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Rebecca-Clare Evans’ Caged Film has wrapped a three-week shoot in Snowdonia, Wales on Natalie Kennedy’s horror Purgatory.

The film stars Alina Allison from 2023 horror Punch, and Thomas Grant from Pretty Red Dress. Purgatory follows a disabled young woman on her way to university who meets a sadistic serial killer, and who must work to escape an cycle of torment. Evans, Bhaskar Patel, Pat Lally and Millie Thompson also star. A first look at the film has been released, above.

The script, by US writer Brian Schwab, recently received second place in the horror/thriller category at the Slamdance Screenplay Competition.

The fund will re-open for a third round on January 9.

The Uncertain Kingdom development fund – a scheme that aims to address the challenges of filmmakers creating sustainable careers having previously made a feature – has named the projects that are to receive support from its second round of funding, including a documentary exploring the life of late UK politician Mo Mowlam.

The fund was set up originally in 2019 as a short film initiative, led my director and co-founder of UK production outfit Electric Shadow Company John Jencks, along with development executives Isabel Freer and Georgia Goggin, with 21 directors taking part to...

Jason Wingard to direct UK feature.

UK outfit Protagonist Pictures is launching world sales on UK romantic comedy Fado!, starring Emily Watson and Richard E. Grant, at the Pre-Cannes Screenings next week.

UK filmmaker Jason Wingard will direct the feature from a script by Andrea Mann, and shooting will take place on location in Lisbon, Portugal and Wolverhampton in the UK.

It is produced by Gareth Wiley, whose credits include Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Match Point, with Giulia Salvadori as co-producer. Portuguese production services will be provided by executive producers Nuno Martins and Gerardo Fernandes through Disfarce Lda.

Oscar nominees Emily Watson and Richard E. Grant will star in director Jason Wingard’s romantic comedy “Fado!”

Global sales agent Protagonist Pictures will introduce the project to buyers at the upcoming Marche du Film (June 21-25) at Cannes.

Based on a script by Andrea Mann, “Fado!” follows Linda (Watson), a crossword enthusiast, choral society member, wife and mother of two, and her music lecturer husband Jim (Grant), who are about to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary with a romantic trip to Lisbon. But the night before they travel, Linda discovers a monumental secret that will shake the very foundations of their marriage.

“Fado!” will be the first time Watson and Grant have shared the screen since they both starred in Robert Altman’s Oscar winning “Gosford Park” (2001).

The film will be shot on location in Lisbon, Portugal and Wolverhampton, U.K.

Wingard’s debut feature, “In Another Life,” won...

Oscar nominees Emily Watson and Richard E. Grant have been set to star in director Jason Wingard’s romantic comedy Fado! from a script by Andrea Mann. Global sales agent Protagonist Pictures will introduce the project to buyers at the upcoming Cannes Market.

Fado!, which marks the first time Watson and Grant have shared the screen since they both starred in Robert Altman’s Academy Award-winning period drama Gosford Park, will be shot on location in Lisbon, Portugal and Wolverhampton, UK.

The film follows Linda (Watson), a crossword enthusiast, choral society member, wife and mother of two, and her music lecturer husband, Jim (Grant), who are about to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary with a romantic trip to Lisbon. But the night before they travel, Linda discovers a monumental secret that will shake the very foundations of their marriage. Determined not to let this discovery define her life and needing space to process,...

Former “Gosford Park” co-stars Emily Watson and Richard E. Grant will reteam for director Jason Wingard’s upcoming indie romantic comedy “Fado!”

The film, which will shoot in the U.K. and Lisbon, Portugal from a script by Andrea Mann, will be introduced by Protagonist Pictures at this month’s Marche du Film in Cannes.

Watson stars as a crossword enthusiast and mother of two who plans a 30th wedding anniversary trip to Lisbon with her music lecturer husband (Grant) — until she learns a marriage-shaking secret the night before the trip and decides to board the plane without him. While in Lisbon, she falls madly in love with the Portuguese folk music known as fado – a sensuous new relationship that will allow her to rediscover the joy and passion within herself.

Gareth Wiley (“Match Point”) will produce, with Giulia Salvadori as U.K. co-producer; Portuguese production services will be provided by Executive Producer team,...

Exclusive: Here’s the first look at Prisoners Of Paradise, a period romance starring Ellie Bamber (The Trial Of Christine Keeler) and Mehdi Dehbi (Messiah) that is now shooting in Mauritius.

Set on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius in 1925, the pic is a coming-of-age love story following a 17-year-old orphan, Lucy, who is sent from England to live under the guardianship of her uncle. Once there, she finds herself as odds with the ways of his world and his plans of an arranged marriage for her. When Lucy meets Krishna, a passionate young man working as a labourer on a nearby plantation with dreams of one day owning his own land, they both fall deeply and dangerously in love. The cast also includes JJ Feild, Amy Beth Hayes, Rupert Penry-Jones, Rhona Mitra and Edward Akrout.

Mitch Jenkins is directing from a screenplay by Alan Govinden and Jason Wingard. Govinden...

Exclusive: The Last Ship and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans star has boarded Mitch Jenkins’ independent feature Prisoners of Paradise.

Set in 1925, Prisoners of Paradise follows 17-year-old orphan Lucy Gladwell (Ellie Bamber) who is sent from England to live under the guardianship of her uncle George Huyton (Rupert Penry-Jones). Initially seduced by the sumptuous beauty of her surroundings, Lucy finds herself at odds with her violent uncle who is not the benign influence he pretends to be, and she soon falls in love with Krishna (Mehdi Dehbi), a laborer working on a nearby plantation. The production is aiming to shoot from late September on location in Mauritius.

Mitra will play the role of ‘Betty’, Lucy’s (Bamber) aunt.

Jenkins is directing from an original screenplay by Alan Govinden and Jason Wingard.

Most recently, Mitra wrapped the NBC pilot Debris opposite Jonathan Tucker, which was recently ordered to series at NBC...

Exclusive: Nocturnal Animals and The Trial Of Christine Keeler star Ellie Bamber, Messiah and London Has Fallen actor Mehdi Dehbi and The Strain and Vita & Virginia star Rupert Penry-Jones are set to lead cast in feature Prisoners Of Paradise, which is aiming to shoot from late September on location in Mauritius.

The coming-of-age love story, set in 1925, follows 17-year-old orphan Lucy Gladwell (Bamber) who is sent from England to live under the guardianship of her uncle George Huyton (Penry-Jones). Initially seduced by the sumptuous beauty of her surroundings, Lucy finds herself at odds with her violent uncle who is not the benign influence he pretends to be, and she soon falls in love with Krishna (Dehbi), a labourer working on a nearby plantation.

Edward Akrout (Killing Eve) is also among cast. Mitch Jenkins (The Show) will direct from an original screenplay by Alan Govinden and Jason Wingard. Producer is Alan...

Directors include Bifa winners Jason Wingard and Carol Salter.

The Uncertain Kingdom, the £200,000 short film initiative aiming to provide a portrait of the contemporary UK, has unveiled the 20 films on its slate.

Actors participating in the projects include Alice Lowe (Sightseers), Mark Addy (Game Of Thrones), Steve Evets (Apostasy), Hugh Dennis (Fleabag), Andy Hamilton (What We Did On Our Holiday), Ruth Madeley (Years & Years) and Laurie Davidson (Cats).

Screen can also reveal an exclusive first look at one of the titles, Hope Dickson Leach’s Strong Is Better Than Angry, above.

Each film is receiving £10,000. The finance is privately raised.

Point Blank

Stars: Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo, Marcia Gay Harden, Stuart F. Wilson, Buster Reeves, Christian Cooke, Teyonah Parris, Boris McGiver, Reggie Willis, Shanessa Sweeney, Nik Pajic, Markice Moore | Written by Adam G. Simon | Directed by Joe Lynch

Point Blank, directed by Joe Lynch, is a remake of Fred Cavayé’s À bout portant, which was originally released in 2010. The film stars two actors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Frank Grillo and Anthony Mackie as Abe and Paul, respectively. Paul has to break Abe out of custody in a hospital as his brother has taken Paul’s pregnant wife hostage. What commences is an unorthodox buddy-action comedy, in what is sadly yet another dull and tedious action-adventure.

It is hard to watch Point Blank and not debate why this was made, or even distributed by Netflix. Everything from its plot, actors and actress, or even filmmaking evokes a sense of direct-to-dvd nature.

Everyone loves a good belly laugh. And that’s exactly what’ll you’ll get from Eaten by Lions. With Harry Potter references, a zany fortune-teller, the biggest man-child father that’s ever been written and a 1970’s dress-sense, it’s far wackier than expected.

The story follows orphaned half-brothers, Omar and Pete. When their grandmother dies, the brothers end up in the care of a racist aunt and uncle, who do everything they can to make disabled Pete feel at home, while simultaneously making it clear that mixed race Omar is not of their own. With it clear that they don’t want him there, Omar determines to find his biological father. And when Pete insists on going with him, they head off to Blackpool in search of the father Omar’s never met.

What makes this film shine is the acting. Antonio Aakeel’s performance as the lost and dutiful brother,...

Verve Pictures to distribute completed films at the end of the year.

The £200,000 short films initiative The Uncertain Kingdom, launched in December 2018, has finalised the 20 directors who will each receive £10,000 to finance a short film project.

Joining the previously announced Hope Dickson Leach (The Levelling) are the Oscar-winning Orlando Von Einsiedel (The White Helmets), International Emmy winner Guy Jenkin (Outnumbered) and Bifa winner Carol Salter (Almost Heaven).

Also on the roster are four former Screen Stars of Tomorrow: actor/writer/director Antonia Campbell-Hughes, writer/director Rubika Shah, and producers Helen Simmons and Yaw Basoah.

The full list of project teams can be found below.

Here’s the latest episode of the The Filmmakers Podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly. If you haven’t heard the show yet, you can check out previous episodes on the official podcast site, whilst we’ll be featuring each and every new episode as it premieres.

For those unfamiliar, with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors. They also shoot the breeze about their new films, The Dare, World of Darkness,...

Further openers include ’Out Of Blue’, ’At Eternity’s Gate’ and ’Eaten By Lions’.

Fantasy adventure Dumbo is the headline title opening at the UK box office this weekend, and may oust Disney stablemate Captain Marvel from the number one spot it has held for three weeks.

Directed by Tim Burton, Dumbo is inspired by the 1941 Disney animation of the same name, which itself was based on the novel by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl. Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green and Alan Arkin star in the story of a family which works at a failing circus, who...

In his latest podcast/interview, host Stuart Wright talks to Eaten by Lions writer/director Jason Wingard.

Omar and Pete are half brothers. When their parents are eaten by lions they embark on a journey to find Omar’s real father. What follows is a funny, heart-warming journey of self-discovery for both boys…in Blackpool. The Choudray family represents a truly contemporary example of modern multicultural Britain – but what will the brothers make of their eccentric newfound family? Will they be going to Mecca or Mecca bingo? In contrast to the old fashioned stereotypes about Blackpool, the comedy is sharp, current and non-stop.

Eaten by Lions open in over 100 screens across the UK today, Friday 29th March 2019. Check local listings for details, or check out www.eatenbylions.com/#cinema-listings...

A teenager and his half-brother head for the bright lights of Blackpool on an emotional quest to find his biological father

In all its good-natured silliness and gag-filled sprightliness, Eaten By Lions from director Jason Wingard is this week’s unexpected treat: a really happy multicultural comedy that, for me, revived the spirit of Ayub Khan-Din’s East Is East from 1999.

It’s the story of Omar (Antonio Aakeel) a teenage boy of south Asian background who has been living with his gran and his half-brother Pete (Jack Carroll) ever since their mum and dad – technically Pete’s dad – died in a bizarre accident: the couple’s hot-air balloon crashed in a safari park, causing them to suffer the terrible fate of the title.

British comedy “Eaten By Lions” has won the top prize at the 9th Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival in London, Birmingham and Manchester, the UK and Europe’s largest platform of independent cinema from the Indian subcontinent. The festival is title sponsored by the Bagri Foundation who share our passion for Asian arts and culture, with major support from Grange Hotels, Integrity International Trust and Sun Mark Ltd, and is funded by grant support from the BFI’s National Lottery Audience Fund.

LIFFs annual Audience Award for Best Film went to British comedy “Eaten By Lion”. The director Jason Wingard says: “We’re delighted to win this fantastic award. “Eaten By Lions” is a modern relevant comedy dealing with contemporary issues such as diversity and disability, but ultimately captures that life is about relationships and people, and we’re so pleased audiences are connecting with it. It was fantastic...

Another successful year for the London Indian Film Festival (Liff), with a great collection of films all vying for the ultimate accolade, to be crowned the audience’s favourite movie. Despite some stiff competition, the winner of the Audience Award for Best Film at the festival was Eaten by Lions – a British comedy about two half-brothers who are brought up by their grandma, after their parents are accidentally killed by lions in a safari park. Set in Bradford, the story then follows the aftermath of their Gran’s sudden death which leaves the teenagers looking for family to take them in.

The director of Eaten by Lions, Jason Wingard said, “We’re delighted to win this fantastic award. Eaten By Lions is a modern, relevant comedy dealing with contemporary issues such as diversity and disability, but ultimately captures that life is about relationships and people, and we’re so pleased audiences are connecting with it.

Comedy “Eaten by Lions” has triumphed at the Bagri London Indian Film Festival. The BFI-backed event also handed an Icon Award to Irrfan Khan, star of movies such as “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Jason Wingard’s “Eaten by Lions” scooped the Audience Award for Best Film. It follows half-brothers Omar (Antonio Aakeel) and Pete (Jack Carroll) as they travel to the British seaside resort of Blackpool looking for Omar’s biological father.

It is Wingard’s second movie after the Raindance and Bifa award-winning “In Another Life.” He said: “’Eaten by Lions’ is a modern relevant comedy dealing with contemporary issues such as diversity and disability, but ultimately captures that life is about relationships and people, and we’re so pleased audiences are connecting with it.”

Actor and producer Irrfan Khan is known for his roles in “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Life of Pi,” and “The Darjeeling Limited.” He revealed earlier this year...

After the death of their beloved Gran (Stephanie Fayerman), two half-brothers, Omar (Antonio Aakeel) and Pete (Jack Carroll) set off for Blackpool in order to find Omar’s long-missing father. Omar was, as Gran points out, the result of a “youthful dalliance” between his mother and a desi man she met on a night out, and whom she never saw again. And although Gran previously said she knew little more than that, she leaves Omar a letter that tells him more of what she really knew about his father. Armed with his birth certificate, his mother’s diary, and a photograph taken on the fateful evening, and with his grandmother’s urn and his disabled brother in tow, Omar decides it’s time to finally find out who his father really is.

Director and co-writer (along with David Isaac) Jason Wingard first explored this theme in his 2014 short film Going to Mecca.

People trying to find their real parents is a theme that has been done a fair bit in cinema for a long time now. The latest voice to tell the story is that of Jason Wingard’s, who attempts to put a fresh spin to the tale and, for the most part, succeeds.

“Eaten By Lions” runs as part of the 9th edition of the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival, that runs at 15 cinemas, across London, Birmingham and Manchester, from 21st June to 1st July, with 27 films, including features and short films, in competition. It is the largest South Asian film festival in Europe. Buy your tickets via this website, at respective cinema box offices: http://londonindianfilmfestival.co.uk/

Omar and Pete are two brothers who’ve been raised lovingly by their grandmother after the death of their mother and Pete’s father in a freak accident. After the death of their Gran,...

We’ve got a fun exclusive for you today, which also serves as notice of an impending British film which may get lost in the summer blockbuster scrum. Jason Wingard’s Eaten by Lions is one of this year’s world premieres at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and we’ve got the first look at the film’s poster.

The cast includes Antonio Aakeel (recently seen with Alicia Vikander’s Lara Croft in Tomb Raider), BAFTA & Emmy award-winning Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), Vicki Pepperdine, Jack Carroll and the double whammy of comic actors Johnny Vegas and Kevin Eldon. The heart-warming story of half-brothers raised by an elderly relative following the titular orphaning, the film follows Aakeel and Carroll’s characters as they search for their surviving relatives. This is director Jason Wingard’s second feature film, and he had this to say about it:

“The story is...

Antonio Aakeel, Asim Chaudhry, Jack Carroll star with Johnny Vegas in feature.

UK comedy feature Eaten By Lions has been picked up for sales and distribution representation by London-based marketing agency Coffee & Cigarettes.

The film is set to have its premiere at next month’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. It stars Antonio Aakeel (City Of Tiny Lights), Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), and Jack Carroll (Trollied) in the story of two half-brothers who were raised by their Grandma after their parents were tragically killed by lions in a bizarre accident. When their beloved Gran passes away, they embark on...

Duo first collaborated on Berlinale Generation title Adam.

Veteran indie producer Jim Stark is to continue his collaboration with the Icelandic filmmaker Maria Solrun on her third feature Man In The Storeroom after their first partnership on the Berlinale Generation title Adam.

“Adam benefited a great deal from Jim’s long experience and extensive contacts,” said Solrun who produced the project through the Berlin-based production outfit Big Key Film which she set up last year with her actor son Magnus Mariuson, who also played the lead role.

“We all want to do Man In The Storeroom with a larger budget...

The 2018 event will take place June 18-21.

Film London has revealed the dates for the 15th edition of London Screenings – the UK export market which showcases British films to global buyers.

Taking place June 18-21 in 2018, the event will offer attendees the opportunity to view a range of UK projects including completed features and work-in-progress titles.

Last year’s London Screenings featured the now Bafta-nominated God’s Own Country and The Ghoul.

The Breakthrough strand is also returning this year, offering a platform for emerging British filmmakers to show their work to sales agents and festival curators. In 2017, Jason Wingard’s In Another Life was showcased and went on to win the Discovery Award at the British Independent Film Awards.

Adrian Wootton OBE, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, said: “While the UK is at the heart of global content production and demand for our talent and skills has never been higher, we’re also...

Quick takes from the 25th Raindance Film Festival, with public screenings in London through October 1st, 2017.

In Another Life

British filmmaker Jason Wingard went to the Jungle, the refugee camp in Calais, intending to make a documentary about life there. But after befriending those living in squalor out of desperation, he decided to make a narrative based on their stories instead, shot in the Jungle and with some of them playing versions of themselves. The result is an astonishingly moving film that rehumanizes people who have been dehumanized in public discourse, putting faces to the still-ongoing refugee crisis and inescapably reminding us that those we’ve Othered are not very different from us. “In another life,” Syrian refugee Adnan (French actor Elie Haddad) tells us in the touching narration through which we follow his journey, “I was a teacher.” His new friends in the Jungle are other middle-class people from such far-flung places as Sudan,...

London-based festival to open with Oh Lucy! with Josh Hartnett.

The 25th Raindance Film Festival (Sept 21 -Oct 2) has revealed the majority of its line-up and jury members.

The international premiere of Atsuko Hirayanagi’s Oh Lucy! (USA), starring Josh Hartnett, is the opening night film of the London-based event. The closing night film will be announced later this month.

The competition jury includes ex-bifa director Johanna Von Fischer, Spanish producer Rosa Bosch and actors Jamie Campbell Bower (Twilight), Jack O’Connell (Unbroken), Sean Bean (Game Of Thrones), Christopher Eccleston (Dr Who), Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting), Celia Imrie (Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Training Day), Nicholas Lyndhurst (Only Fools and Horses), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Hotel Rwanda), Josh Whitehouse (Northern Soul), Neil Marshall (Game Of Thrones) and Rachel Portman (Chocolat).

They will preside over awards for a competition line-up that features the European premiere of Koichiro Miki’s Noise and the world premiere of Evald Johnson’s High & Outside: A Baseball...

Judges Shane Meadows, David Tennant and Mat Whitecross attend ceremony at the BFI IMAX in London.

Virgin Media Shorts has revealed the winner of this year’s competition.

Nimer Rashed secured the Grand Prize with his film Touch, after being selected by a jury including This is England director Shane Meadows and Spike Island director Mat Whitecross.

Nimer was presented with his prize by Meadows, which includes £30,000 funding towards his next film, at a ceremony at the BFI IMAX in London’s Waterloo hosted by presenter Danny Wallace with afterparty music provided by Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker.

Touch is described as “a poignant reflection on the relationship and love between two people over the course of a life time, told almost entirely through the touch of their hands – from their first connection through to their final farewell.”

The piece was inspired by Em Forster’s phrase ‘only connect’ and after many weeks of pre-production, shot over one...

After attending the fabulous Virgin Media Shorts Award Ceremony last year, Virgin followed this up by holding yet another Chic party in celebration of “championing undiscovered talent.”

The evening was held at the very suave venue “Sketch” in Mayfair and although it was more of an intimate gathering, the atmosphere was just as vibrant. We enjoyed glasses of champagne, good music and dozens of canapés which continuously circled the room (the mini fish and chips were by far my favourite and the mini sorbet ice-creams were adorable).

Jason Wingard, the 2011 winner for his short film 2:20 took to the stage to give us an update of where he is now and what he has planned for the future. Presently, he is planning a film with the BFI which will be a hip hop musical based on the back drop of riots. Virgin Media are in the process of making applications...