News

Michael Sheen is self-financing a new national theater in his native Wales.

The Good Omens, Twilight and Staged star will launch a theater company to fill the gap left by the 2024 shutdown of National Theatre Wales, forced to close after a 1.6 million pound ($1.96m) funding cut.

Sheen will be the artistic director of the Welsh National Theatre and plans to feature in its first production, currently set for fall 2026 at Cardiff’s Millennium Centre stage.

The actor said the closure of National Theatre Wales was “incredibly sad, but not a surprise”, and that it motivated him to find a solution. “[I realized] if we don’t find a way to reimagine the way forward, it may be a long time — if ever — that we have the opportunity to have a national theater in Wales again.”

“I want it to be something that represents the rich culture that we are and always have been in this country,...

The National Theatre production of Coriolanus, starring David Oyelowo, will become available for streaming starting in January.

The production, which played London’s Olivier Theatre in a two-month run this past fall, will stream on National Theatre at Home’s subscription platform starting Jan. 2. This play, and making the production more accessible, especially given its political resonance, holds particular importance for Oyelowo, the Selma and Lawmen: Bass Reeves star who made his return to the stage in the title role.

“Not everyone can get to London, or everyone can afford those prices, and then quite a lot of people are just intimidated by Shakespeare, and so access to it in an environment that is maybe less intimidating, or means less of an effort to get to the theater in order to engage with a play that you’re already intimidated by, those are all things that I really embrace,” Oyelowo said.

If you missed Tom Holland’s starring turn in “Romeo & Juliet” on the West End earlier this fall, now is your chance to get a taste of British theater — this time, for free and without leaving your home.

Enter London’s iconic Olivier stage with a viewing of Michael Sheen-led Welsh fantasia play “Nye” via National Theatre at Home (Nt at Home), a streaming service designed to offer theatrical plays to viewers globally. “Nye” will stream for free on the National Theatre YouTube channel from 7 p.m. GMT on Thursday, Nov. 7 until Monday, Nov. 11.

Per the show’s description, in “Nye,” “Michael Sheen plays Nye Bevan in a surreal and spectacular journey through the life and legacy of the man who transformed Britain’s welfare state and created the NHS. Confronted with death, Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan’s deepest memories lead him on a mind-bending journey back through his...

Oscar-nominated Rosamund Pike will make her debut at London’s National Theatre in 2025, and they’ve given her the starring role in the world premiere of a new work by Suzie Miller, the playwright who created Prima Facie, the legal drama that catapulted Jodie Comer to Olivier and Tony Award trophies.

Pike has been cast in Miller’s Inter Alia, in which she’ll play a British High Court judge forced to reckon with conflict in her private and professional life. The production will reunite Miller with director Justin Martin, who also directed Comer in Prima Facie in the West End and on Broadway.

Inter Alia will be part of the final season of National Theatre director and co-chief executive Rufus Norris, who steps down from his post on March 31, 2025 after a decade at the helm of the UK’s flagship theatrical institution. Norris...

Sam Mendes is bringing back his acclaimed, Tony Award-winning blockbuster production of The Lehman Trilogy for a fourth run in London.

It’s quite a thing to bring the play, considered a modern classic, back into central London when it just played a 16-week season at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, running until May of last year.

“There’s an enormous appetite for the play, even more so because its been on screen in cinemas via Nt Live,” noted Caro Newling who runs the theater division of All3Media-owned Neal Street Productions, founded by Newling, Mendes, and Pippa Harris.

The new production, produced by the National Theatre and Neal Street, will return to that same Gillian Lynne stage for a limited 14-week slot from September 24 through January 5, 2025. It will be featuring the incredible rotating glass-box scenic design created by Es Devlin, dynamic videos designed by Luke Halls, and stunning lighting design by Jon Clark.

If it sounds bonkers, it’s because it is. Olivia Colman and Tom Hardy once starred in a musical murder mystery drama. London Road is a 2015 film based on a musical play of the same name. The play uses the case of serial killer Steve Wright and his five victims as a backdrop for its main story — about how the crimes affected this little community, putting Ipswich on the map. Both the play and the film adaptation are directed by Rufus Norris, and a part of the original cast reprises their roles in the film. Adding to the peculiarity, London Road uses the words spoken by the neighbors verbatim as the lyrics for all of its catchy songs.

Julianna Margulies and Peter Gallagher will star in Left On Tenth, a new play by Delia Ephron based on her bestselling memoir that’s set to open on Broadway in the fall.

The announcement was made today by producer Daryl Roth. Susan Stroman is on board to direct. A venue and dates will be announced later.

The synopsis: “Left on Tenth is a true story about love, hope, and the wonder of second chances. When she least expects it, Delia Ephron, best-selling novelist and screenwriter of You’ve Got Mail, makes a surprising connection with a man from her past and falls into her own romantic comedy. As their immediate spark blossoms into a love story that seems to defy all odds, Delia’s life takes an unexpected turn. Left on Tenth tells the messy, beautiful truth about getting older while feeling young, as it celebrates two people with the courage...

Action for AIDS, Gayhealth.sg and director Leon Cheo are happy to announce that the Emmy®-nominated short form series is back for a third season on Dec 7, 2023 with the six episodes released weekly on www.youtube.com/gayhealth. The finale episode goes live on Jan 11, 2024. The series' third season explores how community can support but also be destructive.

Synopsis

“People Like Us: Season 3” continues exploring the lives of Joel, Ridzwan, Rai and Isaac, as they seek love, happiness and acceptance as gay Singaporeans. Post-‘honeymoon' phase, Rai and Haniff face challenges as a serodiscordant couple. Joel and Ridzwan find their own ways to deal with their grief. Meanwhile, Isaac falls deeper into his substance addiction. Will it be happily ever after?

Show Background

Co-developed with Action for AIDS Singapore, season two of “People Like Us” was nominated for Best Short Form Series at the 2020 International Emmy® Awards. The first...

Exclusive: Starring an electrifying Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard ends its limited run at London’s Savoy Theatre on January 6. However, Deadline can reveal in its 2024 West End look ahead that the singer will lead the Andrew Lloyd Webber show to Broadway in November, according to insiders connected with the production.

Scherzinger, who won the Evening Standard’s best musical performance prize for her show-stopping turn as Norma Desmond, has indicated to producers that she will commit to a six-month season in New York, we understand. The Es also recently named the show’s helmer Jamie Lloyd as Best Director [Disclosure: this writer is a member of the Es judging panel].

Nicole Scherzinger in ‘Sunset Boulevard’

Meanwhile, another Es winner, Jack Thorne’s glorious drama The Motive and the Cue, staged by Sam Mendes, has transferred from London’s National Theatre to the Noël Coward, and we can also reveal The Motive and the Cue is in the early stages of discussions for a run in NYC.

Indhu Rubasingham, an acclaimed theater practitioner, has broken the decades-long white male hold on the reins of power at the National Theatre by being appointed its artistic director, it was being revealed Wednesday in London.

She succeeds current director and chief executive Rufus Norris, who, by the time he departs in 2025, would have held the job for a decade over two terms.

Long tipped for the job, Rubasingham will assume Norris’s director title but will share chief executive duties jointly with present Nt executive director Kate Varah.

In a statement released via the Nt, Rubasingham said that her appointment was ”a huge honor — for me, this is the best job in the world.“ She added that the opportunity to play a role in the Nt’s history “is an incredible privilege and responsibility.”

She said she has witnessed firsthand “the commitment, collaboration, brilliance and pride of those who bring the magic to the building.

Exclusive: Joseph Fiennes has scored a winner with playwright James Graham’s knockout stage play Dear England, which will transfer from London’s National Theatre to the West End in the fall.

The play is an uplifting dramatization of Gareth Southgate’s inspirational leadership of the England’s men’s soccer team and has garnered strong reviews.

Dear England will run at the Cameron Mackintosh-owned Prince Edward Theatre in Soho, London for a 14-week season from October 9. National Theatre Productions is producing.

Fiennes will transfer with the drama. He has been praised for capturing Southgate’s determination to reignite the England team’s pride, plus the sense that the bloke’s a darn good egg. England stars such as captain Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling are also played in the show by actors.

Joseph Fiennes portrays Gareth Southgate in Dear England at National Theatre.

It’s succession season at the UK’s National Theatre with Rufus Norris, the institution’s Artistic Director, announcing that he will step down in 2025 after a decade in the post.

“It’s good to keep leadership evolving,” Norris noted during a press conference at the National’s base on the south side of the River Thames, in the shadow of Waterloo Bridge.

The National’s board will determine Norris’s successor. They will cast a net far and wide and there’s an eagerness to end the white male hold on the Nt’s leadership.

Meanwhile, Norris has been getting on with the business of running the country’s flagship theatre company.

Nt Artistic Director Rufus Norris. Photo by Baz Bamigboye/Deadline.

Succession star Harriet Walter returns to the Nt to lead a new adaptation by Alice Birch of Federico Garcia Lorca’s The House of Bernardo Alba.

It...

Exclusive: Standing at the Sky’s Edge, which won best musical at the Olivier Awards Sunday night, will transfer to the West End’s Gillian Lynne Theatre early in 2024, Deadline can reveal.

The show written by playwright Chris Bush, featuring rock songs from the catalog of Richard Hawley, moves into the Gillian Lynne from February for an initial six-month season.

It won two prizes at Sunday’s ceremony: the all-important best musical honor and original score or new orchestrations for Hawley’s music and lyrics and Tom Deering’s orchestrations.

The story is set in Park Hill, a brutalist apartment block built in the early 1960s, and follows three families who occupy one particular flat at different periods over six decades. Hawley describes it as a “love letter” to his hometown of Sheffield in South Yorkshire.

Standing at the Sky’s Edge played two seasons at the Crucible Theatre in...

Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) is set to portray England men’s soccer coach Gareth Southgate in a new play at the National Theatre in London.

Playwright James Graham (Sherwood) has penned the play, titled Dear England, and he told the BBC in a new interview that the production will chronicle the “gentle revolution” in the England soccer team since Southgate took charge.

“I think what has happened to the men’s England football team over the past six years has been quietly extraordinary,” Graham told BBC News.

“It’s been humming along in the background, but we’re only starting to really understand now Gareth’s gentle revolution.”

British theatre director Rupert Goold will helm the play, which National Theatre artistic director Rufus Norris described as “a captivating examination into the complex psychology of the much loved beautiful game.”

Southgate, a former England international, was named England national team...

Exclusive: Julianna Margulies (The Morning Show) has signed with CAA for representation.

Margulies is a three-time Emmy winning actress, author and producer who first garnered recognition for her starring roles as ER nurse manager Carol Hathaway on NBC’s ER and attorney Alicia Florrick on CBS’s The Good Wife, for which she also served as a producer. She claimed six Emmy noms and one statuette for her work on the former series between 1995 and 2000, then going on to secure four noms and two statuettes for the latter, having also been recognized over the course of her career with eight SAG Awards, a Golden Globe, a Television Critics Association Award and other accolades.

Margulies currently stars alongside Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston on Apple TV+’s Emmy-winning drama series, The Morning Show. She joined as Uba News anchor Laura Peterson in Season 2 and in August inked a deal to return...

Ah, the musical! When sound became a part of the movies, the genre was all the rage, absolutely dominating the 1940s and '50s. Then, there was an exceptionally long period when musicals were few and far between. Thankfully, for those who love them, musicals have made a pretty strong comeback in the 21st century, with "Chicago" winning a best picture Oscar and films like "La La Land," "Dreamgirls," Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story," and "Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again" making an impact at the box office.

Thankfully, these joyous explosions of music and visuals have regained their popularity in mainstream cinema. While they haven't quite reached the popularity they had decades ago, you can count on at least a couple of quality musicals being released each year, which is a great thrill for fans of the genre. I'd prefer one released each month, but I'll take what I can get!

Exclusive: After his breakout role as Eddie Munson on Stranger Things Vol. 4, Joseph Quinn has found a new agency as he has signed with CAA. The fourth season has been breaking records all summer long and Quinn has been one of the big winners as one of the newest members of the cast.

Quinn will next appear in Luna Carmoon’s debut feature Hoard, which is currently in post-production. His credits also include the BBC mini-series Dickensian; the BAFTA-nominated, Kenneth Lonergan-written Howards End mini-series for BBC and Starz; the Sky and HBO mini-series Catherine The Great, opposite Helen Mirren; Game of Thrones; BBC’s retelling of Les Miserables and Steve McQueen’s Small Axe.

Quinn has also gained acclaim for his theater work in Wish List, which won the Bruntwood prize, and Mosquitoes, starring opposite Olivia Colman and directed by Rufus Norris. He continues to be represented by The Curtis Brown Group Ltd; Goodman,...

The sun is shining, the stars have made their way down the red carpet and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ (BAFTA) Television Awards is underway at the Royal Festival Hall in London, U.K.

The event – the first time it has taken place in person in three years due to the Covid pandemic – is being hosted by comedian and director Richard Ayoade (“The It Crowd”).

Among those nominated for a gong tonight are songstress “An Audience With Adele,” for best entertainment program, Rose Matafeo is nominated for best female performance in a comedy for “Starstruck” while Olly Alexander is nominated for leading actor for “It’s A Sin.”

Meanwhile the contenders for best international series will be one of the most fraught with some of the past year’s most talked-about series – including “Call My Agent,” “Mare of Easttown,” “Squid Games” and “Succession – up for an award.

Ncuti Gatwa...

‘Landscapers’ earned seven nominations, whilst Help and ’Time’ received six.

Russel T Davies’ It’s A Sin leads the nominations for this year’s Bafta Television and Bafta Craft awards.

The drama, produced by Red Production Company for UK broadcaster Channel 4, earned 11 nominations, including mini-series, leading actor for Olly Alexander, actress for Lydia West, director: fiction for Peter Hoar, writer: drama for Davies and three supporting actor nods for Callum Scott Howells, David Carlyle and Omari Douglas.

Drama Landscapers, produced by Sister for Sky Atlantic, earned seven nominations including mini-series and leading actor for David Thewlis.

Jack Thorne’s...

‘Landscapers’ earned seven nominations, whilst Help and ’Time’ received six.

Russel T Davies’ It’s A Sin leads the nominations for this year’s Bafta Television and Bafta Craft awards.

The drama, produced by Red Production Company for UK broadcaster Channel 4, earned 11 nominations, including mini-series, leading actor for Olly Alexander, actress for Lydia West, director: fiction for Peter Hoar, writer: drama for Davies and three supporting actor nods for Callum Scott Howells, David Carlyle and Omari Douglas.

Drama Landscapers, produced by Sister for Sky Atlantic, earned seven nominations including mini-series and leading actor for David Thewlis.

Jack Thorne’s...

Exclusive: Leah Harvey is set to join A24’s Tuesday starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The film is the directing debut of Daina O. Pusic. Lola Petticrew will play Louis-Dreyfus’ daughter, with Arinzé Kene rounding out the ensemble. A24 had no comment on the casting.

Ivana MacKinnon will produce through her Wild Swim Films along with Helen Gladders of Gingerbread Pictures and Oliver Roskill of Record Player Films alongside A24.

The story is being described as a mother-daughter fairytale, the plot is being kept under wraps.

The project was developed with BBC Film, BFI, and Gingerbread Pictures. BBC Film joins A24 as co-financing partners, alongside BFI awarding funds from the National Lottery, and Cinereach.

Harvey recently wrapped shooting the first season as the lead of the new Skydance / Apple TV+ series Foundation. She was previously seen as the lead role in the National Theater’s production of Small Island, directed by Rufus Norris.

In today’s Global Bulletin, the National Theatre shares details on its upcoming “Romeo and Juliet” feature adaptation, HBO Europe and ITV commission documentaries on Covid-19 and the Irish mother and baby home scandal respectively, Tim picks up Discovery Plus in Italy, Oble acquires Start series “Gold Diggers” and “A Good Man” to sell globally and Channel 4 announces three new digital series for its E4 platform.

Theater

One day after announcing new deputy director Clint Dyer, the National Theatre has dropped a first-look image of its upcoming production of “Romeo and Juliet,” produced as a feature film to be broadcast on Sky Arts and PBS this April.

Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley will play the young star-crossed lovers, as seen in the image of the couple as they meet on Juliet’s balcony in front of a full moon.

Further casting has been announced as well, with Olivier Award...

The production will be filmed at the Lyttelton Theatre building on London’s South Bank.

The UK’s National Theatre (Nt) is to make its first original film with a screen production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet starring Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley.

The production was first announced last year, intended for stage at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton theatre in London this summer.

That theatrical run was withdrawn due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the Nt has reimagined it as a 90-minute filmed version, directed by Nt associate Simon Godwin, and adapted for screen by Emily Burns.

Josh O’Connor, who plays Prince Charles in season 4 of Netflix’s “The Crown,” and BAFTA winner Jessie Buckley are set to star as Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers in “Romeo & Juliet,” a made-for-television production by the U.K.’s National Theatre.

“Romeo & Juliet” was originally scheduled to play this summer to theater audiences, but was called off due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now re-conceived for the screen, this new 90-minute version will be shot over three weeks in the National Theatre’s Lyttelton theater, which will be temporarily transformed into a studio.

Rehearsals will begin in November and filming in December. The production will bow on PBS in the U.S. and on Sky Arts in the U.K. in 2021.

While the National Theatre has broadcast stage productions to cinemas for over a decade through its popular National Theatre Live program, this will be the first time an original...

London Film Festival Lineup Revealed

The Lff has revealed its industry program, with speakers including Ava DuVernay, Jane Tranter, Ted Hope and Sundance director Tabitha Jackson. James Schamus will be take part in a panel discussion as part of the production finance market and there will also be spotlights on first films and new UK producers. All talks and events will take place digitally between October 7-18. Below is the lineup in full.

· Spotlight conversation – Ava DuVernay and Array

· Spotlight conversation – Jane Tranter from Bad Wolf

· Taking Black Writers Seriously pitching event with Ida Rose and the Young Vic

· Telling Black Stories on Screen – Kemp Powers and Kwame-Kwei-Armah in conversation

· From Big Screen to Small Screen, How Film Producers Navigate the World of Television with Ed Guiney and Allon Reich

· In Focus – Independent Producers with Ameenah Ayub Allen, Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly, Matthew Wilkinson, Joy Ghatoro-Akopojotor, Elhum Shakerifar and Helen Simmons...

Programme also includes ‘Normal People’ and ‘Devs’ producers discussing move to TV.

Award-winning director Ava DuVernay has joined the BFI London Film Festival’s industry programme, which is set to reflect on a tumultuous year and consider the future of the business.

The line-up, which will take place entirely online, is led by a Spotlight conversation between DuVernay and team members from her media, arts and social impact organisation Array. The session will explore their model and approach to working across multiple platforms to amplify underrepresented voices and build a more inclusive industry.

Panel discussions include a focus on how...

Award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay and “Succession” executive producer Jane Tranter are among a range of figures participating at this year’s British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival’s industry program.

The program, which is virtual this year, is headlined by two ‘Spotlight’ conversations. DuVernay will be in conversation with the crew from her non-profit media and social justice organization Array. The session will examine the Array model and approach to working across multiple platforms to amplify underrepresented voices and build a more inclusive industry.

The Spotlight conversation with Jane Tranter is in association with Variety and is moderated by the publication’s international editor. Tranter, who co-founded Bad Wolf with Julie Gardner, has credits that also include HBO’s “The Night Of” and “Industry,” Sky’s “A Discovery of Witches” and BBC and HBO’s “His Dark Materials.”

Elsewhere, a panel featuring “Room” and “Normal People” producer Ed Guiney...

Meghan Markle is kicking off the new year with her first royal patronages! On Thursday, the National Theatre officially declared the Duchess of Sussex as its new royal patron. "The National Theatre is honored to announce that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex has become its Royal Patron. The patronage reflects Her Royal Highness's belief in using the arts to bring people from different backgrounds and communities together," a statement on its website read. There had previously been buzz that Meghan was considering the National Theatre as a patronage after reports surfaced that she recently held a private meeting with National Theatre director Rufus Norris.

The National Theatre patronage was previously held by Queen Elizabeth II (she helped open the theater's building back in 1976), but she has passed it on to Meghan as a continuation of her efforts to scale back on her commitments and introduce the world...

National Theatre artist in residence Alexander Zeldin will write and direct.

National Theatre artist in residence Alexander Zeldin will write and direct a feature adaptation of stage play Love for BBC Two.

The project is a collaboration between BBC Films, BBC Arts, Arts Council England, Cuba Pictures and the National Theatre, and will air on BBC Two in late autumn as part of the BBC’s Performance Live strand.

Love starts its two-week shoot in London this week. The cast includes Nick Holder, Anna Calder-Marshall, Luke Clarke and Janet Etuk, reprising the roles they originated on stage.

The play opened...

David Schwimmer is exec producing a television adaptation of British stage play Love for the BBC. The Friends star is one of the team behind the feature-length film, which is being produced by McMafia producer Cuba Pictures.

Love, written and directed by National Theatre Artist in Residence Alexander Zeldin, tells the story of families brought together and placed in temporary accommodation in the run up to Christmas.

It follows Colin, a middle-aged man, played by Nick Holder, who starred in ABC’s Galavant and C4’s Coalition, and his elderly mother Barbara, played by Wuthering Heights star Anna Calder-Marshall, who are relocated from their previous housing, and a young couple – Dean and Emma – preparing to welcome a new child into their family. Luke Clarke and Janet Etuk, who were in the original stage play, reprise their roles as Dean and Emma.

The play originally opened at the National Theatre in...

Rufus Norris calls for the government to scrap Ebacc.Artistic director of the National Theatre, Rufus Norris, used an article in The Guardian last week to call for the government to scrap the Ebacc and to make the case for the value of drama in schools. The government’s approach to arts and drama in state schools has been widely criticised since their introduction of the controversial Ebacc in 2012. A system of measuring a student’s learning that does not include any creative subjects, the Ebacc effectively means art and drama are no longer valued qualifications. The effect has been that numbers of students taking drama at GCSEs and A Level have dwindled and schools are forced to give less support to creative subjects. Norris said that the government has “bought into” three myths surrounding creativity: “that the true artist is born, mysteriously fully formed in their own exceptional talent...

Exclusive: Open Palm Films launches with Dromgoole-directed drama ‘Making Noise Quietly’; first-look image.

Dominic Dromgoole, former artistic director of London’s Globe theatre, has launched film production company Open Palm Films.

The indie outfit has recently wrapped its first production Making Noise Quietly (for which Screen can reveal the first image), a drama which is directed by Dromgoole and is adapted from Robert Holman’s well-received stage play of the same name.

The triptych of war-related stories follows a conscientious objector and a roaming artist during the Second World War; a bereaved mother struggling with the loss of her son who died in the Falklands; and an ageing holocaust survivor who seeks to bring peace to a disturbed young boy in Germany.

The film stars Deborah Findlay (The Lady In The Van), Barbara Marten (Oranges and Sunshine), Trystan Gravelle (National Treasure), Geoffrey Streafeild (Rush), Luke Thompson (Dunkirk) and Matthew Tennyson who reprises his role from the stage...

Google will demo the Fantastic Beasts virtual reality experience at the London event on December 6.

Speakers from Google and Sony have joined the line-up for the Vr Creative Summit.

Google Daydream’s head of content and business development Greg Ivanov and the director of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s immersive technology group Simon Benson are the latest additions to the programme at the event, which is being organised by Screen publisher Mbi.

Google will also be demonstrating its latest Vr experience, which has been developed for the release of Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, at the event.

Ivanov is part of the team responsible for the web giant’s forthcoming Daydream View, a Vr headset and controller which will complement its more mainstream Cardboard offering.

Meanwhile former Formula 1 simulation engineer Benson, who joined Sony 16 years ago, heads up a team responsible for bringing immersive experiences to the PlayStation games console.

They join a...

From Birdly to Jesus Vr, Screen’s editorial team pick 10 of the best virtual reality experiences from the festival circuit ahead of the Vr Creative Summit in December.

Having been widely dubbed the Year of Virtual Reality by industry figures and press alike, 2016 has been a watershed moment for the emerging medium.

Film festivals across the globe hosted Vr showcases this year, incorporating Vr films into their programme and markets, many doing so in a serious way for the first time.

Starting at January’s Sundance Film Festival, which hosted Vr experiences including The Martian and Notes On Blindness in its New Frontier programme, Vr remained a consistent presence through Tribeca’s Virtual Arcade in April, Cannes’ Marche Next programme in May, and Pop Vr at Tiff in September, alongside more medium-sized festivals such as Sheffield Doc/Fest, Jerusalem and Sarajevo.

Vr at this year’s Cannes Film Festival

Compiling choices from across those festivals and further...

While Damien Chazelle’s latest musical “La La Land” has garnered universal acclaim when it premiered at Venice last week, another musical is currently making the rounds now. Rufus Norris’ “London Road” tells the story of the Ipswich community’s reaction to the 2006 Steve Wright killings of five sex workers in the area. Based on Adam Cork and Alecky Blythe 2011 musical of the same name, the film is a “verbatim musical,” using the exact words of the residents of London Road as “lyrics” and setting them to an innovative musical score inspired by their actual dialects and intonations. The film stars Olivia Colman (“Peep Show”), Anita Dobson (“EastEnders”), Tom Hardy (“Mad Max: Fury Road”), and more. Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.

Read More: ‘London Road’ Trailer: Tom Hardy Is a Singing Cab Driver In Real-Life Serial Murder Musical

The original musical had two sell-out runs at London...

All this week, IndieWire will be rolling out our annual Fall Preview, including offerings that span genres, a close examination of some of the year’s biggest breakouts, all the awards contenders you need to know about now and special attention to all the new movies you need to get through a jam-packed fall movie-going season. Check back every day for a new look at the best the season has to offer, and clear your schedule, because we’re going to fill it right up.

“The Light Between Oceans,” September 2

Derek Cianfrance’s sweet spot is relationship dramas that don’t balk at showing just how damn hard it can be to love someone and to sustain that love (hi, “Blue Valentine”), and with his big screen adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name, he takes those interests and skills right to a post-World War I landscape tailormade for a sweeping,...

There’s something about the concept of a series of brutal murders in Great Britain that just sets the heart to singing, no? The Jack The Ripper killings have been adapted into at least two full-length musicals—once in 1974 and again in 1996 (neither of which being particularly memorable)—with god knows how many half-completed, half-hearted attempts decaying in four-track recorders in garages all over the world. And then there’s Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 Broadway hit Sweeney Todd, the gold standard for melodious Grand Guignol extravaganza. And here is the latest offering to the niche genre—Rufus Norris’ film adaptation of Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork’s 2011 Royal National Theatre play, London Road.

Set against the backdrop of the Ipswich serial murders that terrorized the inhabitants of Suffolk, England in the mid-’00s, this retelling uses the precise testimony of the serial killers’ neighbors on London Road ...

"So, we got together as a community... We just want to see an end, London Road getting back to being London Road." BBC Films has unveiled a new official Us trailer for the musical adaptation London Road, the big screen version of the musical that was a big hit on stages in London in 2011 and 2012. "Using their own words set to an innovative musical score, London Road tells a moving story of ordinary people coming together during the darkest of experiences." It's about a small town that was disturbed by a murderer, and the locals who wanted to tell their story. The cast features all the same people from the original stage show, including Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, Anita Dobson, James Doherty, Kate Fleetwood and many others. This film already opened in the UK last year, but is just getting its Us release this fall. Take a look. Here's the...

Last month BBC Worldwide North America acquired the distribution rights to “London Road” and has now released its first Us trailer. The film is directed by Rufus Norris and written by Alecky Blythe, with music by Adam Cork, and is the movie adaptation of the British National Theatre musical of the same name.

“London Road” stars Olivia Colman and features Tom Hardy and the entire cast of the stage version. The story is based on real-life incidents from 2006, when the town of Ipswich was shattered by the discovery of the bodies of five women who were murdered by Steve Wright. When Wright was arrested and charged for the homicides, the residents of London Road were shocked and grappled with what it meant to be at the epicenter of this tragedy.

Read More: Tom Hardy Musical ‘London Road’ Lands Distributor

The musical includes recorded interviews with the people of Ipswich, used as part of the lyrics,...

Even though it's only a small role, one of the big draws of the upcoming British musical "London Road" is that we get to see Tom Hardy participate.

Based on the stage show with the entire original London cast landing roles in the movie, the true story tale ties into the real life murder of five sex workers in Ipswich in 2006. When a local resident was charged, and then convicted, the community grappled with what it meant to be at the heart of this tragedy.

The film uses the actual words of the residents of London Road, and sets it to an innovative musical score. "Broadchurch" alum Olivia Colman leads the cast while Rufus Norris helms the project which opens September 9th.

After a festival and international run last year, the U.S. trailer has landed for London Road a dark, yet “life affirming” musical about a small town who try to recover after a tragedy. Adapted from the acclaimed London’s National Theater production, director Rufus Norris has assembled the entire cast of the stage version and congealed them with the likes of Tom Hardy — yes, Tom Hardy is in a musical — and Olivia Colman to create something that seems rather unique. The trailer, featuring an assortment of festival banners and rave reviews, demonstrates the blend of dark grief, levity deriving from the simplicity of humanity, and life-affirming hope.

We said in our review, “Ideally, big-screen takes on massively successful musicals will do two things. First, and most obviously, is capturing the pleasures of an original work, making clear why people flocked towards this material in the first place. Second, and more complexly,...

Tom Hardy is examining the tragedy of Ipswich in the upcoming mystery movie, ‘London Road,’ whose U.S. rights have been acquired by BBC Worldwide North America. The action movie, which is the film adaptation of the ground-breaking National Theatre play of the same name, is scheduled to be released in theaters in September. The musically-driven ‘London Road’ marks the feature film writing debut by Alecky Blythe, who also contributed to the lyrics of the project’s songs with Adam Cork. The movie was directed by ‘Broken’ helmer, Rufus Norris. In addition to Hardy, the mystery film features an ensemble cast that includes Olivia Colman and Anita Dobson. The drama also features [ Read More ]

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You’d think with National Theater director Rufus Norris (“Broken”) and stars Tom Hardy and Olivia Colman on board, the movie adaptation of the British musical stage phenomenon “London Road” would be a cinch for a North American pickup.

Well, while you have to give Hardy points for joining this ambitious sung musical—and pulling off his role, which is small—the London subject matter may be too arcane for a crossover arthouse hit. But I am happy to report that BBC Worldwide North America is bringing the movie, which debuted at last fall’s Toronto International Film Festival, to theaters in September.

In fact this ground-breaking theater musical helped to put Norris on the map—and landed him the directorship at the National. The debut film by writer Alecky Blythe, with music by Adam Cork and lyrics by Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork, “London Road” features an ensemble mostly comprised of its original stage cast, who had the necessary chops to deliver it.

Read More: National Theater Directors Nick Hytner and Rufus Norris Hit the Movies

Astonishingly, the play used Blythe’s verbatim transcripts from people she interviewed who were involved in tracking a serial killer of prostitutes on London Road—she edited them into a sung musical, which the actors had to execute precisely. BBC Films backed the film, with the National Theatre executive producing; by the time they shot it, Norris had been appointed as the next director, in a clear vote for innovation.

The National, in one of its “experimental provocations,” threw Blythe together with composer Adam Cork in a kind of shotgun marriage in a workshop to write and compose together. And then Alecky went back to Ipswich in 2006 and started meeting people, and it built up from there. Norris decided to turn the hit play into a workable movie, altering the structure and adding one key song that performs the feat of moving the viewer into a musical.

Norris could only have pulled off the low-budget movie with actors who knew the material inside out, but they did add several cinema players to help get it made: Colman and Hardy. When “London Road” hits theaters, do check it out. You’ve never seen anything quite like it.

Related storiesTIFF Review: Musical 'London Road' Starring Olivia Colman, Paul Thornley, Tom Hardy, MoreWatch: First Trailer For Musical 'London Road' Starring Olivia Colman & Tom HardyTom Hardy Joins Musical 'London Road,' Ryan Reynolds Visits 'Woman In Gold' & More...

The musical thriller “London Road,” featuring Tom Hardy in a single seen as a singing cabbie, will be distributed by BBC Worldwide North America. The BBC film unit acquired the U.S. rights to the film, which traces the 2006 discovery of five dead women in the sleepy rural town of Ipswich. A fall theatrical release is planned, though it’s unclear how BBC will handle distribution. Based on true events, and on the musical of the same name, the film was directed by Rufus Norris and written by Adam Cork and Alecky Blythe. Also Read: Tom Hardy Is a Very Dangerous Man in.

Peter Shaffer, the Oscar-winning playwright whose work included the award-winning drams “Amadeus” and “Equus,” died Monday, the Associated Press reported. He was 90. According to Shaffer’s agent Rupert Lord, Shaffer died while visiting friends and family in southwest Ireland. Rufus Norris, the artistic director of the National Theatre, which is reviving “Amadeus” in the fall, called Shaffer “one of the great writers of his generation,” adding, “The plays he leaves behind are an enduring legacy.” Also Read: Angela Paton, 'Groundhog Day' Actress, Dies at 86 Shaffer, who was born in Liverpool in 1926, scored his first hit with 1964’s “The Royal Hunt of.

As the main topic of this year’s festival, Docaviv will feature a select group of thought-provoking films about a world that is changing with the collapse of physical and social boundaries, growing economic disparities, the waves of refugees and immigrants, civil wars, international terrorism, and the ultimate undoing of social solidarity.

Within the framework of this theme the program does not only include documentaries about terror and refugees, but also about a fragmented society which is losing its solidarity. Both in Israel and elsewhere the gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening, and so are the frustrations and the unrest. Israeli and international titles correlating to these themes can be found throughout the entire festival program:

“Death in the terminal” - Directors Tali Shemesh (“The Cemetery Club”) and Assaf Surd

A tense, minute-by-minute, Rashomon-style account of a tragic day. On October 18, 2015, a terrorist armed with a gun and a knife entered Beersheba’s bus terminal. Within 18 minutes Omri Levy, a soldier was killed and Abtum Zarhum, Eritrean immigrant asylum seeker, was lynched after being mistaken for a terrorist.

“The Settlers” - Premiered in Sundance, Director Shimon Dotan.

A far-reaching, comprehensive look at the Jewish settlement enterprise in the West Bank. It examines the origins of the settlement movement and the religious and ideological visions that propelled it, while providing an intimate look at the people at the center of the greatest geopolitical challenge now facing Israel and the international community. (Isa Contact: Cinephil)

“Town on a Wire” - premiered at Cph: Dox Dir: Uri Rosenwaks

While Tel Aviv is thriving, just ten minutes away lies the town of Lod, right in the backyard of Israel’s bustling urban center. Unlike its affluent neighbor, Lod is a city that suffers from the blight of racism, crime, and sheer desperation. Can it be saved? Is there some way to bring hope to Lod’s Arab and Jewish residents?

“Foucoammare”/ “Fire at Sea” - by Gianfranco Rosi - winner of Golden Bear, Berlinale 2016 -every day the inhabitants of the Italian Island Lampedusa are confronted with the flight of refugees to Europe . These people long for peace and freedom and often only their dead bodies are pulled out of the water. (Contact Isa: Doc & Film Int’l. U.S.: Kino Lorber)

“Between fences” – by Avi Mograbi -. In an Israeli detention center asylum-seekers from Eritrea and Sudan can’t be sent back to their own countries, but have no prospects in Israel either thanks to the country’s policies. Chen Alon and Avi Mograbi, initiate a theatre workshop to give these people the opportunity to address their own experiences of forced migration and discrimination and to confront an Israeli society that views them as dangerous infiltrators.

“A Syrian Love Story” – by Sean McAllister -You can’t be Che Guevara and a mother Amer tells Raghda, but maybe she can't do it any other way. After years of struggle, life without her homeland and the revolution has no meaning for her. It is hard to determine what is more demanding in this bold film: the revolution, or the search for inner peace. (Contact Isa: Cat & Docs)

“Homo Sapiens” – by Nikolaus Geyrhalter - what does humanity leave behind when its gone? It sometimes seems as if the mark that humans leave on this planet will last forever. The truth is that the iron, bricks, cement, and steel – the human traces everywhere abandoned and forgotten – are erased by the forces of nature. This unusually beautiful film may lack people and words, but that leaves even more room for thought.(Contact Isa: Autlook)

“Land of the Enlightened” – Premiered at Sundance Ff 2016. Shot over seven years on evocative 16mm footage, first-time director Pieter-Jan De Pue paints a whimsical yet haunting look at the condition of Afghanistan left for the next generation. As American soldiers prepare to leave, we follow De Pue deep into this hidden land where young boys form wild gangs to control trade routes, sell explosives from mines left over from war, making the new rules of war based on the harsh landscape left to them. (Contact Isa: Films Boutique)

“Flickering Truth” - Premiered at Toronto Ff 2015. Director Pietra Brettkelly (The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins) directs this harrowing, compelling film about the power of cinema to preserve our history and in so doing potentially change our futures. (Contact Isa: Film Sales Company)

“Requiem for the American Dream” - Directed by Peter D. Hutchison, Kelly Nyks, Jared P. Scott. In ten chilling but lucid chapters, Noam Chomsky, one of the great intellectuals of our time, analyzes the “system,” which allows wealthy capitalists to seize the reins of government and turn those without wealth into a passive herd, willing to forego power, solidarity, and democracy itself. (U.S.: Gravitas. Contact Isa: Films Transit)

The festival will open with a first film by Israeli director Roman Shumunov

“Babylon Dreamers” Directed by Roman Somonob. An intimate report about a troupe of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, from one of Ashdod’s poorest neighborhoods; they struggle to survive facing harsh conditions - poverty, mental illness, and broken families. They channel their anger and cling to their dream of attending and winning the International Breakdance Championship.

Israeli Competition

Some 70 Israeli films produced over the last year were submitted out of which 13 films have been selected for the Israeli Competition. They will be competing for the largest cash prize for documentary filmmaking in Israel 70,000 Nis (Us$ 15,000). Other awards in the competition include the Mayor’s Prize for the Most Promising Filmmaker, the Prize for Editing, the Prize for Cinematography, the Prize for Research, and the Prize for Original Score.

"The Wonderful Kingdom of Papa Alaev," directors Tal Barda, Noam Pinchas -Tajikistan’s answer to the Jackson Family. A modern-day Shakespearean tale about a famous Tajik musical family, controlled by their charismatic patriarch-grandfather - Papa Alaev.

"A Tale of Two Balloons" by Zohar Wagner - The tale of a women who thought a pair of perfect breasts would help her find true love. But when that love came along, those perfect breasts had to go.

"Aida's Secrets," director Alon Schwarz - At 68, Izak learns he has a brother he never knew about. As part of the discoveries about the family, the film uncovers the story of the Displaced Persons camps- the vibrant and often wild social life that flourished immediately after WW2.

"Child Mother" by Yael Kipper and Ronen Zaretzky - The story of elderly women born in Morocco and Yemen, who were married off when they were still little girls. Only now, as they enter the final chapter of their lives, do they openly face their past and the ways it still affects them and their families.

"The Last Shaman" directed by Raz Degan - Inspired by an article he read, James decides to travel to the Amazon rainforests, in search of a shaman whom he thinks can save him from a clinical depression that haunts him.

"The Patriarch's Room" by Danae Elon -The bizarre imprisonment of the former head of the Greek Orthodox Church in a tiny monastic cell in Jerusalem’s Old City leads to a fascinating journey in search of the truth, penetrating the remote world of the priesthood. The complex and unfamiliar picture that emerges is revealed here, on camera, for the very first time.

"Poetics of the Brain" by Nurith Aviv –weaving associative links between her personal biographical stories and neuroscientists’ accounts of their work. They discuss topics such as memory, bilingualism, reading, mirror neurons, smell, traces of experience.

"Shalom Italia," by Tamar Tal Anati (winner of Docaviv for Life in Stills) -Three Italian Jewish brothers set off on a journey through Tuscany, in search of a cave where they hid as children to escape the Nazis. Their quest, full of humor, food and Tuscan landscapes, straddles the boundary between history and myth, both of which really, truly happened.

"Week 23" by Ohad Milstein - Rahel, the daughter of a Swiss bishop, is coping with a difficult pregnancy in Israel. One of the identical twins she is carrying has died in utero, and now poses an almost certain threat to its sibling. The doctors are unequivocal about it. They tell Rahel that she should abort the surviving fetus and end her pregnancy.

"The Settlers" by Shimon Dotan; Town On A Wire directed by Uri Rosenwaksand Eyal Blachson; Death in the Terminal by Tali Shemesh and Asaf Sudry, and Babylon Dreamers by Roman Shumunov.

The Members of the selection committee included Sinai Abt, artistic director of the Docaviv Film Festival; director Reuven Brodsky, winner of Docaviv in 2012 for his film Home Movie and of Honorable Mention at Docaviv in 2015 and film editor Ayelet Ofarim.

Twelve films have been selected for the International Competition, which will open with the The Happy Film by Stefan Seigmeister. Also competing are Jerzy Sladkowski’s Don Juan, winner of the Idfa Award; Author: The J.T. LeRoy Story about the imaginary cult figure who became the darling of New York society and nightlife, picked up by Amazon at Sundance as its first doc title. Another festival favorite is A Flickering Truth and Sean McAllister's daring award winning documentary A Syrian Love Story.

The Depth of Field Competition will open with LoveTrue by director Alma Har’el, who will be a juror for the Israeli Film Competition. This is the Competition’s third year, held in conjunction with the Film Critics’ Forum that will award films for an outstanding and daring artistic vision. Other films that will be screened as part of the competition include Sundance winners Kate Plays Christine by Robert Greene, and Pieter-Jan De Pue’s hybrid documentary The Land of the Enlightened; other titles that will be shown are Hotel Dallas by wife and husband artist duo Livia Ungur and Sherng-Lee Huang, The Hong Kong Trilogy by noted cinematographer Christopher Doyle , and the musical- turned into documentary London Road by Rufus Norris and Alecky Blythe.

The Masters Section, a new category in the festival, highlighting new films by world renowned directors will be opened by Fire at Sea by director Gianfranco Rosi, winner of the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale. Avi Mograbi’s Between Fences will be accompanied by a play by the Holot Legislative Theater, with a cast of actors that includes Israelis and African asylum seekers.

Other films in this section include amongst others Junun, Paul Thomas Anderson’s portrayal of a musical project involving Shye Ben-Tzur and Jonny Greenwood, Homo Sapiens by director Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine by director Alex Gibney, To the Desert by director Judd Neeman, Unlocking the Cage by directors D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, De Palma by co-director Noah Baumbach and He Named Me Malala by David Guggenheim.

The Panorama selection of films will include amongst others the moving Strike a Pose, by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan about the dancers who accompanied Madonna on her “Blond Ambition” tour, Roger Ross Williams ‘Life, Animated depicting the remarkable story of an autistic boy, who learned how to communicate with his surroundings through Disney films, Those Who Jump about an African refugee who films attempts by other refugees to jump the barbed wire border fence in North Africa and Louis Theroux: My Scientology Film.

This year’s Arts Section will include Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville; I Don’t Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman, which was produced shortly before her tragic death, Listen to Me, Marlon, which tells the story of Marlon Brando through the audio recordings he made throughout his life, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, the salacious story of art collector Peggy Guggenheim, Koudelka Shooting Holy Land, Gilad Baram’s film about famous Czech photographer Josef Koudelka’s travels along the Separation Fence, and more.

Seven films produced by the top film schools in Israel were selected to compete in the annual Student Film Competition. The prize for the competition was donated by the Gottesman family in memory of Ruti Gottesman, a leading supporter of Docaviv and of documentary.

The Members of the selection committee included Karin Ryvind Segal, programming director for Docaviv, Hila Avraham, curator and expert on film and audiovisual media preservation and screenwriter Danny Rosenberg, whose work includes the films My Father’s House , Susia and the television series Johnny and the Knights of the Galilee.

Special Guests attending the Festival:

Award winning Director Ondi Timoner, will be attending the Israeli premiere of her film Russell Brand: A Second Coming. Her Sundance-winning film Dig! will be among the music documentaries screened at the Tel Aviv Port. In conjunction with the Film Department of Beit Berl College, Timoner will also be conducting a special master class for students, professionals, and amateurs.

This year’s festival will include a special tribute to acclaimed director Nikolaus Geyrhalter who will be attending the festival with his recent Homo Sapiens. This year’s festival will also include two previous films of his, Our Daily Bread and Abendland,.

International jury members attending the festival include:

Adriek van Nieuwenhuyzen, Director of the Idfa industry office; Gary Kam, producer of Planet of Snail; film director Alma Har’el (Bombay Beach; LoveTrue) ; Nilotpal, Director of Docedge Kolkata, Sascha Lara Bleuler, Director of the Human Rights Film Festival in Zurich, and film director Tatiana Brandrup.

The Israeli jurors include:

Director Dror Moreh, director and producer Barak Heymann, director Robby Elmaliah, producer Elinor Kowarsky, photographer David Adika, and film editor Tal Rabiner.

Around town. A record number of twelve screening venues spread out across Tel Aviv will offer free screenings. These are: Habima Square, the Beit Danny Community Center, the Hatikvah neighborhood, the Arab-Jewish Community Center in Jaffa, the rooftop of Tel Aviv City Hall, WeWork, Levinsky Park, Bar Kayma, Beit Romano, the Nalaga’at Center, Picnic Little Italy-Sarona Tel Aviv, and Artport.

Outdoors. The Tel Aviv Port will continue to host the festival this year, with outdoor screenings of music films with guest deejays from KZRadio. Films to be screened at the port include Janis: Little Girl Blue, The Reflektor Tapes about the band Arcade Fire, P.T Andersoan’s Junun about the musical collaboration between Shye Ben Tzur, ‎Jonny Greenwood, Nigel Godrich, and a dozen Indian musicians.

Festival Firsts. DocaviVR: a collaboration between Docaviv and Steamer, Israel’s first Interactive and Virtual Reality Film Festival, presents original documentary projects from Israel and around the world, created especially for viewing with Vr gear. The event will take place at Beit Romano. A cinema will pop up in one of Tel Aviv’s trendy hubs, with 25 stations equipped with Vr gear.

The Docommunity conference aims to promote dcomentary across the country by bringing together cultural coordinators and artistic directors from across the country to introduce them to the latest documentary films from Israel and around the world.

The Platform for Alternative Documentation at Artport art space: A performative piece that brings together film artists, social activists, and researchers studying the various aesthetic, social, and philosophical aspects of documentation. Curated by Laliv Melamed and Gilad Reich.

Young audiences. For the first time, films from The Next Doc will be screened, a special initiative of Docaviv, the Second Channel, and the New Fund for Film and Television, which led to the production of three films created especially for a teenage audience.

Docaviv will also be hosting the final event of Docu Young, at which films by students in residential schools, who participated in film workshops , will be screened.

The Docyouth Competition will feature the best documentary films produced by students in high school film programs throughout the country. For the first time, voting for this year’s competition will be held online and open to high school students across the country.

Among the Screenings of docs for kids are Victor Kosakovsky’s “Varicella”, and “Landfilharmonic”.

Over the course of the festival, 110 films will be screened.

Exclusive: A total of 110 films will screen at the festival, including recent Golden Bear-winner Fuocoammare and a selection of Israeli docs.

Topics including immigration and instability in the West Bank region will be highlighted at this year’s Docaviv international documentary festival (May 19-28) in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Among the 2016 programme is Gianfranco Rosi’s Berlin Golden Bear-winning Fuocoammare, Shimon Dotan’s Sundance premiere The Settlers and Sean McAllister’s BAFTA-nominated A Syrian Love Story.

The festival will open with Babylon Dreamers [pictured], about a group of immigrants from the former Soviet Union who, despite struggling to survive in tough circumstances in Israeli city Ashdod, decide to pursue their dream of entering the International Breakdance Championships.

That film will compete in the festival’s Israeli competition, which offers a prize of $18.5k (70k Ils), alongside 12 other titles including films about arranged marriages in Morocco and Yemen (Child Mother), depression-curing shamans in the Amazon rainforest (The Last Shaman), and three...

They're both men of theater, first and foremost. As Nicholas Hytner ended his 12-year tenure running the National Theatre, rising theater director Rufus Norris took over. Both men recently turned their theater hits, "The Lady and the Van" (Sony Pictures Classics) and "London Road," respectively, into movies. Hytner has always felt like a fish out of water directing movies, from Alan Bennett's "The Madness of King George" to Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," but loves to keep learning film craft. "I’m a theater director," he told me in a phone interview. "I'm therefore driven as much as by nerves and fear as much as anything else. I love popping in to make a movie. It's not my natural medium, and every time I do one, I learn more. I love the movies, watching them, wondering how they get made. It’s always the kind of challenge that makes...

Title: London Road Director: Rufus Norris Starring: Olivia Colman, Anita Dobson, Tom Hardy, Rosalie Craig and Kate Fleetwood. ‘London Road’ documents the events that shook Suffolk in 2006, when the quiet rural town of Ipswich was shattered by the discovery of the bodies of five prostitutes. But the peculiarity of Rufus Norris’ mise en scène is that the account is sung. The film is based on the National Theatre British musical mystery thriller, which in turn is based on the interviews about the Steve Wright Killings. And yet the movie does not follow the conventional musical movie structure, but characters do sing their emotions and lines almost in a messy [ Read More ]

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British star of 12 Years A Slave to receive Richard Harris Award.

The Moët British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) had announced that Chiwetel Ejiofor is to be honoured with The Richard Harris Award at this year’s ceremony on Dec 6 at London’s Old Billingsgate.

The award, introduced in 2002 in honour of actor Richard Harris, recognises outstanding contribution to British film by an actor. Previous winners have included John Hurt, David Thewlis, Bob Hoskins, Jim Broadbent, Daniel Day-Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Julie Walters and Emma Thompson in 2014.

A statement from the festival said Ejiofor had been selected to receive the honour “in recognition of his exceptional service to the film industry, not just here in the UK but internationally as an ambassador for British film”.

Jared Harris, son of Richard Harris, said: “I am so happy this award is going to Chiwetel. Although the recipients of this award have all been embraced by the...