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Charlotte Rampling,

The Establishing Shot Magazine - 1 2014 All the insider Film News worth reading

Hard to believe we are in March already and this is the first Establishing Shot news update of the year but I think we have got a good spread of updates from across UK Film News, some International Film News, Film Festival News, Film Awards News, some Toy & Merchandise News, Theatre News and Game News.

THE ESTABLISHING SHOT MAGAZINE EDITION 1 2014 ALL THE INSIDER FILM NEWS WORTH READING

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The Establishing Shot Magazine: All the Film News worth reading - The Farm, Kill Your Friends, Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay, 45 Years, Collider, Helen Mccrory, Bill, We Are Monster, Narcopolis, The Unbeatables’, Pudsey The Dog: The Movie, Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death, The Inbetweeners 2 The Long Goodbye, The Maid, The Daylight Gate, The Theory Of Everything, The Amazing Spider-man 2, The Expendables 3, Fire In The Blood, How To Survive A Plague, Sundance London, Reservoir Dogs, Memento, Winter’s Bone, EE British Academy Film Awards In 2015, One World Media 2014 Longlists, Peter Greenaway Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema BAFTA, Will Poulter EE Rising Star, Jameson Empire Award Nominations, The Oscars: The Things That Really Matters, 35th Anniversary Of Alien Figures, Olivier Awards 2014 Nominations, Sam Mendes' Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Nominated For 7 Olivier Awards, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory New Cast, Beverley Knight To Star In Memphis The Musical, British Academy Games Awards In 2014 Winners, Rockstar Games Honoured With BAFTA Fellowship

THE ESTABLISHING SHOT UK FILM NEWS

BBC FILMS AND SHINE PICTURES ACQUIRE FILM RIGHTS TO ACCLAIMED BESTSELLER THE FARM BY TOM ROB SMITH
BBC Films and Shine Pictures today announced the acquisition of rights to best-selling author Tom Rob Smith’s new psychological thriller ‘The Farm’.

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An innovative and heart-pounding mystery set in London and Sweden, the novel debuted to rave reviews, reaching Number 2 in the UK bestseller charts during its opening month and is also a bestseller in its launches in Australia, Germany and Israel, with a further 13 major territories sold.

Shine’s Head of Film, Ollie Madden, said: “I’ve been a huge fan of Tom’s novels since ‘Child 44’, and when I picked up ‘The Farm’ I read it in one, enrapt sitting. It’s very rare that you read something which is simultaneously thrilling, thought-provoking, totally unpredictable and packs a real emotional punch. We look forward to adapting Tom’s brilliant work into a feature film”.

Christine Langan, Head of BBC Films, added: “’The Farm’ skewers you on the horns of a fabulous dilemma while effortlessly drawing you into a curious and strangely sinister world. Tom Rob Smith’s latest novel is a sophisticated, layered narrative with real page turning urgency and BBC Films is thrilled to be partnering with Shine in its journey to the big screen.”

IF YOU REFUSE TO BELIEVE ME, I WILL NO LONGER CONSIDER YOU MY SON…..

Until the moment he receives a frantic call from his father, Daniel believes his parents are living a peaceful life on a farm in rural Sweden. He is shocked to discover that his mother has escaped from a mental hospital shortly after being committed. Just as this news begins to sink in, he receives a phone call from his mother - she is already en-route to London and she pleads with him to allow her the chance to tell her story. He must decide whether she is a victim of a terrible conspiracy, or, as his father fears, is suffering a psychotic episode. Daniel soon becomes entwined in an urgent tale of secrets, lies, and a horrible crime that implicates his own father.

Tom Rob Smith’s ‘Child 44’ trilogy has sold over 4 million copies worldwide, the first of which has been made as a film directed by Daniel Espinosa and starring Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace, and is due for release this year. He also created the five-part BBC backed mini-series, ‘London Spy’, which will air in 2015.

Brought into Shine Pictures by Head of Literary Acquisitions, Sue Swift, ‘The Farm’ will be produced by Ollie Madden for Shine Pictures, with Christine Langan executive producing for BBC Films.


UNIGRAM, ALTITUDE FILM ENTERTAINMENT, AI FILM AND PINEWOOD ANNOUNCE START OF PRODUCTION ON KILL YOUR FRIENDS
Nicholas Hoult leads a brilliant British cast directed by Owen Harris, screenplay by John Niven - Warner Music Soundtrack for the cult story on the Britpop era

AI Film, Altitude Film Entertainment, UNIGRAM, Pinewood Productions, and World’s End announce principal photography starts next week on dark and satirical comedy KILL YOUR FRIENDS about the infamous era of Britpop music with Warner Music Group on board to produce the film’s soundtrack.

Directed by Owen Harris, the film is produced by Gregor Cameron (UNIGRAM), Will Clarke (Altitude Film Entertainment) and Len Blavatnik (AI Film and Warner Music Group).

Written by John Niven and based on his cult novel of the same name, Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class, Warm Bodies) takes the lead role of Steven Stelfox and is joined by a hugely talented ensemble cast including Craig Roberts (22 Jump Street, Submarine), Tom Riley (‘Da Vinci’s Demons’, I Want Candy), Georgia King (‘The New Normal’, Austenland), Jim Piddock (‘What About Dick?’, A Mighty Wind), Joseph Mawle (Half of a Yellow Sun, ‘Birdsong’), James Corden (Tony Award winner of Best Actor in 'One Man, Two Guvnors', 'Gavin & Stacey') and Edward Hogg (The Comedian, Bunny and the Bull).

Executive producers on the film are are AI Films (Aviv Giladi, Vince Holden), Altitude (Andy Mayson, Mike Rungall), Pinewood Productions (Steve Norris, Ivan Dunleavy), STUDIOCANAL (Danny Perkins, Jenny Borgars) and World’s End (Johnny Vaughan) as well as Nicholas Hoult, Kate Buckley, Amanda Ghost and James Sully with Ben Giladi as associate produer.  KILL YOUR FRIENDS will be released in the UK by STUDIOCANAL. Altitude Film Sales are handling international sales.

When the road to success is littered with losers and even your closest colleagues are desperate for you to fail, what would you do to make it to the top?

London, 1997; the British music industry is on a winning streak. Britpop bands Blur, Oasis, The Verve rule the airwaves and Cool Britannia is in full swing. 27 year old A&R man Steven Stelfox is slashing and burning his way through the music business, a world where ‘no one knows anything’ and where careers are made and broken by chance and the fickle tastes of the general public. Fuelled by greed, ambition and inhuman quantities of drugs, Stelfox lives the dream, as he searches for his next hit record. But as the hits dry up and the industry begins to change, Stelfox takes the concept of “killer tunes” to a murderous new level in a desperate attempt to salvage his career.

Kill Your Friends is the debut feature film for director Owen Harris. His previous credits include ‘Black Mirror’, ‘Misfits’, and the award-winning ‘Holy Flying Circus’.

Scottish writer John Niven spent ten years working in the music industry for a variety of record companies before leaving to focus on his writing. His novels include Music From Big Pink, Kill Your Friends, The Amateurs, and most recently Straight White Male.

Producer Gregor Cameron commented: “I'm delighted to get this exceptionally sharp and funny script into production with such a brilliant director, cast and crew. 'Cool Britannia' might just sound like a term to describe climate change now, but that era marked massive turning points in our history and culture, the repercussions of which we are still dealing with in every walk of life. We are excited to be exploring it with such loveable characters from the music industry who threw the party they thought would never end.”

Altitude Film Entertainment’s Chairman Will Clarke says, “John Niven’s cult novel Kill Your Friends was a hugely funny evisceration of the music business during the legendary Britpop era.  John’s script in the hands of the hugely talented director Owen Harris and this great cast of leading British actors will make for an electric combination on screen and resurrect the headiness of that era for those who lived it, and for those who may have wanted to.”

Altitude co-CEO Andy Mayson adds, “Producing Kill Your Friends has been a fantastically creative and collaborative process for Altitude, both in working with Gregor, John and Owen to develop the film, and with our partners AI Film and Pinewood, on getting it financed and into production. It has been a great collaboration across the board and we can’t thank everyone enough for their passion and determination to make this film happen.”

Kill Your Friends will shoot in London for the next 5 weeks.


CHARLOTTE RAMPLING and TOM COURTENAY to star in ANDREW HAIGH’S 45 YEARS

VERTIGO KICK OFF WITH ‘THE UNBEATABLES’ ON AUGUST 8TH 2014
Vertigo Films is delighted to announce the release of award winning 3D Animation, The Unbeatables, on 8th August 2014 in cinemas in the UK. Directed by Academy Award winner Juan José Campanella, The Unbeatables is a magical story for all the family.

The Unbeatables is voiced by an all-star British voice cast including Rupert Grint (Harry Potter), Anthony Head (‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, ‘Merlin’), Ralf Little (‘The Royle Family'), Rob Brydon (‘The Trip’) and renowned impressionist Alistair McGowan (‘Arthur Christmas’).

A poignant story about love, pride, friendship and passion, The Unbeatables follows the adventures of Amadeo, a shy but talented young man and his Table Football team, who magically come to life as they try to reunite after being dismantled and torn from their home. However, they soon find themselves up against their biggest obstacle – deifying the most famous football player in the World, Flash.

Commenting on the English version Juan José Campanella said: “The casting of Rupert and Rob was inspired and was my perfect cast.  I loved Rupert’s work in Harry Potter and I knew he would bring an honesty and intelligence to the part of Amadeo. As it is he played the part perfectly, he has the right nuances, he is the right age and he has the right level of tenderness. It is pretty amazing what he did - he is really very, very good. I love him! As to Rob Brydon, he and Steve Coogan were so brilliant in ‘The Trip’ I just wanted him in the film.  Both Rupert and Rob are superb.”

Rupert Preston of Vertigo stated: "We are incredibly excited to be working with such a talented film-maker as Juan José Campanella and bringing his brilliantly entertaining film, The Unbeatables to a UK family audience this summer."

Victor Glynn, UK Co-Producer, added: "This is incredibly exciting for us. I have long admired Rupert’s intelligent and passionate approach to this business and Vertigo’s significant commitment to this picture will ensure its enormous success. Also for me, having worked first worked with Jorge Estrada Mora in 1991 this whole experience is a dream come true. We said that one day we would do something truly special together. This is it! "

Jorge Estrada Mora said: “The combined talents of Vertigo’s Rupert Preston and 369 Production’s Victor Glynn are a winning combination. Their marketing and production skills together with their ceaseless enthusiasm for this film are exactly what it needs to be the sure fire hit it deserves to be in the UK!”

Directed by Juan José Campanella (The Secret in their Eyes), the film is produced by Jorge Estrada Mora and Gaston Gorali, Gustavo Ferrada with Victor Glynn and David Burgess the UK Producers.  The screenwriters are Juan José Campanella, Eduardo Sacheri, Gaston Gorali with Michael Smith and Richard O Smith.  It has an original soundtrack by Emilio Kauderer that was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Also known as Foosball in certain international territories, the film was Argentina’s highest grossing movie of 2013.

MACHINIMA AND CAPCOM ANNOUNCE ALL EPISODES OF STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST WILL DEBUT ON THE MACHINIMA MAIN CHANNEL
Created By and Starring Joey Ansah and Christian Howard, Series Also Stars Togo Igawa, Akira Koieyama, Mike Moh, Gaku Space, Shogen, Hyunri, and features Hal Yamanouchi and Mark Killeen

Machinima, Assassin’s Fist Limited, and Capcom U.S.A., Inc. announce today, in partnership with Producer Jacqueline Quella, and Director Joey Ansah, that STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST will debut in its entirety on Machinima, the number-one global video entertainment network for young males. The exact air date will be announced soon. The live-action series, which is distributed by Content Media, is the brainchild of Ansah (The Bourne Ultimatum, Snow White and the Huntsman), a member of the creative team behind the hugely successful fan film Street Fighter: Legacy—which has received almost 5,000,000 views to date. Ansah, who also stars in the series (Akuma), wrote the script with Christian Howard, who reprises his role as Ken Masters from the original fan film. The series also stars Mike Moh as Ryu, Togo Igawa (47 Ronin, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Last Samurai) as Gotetsu, Akira Koieyama as Goken, Gaku Space as Goki, Mark Killeen (300: Rise of an Empire, The Dark Knight Rises) as Mr. Masters, and Hal Yamanouchi as Senzo. Through the coming of age story of Ken & Ryu, we are shown the back story of some of the game’s most iconic characters, and over the course of the series we will see how the past, present, and future of all of those characters are intertwined, as the battle to become Ansatsuken Master threatens to tear apart another generation of brothers.


“This series was meant for Machinima,” said Allen DeBevoise, Chairman, Co-Founder and CEO of Machinima. “We have successfully launched popular game-inspired web series in the past, and Street Fighter is about as iconic as they come. We couldn’t be more excited about working with the incredible production team behind the series and the folks over at Capcom to launch not only a compelling and action-packed series in its own right, but also one that stays true to the Street Fighter lore.” DeBevoise continued, “After the success of Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2, we will once again provide all of the episodes on the day of launch to our fans to ensure they get exactly what they want—the entire series from start to finish!”

 “We can’t wait for our fans to get the opportunity to experience Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist,” said Matt Dahlgren, Senior Product Manager at Capcom. “Working with filmmakers who are so passionate about the brand was an extremely rewarding process and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Their work embodies the heart and soul of what Street Fighter is and we’re thrilled that Machinima will be able to deliver the epic series to those who care about the celebrated franchise as much as we do.”

STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST is Machinima’s latest live-action series based on one of the world’s best-selling video game franchises, and is one which will very much stay true to the game, featuring fight moves and action performed by the cast with stunning attention to detail. It follows on the heels of last year’s highly successful airing of Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2, the successor to, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, as well as Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn. Combined, the three series have garnered more than 130,000,000 views on Machinima.

A thrilling, multilayered series, STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST takes the audience back to the formative years of iconic characters Ryu and Ken as they live a traditional warrior’s life in secluded Japan. The boys are, unknowingly, the last practitioners of the ancient fighting style known as “Ansatsuken” (Assassin’s Fist). The series follows them as they learn about the mysterious past of their master, Goken, and the tragic, dark legacy of the Ansatsuken style. Can their destiny be changed, or will history repeat itself?

“STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST is what a live-action Street Fighter should be,” said Ansah when he announced the project at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con. “This takes the story right back to the start: the origins and motivations of Ryu, Ken, Goken and Akuma. This will become the definitive back-story from which further epic adventures will follow.”

“Our priority is to stay true to the appearance, fighting techniques, and canon of the Street Fighter game,” Quella added. “At the same time, we’ve managed to make this an emotion- and character-driven story, which will surprise viewers who might just be expecting a super-faithful fight fest!”



THE ESTABLISHING SHOT - INTERNATIONAL FILM NEWS:

SPIDER-MAN AND STARS TO JOIN EARTH HOUR EVENT IN SINGAPORE
WWF Singapore and Earth Hour Global today announced the director, producers, and cast of the highly anticipated upcoming motion picture The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be coming to Singapore to celebrate this year’s global flagship event for Earth Hour, the world’s largest environmental grassroots movement, to be held at The Float@Marina Bay on Saturday March 29 at 8:30PM.

Spider-Man will join the film’s stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Jamie Foxx in the event, helping to switch off the lights across Singapore’s signature Marina Bay skyline.  The stars will also be throwing their support behind Earth Hour’s newly launched crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform – Earth Hour Blue, with a message to individuals across the world to become Super Heroes for the planet.


“We’re so excited that our first Super Hero ambassador for Earth Hour will join us for the global celebration of our planet in Singapore.  Since moving to Singapore, one of the world’s greatest hub cities, Earth Hour has positioned itself in the region with a rapidly growing digital presence that has helped power our movement.  Earth Hour Blue enables an every day digital action that can inspire individuals to do something so powerful from the palm of their hand,” said Andy Ridley, CEO and Co-Founder of Earth Hour.

While Earth Hour has grown from a lights out event to the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment, the actual dedicated hour remains a key driver of wider engagement to act on environmental priorities across the world.

“The Earth Hour platform is an incredible way to engage businesses, governments and individuals to help protect the planet. In line with the spirit of this global campaign to inspire simple yet long-lasting changes that can positively impact the planet, our hope is that Singapore will be a global leader in inspiring sustainable actions,” says Ms Elaine Tan, CEO of WWF-Singapore.

From its global headquarters in Singapore, Earth Hour has developed and launched Earth Hour Blue, a new crowdsourcing and crowdfunding platform that enables anyone to support environmental projects all over the world. The stars of the highly anticipated movie The Amazing Spider-Man 2 are among the first backers and supporters of Earth Hour Blue.

Andrew Garfield, who plays Peter Parker/Spider-Man, is supporting the Earth Hour Blue project ‘A Flame Called Hope’. The project aims to provide clean bio-gas energy for local communities in Nepal, thereby reducing deforestation and providing an alternate means of livelihood for families in the area.

“I’m proud Spider-Man is the first Super Hero ambassador for Earth Hour because he shows we can all be Super Heroes when we realize the power we all have,” says Andrew Garfield. “Earth Hour is a movement that has created massive impact around the world.”

Emma Stone, who plays Gwen Stacy in the film, has chosen to support the Earth Hour Blue ‘Puppy Protectors’ project, which aims to train sniffer dog puppies and their handlers to track animals, find wildlife crime scenes, detect illegal trade items, and chase down poachers with the rangers on the frontlines of Chitwan National Park, Nepal.

“Earth Hour gives you the power to inspire anyone, even if you’re just one person. There are great projects from the crowd, for the planet, happening all over the world,” says Emma Stone.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 director Marc Webb is backing the ‘Power up a Ranger’ project in Indonesia, which aims to provide better equipment for WWF Rangers protecting Indonesia’s endangered wildlife such as the Sumatran Tiger, Elephant, Rhino and Orangutan and their forest habitat.

The director is also a judge in WWF Singapore’s film competition “Use Your Power”, which will engage young filmmakers across Singapore to produce engaging, innovative, and creative short films that show the connection between people and environmental issues.

WWF-Singapore is also joining the Blue revolution through their crowdfunding campaign to expose and end the illegal sale of target wildlife species within Singapore. The organisation is also crowdsourcing pledges from individuals and organisations for local sustainability actions such as raising air conditioner temperatures by one degree Celsius, switching to LED lights and reducing the consumption of plastic bags.

Expanding on many sustainability efforts over the years, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 became the most eco-friendly tentpole production in the history of Columbia Pictures. These environmental efforts, on set and off, were supported at every level – from producers, studio executives, and cast and crew and began as soon as the film went into pre-production.

“I’m very proud of the fact that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is entirely carbon-neutral.  We made a commitment to be as eco-conscious as possible during production itself, when we took a special effort to think green and avoid waste; now, completing that process with Earth Hour Blue is a wonderful testament to what we can achieve when we all work together,” says Jeff Blake, Chairman, Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Now run globally from Singapore at the heart of Asia, Earth Hour has rapidly grown to involve hundreds of millions of people from all walks of life and global landmarks across 7000 cities and towns and 154 countries and territories.


THE EXPENDABLES 3 RELEASED IN CINEMAS ON AUGUST 15 2014
Patrick Hughes (RED HILL) directs the film, with veteran Dan Bradley (The BOURNE franchise; MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL, QUANTUM OF SOLACE) directing the second unit.

THE EXPENDABLES 3 is written by Creighton Rothenberger & Katrin Benedikt, who previously teamed on OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, and Sylvester Stallone. The film is produced by Avi Lerner, Kevin King-Templeton, Danny Lerner and Les Weldon. Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson and John Thompson are executive producers and the production was overseen by Lionsgate’s Jason Constantine and Eda Kowan.

In THE EXPENDABLES 3, Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team come face- to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill... or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables, but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.


The first two installments of THE EXPENDABLES have grossed nearly $600 million in combined global box office.


NETWORK RELEASING IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE DVD RELEASE OF CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED AIDS ACTIVIST DOCUMENTARIES FIRE IN THE BLOOD’ AND ‘HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE
Network Releasing is proud to announce that two award-winning and critically acclaimed documentaries looking at HIV and AIDS activism are soon to be released on DVD in March 2014. Fire In The Blood (dir. Dylan Mohan Gray) will be released on DVD on 24th March and How To Survive A Plague (dir. David France) on 31st March ahead of the BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, which runs 20-30 March 2014.

Fire in the Blood

Fire In The Blood (released 24th March) is a critically-acclaimed documentary of medicine, monopoly and malice that tells the story of how Western pharmaceutical companies and governments aggressively blocked access to low-cost AIDS drugs for the countries of Africa and the global south in the years after 1996. The film investigates how this caused over ten million unnecessary deaths and the improbable group of people who decided to fight back.



Fire In The Blood was shot on four continents and tells its remarkable story through the eyes of AIDS patients, front-line clinicians, radical health professionals, pharmaceutical company executives and global figures including Bill Clinton, Desmond Tutu and Joseph Stiglitz. It is the never-before-told true story of the remarkable coalition which came together to stop 'the Crime of the Century' and save millions of lives in the process.

The film screened at Sundance Film Festival (2013 Grand Jury Prize nominee - World Cinema Documentary) and its message is clear: despite dramatic past victories, the fight for access to life-saving medicine is almost certainly just beginning.

Winner of the 2013 DOXA Feature Documentary Award, 2013 Justice Matters Award at the 27th Washington DC International Film Festival, the inaugural Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Prize for Political Film, and Best Debut Film of a Director at the Mumbai International Film Festival, Fire In The Blood has gained critical and audience praise across the globe.

How to survive a plague

How To Survive A Plague (released 31st March) is the Oscar-nominated story (2013 Academy Award nominee - Best Documentary) of two coalitions - ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) - and how their activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition.


Despite having no scientific training, these self-made activists infiltrated the pharmaceutical industry and helped identify promising new drugs, moving them from experimental trials to patients in record time. With unfettered access to a treasure trove of never-before-seen archival footage from the 1980s and 1990s, filmmaker David France puts the viewer smack in the middle of the controversial actions, the heated meetings, the heartbreaking failures, and the exultant breakthroughs of heroes in the making.

Blisteringly powerful, How To Survive A Plague transports us back to a vital time of unbridled death, political indifference, and staggering resilience and constructs a commanding archetype for activism today.

More information on FIRE IN THE BLOOD can be found at:
www.fireintheblood.com
http://www.facebook.com/fireintheblood
https://twitter.com/fitbmovie



THE ESTABLISHING SHOT - FILM FESTIVAL NEWS:

SUNDANCE LONDON ANNOUNCES RESERVOIR DOGS AND WINTER’S BONE TO SCREEN AT SUNDANCE LONDON
A joint celebration of the 30th anniversary of Sundance Film Festival and 25 years of Empire magazine, we are thrilled to announce the screening of three of the all-time most celebrated Sundance Film Festival-discovered films in association with Empire.

Independent film is constantly evolving and looking to what’s next, and the films shown at the Sundance Film Festival during the course of our 30-year history are prime examples of that. Showing three of our most celebrated films at Sundance London allows us to reflect on the incredible potential of independent film to endure and to inspire countless other filmmakers for generations to come. John Cooper – Director, Sundance Film Festival


Memento launched Christopher Nolan’s directing career after its premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, leading to his work directing Inception and a trilogy of Batman films.



Reservoir Dogs was supported by Sundance Institute during production and premiered at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival, propelling Quentin Tarantino’s directing career.



Winter’s Bone from director Debra Granik and featuring Jennifer Lawrence in one of her first film roles, before she appeared in the Hunger Games series and won an Academy Award for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook.

Enjoy these iconic films the way they were meant to be seen – large and loud on the big screen!

Ticket packages are now on sale here, and tickets to the recently announced opening night music performance by Archive and world premiere of their film, Axiom are on sale from Friday 28 February.

These three films are part of The Sundance Collection at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a film preservation program established in 1997.




THE ESTABLISHING SHOT - AWARDS NEWS:
EE BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS IN 2015: DATE ANNOUNCED
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced today that the EE British Academy Film Awards will take place on Sunday 8 February 2015 at London’s Royal Opera House and be broadcast by the BBC.

The Film Awards are BAFTA’s highest film honours, rewarding the best work of any nationality seen on British cinema screens during the preceding year.

www.bafta.org


ONE WORLD MEDIA ANNOUNCES AWARDS 2014 LONGLISTS
One World Media has announced the top contenders in each of the categories for this year’s Awards, which recognise excellence in international journalism.

With a record number of entries this year, the Awards celebrate the best in media coverage of the developing world, reflecting the social, political and cultural life of people across the globe.

Now in its 26th year, the One World Media Awards are attended by key figures from across the media industry, government, and development NGOs.  The 13 award categories cover all types of media, from television and radio to print, digital media and film, and the longlists boast many of the top names in broadcasting, filmmaking and journalism.

The full longlist in each category for the 2014 One World Media Awards are available online at www.oneworldmedia.org.uk/longlist.

Winners will be announced at the One World Media Awards on Tuesday 6 May 2014, at Kings Place, 90 York Way, London.


PETER GREENAWAY CBE TO RECEIVE THE BAFTA FOR OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) was delighted that Peter Greenaway CBE received the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award at the EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House on Sunday 16 February.

The Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award is presented annually in honour of Michael Balcon. Previous recipients include Mike Leigh, Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jarman, Mary Selway, Ridley and Tony Scott, Working Title Films, Lewis Gilbert, John Hurt and the Harry Potter series of films.  Last year’s recipient was Tessa Ross, the controller of Film and Drama at Channel 4 who heads up feature film division Film4.

Nik Powell, Chairman of BAFTA’s Film Committee, said: “Peter Greenaway is an iconic British filmmaker who has worked with many of our most accomplished actors including Michael Gambon, Tim Roth, Ewan McGregor and the recipient of this year’s BAFTA Fellowship, Dame Helen Mirren. I’d delighted that Peter is being recognised with this award for his distinctive and innovative filmmaking career.”

Peter Greenaway said: “Given the always complex effort involved, to be permitted in the first place to make films with so many collaborators always astonishes me, and to be permitted the licence to do so with such freedom to continually experiment even more so. Everyone agrees that cinema is changing its characteristics very fast and to be awarded a BAFTA for trying to contribute to that change is a pleasure and a delight, an encouragement and an acknowledgment that the effort is valuable, certainly for myself and certainly for all those numerous collaborators who have assisted me in this effort over more than thirty years.”

Greenaway, the award-winning British writer and director who originally trained as a painter, is renowned for his exploration of the cinematic medium, of eroticism and death, and for his innate ability to integrate Renaissance art into his work. His most recent artistic project, entitled 'Nine Classic Paintings', uses state-of-the-art image technology to explore key masterpieces of Renaissance art and their key themes, restoring the paintings pixel by pixel. His latest film, Eisenstein in Guanajuato, is scheduled for release later this year.

Early in his career, Greenaway worked at the Central Office of Information (COI) for fifteen years, during which time he directed and edited a series of short films, the first of which was Death of Sentiment. He made his first feature film in 1980, entitled The Falls, and was the first of many collaborations with composer Michael Nyman. His critical breakthrough came in 1982 with 17th century drama The Draughtsman's Contract, establishing him as one of the most important filmmakers of his time. He went on to make the seminal The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. Over the course of his career, Greenaway has been nominated for a total of thirty seven awards, twice for Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or for 8 1Ž2 Women and The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 1: The Moab Story. He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2007 Queen's New Year’s Honors List for his services to film.


WILL POULTER WINS THE EE RISING STAR AWARD
We’re the Millers and Wild Bill actor tops the public vote
· The EE Rising Star Award is the only one at the EE British Academy Film Awards to be voted for by the public
·Previous winners are Juno Temple, Adam Deacon, Tom Hardy, Kristen Stewart, Noel Clarke, Shia LeBeouf, Eva Green and James McAvoy.

Will Poulter EE BAFTA Rising Star Winner

EE is proud to announce Will Poulter as the winner of the EE Rising Star Award in 2014. The EE Rising Star Award is the only publicly-voted award presented at the EE British Academy Film Awards, and a hotly contested accolade for up and coming acting talent. Will was one of five international actors nominated for their exceptional talent and recognised as a true star in the making. The other nominees were: Dane DeHaan, George MacKay, Lupita Nyong’o and Léa Seydoux.

Will Poulter made his feature debut in the quirky British comedy Son of Rambow, where he gained critical acclaim and earned himself a nomination for most promising newcomer at the 2007 British Independent Film Awards. He has proved to be as comfortable with Hollywood A-listers as he is with small-budget Brit flicks. He recently starred alongside Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston in the outrageous We’re the Millers, and more recently took the lead in Dexter Fletcher’s gritty UK independent film, Wild Bill. This performance saw Will pick up a nomination for young British performer of the year at the London Critics’ Circle Awards.

Spencer McHugh, Director of Brand at EE, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that the British public has chosen Will Poulter as their winner. With the award now in its 9th year we have seen a record response from the voting public, which is testament to the immense talent recognised in the EE Rising Star category this year. Congratulations to Will, a much-deserved winner.”


Pippa Harris, Deputy Chair of BAFTA’s Film Committee and Chair of the Jury for the EE Rising Star Award, added: “"This year has been a fantastic year for emerging film talent and all the nominees clearly have star quality. Congratulations to Will Poulter, I hope this award marks the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in his career.”

The EE Rising Star Award was created in honour of Mary Selway, the highly respected BAFTA-winning casting director whose career spanned three decades and over ninety films before she died in 2004. She worked with notable directors such as Steven Spielberg, Roman Polanski, Clint Eastwood and Ridley Scott, contributing to the creation of some of the silver screen's most memorable characters.

The five nominees for the EE Rising Star Award were selected from hundreds suggested by a jury featuring leading figures from across the film industry, including jury chair Pippa Harris, Deputy Chairman of BAFTA’s Film Committee and producing partner of Sam Mendes, actress Gemma Arterton, film critic Mark Kermode, director Kirk Jones and producer Pete Czernin, as well as leading film and entertainment journalists.

Unlike any other award at the EE British Academy Film Awards, the EE Rising Star Award was voted for by the British public via the EE website, www.ee.co.uk/bafta

Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ee
Twitter at: www.twitter.com/ee
YouTube at: www.youtube.com/ee
LinkedIn at: www.linkedin.com/company/ee-uk


19th JAMESON EMPIRE AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED: CHIWETEL EJIOFOR, JAMES MCAVOY, MARTIN FREEMAN, TOM HANKS AND LEONARDO DICAPRIO IN THE RUNNING FOR JAMESON BEST ACTOR 2014
The 2014 nominations for the Jameson Empire Awards — voted for by Empire magazine readers — are the most diverse yet, honouring blockbusters and independent filmmaking and with a special emphasis on British films and filmmaking talent. Regarded as the antidote to more formal, industry-voted awards, the Jameson Empire Awards are voted for entirely by the cinema-going public, who can now continue to vote on the final shortlisted nominees at: empireonline.com/awards2014.

British talent also features heavily in the acting categories. BAFTA-winner and Oscar-nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor, James McAvoy and the 2013 Jameson Best Actor-winner Martin Freeman join Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio in the shortlist for this year’s Jameson Best Actor award, while Emma Thompson is nominated for Best Actress alongside Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Amy Adams and last year’s winner, Jennifer Lawrence.

19th Jameson Empire Award  Best Actor Nominations Announced Chiwetel Ejiofor 12 Years A Slave ZOOM

To celebrate the Jameson Best Actor shortlisted nominees, Jameson Irish Whiskey commissioned South London based artist and illustrator, Luke Drozd, to create a series of bespoke film posters for each nominee. Each poster includes iconic references to their most recent film and includes personalised detail within each design such as varying medal shape, ribbon colour and detail around the outer ring.

Speaking of the collaboration, Drozd commented: “With this year’s Jameson Best Actor Award shortlist looking so strong, I wanted to create a bold graphic series of posters which not only celebrate the best of film from the past year but also throws the focus back on the nominee. It’s also given me the excuse to re-watch their recent films for creative inspiration!”

19th Jameson Empire Award Best Actor Nominations Announced James McAvoy for Filth ZOOM

As well as recognising the critical successes prevalent in other awards shortlists — with six nominations for 12 Years A Slave, five for Captain Phillips and four for Gravity — Empire readers continue to champion those films that were most popular at the box office and with everyday cinema-goers. The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, the fourth-highest-grossing film at the UK box office in 2013, leads this year’s shortlist with seven nominations, followed closely by the fifth-highest-grossing film, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, with five nominations.

The Jameson Empire Awards continue to acknowledge those titles often overlooked by established awards bodies with shortlisted films including The Conjuring, one of the biggest-ever openings in the US for an R-rated horror film, and Evil Dead, both of which are represented in the Best Horror category which also includes the titles A Field In England, World War Z and You’re Next.

19th Jameson Empire Award Best Actor Nominations Announced Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf Of Wall Street ZOOM

British director Paul Greengrass will receive the Empire Inspiration Award at the ceremony for his work on the Bourne trilogy and recent commercial and critical success Captain Phillips, for which he is also nominated in the Best Director category.

In the Best Director category presented by Air New Zealand, Greengrass is up against fellow Brits Steve McQueen (for 12 Years A Slave) and Edgar Wright (for The World’s End) and alongside Alfonso Cuarón (for Gravity) and Peter Jackson (for The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug).  Numerous British productions feature in the overall shortlist, ranging from Filth to Rush to Best Comedy presented by Magic 105.4 nominees Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa and The World’s End and independent titles A Field In England and Trance. Scotland is well represented with multiple nominations for Sunshine On Leith and Filth. The five films in the running for Best British Film are: Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa; Filth; Rush; Sunshine On Leith, and The World’s End.

19th Jameson Empire Award Best Actor Nominations Announced Martin Freeman for The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug ZOOM

The Best Newcomer awards celebrate the rising stars of cinema with 2014 nominees for Best Male Newcomer presented by Tresor Paris including BAFTA EE Rising Star-winner Will Poulter (We’re The Millers), George MacKay (Sunshine On Leith), Tye Sheridan (Mud), Aidan Turner (The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) and recent BAFTA-winner Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips). The shortlist for Best Female Newcomer includes: Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue Is The Warmest Colour); Antonia Thomas and Freya Mavor (Sunshine On Leith); Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave); Margot Robbie (The Wolf Of Wall Street) and Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby).

Responding to the breadth and richness of actors shortlisted by Empire readers, awards organisers have opted to introduce Supporting Actor categories for the first time in 2014. Joining Tom Hiddleston (Thor: The Dark World) for Best Supporting Actor are Daniel Brühl (Rush), Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), Richard Armitage (The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug) and Michael Fassbender (12 Years A Slave). Best Supporting Actress contenders are Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave), Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug), Mia Wasikowska (Stoker), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle) and Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine). Lupita Nyong’o and Jennifer Lawrence have each landed two nominations. Nyong’o’s devastating performance in 12 Years A Slave finds her recognised in both Best Female Newcomer and Best Supporting Actress categories, whilst Lawrence has been recognised not only for her lead role in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire but also her vivacious supporting turn in American Hustle.

19th Jameson Empire Award Best Actor Nominations Announced Tom Hanks for Captain Phillips ZOOM

The coveted Best Film award, presented by Sky Movies, will be fought out between 12 Years A Slave, Captain Phillips, Gravity, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

The awards also recognise the diverse tastes of cinema-goers, with awards dedicated to popular genres including: Best Horror; Best Comedy presented by Magic 105.4; Best Thriller; and Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy presented by MediCinema.

The awards will be presented at a star-studded ceremony in central London on Sunday March 30.

http://www.empireonline.com/awards2014/


THE OSCARS: THE THINGS THAT REALLY MATTERS
"Before you get hold of the usual “hey! here’s what everyone said on social media, and guess what?! they predicted right!” Oscars infographic, the Substance team wanted to dig a little deeper for the real gritty stuff. You know, who was sporting the best beard, and whatever.

Take a look at what we’ve pulled together, featuring:
- How many laughs per minute
- Biggest applause
- The most spoken about social moments
- And, of course, best insult…"

Substance's alternative look at the Oscars ZOOM

THE ESTABLISHING SHOT - MERCHANDISE & TOY NEWS:

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONSUMER PRODUCTS CELEBRATES THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY OF ALIEN AND RELEASES FIRST-EVER ACTION FIGURES OF ELLEN RIPLEY
NECA, SEGA, Sideshow Collectibles, Diamond Select, Super7 x Funko and 10 More Partners to Roll Out Exclusive Branded Toys and Collectible Merchandise Worldwide to Celebrate ALIEN Franchise

35 years later, fans are still “screaming” in space as Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products celebrates the 35th anniversary of the ground-breaking film ALIEN, one of the most enduring sci-fi horror franchises of all time, with multiple iconic partners for exclusive branded merchandise available worldwide.

Alien 35th Anniversary figure ZOOM

National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA), an entertainment conglomerate and global leader in licensed consumer goods, in association with Fox Consumer Products, announces today the first-ever action figures of Lieutenant Ellen Ripley that feature the likeness of actress Sigourney Weaver, who was nominated for an Oscar® and Golden Globe® for ALIENS in 1987. The officially licensed Ripley action figures from NECA will span multiple movies within the ALIEN saga: initial plans include a figure of Ripley in her Nostromo jumpsuit from the original 1979 film, to be followed later by a Ripley figure based on the 1986 movie ALIENS, directed by James Cameron.

Bandai - Bandai’s premium collectors label “Tamashii Nations” will release super-articulated S.H.MonsterArts figures featuring diecast material. S.H.MonsterArts ALIEN Big Chap will be available May 2014.
Dark Horse Comics – A new comics program will debut later this year which includes Alien, Prometheus, Predator and Aliens vs. Predator.
Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles – New collectibles including MiniMates block figures, vinyl banks, bottle openers and a reproduction of the original 18-inch Alien figure, available this summer/fall.
Insight Editions will produce a highly-illustrated and a detailed guidebook to the Alien creature.
NECA - Figures, board games, bobbleheads, plush and toys will hit major retail stores beginning in March 2014. Prototypes of the Ripley figures will debut later this summer at San Diego Comic-Con.
SEGA – The highly-anticipated first person survival horror game Alien: Isolation will be available on PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC in late 2014.
Sideshow Collectibles – High end, limited edition Alien franchise products, including an immense bust of the Big Chap Alien design, available for pre-order in April 2014! Check out www.SideshowCollectibles.com for Alien Franchise products, and more!
Super7 x Funko – Glasses and retro ReAction Figures currently available online.
Titan Books will release all-new canon fiction novels based on the film franchise, followed by a 35th anniversary retrospective called “ALIEN: Archives” which will be the most comprehensive book ever created about the ALIEN franchise with new exclusive interviews with Ridley Scott and Sigourney Weaver and content that has never been released.

Alien 35th Anniversary figure ZOOM

Other partners include Hollywood Collectibles for highly-detailed prop replicas, Upper Deck for an all-new collectible card game, Hallmark for ornaments, Square Enix for Aliens: Colonial Marines Play Arts KAI action figures, Titan Merchandise for stylized mini vinyl figurines, Rizzoli for wall calendars and Rubie’s Costume Company for amazingly detailed Halloween costumes in addition to even more partners with apparel and additional collectible merchandise to be released throughout the year.


THE ESTABLISHING SHOT - THEATRE NEWS:
OLIVIER AWARDS 2014 WITH MASTERCARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED
The nominations for The Olivier Awards 2014 with MasterCard – the most prestigious event in the UK’s theatrical calendar – were announced today (Monday 10 March) by Nigel Harman and Leigh Zimmerman with the full list of nominations available below and online at www.olivierawards.com.

- New musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and acclaimed revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along lead the voting for a single production, each receiving seven nominations
- Best New Musical nominees Once, The Book of Mormon and The Scottsboro Boys receive six nominations each
- The Almeida’s West End transfers Chimerica and Ghosts among ten nominations for the Islington theatre
- Success for the Michael Grandage Season with four nominations across acting categories including Best Actor for Jude Law and Best Actress for Judi Dench
- Matilda The Musical, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Wicked shortlisted for the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award

New musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along lead the list with seven nominations, followed by the Best New Musical nominees Once, The Book of Mormon and The Scottsboro Boys each receiving six nominations. A good year for the Almeida is marked with ten nominations including two in the Best New Play category for Chimerica and 1984, and a Best Revival nomination for Ghosts.

In the coveted categories of Best Actor and Best Actress, Jude Law and Judi Dench receive nominations for their performances in Henry V and Peter and Alice respectively, both part of the successful Michael Grandage Season at the Noël Coward Theatre, which receives four acting nominations in total. They compete with Tom Hiddleston, Henry Goodman and Rory Kinnear for Best Actor, and Anna Chancellor, Lesley Manville and Hayley Atwell for Best Actress.

The Best New Comedy category makes a welcome return with original productions The Duck House, The Full Monty, Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense and The Same Deep Water As Me all vying for the award.

Women dominate the Best Director category with Maria Friedman (Merrily We Roll Along), Susan Stroman (The Scottsboro Boys) and Lyndsey Turner (Chimerica) up against Richard Eyre for his staging of Ghosts.

The highly anticipated shortlist for the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award – the only Olivier Award voted for by the public – is Matilda The Musical, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Wicked.

Contemporary dance is strongly represented with nominations split between the Royal Opera House, the Barbican and Sadler’s Wells. Notable opera nominations include Les VÄ�pres Siciliennes at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera’s new staging of Berg’s Wozzeck up for Best New Opera Production.  English Touring Opera and the Royal Opera House are both nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.

Nominations for the Affiliate category cover the breadth of London with Theatre Royal Stratford East and the Bush Theatre competing against the Soho Theatre and the Tricycle Theatre for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre.

The star-studded 2014 Olivier Awards ceremony will take place at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 13 April with a full television highlights package broadcast on ITV later that evening.

MasterCard will make tickets for the 2014 ceremony available to the public on Monday 10 March at www.pricelesslondon.co.uk.

SAM MENDES' CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY NOMINATED FOR 7 OLIVIER AWARDS & NEW CAST ANNOUNCED
Sam Mendes’ production nominated for seven Olivier Awards

Barry James, Josefina Gabrielle, Richard Dempsey and Kirsty Malpass will join the previously announced Alex Jennings (Willy Wonka) in the cast of the record-breaking West End production of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

At today’s Olivier Awards nomination announcement, it was revealed that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is nominated for seven awards, in the following categories
• MasterCard Best New Musical
• Best Actor in a Musical (Douglas Hodge)
• Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Nigel Planer)
• Best Theatre Choreographer (Peter Darling)
• XL Video Award for Best Set Design (Mark Thompson)
• Best Costume Design (Mark Thompson)
• White Light Award for Best Lighting Design (Paul Pyant)

New cast member Josefina Gabrielle was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical, for her performance in Merrily We Roll Along.

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory Teaser Poster ZOOM

The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 13 April 2014.

In the new cast announced today, Barry James will play the role of Grandpa Joe. Josefina Gabrielle will play Mrs Teavee. Richard Dempsey and Kirsty Malpass will play Charlie’s parents Mr and Mrs Bucket.

Clive Carter (Mr Salt), Jasna Ivir (Mrs Gloop), Paul J Medford (Mr Beauregarde), Billy Boyle (Grandpa George), Roni Page (Grandma Josephine) and Myra Sands (Grandma Georgina) will all remain in the cast.

New ensemble members include: Dan Cooke, Divine Cresswell, Connor Dowling, Gemma Fuller, Robert Jones, Matthew Rowland, Rebecca Seale, Gregory Sims, Paulo Teixeira and Laura Tyrer.

Further casting to be announced.

The new cast members will have their first performance on Monday 19 May 2014.


Barry James’s theatre credits include the role of Seymour in the West End premiere of The Little Shop of Horrors, and Thenardier on the 1988 Grammy Award-winning symphonic cast recording of Les Misérables. Other theatre credits include The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Oliver!, She Loves Me (Olivier-nominated), Grand Hotel (all West End), Sweeney Todd (Olivier-nominated), The Merchant of Venice, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (all NT) and the 25th Anniversary Celebrations of The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall.

Josefina Gabrielle began her career as a soloist with the National Ballet of Portugal. Her theatre credits include: Two Into One (Menier Chocolate Factory); Puss In Boots (Hackney Empire); Merrily We Roll Along (Olivier award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical,  Menier Chocolate Factory, Harold Pinter Theatre and Digital Theatre); The King and I (UK tour; MTA nomination for best actress in a visiting company); Me And My Girl (Sheffield Crucible); Sweet Charity (Menier Chocolate Factory and Theatre Royal Haymarket - Clarence Derwent Award winner and Olivier award nomination for Best Supporting Actress); Hello, Dolly! (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); The 39 Steps (Criterion); The Witches of Eastwick (Prince of Wales); Chicago (Adelphi and Cambridge Theatres); Oklahoma! (National and Lyceum theatres, London, and Gershwin Theatre, New York; nominated for Olivier Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Astaire Award for Outstanding Dance); Fame (Cambridge Theatre) and Carousel (National and Shaftesbury Theatres). Her screen credits include Miranda, Doctors, Ronnie Ancona & Co, Heartbeat, Totally Frank, Born and Bred, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Sunburn and Oklahoma!

Richard Dempsey’s theatre credits include the world tour of Propeller’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Merchant of Venice and Neil Kellerman in the UK Premiere of Dirty Dancing. Other theatre credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Noel Coward Theatre), Victor/Victoria (Southwark Playhouse), Alice in Wonderland Me (Bristol Old Vic), Citizenship/Burn, Honk! (both National Theatre).

Kirsty Malpass has recently finished working opposite Tim Pigott-Smith at the Park Theatre. She made her West End debut in the award winning Jerry Springer the Opera and has worked extensively throughout the West End, regional theatre and in national tours, with directors such as Edward Hall, Matthew Warchus and Jeremy Sams, for whom she made her most recent musical theatre appearance playing Maria in The Sound of Music. She last performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in The Lord of the Rings.

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has quickly become one of the West End’s most popular and successful stage musicals. It has broken West End box office records at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where it has been seen by over half a million people since it opened in June 2013. It is currently taking bookings until 30 May 2015.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is directed by Sam Mendes. Featuring ingenious stagecraft, the wonder of the original story that has captivated the world for almost 50 years is brought to life with music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, a book by award-winning playwright and adaptor David Greig, set and costume designs by Mark Thompson and choreography by Peter Darling.

The Official Cast Recording album is available on Sony Records, on CD and download.

This world premiere musical is produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Neal Street Productions and Langley Park Productions.

www.CharlieandtheChocolateFactory.com
www.facebook.com/CharlieandtheChocolateFactoryUK
www.twitter.com/CharlieChoc_UK


BEVERLEY KNIGHT TO STAR IN MEMPHIS THE MUSICAL - TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The producers of hit Broadway musical MEMPHIS are delighted to officially announce that multi award-winning recording artist Beverley Knight will star as club singer ‘Felicia’ when the show comes to London’s West End this autumn. MEMPHIS, winner of four 2010 Tony Awards® including Best Musical has Grammy® Award-winning original score by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan and book by Joe DiPietro.

MEMPHIS which will have preview performances at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London from 9 October 2014 and Opening Night on 23 October 2014.

Beverley Knight recording her first Live DVD performing songs from her new album at the Porchester Hall in London on 7 Apr. 2011.Photo by Mark Allan ZOOM

Inspired by true events from the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, MEMPHIS follows the fame and forbidden love of a radio DJ who wants to change the world and a club singer who is ready for her big break.


“David Bryan evokes the powerhouse funk of James Brown, the hot guitar riffs of Chuck Berry, the smooth harmonies of the Temptations and the silken, bouncy pop of the great girl groups of the period” Charles Isleworth, New York Times.

Directed by Christopher Ashley and with Choreography by Sergio Trujillo, MEMPHIS has Scenic Design by David Gallo, Costume Design by Paul Tazewell, Lighting Design by Howell Binkley and Sound Design Ken Travis.

Memphis Poster Beverly Knight ZOOM

Queen of British Soul Beverley Knight (Felicia) has been one of the UK’s most consistent artists of the past 15 years, scoring several Top 10 albums, including the platinum-selling Voice: The Best of Beverley Knight. She has sold over a million albums in the UK, including four gold certified albums. She was awarded an MBE by The Queen in 2007 for her services to British music and her charity work, has won three MOBO Awards, and been nominated for Best Female at the Brit Awards three times and for the Mercury Music Prize twice. Her live performances have gained her a legion of famous fans, from David Bowie to Prince, Take That to Quincy Jones. Performances include: supporting Prince at his 21 Nights O2 shows in 2007 and he was so taken by Beverley’s live set that he flew her to LA in 2008 to perform with him at his post-Oscars party, where they were joined on stage by Stevie Wonder. She supported Take That on their reunion arena tour, joining them on stage for ‘Relight My Fire’. Wolverhampton-born Beverley has toured the UK several times in her own right over the last decade and a half and has sold out London’s Royal Albert Hall on three occasions since she debuted there in 2007. In summer 2012, she wowed a 1 billion viewing audience with the song ‘I Am What I Am’ at the finale of the London 2012 Paralympics Opening Ceremony. Most recently, Beverley made her west end debut as ‘Rachel Marron’ in The Bodyguard at the Adelphi Theatre.

MEMPHIS is produced in London by Junkyard Dog Productions, Marlene and Kenny Alhadeff, Barbara Freitag, Joseph Smith and John Brant.




THE ESTABLISHING SHOT - GAMES NEWS:

BRITISH ACADEMY GAMES AWARDS IN 2014 WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The Last Of Us wins five awards including Best Game - Grand Theft Auto V and Tearaway each win three awards - Gone Home wins Debut Game - Rockstar Games presented with Fellowship.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the winners of tonight’s British Academy Games Awards, which celebrated the very best in games of the past year. The ceremony was hosted by Dara O Briain at Tobacco Dock, London E1, where presenters included Rob Beckett, Alex Brooker, Shaun Dooley, Hideo Kojima, Ian Livingstone, Steven Moffat, Chris Ramsay, Carol Vorderman and Wretch 32.

BAFTA Games Awards 2014 Winners Announced

The Last of Us, the post-apocalyptic story of love and loss among the last survivors of humanity, took home five BAFTA awards: Action & Adventure, Audio Achievement, Best Game, Story, and Performer was presented to Ashley Johnson for her role as Ellie.

Grand Theft Auto V, one of the biggest and most technically accomplished games of the year, won in the British Game, Game Design and Multiplayer categories.

BAFTA Games Awards 2014 Winners

Papercraft platformer Tearaway scooped awards for Artistic Achievement, Family and Mobile & Handheld. Rex Crowle, who last year was selected as a BAFTA ‘Breakthrough Brit’ for his exceptionally promising talent, collected his first BAFTA for his work on Tearaway.

Gone Home, a game of exploration in which players piece together a mysterious family story, was awarded the BAFTA for Debut Game.

BAFTA Games Awards 2014 Game Demo

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the story-driven adventure game following two brothers on an epic fairytale journey, won the BAFTA for Game Innovation. The game features the unusual control system that allows one player to simultaneously control both brothers.

The BAFTA for Music was awarded to first-person shooter Bioshock Infinite, which features a selection of iconic modern musical tracks reimagined as if they were made in 1912.

FIFA 14 collected the BAFTA for Sport, the fourth time the franchise has won an award.

BAFTA Games Awards 2014 Forza Demo

Papers, Please, described by creator Lucas Pope as a “dystopian document thriller”, where players take the role of an immigration officer at a border checkpoint picked up the BAFTA for Strategy and Simulation.

Showcasing the best in young games development and design talent, Size DOES Matter – created by a team of student developers in Norway - won the BAFTA Ones to Watch Award in association with Dare to be Digital.

The Fellowship was presented to Rockstar Games for its outstanding and exceptional creative contribution to the games industry. Sam Houser, Dan Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut attended the ceremony to accept the Award on behalf of the company.

BAFTA Games Awards 2014 Winners Interviews

The Awards’ highlights programme will be broadcast on Challenge (Sky: Ch 125, Freeview: Ch 46, Virgin: Ch 139) on Friday 21 March at 10pm.

Earlier today BAFTA successfully launched its inaugural ‘Inside Games’, an event attended by the public showcasing upcoming games from the world’s biggest studios and featuring developer talks and an ‘Indie Games Arcade’.

For general Awards information: www.bafta.org/games/awards

The ceremony will be streamed live online at Twitch.tv. For the first time, BAFTA Los Angeles will be celebrating the awards and the nominees with a series of special events in the USA. BAFTA’s website, www.bafta.org will also feature red carpet highlights, photography and winners interviews, as well as dedicated coverage on its social networks including Facebook (/BAFTA), Twitter (@BAFTAGames / #BAFTAGames), and Tumblr.


HIDEO KOJIMA TO PRESENT ROCKSTAR GAMES WITH FELLOWSHIP
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is delighted to announce that Hideo Kojima, Vice President of Konami Digital Entertainment, will present BAFTA’s Fellowship to Rockstar Games at this year’s British Academy Games Awards ceremony at the Tobacco Dock, London, on Wednesday 12 March.

With a career spanning nearly 30 years in the gaming industry, Mr. Kojima is credited with creating and developing the Metal Gear series, one of the first examples of the stealth action game genre. With credits on over 50 games, including influential series such as Snatcher, Zone of the Enders and Boktai, Mr. Kojima has established himself as one of the most influential game developers in the world. Recognised with Lifetime Achievement Awards by MTV and at the 2009 Game Developers Conference, Mr. Kojima was featured as one of IGN’s top game creators of all time. Mr. Kojima delivered BAFTA’s Annual Games Lecture in 2012, the industry’s leading platform from which individuals share their personal vision for the future of their industry; the lecture is now available to view on the BAFTA Guru website, www.bafta.org/guru.

Awarded annually, the Fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed by the Academy in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film, television or games.

As the driving forces behind Rockstar Games, Sam Houser, Dan Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut will attend the British Academy Games Awards ceremony to accept the accolade on behalf of the company. Fellowships previously bestowed for groundbreaking work in games include Gabe Newell, Peter Molyneux, Shigeru Miyamoto and Will Wright.


ROCKSTAR GAMES TO BE HONOURED WITH BAFTA FELLOWSHIP
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has today announced that Rockstar Games will be presented with the Fellowship at this year’s British Academy Games Awards ceremony at the Tobacco Dock, London, on Wednesday 12 March.

Awarded annually, the Fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed by the Academy in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film, television or games.

Fellowships previously bestowed for groundbreaking work in games include Gabe Newell, Peter Molyneux, Shigeru Miyamoto and Will Wright.

As the driving forces behind Rockstar Games, Sam Houser, Dan Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut will attend the ceremony to accept the accolade on behalf of the company. It is Rockstar Games’ revolutionary approach to games that helped bring the medium to the masses, particularly with Grand Theft Auto, one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful game series of all time.

It was the Grand Theft Auto series’ shift into 3D with Grand Theft Auto III that raised the bar for game-making, as players were immersed in a highly detailed, open world where they could explore gritty urban locations and follow the game’s narrative at their own pace. The game’s resounding success earned the company global recognition.

Grand Theft Auto IV moved the series into high definition and became one of the highest-rated games of all time. The game’s critical success was matched by sales; it earned the Guinness World Record for single day sales of an entertainment product, a record now held by the next game in the series, 2013’s Grand Theft Auto V.

The Grand Theft Auto series, alongside groundbreaking games such as L.A. Noire, Manhunt, Bully and Red Dead Redemption, cemented Rockstar Games’ reputation for creating intricately layered interactive worlds that have kept the company at the forefront of the gaming industry for over a decade, both critically and commercially.

“We have long believed in the potential for videogames to become a new form of cultural expression and worked to show that in our games, so for us accepting the BAFTA Fellowship is incredibly humbling,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “This honour reflects the creative vision and dedication of a huge number of people over many years, and we look forward to accepting the Fellowship on their behalf.”

Harvey Elliott, Chair of BAFTA’s Games Committee, added: “It is hugely exciting to be able to recognise the amazing contribution made by Rockstar to the games industry over the past 16 years. The creativity and passion exhibited by the Rockstar teams have inspired a generation of game developers to raise the bar in every aspect of game development. From design and mechanics, through to storytelling, cinematics and audio immersion, and in the process creating games that compete so profoundly on a global stage across all entertainment media.  Rockstar, this Fellowship is wholly deserved."

The British Academy Games Awards take place on Wednesday 12 March at the Tobacco Dock, London, and will be hosted for the sixth consecutive year by comedian and gamer Dara O Briain The British Academy Games Awards take place on Wednesday 12 March at the Tobacco Dock, London, and will be hosted for the sixth consecutive year by comedian and gamer Dara O Briain.Public tickets for the ceremony and Inside Games, BAFTA’s showcase of the latest games from the world’s biggest studios, can be purchased from http://bit.ly/InsideGames.


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