News

Filmmaker Gus Van Sant, best known for Oscar winners “Good Will Hunting” and “Milk,” has come on board to back psychosexual thriller “Antinous,” a modern-day drama inspired by the life and death of Antinous, the gay lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Visual artist Stuart Sandford wrote and will direct the film, which will be his feature film debut.

“Antinous” tells the story of a present-day young actor, who becomes convinced he is the reincarnation of Antinous, sparking a psychosexual drama that bridges the grandeur of ancient Rome with Hollywood’s obsession with youth, beauty and immortality.

Van Sant said: “I’m excited to see Stuart Sandford, an amazing photographer and sculptor, create a beautiful film inspired by the historical relationship between Hadrian and Antinous.”

“Antinous has been on my mind for more than a decade, and his story is one that few people know about,” Sandford said. “As an artist,...

Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to horror thriller “I’ll Play Mother,” with the Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company set to release the film in September.

The film, which was acquired from Concourse Media, stars Susanne Wuest (“Goodnight Mummy”), Jo Martin and Shubham Saraf (“A Suitable Boy”). Brad Watson (“The Siege”) directs from a screenplay by Libby Adam, based on an original story by Charles Edwards.

A twisted psychological horror about the relentless and unending paranoia of parenthood, “I’ll Play Mother” follows two children who are placed into the care system after the death of their birth mother. At this point, they realize there is something sinister at play.

The film was produced by Ben Charles Edwards and Kirsty Bell for Dreamtown, commissioned by Goldfinch.

“I’ll Play Mother” marks the first film from Dreamtown’s film slate, an auteur-driven genre production label focused on horror, thriller, and sci-fi projects.

Concourse Media, the sales and distribution banner led by Matthew Shreder, is teaming with Goldfinch on its already-established genre label The Number 44.

Concourse will come aboard as sales partner for a five-picture slate, which is fully financed with production already completed on two films and three more slated for this year. Concourse is also helping develop and produce.

The auteur-driven genre production label is focused on horror, thriller and sci-fi projects and was co-founded by award-winning producer and director Ben Charles Edwards (“The Wheels of Heaven”) alongside Phil McKenzie (“Quant”) and Kirsty Bell (“A Bird Flew In”).

The first film to be launched for sales in the series, “I’ll Play Mother,” recently finished post-production and stars Susanne Wuest (“Goodnight Mummy”), Jo Martin and Shubham Saraf (“A Suitable Boy”). Brad Watson (“The Siege”) directs from a screenplay by Libby Adam, based on an original story by Charles Edwards.

A...

Asia Argento (“The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things”), Frances Barber (“A Bird Flew In”), Tamer Hassan (“The Football Factory”), Laura Whitmore (“Sadhbh”) and child actor Erin Ainsworth have joined the cast of “A Mother for an Hour.”

The film, which is being directed by Giga Agladze, follows the story of a woman who poses as the lost mother of a dying child and discovers through this act a world of deceit and violence.

Agladze’s most recent movie is surrealistic drama “The Other Me” (2022), starring Jim Sturgess and Andrea Pejic, executive produced by David Lynch.

“A Mother for an Hour” is being produced by Kirsty Bell, Goldfinch CEO and co-founder of The Number 44, and Ben Charles Edwards, also a co-founder of The Number 44. The executive producers are Phil McKenzie and David Kereselidze. It is shooting in the North of England, predominantly in Newcastle, Hartlepool and surrounding areas.

Production...

The Number 44, the production company co-founded by director-producer Ben Charles Edwards (“Quant”) and Goldfinch, has revealed its slate of productions due to be completed by the end of 2023.

The company is an associate producer on Black Sea Film, Nova Film and Goldfinch’s on “The Wheels of Heaven,” starring Mickey Rourke and directed by Edwards.

The new slate of projects includes:

“All Cats are Black at Night,” written by Nat Saunders and James Serafinowicz (Netflix’s “Sick Note”), is a psychological thriller about Candi, an influencer whose perfect life on social media is far from the truth. When a rival influencer is murdered and dismembered, Candi is thrown into a dangerous world of secrets and lies.

“I’ll Play Mother,” directed by Brad Watson (“Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookshop”) is a psychological horror about the paranoia of parenthood. Asif and Michelle have spent two years trying to adopt and finally meet their children,...

Production is wrapping up on The Wheels of Heaven, a dramatic thriller starring Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), produced by Dessy Tenekedjieva’s Bulgarian-based Black Sea Film and co-produced by UK’s Goldfinch, an independent production house and financier.

Ben Charles Edwards

The film, directed by Ben Charles Edwards (Quant) from a screenplay by Mike Shilliam, also stars Gary Stretch (Dead Man’s Shoes), Dessy Tenekedjieva (The Profession of Arms), Geoff Bell (RocknRolla) as well as Eleonora Ivanova and Dimitar Nikolov, featuring Lee Ryan (The Heavy), Nicky Whelan (Hall Pass) and Sadie Frost (Quant). Shilliam wrote the screenplay from a story by Edwards and Tenekedjieva. Dennis Madden (Home Alone TV series) serves as Dp.

Principal photography took place in Bulgaria this past summer, followed by additional filming in Los Angeles and London. Post-production is currently underway in the UK.

In The Wheels of Heaven, a troubled young girl, Iva (Ivanova...