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Exclusive: Game of Thrones alums Kristofer Hivju and Harry Lloyd have boarded Iris, the Sky thriller from Luther creator Neil Cross.

Hivju will play Jensen Lind, a tortured genius and brilliant scientist, while Lloyd is Hugo Pym, an immaculately composed mystery man who takes on a senior position within The Money, the group that bankrolled lead Cameron McIntyre’s project.

The pair, who played Tormund Giantsbane and Viserys Targaryen respectively in Game of Thrones, are joined in Cross’s series by Marco Leonardi, Angela Bruce (Silver Haze, Doctor Who) and Lorenzo De Moor (A Simple Favor 2, Dolce Fine Giornata). They join the previously announced Tom Hollander and Niamh Algar, who will play the title character and Cameron McIntyre respectively, along with Meréana Tomlinson (The Trials), Sacha Dhawan, Maya Sansa, Peter Sullivan and Debi Mazar (Younger,...

Audiences have grown accustomed to dark visions of what could have been. Television alone has been bombarding the public with intriguing dramas that rewrite history, thus showing us the darker recesses of human behavior. Classics such as Sliders and Fringe or modern binge-worthy shows like Dark Matter and The Man in the High Castle make us thankful for our world and the choices we’ve made while horrifying us with glimpses into bleaker universes.

Even some of television’s most popular sitcoms have shown us what could have been, and while they might be trying to create laughs, they still have indirectly sent the odd shiver down the spines of viewers as well. Let’s take a look at some of the most hilarious, yet terrifying alternate realities in sitcoms.

Red Dwarf – “Parallel Universe”

Any fan of the immortal Red Dwarf will probably agree that, while it’s great that...

Vicky Knight plays a nurse injured in a fire who falls in love with a patient in Sacha Polak’s sombre, thoughtful drama

Here is a tough drama of damaged lives which reunites director Sacha Polak with lead performer Vicky Knight, the star of her 2019 film Dirty God. Knight has spoken with courage about her own childhood experiences of being scarred in a pub fire in London and this film draws on her life, both in terms of her survivor’s story and her adult existence; like her character, she has worked in healthcare.

Knight plays Franky, a nurse haunted by memories of the blaze that injured her, and also by her unresolved feelings about her errant dad who ran out on the family when she was little. Franky falls in love with a troubled patient called Florence (Esmé Creed-Miles), who has tried to take her own life. Franky’s...

Vicky Knight & Esmé Creed-Miles shine with their onscreen chemistry. The cinematography and sound create effective emotional moments. Silver Haze focuses on expressive visuals rather than a strong narrative.

Silver Haze is an appropriate title for writer-director Sacha Polak’s movie, which feels like drifting through a nonsensical but very real wave of emotion. Leading Silver Haze is Vicky Knight as Franky, a nurse who is still looking for answers about the fire that left her badly scarred 15 years ago. Her time is taken up with work, caring for her alcoholic mother, and an unsatisfying relationship with her boyfriend. However, Franky is set on a path of transformation and healing when she meets Florence (Esmé Creed-Miles), a new patient.

7/10

ProsVicky Knight and Esm Creed-Miles have amazing chemistry as the main charactersThe cinematography and sound make certain scenes breathtakingThe story is an effective portrayal of anger, forgiveness, and healingConsThe narrative is...

The BFI has unleashed the trailer for Sacha Polak’s powerful and emotionally charged drama ‘Silver Haze.’

The story centres around 23-year-old Franky (Vicky Knight) who leads a life dedicated to caregiving, juggling her duties as a nurse while being the backbone of her tumultuous family in East London.

Internally, Franky harbours deep-seated anger stemming from a traumatic childhood fire that left her scarred. However, her life transforms when she embarks on a relationship with one of her patients, Florence (Esmé Creed-Miles). The two embark on a journey to Florence’s coastal hometown, where an open-minded and supportive patchwork family welcomes them. In this new environment, Franky finds the emotional sanctuary she desperately needs to confront the demons of her past.

Written and directed by Sacha Polak, the movie stars Vicky Knight, Esmé Creed-Miles, Charlotte Knight, Archie Brigden, and Angela Bruce.

Also in trailers – Exclusive: Johnny Depp stars in first...

‘Silver Haze” is a new Bri-Dutch co-production drama feature, written and directed by Sacha Polak, starring Vicky Knight, Esmé Creed-Miles, Charlotte Knight, Archie Brigden and Angela Bruce, with a theatrical release Tba:

‘…’Franky’ is a nurse obsessed with a thirst for revenge and a need to assign guilt for a traumatic event that happened 15 years before.

“She is unable to build any meaningful relationship until she falls in love with one of her patients…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

“Silver Haze,” directed by Sacha Polak, has debuted its trailer (below) ahead of its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in the Panorama section. Polak’s last film, “Dirty God,” was in Sundance’s World Dramatic Competition, and was the opening film of Intl. Film Festival Rotterdam in 2019.

“Silver Haze,” starring Vicky Knight and Esme Creed Miles, is being sold by New Europe Film Sales. French distribution is being handled by The Jokers, and Cinéart is looking after Benelux distribution.

The film centers on 23-year-old Franky, a nurse who lives with her large family in an East London borough. Obsessed with a thirst for revenge and a need to assign guilt for a traumatic event that happened 15 years before, she is unable to build any meaningful relationship until she falls in love with one of her patients – Florence.

They escape to the coast where Florence lives with her more open-minded patchwork family.

The Berlin Film Festival has unveiled the first titles selected for its Panorama section at the upcoming in-person edition that takes place February 16-26. (Scroll down for the full list)

Among the highlights are Tina Satter’s debut feature Reality starring Euphoria and The White Lotus’ Sydney Sweeney and focusing on the arrest of the American whistle-blower Reality Winner.

Jennifer Reeder is also in with Perpetrator, described as a subversive film that throws conventions to the wind. Kiah McKirnan and Alicia Silverstone star.

Willem Dafoe turns up as an art thief in Vasilis Katsoupis’ Inside. And, Ira Sachs is back with Passages, starring Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw and Adèle Exarchopoulous.

Of the 14 films selected, eleven are world premieres.

Here’s the full list announced today

Al Murhaqoon (The Burdened)

by Amr Gamal | with Khaled Hamdan, Abeer Mohammed, Samah Alamrani, Awsam Abdulrahman, Shahd Algonfedy

Yemen / Sudan / Saudi Arabia 2023

Panorama | World Premiere...

The Berlin Film Festival has revealed the first tranche of titles for its Panorama and Generation strands.

The Panorama lineup includes films from Ukraine, Yemen and about Iran. Of the 14 films selected, 11 are world premieres. There are new films by Sepideh Farsi, Jennifer Reeder, Tina Satter, Sacha Polak, Malene Choi and Ira Sachs.

The films selected for the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions include nine shorts and nine features, including 11 world premieres.

Stars featured in titles across the strands include Willem Dafoe, Ben Whishaw, Adèle Exarchopoulous, Leon Dai and Sydney Sweeney.

The festival takes place Feb. 16-26, 2023.

Panorama Titles

“Al Murhaqoon” (“The Burdened”)

by Amr Gamal. With Khaled Hamdan, Abeer Mohammed, Samah Alamrani, Awsam Abdulrahman, Shahd Algonfedy

Yemen/Sudan/Saudi Arabia

“Au cimetière de la pellicule” (“The Cemetery of Cinema”)

by Thierno Souleymane Diallo

France/Senegal/Guinea/Saudi Arabia

“El castillo” (“The Castle”)

by Martín Benchimol. With Justina Olivo,...

Some Doctor Who characters are intended for greatness; some are intended to be killed off at the end of their first episode. Writers have a lot more control over the second than the first. What remains true for all characters, is the tension that exists between their function in the story and their potential to affect it. Even a guard who simply runs into a room to get shot could have dragged the story in another direction, should they be allowed (this stock background character was the inspiration for Terry Pratchett’s City Watch novels).

Successful one-off characters aren’t necessarily those who break away from their function,, but those who make a story soar to another level entirely. More often, what makes them work is when their function in the story is disguised. There are plenty of ways to do this and most of them intersect: casting, costume, dialogue,...

Imagine if you were the lucky one to succeed in pulling the sword from the stone. You'd be revered as a hero or heroine, your name would be toasted in pubs up and down the country, you'd be a living legend.

Well, unless you pulled the sword from the stone, then toppled backwards because the sword was so heavy, then fall down the stairs behind you, hurt yourself while doing so, and then end up in a big, smelly pile of cow dung in front of a chortling crowd of millions.

That's what Battlefield feels like. It's one of those frustrating tales in which the good bits are regularly balanced out by the story's own limitations. On paper, it's got all the promise of a Who classic. Ancient knights and an evil sorceress do battle with The Doctor and also...

So all of that sounds inviting for the fans and viewers.