates an abundance of titles spanning multiple genres (as well as those that don't fit into one specific genre). Stay tuned to Daily Dead for the upcoming final wave of Fantastic Fest 2015 programming, and to read about the first wave of the festival's programming, visit:

http://dailydead.com/fantastic-fest-2015-first-wave-includes-bone-tomahawk-the-invitation/

Press Release: Austin, TX - Wednesday, August 26, 2015 - Fantastic Fest is excited to announce the second wave of programming featuring the Us Premiere of Yorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster as the opening night film.

Ten film projects, including features from Doctor Who director Euros Lyn and Borrowed Time producer Olivier Kaempfer, have been selected to progress to the first round of the Film Agency for Wales’ low budget film scheme.

The teams behind these projects will now participate in a training and mentoring programme supported by Creative Skillset’s Film Skills Fund, which is funded by the National Lottery via the BFI, and through the Skills Investment Fund (Sif).

The Film Agency for Wales devised and developed Cinematic in partnership with the BFI Film Fund, BBC Films, S4C and Soda Pictures to support emerging filmmaking talent from Wales in making “contemporary, dynamic and distinctive feature films” with budgets of around £300,000 ($480,000).

A total of 56 applications were made to the programme following its launch in June. The ten projects and their filmmaking teams selected to continue with the programme are:

Craig’s Film (working title)

Producer: Pip Broughton

Writer / Director: [link...