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Jessica Alexander, who starred in the recent psychological horror movie A Banquet (pictured above) and the dystopian thriller Glasshouse, is now playing the lead role in Fallen, a supernatural series being made for the Brazilian streaming service Globoplay. Fallen is now filming, and given the fact that most of the cast are not Brazilian I have a feeling the show is going to be available on other services than Globoplay at some point.

Alexander’s co-stars include Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso), Gijs Blom (The Letter for the King), Timothy Innes (The Last Kingdom), Josefine Koenig (My Name Is Josy), Lawrence Walker (The ReZort), Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness (Days of the Bagnold Summer), Laura Majid (Five), Courtney Chen (FBI: International), and newcomers Esme Kingdom, Maura Bird, Samantha Bell, and Julian Krenn.

Inspired by Lauren Kate’s bestselling Fallen series of novels, the first season of the...

To mark the release of Days of the Bagnold Summer, out now, we’ve been given 2 sign Blu-ray copies to give away.

Sue (Monica Dolan) works in a library. Daniel (Earl Cave) eats crisps and listens to Metallica. This was the summer Daniel was due to spend with his dad and his dad’s new wife in Florida. But when they cancel his trip at the last minute, Sue and Daniel suddenly face the prospect of six long weeks together. An epic war of wills ensues in the unassuming battleground of their suburban home as they each reckon with private tragedies – and pursue their personal passions.

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Open to UK residents only The competition will close 16th May 2022 at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random from entries received No cash alternative is available...

The Days of the Bagnold Summer director and Inbetweener answers your questions on Ethiopian piano-playing nuns, his ideal brand of custard and starring as a young David Baddiel

Hey Simon, I saw Days of the Bagnold Summer when it premiered at the Glasgow film festival. I loved it! I’m curious if Wes Anderson was an inspiration? A lot of the film brought him to mind, from the colours to the staging. Theocapa

Well, I’m a huge fan of Rushmore, so I guess he probably was an inspiration on some level. But the directors I spent the most time watching, analysing – and plagiarising – were the film-makers from the 60s and 70s – the generation before Wes Anderson – people such as Hal Ashby, Peter Bogdanovich and Elaine May, who specialised in bleak, sad comedy – right up my street.

No, there won’t be any more Inbetweeners. But what else would you like to ask the Friday Night Dinner actor and Days of the Bagnold Summer director?

There’s a lot more to Simon “Will from The Inbetweeners” Bird than meets the eye. As he’s said himself, he’ll probably never quite get away from his role at the posh one with the briefcase in three Channel 4 series and two films of Iain Morris and Damon Beesley’s teenage-angst-ridden sitcom. Although he had a damn good try as slightly less annoying son, Adam, in six series of Channel 4’s gone, but not forgotten, Friday Night Dinner.

Bird made his West End debut in 2017’s The Philanthropist with Charlotte “Ghosts” Ritchie, Lily Cole, Tom Rosenthal and Matt “Toast of London” Berry. In a three-star review, the Guardian’s Michael Billington described Bird’s performance as: “Funny rather than sad.

Netflix has acquired the global rights to Toby Meakins’ horror thriller “Curs>r,” starring Asa Butterfield (“Sex Education”), Iola Evans (“Carnival Row”) and Eddie Marsan.

The deal was negotiated by producer and financier Anton and Stigma Films.

The film, a dark twist on the ‘80s gaming obsession, wrapped principal photography in the U.K. in April, and is currently in post-production.

In the pic, a broke college dropout (Evans) decides to play an obscure, 1980s survival computer game in pursuit of an unclaimed $125,000 prize. But the game curses her, and she’s faced with dangerous choices and reality-warping challenges. After a series of unexpectedly terrifying moments, she realizes she’s no longer playing for the money, but for her life. The game locks her into an inescapable cycle of mind-bending horror. Stopping is not an option. It’s play or die.

Produced by Anton’s Sebastien Raybaud and John Zois, alongside Stigma Films’ Matthew James Wilkinson,...

Now in its fourth edition, the showcase is funded and run by the BFI and the British Council, in partnership with BBC Film and Film4.

New films from Harry Wootliff, the directors of Notes On Blindness and Yardie star Aml Ameen are among the titles selected for this year’s Great 8, the annual Cannes buyers’ showcase of UK films from emerging directors.

The selected filmmakers will present unseen footage from their films to international buyers and festival programmers online on June 17. All eight films are in post-production and will be available to buyers at the pre-Cannes screenings virtual market (June...

Producer and financier Anton, whose credits include “Greenland,” “His Dark Materials” and “The Night House,” has announced that its latest production, the feature film “Curs>R,” has wrapped principal photography in the U.K. A dark twist on the ‘80s gaming obsession, the horror thriller stars Asa Butterfield, Iola Evans and Eddie Marsan.

Anton will oversee world sales and introduce the project to buyers at the upcoming Cannes virtual market later this month, in association with Endeavor Content, which is co-representing the U.S.

The film also features horror maestro Robert Englund, who played Freddy Krueger in “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Rounding out the cast is Angela Griffin, Kate Fleetwood, Ryan Gage,” and Joe Bolland (“The Trial of Christine Keeler”).

In pursuit of an unclaimed $125,000 prize, a broke college dropout (Evans) decides to play an obscure, 1980s survival computer game. But the game curses her, and she’s faced...

Anton to launch sales at upcoming Cannes market.

Sex Education’s Asa Butterfield is to star alongside newcomer Iola Evans in horror thriller Curs>r, which Anton will launch at the Cannes virtual market later this month.

Shooting recently wrapped in London on the film, which marks the feature directorial debut of UK filmmaker Toby Meakins. The cast also includes Eddie Marsan and Robert England, best known for playing iconic horror villain Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise.

UK-based production and finance company Anton is overseeing world sales and is introducing the project to buyers at the...

Photo: ‘Days of The Bagnold Summer’/ Music by Belle and Sebastian Millennials, here’s your daily reminder that we’re getting old: Belle and Sebastian, the Scottish Indie band famous for soundtracking the ennui of ‘The O.C.’, ‘Juno’, and ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’, is twenty-seven years old. While the band has shed some members from the early days, frontman Stuart Murdoch is still doing his thing--the band’s most recent project is providing the score for the film ‘Days of The Bagnold Summer’, directed by Simon Bird and adapted from a 2012 graphic novel by Joff Winterhart. Related article: The Complete List of 2021 Oscar Nominations – Celebrations, Surprises & Snubs | The Show Must Go On Related article: A Tribute to Barry Jenkins: Hollywood’s Most Revolutionary Filmmaker & Oscar Winner Over the years, Murdoch has intermittently leaped into more active roles in the world of Cinema. In 2001, Belle and Sebastian provided an entire album...

The treasures of an extended Oscar season just keep on giving, as Venice Film Festival winner and award season favorite “Nomadland” finds its way to theaters — and Hulu subscribers. It’s a special film, about a woman (played by two-time Oscar winner Frances McDormand) who pulls up stakes and travels the country by van, hitting theaters at a time when many people have been reexamining their own lives. So if there’s a safe way to see it, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option out there.

The week’s a bit thinner on conventional crowd pleasers. Channeling “The Wolf of Wall Street”-style energy on an indie scale, both “Silk Road” and “Body Brokers” offer cutting-edge takes on 21st-century crimes: a black market for illegal drugs in the former and a scheme to profit on recovering addicts in the latter. Also in the Scorsese vein, the Montreal-made...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Crestone (Marnie Ellen Hertzler)

Exploring the bohemian lives of SoundCloud rappers who find their own oasis (or perhaps are living in a mirage of one) in the middle of the Colorado desert, Crestone is a brief, but complicated look at such a way of life. With a breezy Animal Collective score guiding the rather beautiful imagery, director Marnie Ellen Hertzler is also keen on showing the failures that come with such a life off the grid. Cuisines featuring terrible-looking bologna sandwiches and ketchup-infused ramen along with donation pleas for an $80K GoFundMe with $0 pledged show this escape from society may not be the luxurious, meditative experience as promoted on...

Monday, Dec. 14 Greenwich Acquires North American Rights to ‘Days of the Bagnold Summer’

Greenwich Entertainment has bought North American distribution rights to “Days of the Bagnold Summer,” the directorial debut of Simon Bird (star of “The Inbetweeners”), for a Feb. 19 release in theaters and on demand.

Bird’s comedy, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, contains a soundtrack by Belle & Sebastian and is based on the graphic novel by Joff Winterhart with a screenplay written by Lisa Owens. Starring Earl Cave, Monica Dolan and Rob Brydon, the film explores the wobbly relationship between a well-intentioned single librarian and her black-clad teenage son, who’d rather listen to Metallica than his mother.

“Days of the Bagnold Summer” was produced by Matthew James Wilkinson and co-produced by Isabelle Georgeaux with executive producers James Appleton, James Atherton, Reinhard Besser, Will Clarke, Walter Mair, Andy Mayson, Jan Pace, Mike Runagall and Pat Wintersgill.

Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has picked up North American distribution rights to comedy feature Days of The Bagnold Summer, the directorial debut of The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird.

Bird’s film, starring Earl Cave (True History Of The Kelly Gang), Monica Dolan (Pride) and Rob Brydon (The Trip), premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and will open stateside in theaters, virtual cinemas, and on demand from February 19, 2021.

The movie charts the wobbly relationship between well-intentioned single librarian Sue Bagnold and her black-clad teenage son Daniel, who’d rather listen to Metallica than his mother. Daniel was meant to spend the summer in Florida visiting his dad, but is now stuck with mom following the trip’s cancellation.

With a soundtrack by indie band Belle & Sebastian, the film is based on the graphic novel by Joff Winterhart with a screenplay written by Lisa Owens.

The North American deal was negotiated by Greenwich...

Franco-uk event to include the European premiere of ‘Ammonite’.

The 31st Dinard Film Festival, the annual celebration of British cinema held in northern France, has unveiled its full line-up and secured the European premiere of Francis Lee’s Ammonite.

The festival is set to go ahead as a physical event from September 30-October 4 and its previews strand includes romantic drama Ammonite, which received a Cannes label and has its world premiere at TIFF today.

The six films in competition comprise Nick Rowland’s Calm With Horses; Thomas Clay’s Fanny Lye Deliver’d; Claire Oakley’s Make Up; Bassam Tariq’s...

Festival adds ‘Quiz’ series with Matthew Macfadyen, Sian Clifford.

Franco-uk event the Dinard Film Festival will open its 31st edition with Days Of The Bagnold Summer, the directorial debut of The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird.

The event will run from September 30 to October 4 and is scheduled to go ahead as a physical event.

The festival will also screen ITV series Quiz starring Matthew Macfadyen and Sian Clifford, telling the true story of Major Charles Ingram and his wife Diana, who were accused of cheating on UK TV show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in 2001.

Produced by Left Bank Pictures,...

Festival adds ‘Quiz’ series with Matthew Macfadyen, Sian Clifford.

Franco-British event Dinard Film Festival will open its 31st edition with Days Of The Bagnold Summer, the directorial debut of The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird.

The event will run from September 30 to October 4 and is currently scheduled to go ahead as a physical event.

The festival will also screen ITV series Quiz starring Matthew Macfadyen and Sian Clifford, telling the true story of Major Charles Ingram and his wife Diana, who were accused of cheating on UK TV show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in 2001.

Produced by Left Bank Pictures,...

Simon Bird’s debut feature captures the comedy and tragedy in the lives of a single mother and her stroppy teenage son

Lockdown has done strange things to families. Some have been stretched to breaking point by lengthy periods of communal incarceration; others have been brought together, reforging bonds that may have been broken. In Days of the Bagnold Summer, a bittersweet coming-of-age tale (for both of its central characters), mother and son Sue and Daniel aren’t actually in lockdown but they might as well be. Forced to spend several weeks getting under each other’s feet, theirs is a tale of isolation and social distancing that has nothing to do with Covid-19 but still strikes a timely chord.

Monica Dolan is terrific as Sue Bagnold, the put-upon yet quietly indomitable fiftysomething librarian whose feckless former husband is now swanning around the States with his pregnant new partner. Lank-haired...

The star of the film Days of the Bagnold Summer talks about how the death of her brother came while she was preparing to play a bereaved woman

Two years ago, in a neat suburban house on a cul-de-sac in Bromley, where all furniture was floral, and every wall painted magnolia, I watched Monica Dolan poke her head out of a loft hatch. She was filming Days of the Bagnold Summer, the adaptation of the much loved graphic novel by Joff Winterhart. Her character, Sue Bagnold, was having an argument with her sulky teenage son, Daniel (Earl Cave). “Was that a bit much?” she asked her director, Simon Bird, at one point. “Try it softer,” he said, later adding, “Gosh. That’s lovely stuff.” Later, in the back garden, Dolan sat and explained what had been going through her mind. “I thought, ‘What if I fall through?’” At 51, the actor had a new challenge.

Quibi has debuted a new trailer for the mockumentary comedy revival of ‘Reno 911′ featuring guest stars Patton Oswalt, Tim Allen, and Ron Pearlman.

The original series ran between 2003-2009 and followed incompetent officers who swing into action, answering 911 calls about everything from speeding violations and prostitution to staking out a drug den. Within each episode, viewers caught a “fly on the wall” glimpse of the cops’ often politically incorrect opinions, ranging from their personal feelings to professional critiques of their colleagues.

The new series will follow the same format with each episode being up to only ten minutes long. Three episodes will premiere on May 4th with three episodes followed by all-new episodes launching weekdays in the app.

The original cast members are back with a few new faces including Dave Holmes, Patton Oswalt, Tim Allen, and Ron Pearlman.

Three episodes will premiere on May 4th with three episodes followed...

Altitude Films has debuted a new trailer for Simon Bird’s directorial debut ‘Days of the Bagnold Summer’ featuring Rob Brydon and Alice Lowe.

The film is an adaptation of Joff Winterhart’s graphic novel of the same name and follows a heavy-metal-loving teenager as his holiday plans fall through at the last minute, meaning he must spend the whole summer with the person who annoys him most in the world: his mum.

Related: Days of the Bagnold Summer – Lff 2019 Review

‘The Inbetweeners’ Simon Bird makes his directorial debut. BAFTA-winning actress Monica Dolan (Eye in the Sky, W1A), Earl Cave (True History of the Kelly Gang, The End of the F***ing World), Rob Brydon (The Trip, A Cock and Bull Story), Alice Lowe (Prevenge, Sightseers), Tamsin Greig (The Second Best Marigold Hotel, Green Wing), Tim Key (Greed, This Time with Alan Partridge) and Elliot Speller-Gillot (Uncle) all star in the film.

One of our Locarno Film Festival favorites, Days of the Bagnold Summer marks the feature directorial debut of Simon Bird, best known for his work in The Inbetweeners. Described by our own Leonardo Goi as a gentle, heartfelt portrait of a preternaturally shy middle-aged mother, and her moody, laconic metalhead son, it’s a chronicle of the summer they’re forced to spend together once the boy’s much-awaited trip to the States falls through. Led by Monica Dolan and Earl Cave, Nick’s son, and graced with original tracks by Scottish band Belle and Sebastian, the first trailer has now arrived ahead of a U.K. digital release this June.

“I knew when I read [Joff Winterhart’s book] that it felt very interesting and unique, and I was very aware that we wanted to retain that,” Bird said to us. “And again, it would have been really easy...

"It's not my fault you are the most boring person in the world!" Altitude Films has debuted the UK trailer for an indie coming-of-age comedy titled Days of the Bagnold Summer, from actor / director Simon Bird. This premiered at the Locarno Film Festival last year, and also played at the London, Mill Valley, Bath, and Göteborg Film Festivals as well. A teenager named Daniel who was supposed to spend time his father in Florida ends up stuck spending his summer listening to heavy metal music and trying to get along with his "boring" librarian mom. Adapted from the award-winning graphic novel by Joff Winterhart, Days of the Bagnold Summer is described as "a tender, funny coming-of-age story featuring original songs by the indie band Belle & Sebastian." Starring Earl Cave, Monica Dolan, Rob Brydon, Tamsin Greig, Alice Lowe, and Tim Key. This looks earnest and humorous and delightful. This seems pretty dang good,...

The other week, Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian put out a call on Twitter for a collaborative project: “Ok, I’ve got an idea.… How about we make a tune together using remote technology? Send me a few sentences or a paragraph, I’ll try to funnel those words into a song, then I’ll record an acoustic version of it and bounce it back to you.”

Still in bed, I sent him a brief paragraph about how I’m handling self-isolation (the gist of which is that I...

World sales agency WestEnd Films has boarded “The Score,” a heist musical starring Johnny Flynn, Will Poulter (“The Revenant”), Naomi Ackie (“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”) and Antonia Thomas (Netflix’s “Lovesick”), from one of the producers of Beatles music themed hit “Yesterday,” which grossed $154 million worldwide.

“The Score” combines a heist thriller suspense with offbeat romance. Two small-time crooks, Mike (Flynn) and Troy (Poulter), are on a mission – the “score” – that they both expect will transform their circumstances. At a roadside café, as they wait for the handover, Troy falls in love with the waitress, Gloria (Ackie), and begins to question his life choices. But it may be too late to change because, unbeknownst to him, Mike has brought him here to kill him.

“The Score” is written and directed by Malachi Smyth (“Gateway 6”), and produced by Matthew James Wilkinson of Stigma Films, and Ben Pullen of...

Last night Old Billingsgate in London played host to the 22nd annual British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), the yearly celebration of some of the most unique voices in film. It was a pleasure to be on the red carpet and talk to the likes of Asa Butterfield, Sam Adewunmi, Jessie Buckley and Armando Iannucci, and you can find all of our interviews below the list of winners announced on the night.

The phenomenal documentary For Sama won four awards including Best British Independent Film, while Armando Iannucci’s festival favourite The Personal History of David Copperfield took home five. A sadly-absent Renée Zellweger won Best Actress for her portrayal of Judy Garland, while The Last Tree’s Ruthxjiah Bellenea won the Best Supporting Actress award. Currently seen in Netflix’s The Crown as Prince Charles, Josh O’Connor won Best Actor.

There’s a full list of the winners from the...

’The Personal History Of David Copperfield’ finished with five awards, the highest of the night, from 11 nominations.

For Sama and The Personal History Of David Copperfield were the big winners at the 2019 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs).

The ceremony was hosted by actress and comedian Aisling Bea and held at London’s Old Billingsgate tonight (Dec 1).

Syrian civil war documentary For Sama scooped the night’s top prize, best British independent film, as well as best director for Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts, best documentary, and best editing at the previously announced craft awards last month.

The Personal History Of David Copperfield...

The film will shoot in early 2020; Altitude’s Afm slate also includes Ya comedy ‘Beards’.

UK sales outfit Altitude Film Sales has taken worldwide rights to Jet Ski, a high-concept survival thriller in the vein of 47 Meters Down, and will introduce the project to buyers at Afm.

The film is directed by James Nunn, whose credits include co-director on 2012 UK thriller Tower Block and second-unit director on 47 Meters Down, while the script is by Nick Saltrese (A Prayer Before Dawn). The producer is Andrew Prendergast for Vitality Visual Effects UK, whose recent credits include The Courier starring Olga Kurylenko and Gary Oldman.

The nominations for the 2019 British Independent Film Awards have been revealed, and it was a huge morning for Armando Iannucci’s Charles Dickens adaptation “The Personal History of David Copperfield” and Tom Harper’s musical drama “Wild Rose.” “Copperfield” led all movies with 11 nominations, including Best British Indie Film, Best Actor for Dev Patel, and Best Screenplay for Iannucci and co-writer Simon Blackwell. Fox Searchlight has U.S. distribution rights to the movie and has announced a 2020 theatrical release.

“Wild Rose,” which earned a second-best 10 nominations, will also compete for Best British Indie Film against “Bait,” “For Sama,” and “The Souvenir.” “Wild Rose” breakout Jessie Buckley landed a Best Actress nomination opposite Renee Zellweger for “Judy,” which Buckley just so happens to have a supporting role in.

While Zellweger landed in the Best Actress field (which she is widely expected to do all awards season thanks to her acclaimed leading...

Armando Iannucci’s take on the Charles Dickens classic “David Copperfield” is a strong front-runner in the British Independent Film Awards, scoring 11 nominations.

Dev Patel is up for best actor for his starring role in “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” and his co-stars, Tilda Swinton and Hugh Laurie, compete in their respective supporting categories.

“Wild Rose,” featuring Jessie Buckley as a rising singer, is also a major contender, with 10 nominations. Horror thriller “In Fabric” follows with nine, and Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” with eight. Dance music feature “Beats,” biopic “Judy,” and documentaries “For Sama” and “Diego Maradona” landed five nods apiece.

British actors Naomi Ackie and Joe Cole unveiled the 2019 nominations in London on Wednesday.

Renee Zellweger gets a best actress nom for her turn as late-career Judy Garland. She will vie with Buckley, Holliday Grainger, Sally Hawkins and Vicky Knight for the award.

For the best actor prize,...

‘In Fabric’, ‘The Souvenir’ also score highly.

Armando Iannucci’s Charles Dickens adaptation The Personal History Of David Copperfield leads the nominations for the 21st British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), which were revealed today (October 30).

Iannucci’s third feature scored 11 nominations, including one for himself – a best screenplay nod alongside co-writer Simon Blackwell. It also picked up three nominations in the acting categories – best actor for Dev Patel, best supporting actress for Tilda Swinton, and best supporting actor for Hugh Laurie.

Scroll down for full list

Tom Harper’s Scottish singing drama Wild Rose achieved 10 nominations, including a second successive...

Belle and Sebastian reflect on a past relationship in the new video for “This Letter.” The song appears on the band’s recently-released score for Days of The Bagnold Summer, which serves as the soundtrack for the film of the same name.

Frontman Stuart Murdoch-directed the clip, which opens with a meta shot of the band filming the video for “This Letter,” before cutting to the three members of Glasgow group Wet Look working behind-the-scenes on the shoot. The trio are seen resting between takes as the opening acoustic guitar melody plays,...

Composing an original soundtrack is far different than writing an album of original songs. Now that that is out of the way, culling and piecing together tunes is as much of art as it is a science. It also explains why Belle & Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch was willing to go way back into his personal catalog to unearth gems that predated the Scottish band’s existence.

In this case, that means the 1993 deep cut “Safety Valve,” a song that Murdoch re-recorded specifically for the “Days of the Bagnold Summer” soundtrack. It’s a song he stumbled upon while culling through a batch of old material and reading the comic novel that inspired the film.

“It’s ancient! It’s probably the oldest song I’ve ever recorded with Belle & Sebastian,” Murdoch said. “It predates the group by a couple of years, but I was just going through this period of...

The first thing to get out of the way is that “Days of the Bagnold Summer” has nothing whatsoever to do with Enid Bagnold, author of “National Velvet” and “The Chalk Garden.” More’s the pity, as Simon Bird’s debut behind the camera, adapted from Joff Winterhart’s graphic novel, could use some of the depth and wit the earlier writer brought to her characters and their situations. Not that the movie is aiming for the same sophisticated vibe – “Bagnold Summer” is about a teenage metalhead forced to spend the summer with his painfully square mother, and its influences come from small, genial American indies with a touch of minor — very minor — Mike Leigh. But : rather too sugared, and immediately forgotten.

Bird’s interest in a high school misfit can conceivably be linked to his starring role in the British coming-of-age series “The Inbetweeners,” though perhaps that’s...

This is Tuttle’s second year at the helm of BFI London Film Festival.

Tricia Tuttle, director, BFI Festivals, said the creation of a new festival hub for public audiences at BFI Southbank aims to elevate the profile of the London Film Festival (Lff) with the UK capital’s busy audiences.

The new hub will host free talks, screenings and club nights linked to the programme.

BFI London Film Festival unveils 2019 lineup

“London is a tricky city in many ways because there is a lot going on. But one of the things we’re going to be doing is pulling...

If you were anywhere in or around the United Kingdom during the last stretch of the noughties–or anywhere else with easy access to Channel 4’s streaming platform, for that matter–chances are you witnessed the pandemonium stirred up by a cult TV comedy series, The Inbetweeners. From the minds of creators Damon Beesley and Iain Morris came a show that chronicled the banter, mess, joys, and sorrows of four high school students stranded in an unidentified stretch of British suburbia–an endlessly watchable, endlessly quotable sitcom that later birthed two spinoff features and crystallized the show’s acting quartet as household names.

I am sitting in the lounge room of Locarno’s Belvedere Hotel waiting to interview one of them, actor-turned-director Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners’ put-upon Will McKenzie), moments before the Locarno Film Festival will draw the curtains on his Days of the Bagnold Summer. This is not...

Gentle coming-of-age comedy-drama “Days of the Bagnold Summer,” which world premieres at Locarno Festival Wednesday, is the directorial feature debut of British actor Simon Bird, best known as the star of hit comedy series and movie franchise “The Inbetweeners.” Bird spoke to Variety in advance of the screening in Locarno’s Piazza Grande.

The film stars Earl Cave – Nick Cave’s son – as an angry teen, Daniel, spending a frustratingly dull summer in his suburban town with his lonely single mom, Sue, played by Monica Dolan. Rob Brydon, Alice Lowe and Tamsin Greig deliver deliciously witty cameos.

The film was produced by Matthew James Wilkinson, one of the original producers of box-office smash “Yesterday,” who also produced Bird’s directorial debut, the short “Ernestine & Kit,” which premiered at SXSW in 2016.

“Bagnold Summer” is based on the graphic novel by Joff Winterhart, and was adapted for film by Bird’s wife Lisa Owens.

Film premiered at this year’s Edinburgh film festival.

UK distributor Parkland Entertainment has picked up Shelagh McLeod’s space drama Astronaut, which stars Richard Dreyfuss as a widower who enters a competition to win a trip to space.

The film premiered at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. Parkland is lining up a theatrical release in early 2020 across the UK and Ireland.

Producers on the project are Jessica Adams and Sean Buckley. It marks the feature directing debut of UK-based Canadian actress McLeod, who also wrote the screenplay.

Parkland Entertainment was launched last year by former Arrow Films...

Matthew James Wilkinson, one of the original producers of box-office hit “Yesterday,” has his latest movie, “Days of the Bagnold Summer,” premiering at the Locarno Festival on Wednesday. He talks to Variety about those movies, as well as upcoming projects, including a heist musical, a feminist horror pic, and a new film – as yet unannounced – directed by BAFTA winner Paul Andrew Williams.

Wilkinson is riding high on the success of “Yesterday,” which he brought to screenwriter Richard Curtis, who in turn helped persuade Working Title and Universal Pictures to come on board, with Danny Boyle attaching as director to form a dream team.

Reflecting on what has driven the film’s popularity with audiences – it has grossed more than $125 million worldwide – Wilkinson says: “It is partly escapism. We are living through quite difficult and complicated times, so when you present something that is charming and takes you out of the everyday,...

Film premieres at Locarno Film Festival on Wednesday (Aug 14).

English actor Simon Bird shot to fame with his starring role in hit UK TV series The Inbetweeners, which also spawned two hugely successful film adaptations.

Now, he makes his feature directing debut with Days Of The Bagnold Summer, a comedy set in the British suburbs about a teenage metal-head living with his single mother. The project was adapted from Joff Winterhart’s graphic novel.

The film will have its world premiere at Locarno Film Festival on Wednesday (Aug 14) with a screening at the iconic Piazza Grande. Altitude handles sales. Screen...

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's To the Ends of the EarthThe lineup for the 2019 festival has been revealed, including new films by Pedro Costa, Ulrich Köhler, Anocha Suwichakornpong, Yorgos Lanthimos and others, alongside retrospectives and tributes, and much more.Piazza GRANDE7500 (Patrick Vollrath): A pilot's aircraft is hi-jacked at 30,000 feet by terrorists.Adoration (Fabrice Du Welz): the story of Paul, a 14 years old lonely boy. His mother is a maid at the mental hospital. His father abandoned them, a long time ago. A new patient arrived. Her name is Gloria, a young teenage girl of the same age, strange and fascinating. Paul will fall deeply in love with her. So much in love that he will run away with her, far form the adults world, to Gloria’s safe haven, her grandfather’s house in Brittany on the “pink granite coast”. Teenagers on the run, from a world which scares them,...

Before Telluride, before Venice, before Tiff, there is the last great festival of the summer season: the Locarno Film Festival, a singular Swiss event that typically features a strong mix of fest favorites from Sundance and Cannes, along with their own batch of returning favorites.

This year’s lineup is no exception, including films from Quentin Tarantino, Asif Kapadia, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and rising stars Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe that have premiered elsewhere, along with new films from Valérie Donzelli, Fabrice Du Welz, and Boris Lojkine.

The 72nd edition of the festival marks the first for incoming artistic director Lili Hinstein, who has taken over from Carlo Chatrian, who served as artistic director of Locarno since 2013 and now returns to the Berlinale. Hinstin is the 13th artistic director of the Locarno Festival since it was founded in 1946 and is only the event’s second female chief.

This morning’s lineup...

Titles include Patrick Vollrath’s hijack thriller 7500, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dutch actress Halina Reijn’s racy feature debut Instinct.

The Locarno Film Festival’s new artistic director Lili Hinstin unveiled an eclectic inaugural selection on Wednesday (July 17), including world premieres of German director Patrick Vollrath’s hijack thriller 7500, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dutch actress Halina Reijn’s racy feature debut Instinct, co-starring Carice van Houten and Marwan Kenzari.

Scroll down for line-up

They are among 12 films due to play to an audience of 8,000 spectators on Locarno’s world-famous Piazza Grande alongside Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood,...

This year’s Locarno Film Festival (Aug 7 -17) lineup includes Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Joseph Gordon-Levitt plane thriller 7500, which gets its world premiere at the Swiss showcase. Scroll down for major category lineups.

The 72nd edition of the festival marks the first for incoming artistic director Lili Hinstein who has taken over from Carlo Chatrian. As ever, there is a strong contingent of European and Asian arthouse movies and the Piazza Grande section includes a handful of titles with more mainstream appeal, such as Tarantino’s Cannes pic Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, which rolls out globally in August.

Alongside Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, the open air Piazza Grande screenings will include the world premieres of German-produced hijack thriller-drama 7500, Carice Van Houten starrer Instinct, UK comedy actor Simon Bird’s directorial debut Days Of The Bagnold Summer, French director Stéphane Demoustier...

Frontman Stuart Murdoch encourages strength and sunny optimism in Belle and Sebastian’s new single “Sister Buddha.” The track will be featured in the Glasgow band’s score for Days of the Bagnold Summer, out September 13th.

The monochrome video features a woman getting up out of bed, buttoning her overalls and putting on roller skates that glide her along as she hoists a silver serving tray up in the air. “Step across the lonely threshold of your selfish mind,” Murdoch tells her. “And embrace the loving goodness of your human kind.

’Yesterday’ producer Matthew James Wilkinson producing; Malachi Smyth directing.

Beast star Johnny Flynn will lead the cast of The Score, a UK heist musical that will also feature Flynn’s own music.

Connor Swindells (Sex Education) and Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker), both former Screen Stars of Tomorrow from 2017 (as was Flynn back in 2005), have also been cast as has Antonia Thomas (Sunshine On Leith).

The film is a musical take on a doomed love story - two small time crooks drive to a secluded cafe for a big ‘score’. While Troy (Swindells) falls for the waitress...

Ken Loach’s “Sorry We Missed You” and Jessica Hausner’s “Little Joe” have been selected to play in competition at Cannes. But buyers looking for more British-originated fare can head to the firmly established “Great 8” presentation of titles from the country’s up-and-coming filmmakers.

The Great 8 event is backed by the BFI, the British Council, BBC Films and Film4. U.S. buyers from Bleecker Street, Apple and IFC have attended previous editions, as have the likes of France-based The Jokers and Netherlands-based Cherry Pickers, and Transmission Films and Madman from Australasia.

This year the buyers at the sales-boosting event will get a best-of-British look at new films from writers and directors Simon Bird, Cathy Brady, Fyzal Boulifa, Hong Khaou, Rose Glass, Claire Oakley, Eva Riley, and Nick Rowland.

The 2019 lineup includes Rowland’s “Calm With Horses,” starring Cosmo Jarvis (“Lady Macbeth”) and Barry Keoghan (“Dunkirk”), which counts Michael Fassbender among its exec producers.

Belle and Sebastian will embark on a short North American tour this summer.

The eight-date trek kicks off July 11th at the Sprint Pavilion in Charlottesville, Virginia and includes stops in Philadelphia, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The tour wraps July 21st at the Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak Michigan. Ex Hex and Men I Trust will serve as support on select dates.

Tickets for all shows will go on sale to the general public February 15th, while pre-sales are set to begin February 13th. Complete information...

Scottish indie pop group Belle and Sebastian have been tapped to score the forthcoming film, Days of the Bagnold Summer. Directed by actor-comedian Simon Bird, Days of the Bagnold Summer wrapped shooting last week and is slated to be released in the UK next year.

Bird, who stars in the hit comedy franchise The Inbetweeners, makes his directorial debut with the comedic coming-of age film. Belle and Sebastian will pen the original soundtrack for the comedy, which is based on Joff Winterhart’s 2012 graphic novel of the same name. In the film,...

Exclusive: Scottish indie band Belle and Sebastian will score Simon Bird’s (The Inbetweeners) feature directorial debut Days Of The Bagnold Summer, which wrapped shoot last Friday.

Here’s a first look image of protagonists Monica Dolan (Eye In The Sky) and Earl Cave (The True History Of The Kelly Gang) in the coming-of-age comedy about a heavy metal-loving 15 year-old (Cave) whose Florida summer holiday is cancelled last minute meaning he must spend six weeks at home instead with the person who annoys him most in the world: his long-suffering, single mum (Dolan). Novelist Lisa Owens adapted from Joff Winterhart’s cult graphic novel of the same name.

Also starring are Rob Brydon (The Trip), Tamsin Greig (Second Best Marigold Hotel), Alice Lowe (Prevenge) and Elliot Speller-Gillot (Uncle). Altitude will be selling the movie at the Afm and will release in the UK next year.

Bird, star of hit comedy franchise The Inbetweeners,...

Days Of The Bagnold Summer, the feature directorial debut from The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird, has signed several key cast ahead of an autumn shoot.

Monica Dolan (Pride), Rob Brydon (The Trip) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers) have joined the project, an adaptation of Joff Winterhart’s graphic novel of the same name.

Tamsin Greig (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Earl Cave (The End Of The F***ing World) and Elliot Speller-Gillot (Uncle) are also amongst the cast.

Altitude has boarded the project for international sales and UK and Ireland distribution.