News

Principal photography has wrapped on A Hand Rises, the BFI and BBC-backed debut feature from director Louise Stern and producer Helen Simmons (Hoard).

The six-week shoot took place on location in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Kent.

The film’s synopsis reads: In A Hand Rises, a death ruptures a close-knit deaf community, and power dynamics shift as people begin to question the woman they’ve all looked up to.

Leading the predominantly deaf cast are Raffie Julien, Brian Duffy, Matty Gurney, and Claire Wetherall. Stern, best known for her visual art work, is fourth-generation deaf and grew up attending the deaf school her parents taught at and her siblings attended.

Stern said in a statement that with her debut she aims to examine what it truly means to communicate and has developed a unique and immersive style of filmmaking in terms of the use of gesture and signing, “telling the...

Exclusive: The BFI and BBC Film-backed directorial debut of Louise Stern, A Hand Rises, has wrapped its six-week shoot on location in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Kent.

A death ruptures a close-knit deaf community and power dynamics shift as people begin to question the woman they’ve all looked up to. Her daughter is caught up in the changing currents, and the turmoil isn’t helped by the presence of a hearing newcomer.

Leading the predominantly deaf cast are Raffie Julien, Brian Duffy, Matty Gurney and Claire Wetherall.

A Hand Rises is produced by Helen Simmons and Manon Ardisson, who developed the project.

Let’s be honest: Gender-based lists like THR‘s Most Powerful Women in International Film should be passé by now. It is 2025, after all. But the fight for equity in the global entertainment industry is anything but over. In some places, it’s barely begun. From the backlash against Dei initiatives in the U.S. to a blistering French report exposing systemic abuse across the arts, the message is clear: Progress is under threat. Which is why spotlighting these 45 global power players feels more vital than ever. “We need to fight back with all the tools and resources we have,” says Carole Scotta, co-founder of France’s production outfit Haut et Court. Or, as Nigeria’s EbonyLife CEO Mo Abudu puts it: “Until the industry makes room for authentic voices from different cultures and backgrounds — on a systemic level — we’ll continue to miss out on powerful, transformative storytelling.” In other words,...

The Roundhouse in London played host this evening to the 2024 BIFAs – The British Independent Film Awards. Kneecap went into the awards ceremony leading the 2024 nominations with 14, Love Lies Bleeding had 12, The Outrun received 9 nominations, 7 nominations each for Bird, on becoming a guinea fowl and unicorns, 6 for Hoard and Civil War. The winners of tonight’s awards are below.

Celebrating remarkable films and outstanding talent from the British film industry and beyond, this year’s list highlights the UK’s brightest new talent alongside BIFA heroes such as Andrea Arnold, Rose Glass, Rungano Nyoni, Saoirse Ronan, Jack O’Connell, Barry Keoghan and Hayley Squires.

Colin Hart and Ethan Hart were on the red carpet, here are their interviews.

The 2024 BIFA Winners Best British Independent Film

“Kneecap” — Rich Peppiatt, Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling — Winner

“Love Lies Bleeding” — Rose Glass, Weronika Tofilska, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman

“On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” — Rungano Nyoni, Tim Cole,...

The British Independent Film Awards (Bifas)winners are being unveiled from a ceremony at London’s Roundhouse.

Scroll down for winners

Screen isupdating this page live from the ceremony as the winners are announced - refresh this page for the latest winners. Scroll down for the full nominations and craft winners.

Sophie Okonedo is receiving theRichard Harris award. The actor is best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in 2004’sHotel Rwanda while her other film credits includeThe Secret Lie Of Bees,Christopher Robin,Wild Rose,Death On The Nile andCatherine Called Birdy.

Bifa winners 2024

Winners in bold, latest award top

Best...

The British Independent Film Awards (Bifas)winners will be unveiled today (December 8)from a ceremony at London’s Roundhouse, commencing at 20:00 GMT.

Scroll down for winners

Screen will be updating this page live from the ceremony as the winners are announced - refresh this page for the latest winners. Scroll down for the full nominations and craft winners.

Rich Peppiatt’s Irish-language comedyKneecap leads the nominations with six, including director, screenplay and best British independent film for Peppiatt - the latter alongside producers Trevor Birney and Jack Tarling - and joint lead performance for its stars Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh,...

The British Independent Film Awards (Bifas)winners will be unveiled today (December 8)from a ceremony at London’s Roundhouse, commencing at 20:00 GMT.

Scroll down for winners

Screenwillbeupdatingthispagelivefromtheceremonyasthewinnersareannounced, so refresh thispageforthelatestwinners. Scrolldown for the fullnominationsandcraftwinners.

Rich Peppiatt’s Irish-language comedyKneecapleads the nominations with six, including director, screenplay and best British independent film for Peppiatt - the latter alongside producers Trevor Birney and Jack Tarling - and joint lead performance for its stars Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh.

Rose Glass’Love Lies Bleeding andNora Fingscheidt’sThe Outrunare on four nominations each. Glass’ second feature stars...

The British Independent Film Awards this year honor two Sundance breakout films, with both “Kneecap” and “Love Lies Bleeding” atop the 2024 nominations list.

Rich Peppiatt’s “Kneecap” (repping Ireland for the 2024 Best International Feature Oscar) leads this year’s nominees with 14 nods, including Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best British Independent Film. “Kneecap” is based on the eponymous rap group, which star here alongside Michael Fassbender in a fictionalized band origin story.

Following “Kneecap” with 12 nominations is Rose Glass’s “Love Lies Bleeding.” Co-leads Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian are nominated for Best Joint Lead Performance, and the film has also been recognized in the Best British Independent Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay categories.

Additional features that received multiple nominations include “The Outrun,” “Bird,” and “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl.”

In 2023, “All of Us Strangers” swept the top categories with awards, in addition to “Rye Lane” and future...

This morning, the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) announced their list of nominations for 2024.

‘Kneecap’ leads 2024 nominations with 14, ‘Love Lies Bleeding has 12, ‘The Outrun receives 9 nominations, 7 nominations each for ‘Bird,’ on becoming a guinea fowl and unicorns, 6 for ‘Hoard’ and ‘Civil War.’

Celebrating remarkable films and outstanding talent from the British film industry and beyond, this year’s list highlights the UK’s brightest new talent alongside BIFA heroes such as Andrea Arnold, Rose Glass, Rungano Nyoni, Saoirse Ronan, Jack O’Connell, Barry Keoghan and Hayley Squires.

Also in news – John Krasinski to return for ‘Jack Ryan’ movie

The nominations are;

The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film

Tba – This year’s award recipient will be announced in the coming weeks.

Best British Independent Film

Kneecap Rich Peppiatt, Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling

Love Lies Bleeding Rose Glass, Weronika Tofilska, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman

On Becoming A Guinea Fowl Rungano Nyoni,...

This year’s BIFA nominations have been unveiled and it’s a delightfully diverse group of great films. More on those below.

There’s less than two months of 2024 left, which means that the awards season is also upon us. It’s time to celebrate this year’s excellent films with fancy statuettes, and first in line is the British Independent Film Awards, aka BIFAs. Nominations were announced today (5th November).

Rich Peppiatt’s joyously anarchic Kneecap leads the pack with a whopping 14 nominations to its name. Rose Glass’ Love Lies Bleeding follows with 12 nominations and Nora Fingscheidt also triumphed with nine.

Women are particularly well represented this year. Out of the five Best British Independent Film nominees, four are directed by women. It’s the same for the Best Director category, where Andrea Arnold, Nora Fingscheidt, Rose Glass and Rungano Nyoni are nominated along with Rich Peppiatt.

Amy Winehouse...

The subversive Irish flick Kneecap leads this year’s British Independent Film Award nominations with 14 nods, including Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Directed by Rich Peppiatt, the film’s impressive noms haul also includes nods for Best Debut Screenwriter, Best British Independent Film, and eight craft categories, including Best Casting and Best Cinematography.

Kneecap debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and has been picked to represent Ireland in the International Feature Film category of the 97th annual Academy Awards.

Trailing Kneecap is Rose Glass’ punk rock flick Love Lies Bleeding, which landed 12 nominations. The film’s noms include Best British Independent Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The film’s two leads, Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart, also landed nods for Best Joint Lead Performance.

Elsewhere, Saoirse Ronan’s indie flick The Outrun landed nine noms, and Andrea Arnold’s fifth feature Bird picked up seven nods.

Winners...

Maverick Minds

London’s Raindance Film Festival has unveiled its 13-title longlist for the BIFA (British Independent Film Awards) Raindance Maverick Award, recognizing independent films made with budgets under £1 million ($1.3 million).

The lineup includes “Grand Theft Hamlet,” shot entirely within “Grand Theft Auto,” following two unemployed actors staging Shakespeare in the game’s virtual world, and “Strike: An Uncivil War,” which won Sheffield DocFest’s best documentary audience award for its examination of the 1984/85 miners’ strike.

Raindance founder Elliot Grove said: “The Raindance Maverick Award longlist captures the essence of independent cinema at its purest, rebellious and unapologetic best.”

Full longlist:

“The Ceremony”

“The Flight of Bryan”

“Grand Theft Hamlet”

“King Baby”

“Reawakening”

“Restless”

“Satu – Year of the Rabbit” (Joshua Trigg)

“Silent Men” (Duncan Cowles)

“The Stimming Pool”

“Strike: An Uncivil War”

“Tops”

“Treading Water”

“Witches”

The nominations will be announced Nov. 5, with winners revealed at the BIFA ceremony on Dec.

Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane’s documentary Grand Theft Hamlet, about out-of-work theater actors who try to stage a production of Hamlet within the video game Grand Theft Auto during the Covid lockdown, and Witches, Elizabeth Sankey’s doc that posits a connection between historical witchery and post-partum psychological suffering, are among 13 feature films on the longlist for this year’s Raindance Maverick Award at the British Independent Film Awards, or BIFAs.

Also on the longlist are the likes of Strike: An Uncivil War, the best documentary audience award winner at this year’s Sheffield DocFest that uses personal testimony, formerly hidden government documents, and unseen archive footage to tell the story of the Battle of Orgreave during the British miners’ strike of 1984/85; Treading Water, which tells the story of a man who is newly released from prison and struggling with addiction and mental health issues; and King Baby, “a...

Subversive Irish breakout pic Kneecap and Sasha Nathwani’s gentle yet ambitious debut Last Swim are among the titles that have nabbed mentions on the new talent longlists at this year’s British Independent Film Awards.

Both Kneecap and Last Swim pop up on the Douglas Hickox Best Debut Director Award longlist. Other nominees include Hoard, directed by Luna Carmoon, and Karan Kandhari’s Sister Midnight, which debuted at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

All four films also feature on the best screenplay longlist alongside Christopher Andrews’s Bring Them Down starring Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott. Other pics on the screenplay longlist include The Ceremony by Jack King and Jed Hart’s Restless.

Overall, the longlists include 31 British features, with 20 fiction and 11 documentary features across four debut filmmaking categories. Within that, there are 13 first-time fiction feature directors, 16 first-time feature documentary directors, 11 first-time writers, and 19 breakthrough producers.

The final...

Filmmakers from Bring Them Down, The Ceremony and Tuesday feature prominently on the filmmaker new talent longlists for the 2024 British Independent Film Awards (Bifas).

Bring Them Down’s Christopher Andrews is longlisted for the Douglas Hickox Award for best debut director and the best debut screenwriter award, while the film’s debut producer Jacob Swan Hyam is longlisted for breakthrough producer.

Scroll down for the filmmaker New Talent longlists

The Ceremony repeats that trio for writer-director Jack King and producers Hollie Bryan and Lucy Meer; as does Tuesday for writer-director Daina O Pusic and producer Helen Gladders.

Four filmmaker new...

The BBC and German and French public broadcasters Zdf and France Television are joining forces for The Lady Grace Mysteries, a new live-action tween series based on the best-selling book franchise.

The Lady Grace Mysteries tells the story of Lady Grace Cavendish, an orphan raised to be a lady-in-waiting at the royal court of Queen Elizabeth I, who becomes the world’s first female teenage detective. Working as a private spy for the Queen, Lady Grace solves mysteries while navigating the treacherous waters of court politics. First published in 2004, 12 Lady Grace Mystery books have been published to date, in multiple international editions, and sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide.

Cottonwood Media, a division of French media conglomerate Federation Studios, will co-produce the series together with Coolabi Productions, and Zdf Studios. Production on The Lady Grace Mysteries is set to kick off at an unnamed British castle during spring 2025

Daytime Emmy nominee...

BBC, Zdf and France Televisions have boarded “The Lady Grace Mysteries,” an English-language teen detective series based on the best-selling collection of children novels by the same name.

The show is produced by Cottonwood Media (“Find Me in Paris”) and Coolabi Productions, and co-produced by Zdf Studios. It’s penned by Daytime Emmy award-nominated writer Anna McCleery whose credits include “Free Rein” for Netflix, “A Kind of Spark” for Cbbc/Byu and “Hollyoaks” for Channel 4.

As many as 300,000 books in the “The Lady Grace Mysteries” collection have sold worldwide. The live-action show, which targets 8 – 12 year olds, tells the story of Lady Grace Cavendish, a female teenage detective working as a private spy for Queen Elizabeth I and navigating the dangerous waters of royal politics in an English court full of plots, threats and mystery.

Federation Kids & Family and Zdf Studios are handling worldwide sales on the series. Manon Ardisson,...

Christopher Andrews’ Bring Them Down starring Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott, Sean Dunn’s The Fall Of Sir Douglas Weatherford and Marianne Elliott’s The Salt Path, featuring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, are among the eight films taking part in the Great 8 showcase, which presents new UK feature films from first-and second-time UK filmmakers to international distributors and festival programmers.

Now in its seventh year, the 2024 Great 8 showcase is funded and produced by the BFI and the British Council, with support from the Great Britain & Northern Ireland campaign, BBC Film and Film4.

In preparation for Cannes, unseen footage from...

Art house streamer Mubi has picked up worldwide rights for Witches, the new documentary feature from British director Elizabeth Sankey (Romantic Comedy) and will roll out the movie globally following its world premiere in the Viewpoints section of the Tribeca Festival in June.

Inspired by Sankey’s own struggles with mental health, the film draws connections between postpartum depression and the history and cinematic representation of witches in Western society.

“I started making Witches soon after being released from the psychiatric ward [for postpartum illness] as a way of trying to process what had happened to me,” said Sankey. “I researched the history of women in medicine and found they were once the main healers in their communities, but that ended with the 16th century witch trials. I also read about the women of this period who “confessed” to being witches without torture. Their symptoms were the same as mine — depression, suicidal ideation,...

None of the six selected projects will now be greenlit through the scheme.

Netflix UK is reshaping the Breakout scheme for emerging filmmakers it is running with Creative UK, with none of the films being greenlit for production, but three of the six projects receiving £100,000 awards for further development.

Netflix executives contacted each of the six filmmaking teams individually on May 31 to confirm it would not be progressing their projects to production through Breakout.

Earlier that day, the teams received an email from Creative UK. The email that Screen has seen did not provide specific feedback, but individually told the...

The six teams each received £30,000 of development funding.

Netflix, in partnership with non-profit Creative UK, has unveiled the six teams and projects selected for Breakout, the filmmaking programme launched to discover and support talented up-and-coming storytellers in the UK, with participants including Screen Star of Tomorrow Helen Simmons and children’s TV star and presenter Kim Tserkezie.

Emerging filmmakers are given the funding and opportunity to advance their debut feature into development with the partnership and support of Netflix. The selected teams comprise talent who haven’t yet made a feature but whose work has garnered industry or public attention.

The Uncertain Kingdom Fund, which disburses development coin to U.K. film projects, is opening submissions for its second round from May 23-June 20.

The fund was set up to support projects that interrogate British culture, asking questions of identity, the current journey and the future. It was created to address the challenges directors and producers face creating sustainable careers and targets filmmakers who have previously made a feature.

The stated aim of the fund is to take a hands-off approach and support filmmakers from a range of backgrounds and experiences. Projects of 70-plus minutes in any form or genre that are currently at treatment or script stage are eligible to apply. Filmmakers must be residents of the U.K. but need not be British.

U.K. distributor Picturehouse Entertainment has an ongoing collaboration with the fund and will continue to be closely involved in the selection of projects.

The first...

Four features have received support in the development fund’s first round.

Projects from County Lines filmmaker Henry Blake and Almost Heaven director Carol Salter are among the first four to receive support from the Uncertain Kingdom Development Fund.

The £60,000 fund is a relaunch of The Uncertain Kingdom short film initiative. The aim is to support commercial projects that unpack UK culture and identity and have at least 70-minute running times, with features considered at script or treatment stage.

Unlike the earlier anthology project, the Uncertain Kingdom Development Fund will not fund production and the projects are not intended to be released together.

Compensation

Visual effects and animation studio Dneg, whose credits include “Dune” and “No Time to Die,” will pay enhanced overtime to its U.K. employees.

From October, Dneg will pay overtime at 1.5x rate to all U.K. staff in non-management positions for all incremental time that they are asked to work beyond the standard 40-hour week. The move will bring Dneg’s U.K. overtime policy in line with its studios in North America and applies across its film and episodic visual effects, Dneg Animation and ReDefine operations, including its artist, production, technology and support teams.

The decision is a departure from the existing U.K. industry norm, where employees are compensated for overtime with paid time off after a project is completed.

Dneg has won multiple awards over the years. In 2021 alone, the company won the visual effects BAFTA and Oscar for Christopher Nolan‘s “Tenet.”

Novator Capital Advisers...

Projects are by UK-based filmmakers with non-English language scripts.

Mohamed Ahmed’s Mothers, Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap and Adina Istrate’s Vapours are the first recipients of the Mother Tongues Award, the development initiative backed by UK distributor Curzon, French sales agent Charades and creative agency Intermission Film.

The programme is focused on feature film projects by UK-based scriptwriters in which the dialogue is in a language other than English.

Mothers, a drama set in Sheffield’s Somali community, picked up the top award of £10,000 to develop Ahmed’s script. The Mother Tongues producing team will now work to attach a director to the project.

Intermission Film also signs up to support the award, aimed at UK-based filmmakers with non-English scripts.

The Mother Tongues Award, a new development initiative backed by UK distributor Curzon and French sales agent Charades, has unveiled its inaugural shortlist and secured further support from creative agency Intermission Film.

The award, which is focused on feature film projects by UK-based filmmakers in which the dialogue is in a language other than English, has selected a shortlist of 10 projects from 112 entries that spanned 47 languages and dialects. All will attend a workshop and subsequently a panel interview for the development award of £10,000.

The...

Intermission Films also signs up to support the award, aimed at UK-based filmmakers with non-English scripts.

The Mother Tongues Award, a new development initiative backed by UK distributor Curzon and French sales agent Charades, has unveiled its inaugural shortlist - and secured further support from creative agency Intermission Films.

The award, which is focused on feature film projects by UK-based filmmakers in which the dialogue is in a language other than English, has selected a shortlist of 10 projects from 112 entries that spanned 47 languages and dialects. All will attend a workshop and subsequently a panel interview for the development award of...

Intermission Films also signs up to support the award, aimed at UK-based filmmakers with non-English scripts.

The Mother Tongues Award, a new development initiative backed by UK distributor Curzon and French sales agent Charades, has unveiled its inaugural shortlist - and secured further support from creative agency Intermission Films.

The award, which is focused on feature film projects by UK-based filmmakers in which the dialogue is in a language other than English, has selected a shortlist of 10 projects from 112 entries that spanned 47 languages and dialects. All will attend a workshop and subsequently a panel interview for the development award of...

Mo Scarpelli’s documentary follows a turbulent film shoot.

El Father Plays Himself, Mo Scarpelli’s documentary about a turbulent film shoot that is currently screening at IDFA, has been picked up by Dutch distribution outfit Picl for the Netherlands.

The deal was secured directly with Manon Ardisson’s production company Ardimages UK. Picl is planning a theatrical and digital platform release from December 17.

The film marks the third documentary feature from Italian-American director and cinematographer Scarpelli, whose Frame By Frame began a long festival run at SXSW in 2015 and whose Anbessa premiered at the Berlinale in 2019.

In El Father Plays Himself,...

The initiative is a good pointer to next year’s festival favourites.

International festival directors, sales agents, distributors and producers tuned in online to the Coming Soon pitch event at the auspicious TorinoFilmLab (Tfl) this week.

Of the eight feature projects, six were unfinished, in post-production or never seen before.

Unusually for Coming Soon and due to unprecedented circumstances of this year, a further two had already played at festivals: El Father Plays Himself (Visions du Réel) and The Salt In Our Water (Busan and London).

Previous Coming Soon selections of recent years have included Massoud Bakhshi’s Yalda...

The initiative is a good pointer to next year’s festival favourites.

International festival directors, sales agents, distributors and producers tuned in online to the Coming Soon pitch event at the auspicious Torino Film Lab this week.

Of the eight feature projects, six were unfinished, in post-production or never seen before. Unusually for Coming Soon and due to unprecedented circumstances of this year, a further two had already played at festivals: El Father Plays Himself ( Visions du Réel) and The Salt in Our Water ( Busan and London).

Previous Coming Soon selections of recent years have included Massoud Bakhshi’s...

Award is aimed at UK-based filmmakers with non-English scripts.

UK producers Jack Tarling, Manon Ardisson and Chiara Ventura, French sales outfit Charades and UK distributor Curzon have launched a development initative aimed at UK-based filmmakers with non-English-language scripts in a bid to increase the representation of diverse communities on screen.

The Mother Tongues Award has been established by Shudder Films’ Tarling and Ardimages UK’s Ardisson, both of whom produced Francis Lee’s award-winning debut God’s Own Country, with Ardimages UK ’s Chiara Ventura. Charades and Curzon have first-look rights to sell the projects internationally and release in the UK respectively.

20 producers/producer teams will receive £2m across two years.

The BFI has selected twenty producers and producer teams to receive £2m of funding across the next two years in the first edition of the revamped Vision Awards.

The selection comes as part of a £2.5m total investment in UK producers, with 12 emerging producers also selected for the new BFI Network Insight professional development programme.

Among those chosen are Manon Ardisson and Chiara Ventura of Ardimages UK. Ardisson won the Bifa for best British independent film in 2017 for God’s Own Country, one of four prizes for the film at the ceremony.

The BFI has announced the 20 producers and production companies that are set to share up to £2 million ($2.5 million) in funding through its Vision Awards.

The fourth edition of the coveted BFI Vision Awards, which cover a two-year period, provides a maximum of £50,000 per year to each of the 20 producers or producing teams.

Recipients this year include “God’s Own Country” producer Manon Ardisson; “Chubby Funny” producer Helen Simmons; Oliver Kassman, producer of Toronto International Film Festival contender “Saint Maud;” and Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, producer of crime drama “Blue Story.”

Other recipients include Kate Byers and Linn Waite, founder of Bristol-based Early Day Films, who won the 2020 BAFTA for best debut feature “Bait”; Little by Little Films’ Lindsey Dryden whose credits include Sundance Special Jury Award-winning and Oscar shortlisted feature documentary “Unrest”; and Pietro Greppi of Lunapark Pictures who produced Andrew Steggall’s BFI-backed debut “Departure.”

See below for full list of recipients.

The BFI has revealed this year’s Vision Awards, its funding awards for UK production companies. Scroll down for the list of recipients.

Those selected this year include the producers of BAFTA winner Bait, Sundance title God’s Own Country, Tiff feature Saint Maud and upcoming Kate Winslet starrer Ammonite.

More from DeadlineBritish Film Institute Outlines $5.7M Covid-19 Support MeasuresUK's Covid-19 Film & TV Emergency Relief Fund Swells To $3M, Now Open For Cash-Strapped WorkersBBC Joins Netflix In Making $600,000 Donation To Coronavirus Emergency Relief Fund

The BFI will invest up to £2M in the producers over two years. The organization has also revealed the 12 newcomers (yet to make their first feature) selected for its new professional development program BFI Network Insight.

The BFI said today that recipients of the two programs are 35% from outside London and the South East, more than 70% are female or part of a female producing duos, and more than 35% identify as underrepresented ethnicities.

As one of the early event cancellations in the deluge of unprecedented closures caused by the coronavirus, it’s easy to forget that SXSW would still be running right now. The Austin-based film, TV, and music festival was scheduled to be hosting screenings through March 22, and its Episodic Pilot lineup — a showcase of TV and web pilots aimed to help filmmakers find production opportunities, completion funds, or a release platform — would’ve aired all its entries before St. Patrick’s Day.

Using the SXSW Press platform provided for would-be attendees, IndieWire watched this year’s batch and picked out the most notable entries below. Among the 14 submissions split into two screening groups, there are the typical handful of “pilots” that aren’t really pilots — they’re proofs of concept or short films. But unlike the film side, many indie TV shows that screen at festivals aren’t looking to be...

Manon Ardisson to produce feature adaptation through her company Ardimages UK.

Ardimages UK, the production outfit run by God’s Own Country producer Manon Ardisson, has optioned stage play Emilia, which played at Shakespeare’s Globe in summer 2018.

Written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and directed on stage by Nicole Charles, Emilia is set in 1611 and is the story of Emilia Bassano, the first British mixed race female who became a professional poet, and, allegedly, the ‘Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare’s sonnets.

The play was well reviewed on its initial run in 2018 and is now transferring to London’s West End in March,...

Recently, after seeing “Love, Simon,” filmmaker Xavier Dolan wrote on his Instagram page, “Let’s not discuss the movie itself, but rather focus on its existence, and the fact a major studio has released a film on a teen coming out. A door has opened, which has opened before, but this time, I can see the light pouring in.” He praised the film for being a huge step towards building narratives around Lgbtq protagonists instead of relinquishing them to comical supporting roles. When “Call Me by Your Name” was shown to festivalgoers at Sundance, the film immediately picked up momentum, building on its initial buzz to receive several Academy Award nominations, including best picture. It was a coming-of-age love story, which happened to have two male leads.

At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Wanuri Kahiu’s lesbian love story, “Rafiki” (pictured) premiered in Un Certain Regard to strong reviews.

Den Of Geek Feb 19, 2018

Last night saw the BAFTA Film Awards dished out in London. And here's what won...

Presided over by Joanna Lumley, last night saw the handing out of this year's BAFTA film awards at a posh ceremony in London. It was a good night too for the team of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and we were thrilled to see Gullermo del Toro land a prize for his directing of the brilliant The Shape Of Water too. Here's the full list of nominees and winners, the winners in bold text. Fellowship Sir Ridley Scott Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema National Film And Television School (Nfts) Best Film Call Me By Your Name Emilie Georges, Luca Guadagnino, Marco Morabito, Peter Spears

Darkest Hour Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski

Dunkirk Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas

The Shape Of Water Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,...

As ever, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominations for the Ee British Academy Film Awards favor homegrown fare. Thus many nomination slots that might have included such Hollywood films as “The Post” or “Wonder Woman” went to the likes of “Dunkirk,””Darkest Hour,” and “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool.”

Leading the BAFTA nominations field was Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” with 12 nominations. But the Mexican filmmaker wound up taking home Best Director and the film won Production Design and Score. With wins at the Critics Choice, Golden Globe, Directors Guild and BAFTA, the directing Oscar is Del Toro’s to lose.

“Darkest Hour” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” followed with nine nominations each; “Darkest Hour” settled for wins for Best Actor Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill and Best Hair and Makeup, while “Three Billboards” dominated the night with five wins: Best Picture,...

As ever, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominations for the Ee British Academy Film Awards favor homegrown fare. Thus many nomination slots that might have included such Hollywood films as “The Post” or “Wonder Woman” went to the likes of “Dunkirk,””Darkest Hour,” and “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool.”

Leading the BAFTA nominations field was Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” with 12 nominations. But the Mexican filmmaker wound up taking home Best Director and the film won Production Design and Score. With wins at the Critics Choice, Golden Globe, Directors Guild and BAFTA, the directing Oscar is Del Toro’s to lose.

“Darkest Hour” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” followed with nine nominations each; “Darkest Hour” settled for wins for Best Actor Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill and Best Hair and Makeup, while “Three Billboards” dominated the night with five wins: Best Picture,...

Author: Jon Lyus

This evening the UK Film community celebrated its finest with the 2018 BAFTAs, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ annual backslap, with a lavish awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London. We have a full list of winners and our very own red carpet interviews, and further coverage for you below.

Those attending the BAFTA awards ceremony included Hrh Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Gary Oldman, Florence Pugh, Jennifer Lawrence, Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Willem Dafoe, Timothee Chalamet, Sally Hawkins, Natalie Dormer, Greta Gerwig, Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma Roberts, Angelina Jolie, Patrick Stewart and more.

The 2018 BAFTA Awards Red Carpet Interviews

Our red carpeteers Scott Davis and Dave Sztypuljak were at the Rah, and their interviews will be appearing on the site shortly.

The 2018 BAFTA Winners Room Interviews

The 2018 BAFTA Awards Winners

Here are the...

Author: Jon Lyus

It’s BAFTA weekend, and yesterday evening the UK Film community began marking their biggest celebrations of the year with the BAFTA Nominees Party which took place at Kensington Palace.

There were many luminaries from the world of film gathered there, with the likes Florence Pugh, Annette Bening, God’s Own Country duo Josh O’Connor and Francis Lee, Kingsman’s Taron Egerton and Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya taking time to enjoy the pre-ceremony festivities in the luxurious surrounds. Other attendees including Jawbone’s Johnny Harris, X-Men’s Nicholas Hoult, Gemma Arterton, The Shape of Water composer Alexandre Desplat and former Vice-President Al Gore.

We present interviews with some of the above, captured on the red carpet and you can see a full list of nominations for tonight’s event below.

We’ll be on the red carpet this evening, so be sure to check back...

In the wee hours of the morning, the British Academy announced their BAFTA nominations, putting into place yet another major Oscar precursor. This voting block, known as the British vote, does hold some sway with the Academy. At the Academy Awards, they represent a solid portion of membership, so while SAG will always be the largest delegation, this one isn’t too far behind. That makes it a precursor worth taking note of. Obviously, as you’ll see below, there are some release date oddities that push some films from last year into this year, and of course exclude some of this year’s contenders until next year. That’s just how it goes with BAFTA… Leading the way was The Shape of Water with a dozen nominations, far ahead of any other film. Those 12 citations set the pace, while next in line were Darkest Hour and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,...

Author: Jon Lyus

The 2018 awards season has well and truly begun. Over the weekend the Hollywood Foreign Press Association threw out their Golden Globes in a politically charged ceremony which was as much of a comment on the biggest stories from the industry last year as any gold statue handed out. Today the awards spotlight swings over to the UK as BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, announced the nominations for their 2018 Film Awards ceremony.

As in previous years the British Academy will endeavour to be seen as more than just another stepping stone to the Oscars. While there are a number of British-specific awards handed out on the night, the expectation is that homegrown productions will be high on the list of nominees. The 2018 BAFTA Film Awards will be handed out in a ceremony in London on the 18th of February of this year.

It was...

Natalie Dormer and Letitia Wright presented this year’s nominees.

The nominations for the 2018 British Academy Film Awards were revealed today (Jan 9) at London’s Princess Anne Theatre.

The Shape Of Water leads the way with 12 nominations. Darkest Hour and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri follow on nine.

The Bafta ceremony will take place on Feb 18 at London’s Royal Albert Hall and will be broadcast on BBC One. Joanna Lumley will host the event, replacing regular host Stephen Fry.

2018 nominations

Best Film

Call Me By Your Name Emilie Georges, Luca Guadagnino, Marco Morabito, Peter Spears Darkest Hour Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski Dunkirk Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas The Shape Of Water Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh

Outstanding British Film

Darkest Hour Joe Wright, Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski The Death Of Stalin Armando Iannucci, Kevin Loader, [link...

Ian Hart, Manon Ardisson, Josh O' Connor, Francis Lee, Alec Secareanu and Gemma Jones on the red carpet for God's Own Country Photo: Courtesy of Eiff The 71st edition (and 70th anniversary) of Edinburgh Film Festival got under way last night, with the UK premiere of God's Own Country.

The film, which charts the gay romance between a Yorkshire sheep farmer and a migrant farmhand, has featured at a string of festivals since it had it's world premiere in Sundance.

It is the feature debut of actor-turned-director Francis Lee, who was in attendance along with cast members Josh O'Connor, Alec Secareanu, Ian Hart and Gemma Jones.

Richard E Grant Photo: Courtesy of Eiff Mark Adams, Eiff artistic director, said: "In the Festival's 70th Anniversary Year, we're proud to be showcasing some of the most exciting, accomplished material from around the world and are looking forward to hosting these talented filmmakers and artists."

Among the other stars in attendance at the opening night were actors Richard E Grant, Bernard Hill and Ewan Bremner, along with a wealth of other Scottish talent including Swallows And Amazons...

Protagonist Pictures handles worldwide sales.

Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have acquired all Us rights to Francis Lee’s God’s Own Country starring Josh O’Connor and Alec Secareanu.

Protagonist Pictures licensed rights and handles worldwide sales on the film that premiered in Sundance where it won the World Cinema Competition special jury award for directing, and screened in Panorama in Berlin.

The distributors plan an early autumn theatrical release on the story about a relationship that forms between a lonely English sheep farmer and a Romanian migrant worker.

Manon Ardisson and Jack Tarling produced the Shudder Films and Inflammable Films production of a BFI and Creative England presentation in association with Met Film.

Peter Goldwyn of Samuel Goldwyn Films brokered the deal with Protagonist Pictures head of worldwide sales Vanessa Saal.

“La Soledad” captures the current social and economic situation in Venezuela. The film follows the story of Jose, a young father who has lived with his family in an abandoned mansion. He discovers that the house will soon be demolished and the land will be sold. Check out the exclusive trailer below.

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In a desperate attempt to save his family from becoming homeless, Jose begins to search for a treasure that is rumored to be buried in the house. In his search, Jose realizes that the mansion might be hunted with spirits.

“La Soledad” is the debut feature film for The Venezuelan filmmaker Jorge Thielen Armand, who accomplished a fictive narrative with documentary components. It was screened at the 2016 Venice Film Festival and will have its North American premiere at the Miami Film Festival,...

Exclusive: Yorkshire-set drama will have its European premiere at the Berlinale.

Picturehouse Entertainment has acquired Sundance buzz title God’s Own Country for the UK.

Premiering in Sundance’s World Dramatic Competition last month, where it scooped the best directing jury prize for debutant Francis Lee, the Yorkshire-set drama is set to have its European premiere in Berlin’s Panorama section on Feb 14.

As reported by Screen, UK-based sales outfit Protagonist Pictures picked up the film in December 2016 and is representing world rights.

God’s Own Country stars former Screen Star of Tomorrow Josh O’Connor as a solitary young sheep farmer who numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex. The arrival of a Romanian migrant worker (played by newcomer Alec Secareanu) ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path.

Co-starring are Ian Hart (Urban Hymn) and Gemma Jones (Sense And Sensibility). The film is produced by Manon Ardisson and Jack Tarling...