British film director Mike Leigh will be the Jury President of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival. Over the course of his nearly 40-year film career, Mike Leigh has distinguished himself as one of the most outstanding filmmakers of auteur cinema and protagonists of New British Cinema. His approach includes giving actors much leeway to improvise in order to develop their characters. Leigh portrays British society in a bluntly realistic but humorous style. His films have received countles...
Fifth time on Sarajevo Film Festival well known British film director once again proves his visits. Well, he's not a man for celebrity glamour. In life as in his films, he likes to keep things real and he is very English.-“It is a special place and there are number of reasons. Generally I think Sarajevo is a unique kind of place. The festival was born out of extraordinary tragedy and no other festival that I am aware has it. The nature of the city is very energetic and I find it very enriching...
Gavras was here again in 2002 with the hard-hitting and under-rated “Amen” which tells the story of papal collusion in the German mass murder of the Jews. The poster for that film, showing a cross and a Swastika intertwined, was even more controversial than the film itself. In short, Costa-Gavras is no stranger to this long-running festival. An interesting sidelight on the this Grecian born director’s name: He was actually born in Greece in 1933 under the name of Konstantinos Gavras,...
BAFTA award-winner Mike Leigh’s latest film Happy-Go-Lucky is to receive a gala preview in Cornwall on April 16th. Cornwall Film Festival and Penwith Film Society are co-hosting the event which will be held at the Savoy Cinema, Penzance. Producer Simon Channing Williams will introduce the film and hold a Q&A session after the screening. Audiences will also have the opportunity to admire Simon’s collection of awards from his work on such films as The Constant Gardener and Secrets & Lies. The...
Wednesday, March 19------Acclaimed UK director Mike Leigh will be honored with inaugural Founder's Directing Award at the 51st San Francisco International Film Festival (24 April-8 May). The Founder's Award will be presented to Leigh at the Film Society Awards Night, the annual benefit gala, on Thursday, 1 May at the Westin St. Francis Hotel.The Founder's Directing Award is presented each year to one of the masters of world cinema and is given in memory of Irving M. Levin, who founded the San ...
The San Francisco Film Society announces that Mike Leigh will be presented with the inaugural Founder's Directing Award at the 51st San Francisco International Film Festival (April 24-May 8). The Founder's Award will be presented to Leigh at Film Society Awards Night, the annual benefit gala, on Thursday, May 1 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel.The Founder's Directing Award is presented each year to one of the masters of world cinema and is given in memory of Irving M. Levin, who founded the San F...
The Aviator has won four BAFTAs and Vera Drake has won three at The Orange British Academy Film Awards. Ray, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Motorcycle Diaries won two BAFTAs each.The Aviator received Awards in the categories Film, Actress in a Supporting Role for Cate Blanchett, Make-Up & Hair and Production Design. Mike Leigh won the David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction and Imelda Staunton won Actress in a Leading Role for Vera Drake. The film also won for Costume Des...
7th Annual BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS Announces the winners for 2004The contentious story of an abortionist in 1950s England swept the board tonight at the 7th annual British Independent Film Awards. Vera Drake scooped a massive six awards including the prestigious Best Film and Best Director.Mike Leigh and actress Imelda Staunton repeated their Venice Film Festival triumph where the film was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Film and Best Actress award for Staunton. Again, Leigh, who has en...
The London Film Festival (November 20 – November 4) has opened appropriately, with a new English film, Mike Leigh’s “Vera Drake”, set in 1950s London. Mr. Leigh and the star of his film, Imelda Staunton, who is in line for an Oscar for her startling portrayal of a back-street abortionist in early post-war London, were guests of honour last night at the British premiere of the film. Other high profile guests were directors Anthony Minghella (“Cold Mountain”) and Ridley Scott. Vi...
Mike Leigh's "Vera Drake" won the coveted "Leone d’Oro" - Golden Lion - at the 61st Venice International Film Festival, presided over by John Boorman, jury president. The awards were announced at the closing ceremony September 11. Imelda Staunton who plays Vera Drake, a midwife in the 1950's prosecuted for "helping young girls and women in trouble" won the Coppa Volpi, best actress award. There is an irony in the award of the Golden Lion to Mike Leigh's "Vera Drake". Tod Solondz "Palindro...
This is the first time in Mike Leigh's nine feature films that he has used the name of a character in the title. There is a reason for this. Most of his other films had various characters revolving around a central theme. Here, everything revolves around one protagonist, Vera Drake, a cheerful cleaning lady, who helps everybody she can. She is a loving wife and mother. However, sornething else she does out of the goodness of her heart, though unknown to her family, is help young girls get aborti...
The 48th London Film Festival has selected Mike Leigh’s VERA DRAKE as its Opening Night Gala, and David O. Russell’s I HEART HUCKABEES as Closing Night Gala.The Opening Night Gala, on Wednesday 20th October, will be the UK Premiere of Mike Leigh’s VERA DRAKE starring Imelda Staunton and Phil Davis, it will be released in the United Kingdom by Momentum Pictures early in the New Year.The Closing Night Gala, on Thursday 4th November, will showcase the International Premiere of I HEART HUCKABE...
