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Director Daniel Kokotajlo follows up his 2017 debut Apostasy with a radical shift that no-one could have predicted. Adapted from the Andrew Michael Hurley titular novel, Starve Acre trades the religious fervour of Apostasy for the folkloric kind, though the stark intimacy of Kokotajlo’s restrained filmmaking remains, with mostly solid results.

The film is disorienting from the outset, rupturing an idyllic day out for archeologist Richard (Matt Smith) and his wife Juliette (Morfydd Clark). The couple are picture perfect: lounging against a tree, his head on her lap, until their son Owen (Arthur Shaw) is caught red-handed after gouging the eye from a pony. The family’s move to Richard’s family home in rural Yorkshire proves not to be the salve for Owen’s ailing health that they hoped it to be — in fact, Owen claims to hear the voice of the same spirit that has been haunting Richard since childhood.

by Chad Kennerk

Matt Smith in Starve Acre.

Photo by Chris Harris, Courtesy of Brainstorm Media.

Starve Acre is a gothic folktale for the modern age. Based on the novel and novella of the same name by author Andrew Michael Hurley, Starve Acre concerns Richard and Juliette (Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark), a couple who find themselves facing the unthinkable. When their son Owen begins exhibiting strange behaviour, the pair move to Richard’s countryside childhood home in the hope of a fresh start. As dark forces encroach, the family finds themselves engulfed in a land marked by a hellish history.

Told among the chilling northern landscapes and shot across Yorkshire, the eerie entry marks the second feature from writer/director Daniel Kokotajlo — who previously earned a 2019 Bafta nomination for Apostasy. Kokotajlo’s ode to 70s British folk-horror held its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in October...

Morfydd Clark in Starve Acre Photo: Chris Harris

British director Daniel Kokotajlo's sophomore feature Starve Acre, sees him shift his focus from the Jehovah's Witness faith and the fallout following a young woman's transgression in his début feature Apostasy, to British folk horror.

Based on Andrew Michael Hurley's 2019 novel of the same name, set in 1970s rural Yorkshire, the life of academic archaeologist Richard Willoughby (Matt Smith) and his wife Juliette (Morfydd Clark) is upturned by the sudden death of their young son, Owen. Richard throws himself into his work, exploring a myth connected to his property, while Juliette reaches out to the community. Soon, they become preoccupied by a sinister force that has crept across their threshold, that brings with it the opportunity for an unexpected reconnection.

In conversation with Eye For Film, Kokotajlo discussed the tradition of British folk horror and its resurgence, his artistic background...

Matt Smith (Last Night in Soho) and Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud) star in the supernatural horror film Starve Acre, which is coming our way from BAFTA-nominated Apostasy creator Daniel Kokotajlo. It was announced back in October that the film had secured North American distribution through Brainstorm Media, and now we know what Brainstorm has planned for it: they will be giving Starve Acre a theatrical and VOD release on July 26th. Along with that information comes the unveiling of a trailer for the film, and you can check that out in the embed above.

Based on a novel by Andrew Michael Hurley, Starve Acre is said to be a “brooding horror film” that follows Richard and Juliette, whose seemingly idyllic rural English family life is thrown into turmoil when their son Ewan starts acting out of character. At Starve Acre, their remote family home, archaeologist Richard buries himself in exploring...

There's a long and rich history of nerve-fraying folk horror in British cinema. From Witchfinder General to The Wicker Man, and A Field In England to small-screen offerings like recent Doctor Who chiller '73 Yards', these isles have proven perpetually fertile ground for tales of eldritch terror. And into that canon is about to come writer-director Daniel Kokotajlo's (Apostasy) Starve Acre. An adaptation of Andrew Michael Hurly's same-named novel, the film sees Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark star as a couple whose rural family bliss is disrupted when their son begins acting very strangely. Check out the atmospheric trailer for the movie below:

With its folk legends of 'Dandelion Jack', candlelit séances, creepy kids, reanimated rabbits, and grim-faced stars, the rain-lashed and mud-strewn Starve Acre looks like it'll be right at home amongst its rural horror peers. Here's the official synopsis, offering some tantalising clues as to what's going...

Starve Acre, Daniel Kokotajlo’s folk horror starring Morfydd Clark and Matt Smith, is coming to UK cinemas in September.

After a glitzy world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival last October, Daniel Kokotajlo’s Starve Acre is finally being released in cinemas later this year.

Kokotajlo’s follow-up to his vastly underrated 2017 first feature Apostasy stars Morfydd Clark and Matt Smith as a Yorkshire couple whose life is turned upside down, with terrifying consequences. Starve Acre is based on a book of the same name by Andrew Michael Hurley, published in 2019 and the film adaptation is hitting cinemas on the 6th September, courtesy of BFI Distribution.

Here’s a more detailed synopsis:

1970s, rural Yorkshire. Richard and Juliette Willoughby’s seemingly idyllic family life is thrown into turmoil when their young son Owen starts acting out of character. A sudden, tragic event brings grief and drives a wedge between the once happy couple.

Exclusive: Harry Potter star Tom Felton has boarded Gandhi, the Hansal Mehta-directed streaming series about the iconic Indian nonviolent resistance leader from Applause Entertainment.

Felton will play Josiah Oldfield, Gandhi’s first and best friend during a period he spent in London while studying law. Pratik Gandhi (no relation) is playing Gandhi, as we reported back in May 2022, and we can reveal his real-life partner, Bhamini Oza, will play Kasturba Gandhi, the Mahatma’s wife.

The period drama series has been billed as India’s answer to The Crown, and several scenes are being shot in London this month. As such, British actors James Murray, Jonno Davies, Molly Wright (Apostasy), Simon Lennon, Ralph Adeniyi, Libby Mai and Lindon Alexander are joining Felton in the cast.

Principal photography is underway on location in Brighton on John Jencks’ UK ensemble comedy Promenade.

The UK feature is written by David Wigram, and produced by Apostasy producer Marcie MacLellan. The film is fully financed by Jencks’ The Electric Shadow Company, and produced in association with MacLellan’s company Frank and Lively. It is one of the first feature film productions to benefit from the new UK tax credit, with qualifying films able to receive tax relief of to 40%.

With a 50-strong cast, the film unites 12 different stories in a community of oddballs in a tatty old mansion on the south coast of England.

Matt Smith (Last Night in Soho) and Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud) star in the supernatural horror film Starve Acre, which is coming our way from BAFTA-nominated Apostasy creator Daniel Kokotajlo. We don’t know exactly when the movie is going to be released, but The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Starve Acre just secured multiple distribution deals. Brainstorm Media will be releasing the film in North America, while BFI Distribution will be bringing it to the U.K. and Ireland. The list of deals continues, with other distributors including X Verleih (Germany and Switzerland), Blitz (Ex-Yugoslavia), Galapagos (Poland), Front Row (Middle East), Klockworx (Japan), and Terry Steiner (Airlines).

Starve Acre recently had its World Premiere at the BFI London Film Festival.

Based on a novel by Andrew Michael Hurley, Starve Acre is said to be a “brooding horror film” that follows Richard and Juliette, whose seemingly idyllic rural English...

After a successful premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, brooding and atmospheric folk horror film Starve Acre has been acquired for North American distribution by Brainstorm Media.

Starring Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud) in the lead roles, Starve Acre is written and directed by Daniel Kokotajlo based on the book by Andrew Michael Hurly.

About Starve Acre, set in “1970s, rural England. Richard and Juliette’s seemingly idyllic family life is thrown into turmoil when their son starts acting out of character. At Starve Acre, their remote family home, archaeologist Richard buries himself in exploring a folkloric myth that the ancient oak tree on their land is imbued with phenomenal powers. While Juliette turns to the local community to find some kind of peace, Richard obsessively digs deeper. An unexpected discovery soon occupies the couple’s attention and dark and sinister forces, unwittingly allowed into the home,...

Cornerstone has closed sales on multiple territories, including North America and the U.K., for writer and director Daniel Kokotajlo’s “Starve Acre,” a brooding and atmospheric folk horror feature. “House of the Dragon’s” Matt Smith and “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” actor Morfydd Clark star in the film, which is produced by House Prods.

The deals were finalized following the film’s world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, where it screened in competition. Brainstorm Media has acquired distribution rights for North America and Cornerstone also closed a deal with BFI Distribution for the U.K. and Ireland. Additional deals include X Verleih (Germany and Switzerland), Blitz (Ex-Yugoslavia), Galapagos (Poland), Front Row (Middle East), Klockworx (Japan) and Terry Steiner (Airlines).

“Starve Acre” is written and directed by Kokotajlo, based on the book by Andrew Michael Hurly, and with music by Matthew Herbert. It is produced by Tessa Ross,...

Film debuted in competition at BFI London Film Festival this month.

Cornerstone has secured key deals for Daniel Kokotajlo’s UK feature Starve Acre, starring Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark.

The film has sold to North America (Brainstorm Media), UK-Ireland (BFI Distribution), Germany and Switzerland (X Verleih), former Yugoslavia (Blitz), Poland (Galapagos), Middle East (Front Row), Japan (Klockworx) and airlines (Terry Steiner).

Starve Acre had its world premiere at BFI London Film Festival earlier this month. Set in 1970s rural England, the film is a folk horror in which a couple’s idyllic family life is thrown into turmoil when...

Starve Acre, the chilling folk horror from British writer and director Daniel Kokotajlo (Apostasy) and starring Morfydd Clark (The Rings of Power) and Matt Smith (The Crown), has landed U.S. and U.K deals.

Cornerstone has closed sales on multiple territories on the film, with Brainstorm Media acquiring distribution rights for North America and BFI Distribution picking it up for the the U.K. and Ireland. The deals were finalized following the film’s world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival where it screened In competition. Additional deals include X Verleih (Germany and Switzerland), Blitz (Ex-Yugoslavia), Galapagos (Poland), Front Row (Middle East), Klockworx (Japan) and Terry Steiner (Airlines).

Written and directed by Kokotajlo and his second feature following his critically lauded debut feature Apostasy, Starve Acre is based on the book by Andrew Michael Hurly and is set in rural England in the 1970s. The story follows a...

You can smell what’s happening in “Starve Acre” before you puzzle the rest of it out. The grassy, peaty dampness of its rural Yorkshire setting seems to hit the olfactory glands without any scratch-and-sniff assistance, only intensifying as the film unearths its literally deep-buried secrets. Daniel Kokotajlo’s impressive second feature unfolds in a vein of British folk horror that has been popular of late — with films from Ben Wheatley’s “A Field in England” to Mark Jenkins’s “Enys Men” all tapping into that retro “Wicker Man” eeriness — but rarely with such rattling sensory specificity or formal refinement. Starring Morfydd Clark and Matt Smith as former townies unprepared for the full burden of lore they inherit with their desolate farmhouse, it’s a tale of quite outlandish fantastical leaps, grounded by the chills it also finds in common weather and wildlife.

Premiering in the main competition at this year’s London Film Festival,...

With great success comes great expectation, and I doubt that Daniel Kokotajlo’s Starve Acre will quite live up to the favorable notices of his first feature, the BAFTA-nominated Apostasy. The story, which has been adapted from a novel by Andrew Michael Hurley, concerns Richard (Matt Smith) and Juliette Willoughby (Morfydd Clark), who have recently moved from the city to the comparatively desolate Yorkshire Dales. At the village fair, their son Owen, who has complained of hearing the voice and whistles of a sprite named Jack Grey, blinds a horse with a sharp stick and is duly sent to a psychiatric hospital. Shortly after his consultation, which includes a nightmarish brain scan, he dies suddenly at the family home, paralyzing Richard and Juliette and further enlivening the spirit that so tormented him.

It is here the film takes its boldest, most bewildering turn. After Owen’s death, Richard commits himself...

London film festival Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark play an unhappy couple who have moved to the moors with their young son, and soon become entwined in the occult

Award-winning director Daniel Kokotajlo made a real impression five years ago with his fiercely distinctive debut feature, Apostasy, set in an enclosed religious world. Here is his diverting but frankly more generic follow-up, adapted from the novel by Andrew Michael Hurley. It is billed as contemporary folk horror but borders on film-school pastiche, and “contemporary” means set in the era of The Wicker Man in the early 70s – a British world of brown corduroy, Austin 1100s, no central heating, odd locals and a persistent, sinister encroaching gloom in the countryside. The movie teeters on a knife-edge between scary and silly, and yet without that weird flavour of silly, the scares wouldn’t mean as much.

Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark, two...

It’s a been quite a life-changing few years for Morfydd Clark. After breaking out as a troubled and God-fearing palliative care nurse in A24’s wonderfully unsettling and critically lauded psychological horror Saint Maud, which was finally released in 2021 after several pandemic delays, the fast-rising Welsh actress headed straight to Middle-earth, fronting The Rings of Power’s ensemble cast as the young and fearless Galadriel.

The second season of Amazon’s megabudget J.R.R. Tolkien prequel wrapped earlier this year, but before donning Galadriel’s battle armor for another orc battle, Clark found the time to venture back into creepy genre territories with Starve Acre, getting its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on Thursday.

From Brit director Daniel Kokotajlo — whose hugely well-received 2017 debut Apostasy earned a BAFTA nomination — and based on the book by Andrew Michael Hurly, the gothic horror sees Clarke star alongside Matt Smith as...

Voting will close on November 1.

Voting is now open for the Big Screen Award’s Best British Film of the Year 2023.

The vote closes on November 1 and the winner will be announced at the Big Screen Awards ceremony on November 23 at The Brewery in London.

The Big Screen Awards 2023: Best British Film Of The Year

Last year’s best British film was awarded to Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast with Mark Jenkin’s Bait winning in 2019 and 2018’s inaugural prize going to Daniel Kokotajlo’s Apostasy.

The full list of nominees for this year’s Big Screen Awards can be found here.

The 2023 London Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday (Oct. 4) with the European premiere of Emerald Fennell’s sophomore feature Saltburn. While the ongoing actors strike means that the films lead cast — including Jacob Elordi, Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike — won’t be in attendance at Royal Festival Hall, there will be a new face o look out for in Lff creative director Kristy Matheson.

The Australian, who previously headed up the Edinburgh Film Festival, joined the U.K.’s most prominent film event earlier this year, taking over from Tricia Tuttle who, alongside her predecessor Clare Stewart, had helped build Lff into both a major public cinematic celebration as well as a significant industry stop on the festival calendar. While London may not compete with the A-list events in terms of its pulling power, its autumnal positioning just as awards season creaks into gear has given it both the chance...

More than a year and a half has gone by since we heard that Matt Smith (Last Night in Soho) and Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud) had signed on to star in the supernatural horror film Starve Acre, coming our way from BAFTA-nominated Apostasy creator Daniel Kokotajlo. Now we finally have a positive update to share about the project: Starve Acre will be having its World Premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, where it will be screening In Competition. Along with that confirmation comes the unveiling of a pair of first look images from the film that show Smith and Clark’s characters. You can check those out at the bottom of this article.

The BFI London Film Festival is scheduled to take place in October and will be running from the 4th to the 15th.

Based on a novel by Andrew Michael Hurley, Starve Acre is said to be...

The buyers’ event is organised by the BFI and British Council.

Janis Pugh’s Chuck Chuck Baby, Amrou Al-Kadhi’s Layla and Daniel Kokotajlo’s sophomore feature, Starve Acre, are among the eight features selected for Great8, the annual Cannes buyers’ showcase of UK films from emerging directors organised by the British Film Institute (BFI) and British Council.

The showcase, now in its sixth year, presents UK feature films from first and second-time filmmakers to international distributors and festival programmers. It is funded and run by the BFI and British Council, in partnership with BBC Film and Film4.

In preparation for the Marché,...

“The Crown” star Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark, who will appear in the upcoming “Lord of the Rings” series “The Rings of Power,” will star together in a supernatural horror film called “Starve Acre.”

Daniel Kokotajlo (“Apostasy”) will direct and write the screenplay for his sophomore film based on the novel of the same name by Andrew Michael Hurley.

Set in 1970s rural England, the story follows an archaeologist named Richard, who buries himself in exploring a folkloric myth that the ancient oak tree on the land his family lives on is imbued with phenomenal powers. While his wife, Juliette, turns to the local community to find some kind of peace, Richard obsessively digs deeper. But an unexpected discovery soon occupies the couple’s attention and their seemingly idyllic family life is thrown into turmoil when their son Ewan starts acting out of character, creating an insurmountable wedge between the once happy couple.

“Doctor Who” star Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark are set to star in supernatural horror film “Starve Acre.”

From BAFTA-nominated “Apostasy” writer and director Daniel Kokotajlo, “Starve Acre” explores “inherited trauma and loss within a world ruled by supernatural folklore.”

The film is based on Andrew Michael Hurley’s novel of the same name.

BAFTA and Emmy Award nominee Smith (“House of the Dragon”) and BAFTA Cymru winner Morfydd Clark (“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”) will play a disconnected couple worried about their son in the “brooding and stylistic modern horror.”

Set in their family estate, Starve Acre, in rural 1970s England, Richard (played by Smith) and Juliette (Clark) find their idyllic family life disrupted when their son Ewan starts acting strangely. The formerly happy couple grow farther apart when Richard buries himself in local folklore -— including the myth that an ancient oak tree set...

The Crown star Matt Smith and Saint Maud’s Morfydd Clark are to lead supernatural horror film Starve Acre from BAFTA-nominated Apostasy creator Daniel Kokotajlo. Cornerstone is handling world sales and will launch at next month’s European Film Market.

The brooding horror film, which is adapted from an Andrew Michael Hurley novel and will enter production in the Spring, follows Richard and Juliette, whose seemingly idyllic rural English family life is thrown into turmoil when their son Ewan starts acting out of character. At Starve Acre, their remote family home, archaeologist Richard buries himself in exploring a folkloric myth that the ancient oak tree on their land is imbued with phenomenal powers, while Juliette turns to the local community to find some kind of peace.

Tessa Ross and Juliette Howell’s prolific House Productions is producing the film, which is being developed with BBC Film and funded by BBC Film,...

The film is based on Andrew Michael Hurley’s novel of the same name.

Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark have signed to star in UK project Starve Acre, the second feature from Apostasy director Daniel Kokotajlo, which Cornerstone FIlms is launching at the online European Film Market.

The film is in pre-production and will start shooting this spring in the UK, having been developed and backed by BBC Film, and backed by Access Entertainment and the BFI. Tessa Ross and Juliette Howell are producing for House Productions, alongside Emma Duffy.

The film is based on Andrew Michael Hurley’s 2019 novel of the same name.

The U.K. mod revival of the late 1970s and 1980s was a retro-minded movement, albeit meshed a little with then-current trends: a bit of contemporary punk, a bit of midcentury Teddy Boy grease, all swirled together with a swagger that peaked in 1979’s time-capsule rock opera “Quadrophenia.” , “The Pebble and the Boy” forgets the present-day touch that made the earlier revival hip, presenting us with a pair of Zoomers on scooters who feel wholly middle-aged in conception and sensibility. The result is an exercise in retro-upon-retro nostalgia that feels as ill-defined as a Xerox of a Xerox, though die-hard dad mods will thrill to its styling and soundtrack.

“Once a mod, always a mod” is the mantra repeated by multiple characters in the course of writer-director Chris Green’s leanly plotted film, which, even across a scant 80-minute running time, manages to repeat itself in more ways than that alone.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is on the jury for the key UK film prize.

Lee Haven Jones, Harry Wootliff and Rob Savage, the directors of The Feast, True Things and Dashcam respectively, have been shortlisted for the £50,000 Iwc Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award in association with the BFI, which will be presented on Sunday October 17 as part of the BFI London Film Festival (Lff).

Haven Jones has been selected for his debut feature, while Wootliff and Savage are both selected for their second films. This year’s winner will be chosen by writer, actor and producer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, alongside BFI CEO Ben Roberts.

Exclusive: Chernobyl and His Dark Materials actor Robert Emms has joined the cast of Lucasfilm and Disney+’s Rogue One spinoff series Andor, which is currently filming in the UK.

The action adventure series centers on the Cassian Andor character prior to the events of Rogue One in the early days of the rebellion against the Empire.

Also starring with Luna are Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Genevieve O’Reilly, Stellan Skarsgard, Fiona Shaw, and Kyle Soller.

Toby Haynes is lead director on the 12-episode first season, which is due to launch in 2022. Ben Caron and Susanna White will also direct episodes. Writers include Stephen Schiff and Tony Gilroy. Filming is due to wrap this summer.

Neal Scanlan has been part of the creature and droid effects for the series after doing the same for all of Disney’s Star Wars films, including Rogue One.

Annual bursary prize is awarded at the BFI London Film Festival.

Diversity standards have been introduced to the Iwc Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award, which grants a £50,000 prize to a UK-based writer, director, or writer-director with a first or second film at the BFI London Film Festival.

For the first time, all of the projects by the filmmakers applying for the annual award will have to meet BFI Diversity Standards, in a bid to support underrepresented filmmakers and raise awareness of the drive towards greater inclusion.

The BFI Diversity Standards – which are a requirement for the majority of public funding for film in the UK,...

This week’s major BIFA nominees were all shut out by the European Film Awards.

UK producers have emphasised their commitment to European co-production on the eve of the European Film Awards (EFAs), in which UK films are conspicuous by their absence.

Two non-uk actors in UK-European productions are the sole representatives in the Efa nominations: Viggo Mortensen for Falling and Natasha Berezhnaya for Dau. Natasha.

“From a filmmaker’s point of view, we mostly are very pro-European,” said Andrea Cornwell, the producer of Rose Glass’s Saint Maud. This week the low-budget horror film received a record 17 Bifa nominations...

Letitia Wright gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Altheia Jones-LeCointe in Steve McQueen’s Mangrove, shot by Shabier Kirchner Welcome to this week's Stay-At-Home Seven. If you're looking for more inspiration, you can read our recent Spotlight on Chinese Cinema here and last week's Stay-At-Home selection.

Perfect 10, BBC iPlayer until December 6

If you missed this on its VoD release in summer, there's a chance to catch up with this strong debut from Eva Riley, which is showing as a series of first films on the BBC - which also has the equally watchable atmospheric psychodrama Make Up and Jehovah's Witness community-set drama Apostasy available to view on iPlayer at the moment. Teenage gymnast Frankie Box proves she's equally adept at acting as she vaults into the role of Leigh, a youngster whose mother has died and who is struggling to garner any attention from her grieving dad (William Ash). When...

Series includes British independent titles released theatrically in the last three years.

BBC Film and the BFI have united on a new series of UK films from the past three years which will screen on BBC Two on a weekly basis.

‘British Film Premiere: New Films From New Voices’ marks a change in broadcast strategy for films previously on theatrical release: of the seven films in the series, six had a theatrical premiere within the last two years.

BBC Film (previously known as BBC Films) and the BFI negotiated with the films’ distributors to allow for a shorter window to the broadcast premiere.

Canadian Comedy Jann Heads To Hulu

Hit Canadian comedy Jann is headed to the U.S. with streamer Hulu. From Andrew Barnsley, executive producer of Schitt’s Creek, the half-hour original comedy stars Canadian singer and broadcaster Jann Arden as a fictionalized version of herself. CTV, Project 10 Productions, and Seven24 Films are behind the series, which was the most-watched new Canadian comedy series in 2018-2019. The deal was struck by Project 10 Productions and Seven24 Films.

Borat London Stunt

Because…why not? From 2Pm GMT today a giant blowup Borat will be floating down London’s River Thames to mark the launch of Amazon’s Borat sequel starring Sacha Baron Cohen. Starting at London’s Tower Bridge, the blowup will travel to the London Eye and back again. It’s getting chilly out there. Luckily he is appropriately attired.

North America Deal For Horror Beast Mode

Exclusive: Devilworks Pictures will give...

Cathy Brady, Aleem Khan, and Francis Lee make the shortlist.

The BFI has revealed the shortlist for the three filmmakers in the running for the Iwc Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award, which grants a £50,000 prize to a UK-based writer, director, or writer-director with a first or second film at the BFI London Film Festival.

The 2020 shortlist comprises Cathy Brady, writer-director of Wildfire; Aleem Khan, writer-director of After Love; and Francis Lee, writer-director of Ammonite.

The jury will be led by Michaela Coel, the creator and star of HBO/BBC drama series I May Destroy You, who will be joined by BFI...

The BFI and Iwc Schaffhausen today revealed the three filmmakers shortlisted for the annual Iwc Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award, given in association with the UK film organization.

The 2020 contenders are Cathy Brady, writer-director of debut feature Wildfire, Aleem Khan, writer-director of debut feature After Love, and Francis Lee, writer-director of sophomore feature Ammonite, starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.

At £50,000 ($65k), and now in its fifth year, the prize is one of the most significant bursaries of its kind in the UK, expressly designed to support the future careers of promising new UK film talent.

Brit multi-hyphenate Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You) will join Ben Roberts, Chief Executive of the BFI and Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of luxury watch maker Iwc Schaffhausen, to select the winner, which will be announced at the BFI London Film Festival 2020 Virtual Lff Audience Awards, on Sunday 18 October – the closing night of the festival.

Chaired by Tricia Tuttle,...

Update: After today’s story that Creative England’s popular iFeatures scheme was looking at an uncertain future, Lady Macbeth producer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly and director William Oldroyd got in touch to ask if they could send over a comment to voice their support for the program, which I’ve added to the end of this article.

Exclusive: I can reveal that iFeatures, the UK funding initiative that has developed successful low-budget pics including Lady Macbeth and Apostasy, is facing an uncertain future with Creative England and its partners now reviewing the program.

Rumors started swirling in UK producing circles last week that participants in the current iteration of iFeatures had been told the initiative would be shelved after the completion of this edition. I understand that this talk was premature, but Creative England has confirmed to us that it is seeking a new backer to ensure the program’s future.

Directors include Bifa winners Jason Wingard and Carol Salter.

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

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

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

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

Danny Boyle will lead the judging panel for the prize.

The BFI has selected the three filmmakers on the shortlist for its Iwc Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award, which gives a £50,000 prize to a UK-based writer, director or writer-director with a first or second film at the BFI London Film Festival.

The chosen three this year are Rose Glass, writer-director of Saint Maud; Hong Khaou, writer-director of Monsoon; and Peter Mackie Burns, director of Rialto.

All three are previous Screen Stars of Tomorrow: Burns in 2005, Khaou in 2013, and Glass in 2018.

The winner will be chosen by a panel headed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Danny Boyle,...

The lab is running in a year-long format for a second year.

Creative England’s iFeatures – the low-budget feature initiative backed by the BFI, BBC Films and ScreenSkills – has named the 12 projects that will take place in the latest round of its development lab.

Participants include Anna Griffin, a former Screen Star of Tomorrow who has credits including as co-producer on The Levelling and Calibre, both through her time at Wellington Films. Her project Boa Constrictor is from writer-director Tom Haines.

Another former Star on this year’s roster is Helen Simmons, who has worked as a producer on Harry Michell...

Will invest up to £500,000 per project.

The Liverpool Film Office has launched its own production fund for feature films, TV drama, animation and comedy series shooting in the Liverpool city area.

Unveiled on the 30th anniversary of the Film Office, the fund is open now to local, national and international companies, and will typically invest up to 20% of a production’s budget.

There is a £500,000 per project cap, and the investments can be combined with other public and private money as well as with the UK tax credits.

An initial £2 million capital for the fund has been provided by the...

This evening the 2019 Critics Circle Award were held at the May Fair Hotel in London. Each year the ceremony brings together the finest in modern film and 2019 continues to focus a wider spotlight than the glitzier events.

Yorgos Lanthimos’ cruelty-saoked period drama The Favourite is rightly, well – the favourite for many of the awards. Paweł Pawlikowski’s Cold War joins Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here, Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma and Rupert Everett’s The Happy Prince with five nominations apiece.

As well as the winners (indicated in Bold) below we were on the red carpet to speak with the nominees and guests at the event.

We spoke to Richard E. Grant (Star Wars Episode IX), Anya Taylor-Joy, Fionn Whitehead (Back Mirror Bandersnatch, Dunkirk & many more this evening the 2019 Critics Circle Award, which were held at the May Fair Hotel in London. Each year the ceremony brings together...

After similar wins in Los Angeles and New York, Alfonson Cuarón’s “Roma” has once again been named the year’s best film, this time by the London Film Critics Circle. It also won Director of the Year laurels, with other major prizes going to “Cold War” (Foreign-Language Film of the Year) and “The Favourite”.

We appear to have reached a familiar awards-season crossroads, dear readers, in which the critics’ awards diverge from those handed out by the guilds. “Roma” is the clear favorite among the former group, while a consensus has yet to emerge among the latter — “Green Book” won big with the PGA last night, but the DGA and SAG have yet to announce their winners. Whatever the case, see the full list of winners from London below:

Film Of The Year

“Roma”

Foreign-language Film Of The Year

“Cold War”

Documentary Of The Year

“Faces Places”

British/Irish...

After ruling the U.S. critics’ award circuit, “Roma” continued its dominance on the other side of the pond, as the London Film Critics’ Circle announced its winners tonight. A week after landing seven BAFTA nominations, Alfonso Cuarón’s Mexico City memory piece landed film of the year and director of the year honors from the group — which, its name notwithstanding, includes print, online and broadcast critics from across the U.K.

However, it was Yorgos Lanthimos’s dark historical comedy “The Favourite” that ended the night with the most wins: Having led the Circle’s nominations with 10 bids, it won four, including best actress for Olivia Colman, best supporting actress for Rachel Weisz and the screenplay prize for co-writers Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. Though it lost the top award, it was named British/Irish film of the year.

Distributor picks up company record 25 Bafta nods.

In its final year of independent operation prior to the Disney takeover, Twentieth Century Fox once again led the field for most Baftas nominations, picking up a company record 25.

For the fourth time in five years Fox led the pack, this year ahead of Entertainment One and Universal, which both recorded 15.

Fox’s best-performing title was period comedy The Favourite (12 nominations), released by Fox Searchlight, followed by Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (7 nominations). Its further contenders are Can You Ever Forgive Me? (three nods), Isle Of Dogs (two), and Widows (one).

Universal picked up seven nominations for First Man,...

Yorgos Lanthimos’ dark historical comedy “The Favourite” lived up to its title with the London Film Critics’ Circle on Tuesday, nabbing 10 awards nominations from the group – twice as many as its nearest rivals.

Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma,” Lynne Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here,” Rupert Everett’s “The Happy Prince” and Pawel Pawlikowski’s European Film Awards sweeper “Cold War” followed with five apiece. All will compete for the group’s Film of the Year award, alongside Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” Damien Chazelle’s “First Man,” Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed,” Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace” and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Palme d’Or-winning “Shoplifters.” Two women, Ramsay and Granik, were named in the Director of the Year lineup, joining Cuarón, Pawlikowski and Lanthimos.

At the lunchtime nomination event held at London’s May Fair Hotel, the group also announced the recipient of its annual Dilys Powell Award for...

Among new members are Maren Ade, Hugh Grant and Hayley Squires.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) has revealed its 2018 intake of new members drawn from the film, TV and games industry.

Among the 386 new members are actors Hugh Grant, Willem Dafoe and Hayley Squires, directors Maren Ade (Toni Erdmann), Daniel Kokotajlo (Apostasy) and Michael Pearce (Beast), film execs Shana Eddy-Grouf (Studiocanal) and Katie Goodson-Thomas (Fox Searchlight), and La La Land producers Jordan Horowitz and Fred Berger.

Former UK and Ireland Screen Stars of Tomorrow in the new intake include producer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly and actor Jessie Barden.

The 39th annual London Critics’ Circle Film Awards are almost upon us and the nominations for this year’s celebration will be announced on Tuesday 18th December at The May Fair Hotel. Such films as The Favourite, Vice, If Beale Street Could Talk, A Star Is Born and more are set to fight it out for this year’s awards.

British actors Molly Wright and Lee Shone will announce the nominations with all critics having received their ballots this week, with all films released in a UK cinema between mid-February 2018 and mid-February 2018 eligible to be nominated.

Molly Wright is best known for her work as recurring characters on the BBC television dramas The A Word alongside Christopher Eccleston and Our Girl with Ben Aldridge. She made her feature debut this year in Daniel Kokotajlo’s acclaimed drama Apostasy. Wright said, “With such an inspiring year in film, I’m excited...

“The Favourite” proved to be just that at the 2018 British Independent Film Awards, winning a whopping 10 categories including Best Picture. Coming into the evening with a lucky 13 nominations, it lost just two races: Best Film Editing to “American Animals” and Best Sound to “You Were Never Really Here,” which also took home the prize for Best Music. “The Favourite” had two nominees in Best Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz won over, among others, co-star Emma Stone. (Scroll down to see the complete list of winners and read the full report on the BIFAs)

To be eligible for consideration, films had to be intended for theatrical release, produced or co-produced by a British company and have budgets of under 10 million pounds. This year’s ceremony took place at the Old Billingsgate market.

Discuss All the Oscar contenders with Hollywood insiders in our notorious forums

Best Picture

“American Animals”

“Beast”

“Disobedience”

X – “The...

Over the past couple of years liberal cinema has been growing. Films led by Lgbt characters, films led by female characters, and – more recently – films that offer a critical stance on religion and dogma. Disobedience, the new film from A Fantastic Woman director Sebastián Lelio, encapsulates all three.

In an Orthodox Jewish community in North London, previous defector Ronit (Rachel Weisz) returns from New York to mourn the death of her father (Anton Lesser in a powerful cameo), a well-respected rabbi. She must face the judgmental eyes of the pious, but she’s not prepared for the news that her best friends from the past Dovid (Alessandro Nivola) and Esti (Rachel McAdams) have married. We soon understand that Ronit and Esti had a scorned lesbian affair with one another, and now that buried passion is looking to open itself up again.

Weisz is at the height of her abilities here:...

We are big supporters of the annual BIFAs, and in the past have interviewed up and coming stars such as Joe Cole, Maisie Williams, Asa Butterfield, Alicia Vikander and Gugu Mbatha-Raw at the London events. It celebrates the best of this country’s independent filmmaking, and the road to Bifa 2018 has begun.

The nominees were announced yesterday in a ceremony hosted by Ellie Bamber & Arinze Kene, which you can see below. You can also see interviews conducted with some of the class of 2018 including nominees Molly Wright (Apostasy), Jessie Buckley (Beast) and Beast writer director Michael Pearce.

The full list of nominees is below – see you on the 2nd of December…

Best British Independent Film American Animals Beast Disobedience The Favourite You Were Never Really Here Wilson Best Director Andrew Haigh ​— Lean On Pete Yorgos Lanthimos — The Favourite Bart Layton — American Animals Michael Pearce — Beast Lynne Ramsay — You Were Never...