Four Manx films are showing at the American Film Market which is taking place in Los Angeles this week. Fade to Black, Big Nothing, Sparkle and The Deaths of Ian are all screening during the Market which is one of the biggest film events in America and attracts more than 8,000 industry leaders.
Comedy Horror film Severance has been nominated for Best Acheivement in Production at the British Independent Film Awards which are due to be presented on 29th November at London’s Hammersmith Palais. It was released eariler this year and received great reviews.
Autumn has got off to a quieter start than usual in terms of on-Island film production activity this year. Changes in the relevant UK tax relief legislation, shortly to be ratified by the European Union, have left a number of productions, both on and off-Island, awaiting news of the revised structure before filming can commence. For the full press release click here .
The British comedy drama Things to do Before You’re 30 is released on DVD today. Starring Billie Piper, Dougray Scott, Emilia Fox and Jimi Mistrey, it was filmed on the Island in 2003.
Both Christopher Smith’s Severance and Geoffrey Sax’s Stormbreaker are screening at the Toronto International Film Festival which runs from the 7th to the 16th September . Both recently released in the UK, Stormbreaker has been a Summer mainstream release at the box office whilst Severance, a fresh new British comedy-horror written by Christopher Smith and James Moran has received great reviews and has grossed £1.3 million in its first ten days of release in the UK.
Supernatural thriller The Dark is released on DVD today. Starring Sean Bean and Maria Bello, the film was shot in the Island in 2004 and tells the story of a bereaved mother who becomes convinced that her lost daughter is trying to communicate from beyond the grave. The film was described by the Guardian as ‘An atmospheric and rather creepy supernatural thriller’
Filmed in the Island last year, Lassie opened in the US last Friday (1st September) after its New York premiere was held a week earlier, where Lassie gave away ‘pawtographs’. The Film, which stars Samantha Morton and Peter O’Toole was also commended by the New York Times who described it as ‘beautifully orchestrated’ and described the locations used as ‘breathtaking’. Lassie is still available to buy on DVD in the UK.
The latest Isle of Man Film to be released has received great reviews from film critics. Due to be released this Friday (25th August) in both the UK and the Isle of Man, Severance – described as ‘The Office meets Deliverance’, first started receiving attention at the Cannes Film Festival. Since then, positive reviews have been circulating on the Internet and more recently James King, the Radio 1 Film critic described the film as ‘Absolutely Brilliant – Scary and Hilarious’ whilst Lad’s Mag Loaded said it was ‘The best British horror-comedy you’ll see this year’. The film is further commended by the BBC who describe it as ‘a slick mix of satire and splatter’ whilst Total Film carried a 4 page feature on the film in their September issue resulting in a 4 star review with the quote ‘A rare horror-comedy, one that’s scary, brutally funny and frequently brilliant’.
Severance will be showing at The Broadway Cinema from Friday 25th.
Filmed in the Island last year, Mistress of Spices is released on DVD in the UK on the 14th August. Starring Aishwarya Rai and Dylan McDermott, the film is based on the popular book by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Written by Gurinda Chadha and directed by Paul Mayeda Berges – who collaborated on BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM and BRIDE & PREJUDICE–the film focuses on how much immigrants should try to assimilate into a new country and how much of their traditions they should keep.
Colour Me Kubrick, shot in the Island in 2004, has been selected for this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival which celebrates its 60th birthday from 14 to 27 August. The film stars John Malkovich as Alan Conway, a British conman who masqueraded as reclusive director Stanley Kubrick in the 1990s. For more information, please visit the EIFF website.