News

Dominic Dromgoole’s unusual, thoughtful drama threads together intimate scenes spanning half a century

There’s a palate-cleansing lucidity and sobriety to this interesting movie, a narrative triptych, showing three intimate scenes of English (and German) life, from 1944, 1982 and 1996: snapshots of homefront life influenced by war, notionally separate scenarios but interconnected by an unstressed generational thread.

It is adapted from the Oxford Stage Company play by Robert Holman – who has co-written the screenplay – and directed by Dominic Dromgoole, who has had an award-winning career in the theatre as former artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe, London, and recently produced Simon Amstell’s movie Benjamin.

Exclusive: Dromgoole to direct Ché Walker script Dead Head.

Open Palm Films, led by the former artistic director of London’s Globe theatre Dominic Dromgoole, has revealed a slate of six feature projects, including four in pre-production.

According to Open Palm, which launched last year, all four are fully financed.

Among the slate is Benjamin, written and directed by UK comedian Simon Amstell, which is due to shoot this summer.

The comedy, about “intimacy and despair”, marks Amstell’s first narrative feature after BBC sitcom Grandma’s House and recent BBC documentary feature Carnage.

The company is due to go into production next month on Parade, directed by Lisa Mulcahy (The Legend of Longwood) and written by Bruce McLeod (The War Boys).

Set in Bradford, the film follows a young man who is left with severe memory loss after a brutal attack. As he begins to piece together his identity, he’s ashamed...

Exclusive: Open Palm Films launches with Dromgoole-directed drama ‘Making Noise Quietly’; first-look image.

Dominic Dromgoole, former artistic director of London’s Globe theatre, has launched film production company Open Palm Films.

The indie outfit has recently wrapped its first production Making Noise Quietly (for which Screen can reveal the first image), a drama which is directed by Dromgoole and is adapted from Robert Holman’s well-received stage play of the same name.

The triptych of war-related stories follows a conscientious objector and a roaming artist during the Second World War; a bereaved mother struggling with the loss of her son who died in the Falklands; and an ageing holocaust survivor who seeks to bring peace to a disturbed young boy in Germany.

The film stars Deborah Findlay (The Lady In The Van), Barbara Marten (Oranges and Sunshine), Trystan Gravelle (National Treasure), Geoffrey Streafeild (Rush), Luke Thompson (Dunkirk) and Matthew Tennyson who reprises his role from the stage...

Our critics' picks of this week's openings, plus your last chance to see and what to book now

• Which cultural events are in your diary this week? Tell us in the comments below

Opening this weekTheatre

Wah! Wah! Girls

British musical meets Bollywood in new love-against-the-odds show set in the East End of London with a cast of 14, almost all British Asians and a Polish handyman. Peacock,London, Thursday to 23 June.

Posh

Laura Wade has updated her Royal Court hit to point the spotlight once again on the Oxbridge dining clubs that spawned the posh boys currently in power. Duke of Yorks theatre, London, until 4 August.

Betrayal

John Simm stars in Harold Pinter's semi-autobiographical play about an adulterous love affair. The power of the piece is that it works backwards from its bitter end to the moment the affair first sparked. Crucible, Sheffield, until 9 June.

Film

The Raid (dir.

According to published reports, London's Donmar Warehouse has just announced the 2012 line-up. Josie Rourke, who will take over for artistic director Michael Grandage, will direct George Farquhar's The Recruiting Officer, which runs February 9-April 14. Peter Gill will helm Robert Holman's Making Noise Quietly, which runs April 19-May 26 and Rourke will then direct Friedrich Durrenmatt's The Physicists, which runs May 31-July 21.