麻豆约拍

麻豆约拍 Films is 25 years old this year. What began in 1990 as tentative steps for the 麻豆约拍 into UK cinematic territory is today an award-winning, internationally recognised department at the forefront of the British independent film industry, with over 250 films to our name, hundreds of awards, and a very .

But let’s look forward as well. I can’t think of any better way to illustrate the richness and range of 麻豆约拍 Films’ output and ambition than to tell you what’s coming up over the next year. From old hands to new faces, telling stories ancient and modern which span the globe, we’re privileged to present a slate for 2015 that is such a tribute to the amazing talent working in the UK today.

We started the year marking the centenary of the First World War with Testament of Youth, Vera Brittain’s searing memoir adapted for the screen by Juliette Towhidi and directed by James Kent, one of the many directors who has made their first foray into feature film directing with 麻豆约拍 Films. In cinemas now you can find Suite Francaise (pictured), the adaptation of the worldwide publishing sensation, starring Michelle Williams; and the critically acclaimed X+Y, another feature debut from director Morgan Matthews and writer James Hawes, which depicts the fractured, tender relationship between Asa Butterfield’s maths genius Nathan and his mother who struggles to connect with him, played by Sally Hawkins.

This very weekend, Soda Pictures are releasing Face of an Angel, from the ever mercurial Michael Winterbottom. Hot on its heels is Woman in Gold, the powerful true story of Maria Altmann’s fight to recover the Gustav Klimt painting stolen from her family by the Nazis in Vienna. Helen Mirren plays Maria, with Ryan Reynolds as the lawyer who took on her case. Woman In Gold took its inspiration from the Imagine film , a great example of the way that 麻豆约拍 Films will work with material and talent from across the corporation. Coproduction and collaboration with all departments of the 麻豆约拍 is a key part of our activity.

We’ve also renewed one of the oldest relationships in 麻豆约拍 Films’ history. Having starred in Truly, Madly, Deeply, the film which helped kick off the department’s existence, Alan Rickman returns to direct A Little Chaos, a sumptuous drama about the construction of the gardens of Versailles, which hits cinemas on 17th April, with Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts starring alongside their director. And in fact this marks the central film in a Schoenaerts triple bill. Having also appeared opposite Michelle Williams in Suite Francaise, he will round out the trifecta by taking on the iconic role of Gabriel Oak in the new adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s classic Far From The Madding Crowd. Directed by Tomas Vinterberg and starring Carey Mulligan as Bathsheba Everdene, this glorious romance demonstrates the way film can reach across borders and that a great story transcends nationality. A Danish director and Belgian star provide a fresh but utterly convincing angle on a much loved English title.

But new British talent will always be at the heart of what we do. April and May will see the releases of two exciting new films, both debuts in their own way. First is The Falling, an exquisite drama from Carol Morley, which follows her highly acclaimed documentary Dreams Of A Life. And in May you can see The Goob from Guy Myhill, a microbudget success story from the scheme in partnership with Creative England and the BFi, which has been tearing up the festival circuit ever since its premiere at Venice last summer.

There’s a real treat in store for fans of comedy and romance in May when Man Up hits the screens. Written by Tess Morris, directed by Ben Palmer and starring Simon Pegg and Lake Bell, Man Up is, if you ask me, the best romantic comedy we’ve seen in years, managing that vital but almost impossible-to-achieve triple feat of being truthful and real, incredibly funny and extremely romantic. , and I urge you all to see it.

June sees one of the most remarkable releases of the year in the shape of London Road, the film version of the National Theatre’s acclaimed hit. As on stage, it’s a piece which defies description or categorisation, and in its use of singing, verbatim writing and the ensemble depiction of a real community struggling to heal itself, it’s a film like no other. As a collaboration with the National Theatre, it’s also breaking new ground in our partnerships with other cornerstones of the creative industries. Later that month there’s also a chance to see Ian McKellen portray Sherlock in Mr Holmes, an adaptation of the novel A Slight Trick of The Mind, which sees the legendary detective near the end of his life striving to solve a case that has long haunted him.

Come the summer, it’s the turn of the family audience. The cast and writers of the Horrible Histories TV series and Yonderland are bringing us Bill, a sparkling comedy that promises to show us what might really have happened when hopeless lute player Bill Shakespeare leaves Stratford to follow his dreams of London success. And finally, we round out the year with another British icon. The Lady In The Van, starring Maggie Smith, tells the true story of Alan Bennett’s relationship with the singular Miss Shepherd, a woman of uncertain origins who ‘temporarily’ parked her van in Bennett’s London driveway and proceeded to live there for 15 years.

Proud as we are of this collection of films, we can never rest on our laurels or sit back and relax. We’re going to continue to reach for a wider range of ideas, a richer mix of voices, and to serve up stories that captivate audiences here and abroad. At an event tonight, we will be announcing some very special new projects and with what we’ve got bubbling on the slate, I'm looking forward to seeing the results for many more years to come.

Joe Oppenheimer is Commissioning Executive, 麻豆约拍 Films

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