HARD TRUTHS (2025) – Review

Although the big family holiday celebrations are nearly a month in the past, there’s always a need for a new look at sibs, parents, and kids at the movies. This new release is set across the pond and concerns connected family units headed by two sisters who couldn’t be more different. It’s that whole “sweet and sour” dynamic at play here. It’s also funny, sad, and totally engaging thanks to the reunion of a celebration filmmaker and one of his greatest actresses/collaborators after nearly three decades. This time out they’re giving us an intimate look at a damaged soul who really needs to deal with some HARD TRUTHS.

The film’s story begins on a quiet street in a London neighborhood. It’s early on a sunny Spring-like day as a young man on a bicycle meets up with his boss as the enter their work van outside a modest home. Inside the ill-tempered matriarch of the family, Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) is lecturing her 22-year-old son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett) as he silently shuffles out the door, headphones always in place. Meanwhile, the patriarch and owner of that work van, Curtley (David Webber) toils away with that chatty cyclist, Virgil (Jonathan Livingstone) during a home renovation job. Across town, Pansy’s younger sister Chantelle (Michele Austin), happily chats with her clients as she styles their hair at a beauty salon. That night Pansy relates a list of aggevations during her dinnertime tirade as Curtley and Moses eat in near silence. Across town sister Chantelle enjoys a bottle of wine and some bubbly gossip at the walk-up apartment she shares with her two twenty-something working daughters, Aleisha (Sophia Brown) and Kayla (Ani Nelson). The next day, Pansy gets a free hair treatment from her sister, as Chantelle tries to invite her over for a family meal after they visit the grave of their late Mum (it is Mother’s Day). Pansy won’t commit as she squawks about her tangled follicles. After they’re finished Chantelle is back at the salon, as Pansy is “unleashed on the world” spewing venom and bile at salesclerks, doctors, motorists, and dental hygienists. Back at home, she sleeps during the day while cowering in fear of the wildlife (birds and a timid fox) invading the small backyard garden. So how long can she vent her anger at family and strangers before it takes its toll on them and on her health? And will she get together for the holiday with her concerned sister who loves her despite everything? Can the sibs get to the root of Pansy’s rage?

Much acclaim has already been directed at Ms. Jean-Baptiste along with several acting awards from film fests and critics groups. To put it mildly, these accolades are extremely well deserved. Pansy is perhaps a human-wrecking ball, destroying the tranquility of any setting she enters, much like the Tasmanian Devil of Looney Tunes fame, though her insults are sharper than his fangs. And in the hands of an actor with modest skills, Pansy could be a cartoonish character, a riff on the still popular “Karen” memes. But Jean-Baptiste dives much further, giving us a profile of “the walking wounded”. Her screeds release no tension from the body, instead refilling her inner pressure (and making us wonder if she’ll reach a detonation). Jean-Baptiste conveys that weariness through her downturned eyes and stiff, robotic body movements. Pansy is similar to a wounded animal in the wild, in agony but quick to strike back at anyone trying to offer aid. In this tale, it’s kid sister Chantelle, who is given a calm, nurturing disposition by the beaming Ms. Austin. She’s a ray of sunshine to all that she encounters, though we see her heartbreak when no amount of her kindness connects with her suffering sibling. Plus Austin as Chantelle is a great Mum (and a fun chum) to her daughters, played with great energy and humor by Brown and Nelson. As for Pansy’s household, Webber as the brow-beaten husband Curtley, stays stoic, but his withering glare hints at his own seeting disgust with his mate. Luckily he also has a fatherly concern for his only son Moses, playing an aimlessly lost soul, staring downward as he wanders the streets (he doesn’t stand up to a pair of bullies) and only waking up when he’s indulging his love of aviation via books and video games (perhaps to fly away from his misery). He may be the most tragic of the fractured family.

This exceptional ensemble is brilliantly guided by writer/director Mike Leigh, who gives us a look inside the lives of a family that could be from everyone, even down the street from you or me (kudos also for the quaint quiet locales that feel far from bustling London). Leigh lets us spend time with all the characters at work and at home. We get brief scenes of Aliesha and Kayla on the job during some fairly difficult exchanges (a skin care product pitch turns nasty unexpectantly), to show us that they can “leave it at the office” and be civil and sweet back home with Chantelle. But the real “meat” of the “movie meal” is Pansy “on the march” and Leigh shows us the stunned reactions of folks caught in the “line of fire”, flustered as they try to be professional and respectful (oh, the trials of the service and retail industry). This culminates in a quiet, almost hushed, healing of “old wounds” that should heal, though it seems a bit temporary. Happily, Leigh does deliver a bit of hope, a small shaft of light at the end of a dark tunnel, in the film’s final moments which (and this is rare) has us wondering about the characters and actually wishing to stay with them just a tad longer. The superb direction, engaging screenplay, and stellar performance by Jean-Baptiste make it hard not to be impressed and entertained by these HARD TRUTHS.

3.5 Out of 4

HARD TRUTHS is now playing in select theatres

PETERLOO – Review

Now here’s a historical epic that tackles a little known event (at least here in the states) involving an act of rebellion against Great Britain. Is this film about the American Revolution (that we know about) in the1770s? No, maybe it presents another version of India’s fight against British rule? Wrong, nor does is it present another incident from “the troubles” that plagued Ireland. 2019 marks the 200th anniversary of a tragedy stemming from a rebellion against the Crown and Parliament by her own countrymen. That’s right, it was not on foreign soil, rather it was St. Peter’s Fields in Manchester UK where much British blood was spilled. Harkening back to the military victory 16 years before against Napolean’s French forces, the local press dubbed this dark Monday PETERLOO.

This docudrama actually begins with the end of that battle, when the Duke of Wellington triumphed at the Battle of Waterloo. As the government decides to bestow a several thousand pound reward (could it be a bonus or an early version of the golden parachute), a traumatized, battered young man named Joseph (Davis Moorst) slowly walks the many miles to his tiny family flat in Manchester. Things have gotten worse in the northern villages and towns, to the point of economic depression. The main local employer, the busy mechanized cotton mills, are cutting back on wages. Unfortunately the taxes are just as brutal as ever. But not as brutal and cruel as the courts where the slightest of crimes elict harsh, sadistic sentences (deportation to Australia, public floggings, and executions). Because of the Corn Laws, cheaper foreign grains and food are denied the poplace. To top it off, the town doesn’t have a seat in Parliment. Several members of Joseph’s family are active in the underground reform movement (still the local authorities are most aware of the closed meeting thanks to several informants). Two of the local reform organizers travel soutth to hear a speech by reformist Henry Hunt (Rory Kinnear), and return with an idea to invite him to give a speech in Manschester uniting all the groups from nearby towns. Unfortunately the office of the Home Secretary Lord Sidmouth (Karl Johnson) intercepts the invitation. Along with the local Manchester magistrates they plan to arrest Hunt and deal a strong blow to the “radicals” by use of the military militia. Tensions build culminating on the day of the big speech on a hot August Monday (picked because it’s the start of the work week), as the magistrates (safely several stories above the 60,000 men, women, and children peacefully attending) read the Riot Act, while saber-wielding calvarymen ride in to disperse the crowds.

With such a sprawling tale (in the age of digital manipulation can we still really say, “A cast of thousands”), there’s no true lead actor here who figures into the story’s scenes from beginning to end. A point could be made for the film’s second and third acts that Kinnear as Hunt becomes the tale’s driving force and focus. The talented actor is more than up to the task channeling the charisma necessary for a speaker who would inspire hundreds to travel on foot in order to hear a bit of him (the big end speech recalls the sermon gag from MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN…”Blessed are the cheesemakers?”) in those pre-electric amplifier days. But Kinnear shows us that Hunt was not without his faults. We see the vanity in his flashy signature garb (he must have his white coat and hat) and an ego touched with hubris (he truly believes that only his presence can stop any hint of violence). Other stand-outs include Moorst as the PTS-plauged (not a diagnosis then) veteran Joseph, his eyes always squinting, his face pinched as though awaiting the cannon blast. On the flip side is Johnson whose gleeful cruelty produces a twitching stammer as he plots to stomp out any revolt. Similarly Vincent Franklin as Magistrate Ethelston issues cruel judgements like a reptile spitting venom, even later as he rails against the “lower classes” while composing the Riot Act. These are bit a few of the terrific performances by this large gifted cast.

Writer/director Mike Leigh once again lauds and embraces the “working class”, giving them more nobility than their greedy abusive “betters” (the Prince Regent as played by Tim McInnery is a slightly smaller humanoid Jabba the Hut). But, as with the portrayal of Hunt, they’re not devoid of quirks and “warts”. Again, harkening back to BRIAN, there’s lots of infighting inside the movement as certain fractions get annoyed with more radical branches (“Imprison the King’s family!” quickly turns to “Behead the Royals!”). And naturally, there’s the old “green-eyed monster” as one of the event organizers is miffed that he won’t speak prior or post Hunt (though his angry retreat to the pub may have saved his life). Leigh orchestrates the big cast scenes with the same urgency as the intimate encounters inside the tiny cottages or in the corner of a barn. Plus he fills the atmosphere with a palpable sense of danger, the tension tightening as the planning builds to the momentous Monday. And then Leigh delivers with a sun-drenched nightmare full of carnage and chaos (every third woman seems to have an infant). Big kudos to the fantastic work by the crafts artists who make us feel as though we’re on those streets 200 years ago. A couple of scenes set in the cotton mills with all the machines spinning away at full scenes are simply jaw-dropping. Thanks to these talented men and woman PETERLOO is a vibrant history lesson that’s riveting and still quite relevant.

4 Out of 5

PETERLOO opens everywhere and screens exclusively in St. Louis at the Hi-Pointe Theatre and Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas

Mike Leigh’s PETERLOO Trailer Stars Rory Kinnear

Watch the teaser for the film below for Mike Leigh’s PETERLOO.

Starring Rory Kinnear, Maxine Peake, Neil Bell, Philip Jackson, Vincent Franklin, Karl Johnson, Tim McInnerny, Amazon Studios will release PETERLOO in theaters November 9, 2018.

Internationally acclaimed and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mike Leigh portrays one of the bloodiest episodes in British history, the infamous Peterloo Massacre of 1819, where government-backed cavalry charged into a peaceful crowd of 80,000 that gathered in Manchester, England to demand democratic reform.

Leigh’s career has been nothing short of brilliant. His films include Secrets & Lies (1996), Topsy-Turvy (1999), Vera Drake (2004), (Happy-Go-Lucky 2008) and the biopic Mr. Turner (2014).

Leigh has won several prizes at major European film festivals. Most notably he won the Best Director award at Cannes for Naked in 1993 and the Palme d’Or in 1996 for Secrets & Lies. He won the Leone d’Oro for the best film at the International Venice Film Festival in 2004 with Vera Drake.

He has been nominated for the Academy Award seven times, twice each for Secrets & Lies and Vera Drake (Best Original Screenplay and Best Directing) and once for Topsy-Turvy, Happy-Go-Lucky, and Another Year (Best Original Screenplay only).

MR. TURNER – The Review

Mike Leigh’s meticulous look into the life of late 18^th and 19^th century painter J.M.W. Turner seems like an artifact from the very period that the film takes place. Between Dick Pope’s sumptuous and yet classical approach to photography and Leigh’s painstaking storytelling, MR. TURNER feels like a film that’s meant to be seen with a trained eye and with much patience. You aren’t going to find an engaging biographical look at an artist – those who are familiar with Mike Leigh’s filmography know that that just isn’t his style. With MR. TURNER Leigh presents the occasional highs and lowest lows of what life is like in Britain as a struggling artist. Even though details from Turner’s life are present, it is the examination of the more mundane and routine life of the painter that audiences will either be intrigued by – thanks to a rich performance by Timothy Spall – or feel fatigue from. Coming from someone who received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art, even I found myself feeling as if I was watching paint dry.

At 150 minutes, Mike Leigh clearly isn’t interested in an abbreviated look at Turner’s life. In fact, I’d argue the film sticks to the slow-moving Victorian time period and deliberate style at the cost of the audience’s enjoyment. Aside from Dick Pope’s award winning cinematography (special Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival) which showcases warm, rolling hills and crashing waves frequently in golden brush strokes, the other noteworthy element from this tedious affair is a dedicated performance from Timothy Spall. With every heavy foot and deep breath, Spall breathes solemn life into this character. His performance seems more akin to an easily dirupted beast than that of a man. Some dark humor is injected from Dorothy Atkinson in a thankless role as Turner’s mistreated housemaid. But much like Turner’s relationship with this sad woman, Leigh often relegates her to the shadows.

It’s only when Turner visits a seaside town and meets a jovial and widowed landlady (Marion Bailey) that we see a faint glimmer of happiness in his life. Leigh doesn’t try to equate Turner’s change in mood or his personal ups and downs to his work. The closest we get to this is seeing Turner strapped to the mast of a ship during a violent sea storm after witnessing the turmoil he faces dealing with friends and colleagues. Any form of subtext is left for the viewer to interpret. However, one could argue that Leigh makes a strong case for how the isolation that a painter experiences standing in front of a large canvas can absorb all elements of their life.

This rich observation of what it means to suffer for your art isn’t for the casual filmgoer. Leigh has a history of crafting characters that are a glutton for punishment and MR. TURNER is no different. Between the title character’s persistent grunting, ragged personal life, persistence to paint torrid shipwrecks, and constant bickering with fellow artists, an unsavory taste is left lingering in your mouth – so much so that you can practically taste the grime and paint covered hands of the tragic artist. Much like the subject of his film, Leigh shows no signs or concern for public acceptance. He continues to make his pictures in the way he sees fit, painting characters in the light he so chooses.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

MR. TURNER opens in St. Louis on January 16

24th Annual ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Nov. 13-23 – The Schedule Has Been Announced!

Oscar bait performances by Reese Witherspoon, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Timothy Spall, a Tenacious Eats “Movies for Foodies” event, and a tribute to the St. Louis-born silent film star King Baggot are some of the many highlights of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. Cinema St. Louis announced the 2014 line-up today and it’s the usual hi-quality mix of independent films, foreign films, locally-made films, end-of-year studio awards product, and retro programming.

The 23rd Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) will be held Nov. 13-23. SLIFF will screen 389 films: 89 narrative features, 76 documentary features, and 224 shorts. This year’s festival has 239 screenings/programs, with 69 countries represented. The fest will host more than 125 filmmakers and related guests, including honorees Doug Pray (Contemporary Cinema Award), Katie Mustard (Women in Film Award), and Timothy J. Sexton (Charles Guggenheim Cinema St. Louis Award).

The festival will open on Thursday, Nov. 13, with the premiere of THE MAKINGS OF YOU, a St. Louis- set and -shot drama by Matt Amato. Amato, an award-winning director of music videos and commercials, returned to his hometown of St. Louis to shoot his feature debut. The film stars Jay R. Ferguson (of “Mad Men”) and Sheryl Lee and Grace Zabriskie (both of “Twin Peaks”).

Here are just some of the many, many highlights of the 23rd Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival:

Jonathan Demme’s 1974 Women’s prison opus CAGED HEAT – Barbara Steele, Erica Gavin, Rainbeaux Smith, Roberta Collins !?! – I’m so there!
A Tenacious Eats ‘Movie for Foodies’ event featuring a gourmet meal prepared around a screening of the 1964 Beatles movie A HARD DAYS NIGHT
The King Baggot Tribute – Honoring the St. Louis-born silent screen legend with a 35mm print of the 1913 version of IVANHOE and hosted by We Are Movie Geeks own Tom Stockman
Oscar Bait! Oscar Bait! Oscar Bait! – Reese Witherspoon in THE WILD, Timothy Spall in Mike Leigh’s acclaimed MR. TURNER and Benedict Cumberbatch in THE IMITATION GAME
The world premiere of Pirate Pictures new feature FOUR COLOR EULOGY directed by Wyatt Weed of SHADOWLAND fame
An appearance by cult actress Grace Zabriskie, best known for her role as Sarah Palmer in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks
Documentaries Galore! – from Cheerleaders to William S. Burroughs – if there’s a great documentary produced this year, chances are it’s showing at SLIFF
A pair of ‘Master Classes’ – one on interviewing techniques by Documentarian Doug Pray and another on ‘Women in Film ‘ by Documentarian Mary Dore who will screen her new film SHE’S BEAUTIFUL WHEN SHE’S ANGRY
A tribute to the Nicholas Brothers, two of the greatest dancers of the 20th century to be presented by Bruce Goldstein, director of repertory programming at New York’s Film Forum, a friend of the brothers and writer and co-producer of a 1991 documentary on the team.
A screening of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, which takes place at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis at the St. Louis Art Museum which was built for the 1904 World’s Fair! How cool is that!?!
BOB REUTER’S LAST TAPE with a Concert by Bob Reuter’s Alley Ghost – an intimate portrait of the late Bob Reuter, an iconic local musician.

And of course there’s more, more, much more! The St. Louis International Film Festival is always an incredibly well-run and well-attended fest. There will be much more coverage of it here at We Are Movie Geeks so stay tuned!

In the meantime, visit Cinema St. Louis site where the entire schedule is posted and start marking your calendars

http://www.cinemastlouis.org/about-festival

Gorgeous US Poster for Mike Leigh’s MR. TURNER Is Here

Sony Pictures Classics has created a masterpiece with the striking new US poster for Mike Leigh’s MR. TURNER.

Timothy Spall stars as the artist and won Best Actor in May at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival 2014.

In her Cannes review, Sasha Stone (Awards Daily) wrote, “Mr. Turner is both a love letter to Britain’s greatest painter and a magnum opus for Leigh.”

MR. TURNER explores the last quarter century of the great if eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851).

Profoundly affected by the death of his father, loved by a housekeeper he takes for granted and occasionally exploits sexually, he forms a close relationship with a seaside landlady with whom he eventually lives incognito in Chelsea, where he dies.

Throughout this, he travels, paints, stays with the country aristocracy, visits brothels, is a popular if anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts, has himself strapped to the mast of a ship so that he can paint a snowstorm, and is both celebrated and reviled by the public and by royalty.

Of the character, director Mike Leigh said Turner was, “a giant among artists single-minded and uncompromising, extraordinarily prolific, revolutionary in his approach, consummate at his craft, clairvoyant in his vision.”

Also featuring Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey and Lesley Manville, the film opens in NY & LA December 19th and will expand nationally in the following weeks.

MR. TURNER Getting Raves Out Of Cannes Film Festival 2014

An official selection at the Cannes Film Festival 2014, Sony Pictures Classics’ MR. TURNER is already being hailed as a film with major Oscar potential.

The latest picture from 7 time Academy Award nominee writer/director Mike Leigh stars Timothy Spall, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey and Lesley Manville.

Pete Hammond (Deadline) says Leigh has helmed “another masterpiece” and the film “will be a major Oscar contender in several categories . It’s that good in terms of costume and production design, makeup, music, writing, directing and particularly acting. If there aren’t nominations for star Timothy Spall and supporting actress Marion Bailey then something is terribly wrong with the Academy. Acting just doesn’t get better than this.”

In her Cannes review, Sasha Stone (Awards Daily) writes, “With gorgeous, rich, vibrant art direction and probably the best cinematography you’ll see all year, Mr. Turner is filmmaking old school.” Stone continues, “Mr. Turner is both a love letter to Britain’s greatest painter and a magnum opus for Leigh.”

Indiewire’s Oliver Lyttelton says the movie, “might be the director’s richest, and certainly ranks with “Secrets & Lies,” “Naked” and “Topsy-Turvy as one of his very best.”

MR. TURNER opens in New York and Los Angeles during awards season on December 19, 2014.

MR. TURNER explores the last quarter century of the life of J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851), the singleminded artist who worked hard and travelled extensively.

Turner is profoundly affected by the death of his ex-barber father, he takes up with a widow, Mrs Booth, a seaside landlady, and is plagued occasionally by an ex-lover, Sarah Danby, by whom he has two illegitimate adult daughters, whose existence he invariably denies.

He enjoys the hospitality of the landed aristocracy, he visits a brothel, he is fascinated by science, photography and railways, he is a popular if anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts, and he has himself tied to the mast of a ship in bad weather in order to paint a snowstorm.

He is celebrated by some, and reviled by others. He refuses an offer of £100,000 from a millionaire who wants to buy all his work, preferring to bequeath it to the British nation, whereas Queen Victoria loathes his work.

Throughout the story he is loved by his stoical housekeeper, Hannah, whom he takes for granted and whom he occasionally exploits sexually.

Eventually, he leads a double existence, living incognito with Mrs Booth in Chelsea, where he dies. Hannah is unaware of this until the very end.

Mike Leigh’s statement on his first film shot on digital:

Back at the turn of the century, when ‘Topsy-Turvy’ was released, I wrote that it was “a film about all of us who suffer and strain to make other people laugh.”

Now I have again turned the camera round on ourselves, we who try to be artists, with all the struggles our calling demands. But making people laugh, hard as it is, is one thing; moving them to experience the profound, the sublime, the spiritual, the epic beauty and the terrifying drama of what it means to be alive on our planet – well, that’s altogether something else, and few of us ever achieve it, much as we may try.

Turner achieved all of it, of course. He was a giant among artists, single-minded and uncompromising, extraordinarily prolific, revolutionary in his approach, consummate at his craft, clairvoyant in his vision.

Yet Turner the man was eccentric, anarchic, vulnerable, imperfect, erratic and sometimes uncouth. He could be selfish and disingenuous, mean yet generous, and he was capable of great passion and poetry.

MR. TURNER is about the tensions and contrasts between this very mortal man and his timeless work, between his fragility and his strength. It is also an attempt to evoke the dramatic changes in his world over the last quarter century of his life.

Photos by Simon Mein, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Focus Features International Locks Deals On AMY WINEHOUSE Doc, Mike Leigh’s TURNER Pic, Kevin Macdonald’s BLACK SEA, OCULUS Thriller

Alison Thompson, co-president of Focus Features International (FFI), announced multi-territory sales on director Asif Kapadia’s (Senna, The Warrior) untitled documentary on five-time Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse. FFI also saw strong sales on seven-time Academy Award-nominated writer/director Mike Leigh‘s (Another Year, Vera Drake, Secrets & Lies) J.M.W. Turner film, which stars Timothy Spall (Harry Potter, Secrets & Lies).

FFI has secured the following territories and respective distributors on behalf of Asif Kapadia’s Amy Winehouse documentary: France – Mars Films; Germany – Prokino; Benelux – Cineart; Greece – Odeon; Iceland – Sena; Israel – Lev Cinema; Middle East – Italia Film; Portugal – Lusomundo Audiovisuals; Turkey – D Productions; Hong Kong – Edko Films; India – PVR Limited; Singapore – Shaw Renters; Thailand – IPA Pacific; Australia/NZ – eOne; and South Africa – Ster-Kinekor. Focus Features International is currently fielding multiple offers for the UK, CIS, and Italy.

The untitled Amy Winehouse documentary is produced by James Gay-Rees (Senna, Exit Through the Gift Shop) through Playmaker Films, Gay-Rees and Kapadia’s new production entity and co-produced by Universal Music. Gay-Rees and Kapadia collaborated on the acclaimed documentary Senna, which won numerous awards including BAFTA Awards for Best Documentary and Editing in 2012.

For Mike Leigh’s latest, FFI has secured the following territories and respective distributors: Benelux – eOne; Greece – Odeon; Iceland – Sena; Israel – Lev Cinema; Portugal – Lusomundo Audiovisuals; Scandinavia – Svensk Filmindustri; Switzerland – Monopole Pathe; India – PVR Limited; Singapore – Shaw Renters; Thailand – IPA Pacific; Australia/NZ – Transmission Films; and South Africa – Ster-Kinekor. Previously announced partners who will distribute the film in their respective territories include France’s Diaphna; Germany’s Prokino and UK’s Momentum. Sony Pictures Classics has acquired rights for North America, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

The J.M.W. Turner project is produced by Georgina Lowe (Another Year) and executive-produced by Gail Egan (Vera Drake, Topsy-Turvy, Another Year). Production partners on the film include Film4, British Film Institute, Focus Features International, Lipsync, and Ingenious (Xofa Productions). The project marks the second collaboration between Mike Leigh and FFI, following the critically acclaimed release of Another Year, for which FFI also handled worldwide sales and co-financed.

Further to previously announced sales, Focus Features International has also closed Italy with Notorious for Academy Award and BAFTA-winning director Kevin Macdonald’s (Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void) heist thriller Black Sea, starring two-time Academy Award nominee Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes, Anna Karenina), as well as Germany with Square One Entertainment for the psychological thriller Oculus, directed by Mike Flanagan.

The FFI slate also includes the true-life dramatic thriller Kill the Messenger, to be directed by Michael Cuesta and star Jeremy Renner; Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, starring Alec Baldwin and Cate Blanchett; Closed Circuit, the suspense thriller directed by John Crowley and starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall; and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Ruairi Robinson’s thriller The Last Days on Mars starring Liev Schreiber, Olivia Williams, and Romola Garai, which world-premiered at the 2013 Cannes International Film Festival in the Directors’ Fortnight

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Rights To Mike Leigh’s “Untitled Mike Leigh 13”; Timothy Spall To Star In JMW Turner Biopic

Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all North American, Latin American and Eastern European rights to Mike Leigh’s upcoming film currently referred to as “Untitled Mike Leigh 13”. The studio and director previously collaborated on 2010’s ANOTHER YEAR. 7 time Academy Award® nominee writer/director Mike Leigh has been planning for over a decade his most ambitious film yet, a portrait of England’s greatest artist JMW Turner.

Leigh has gathered a prestigious cast and crew led by actor Timothy Spall (SECRETS & LIES, TOPSY TURVY, the HARRY POTTER series), Casting Director Nina Gold (THE KING’S SPEECH, THE IRON LADY, SECRETS & LIES), Director of Photography Dick Pope, Academy Award® nominee for THE ILLUSIONIST (SECRETS & LIES, TOPSY-TURVY, ANOTHER YEAR), Hair and Make-up artist Christine Blundell, Academy Award® winner for Leigh’s TOPSY-TURVY and Costume Designer Jacqueline Durran, recent Academy Award® winner for ANNA KARENINA and Academy Award® nominee for PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and ATONEMENT.

The film is produced by Georgina Lowe (ANOTHER YEAR) and executive produced by Gail Egan (VERA DRAKE, TOPSY TURVY, ANOTHER YEAR) and will begin production in Spring 2013 for a 2014 release. Production partners on the film include Film4, British Film Institute (BFI), Focus Features International, LipSync and Xofa Productions.

The National Gallery, Tate Britain and the Royal Academy have granted special access to some of Turner’s original works.

Mike Leigh has said of the film, “Turner as a character is compelling. I want to explore the man, his working life, his relationships and how he lived. But what fascinates me most is the drama that lies in the tension between this driven eccentric and the epic, timeless world he evoked in his masterpieces. I also see rich tragic-comic potential in his often turbulent relationship with the English Art Establishment, especially in his later years, when his increasingly radical work was misunderstood and derided.”

“We are convinced Mike Leigh and JMW Turner are a match made in movie heaven. We are so pleased to be in partnership with Mike and his producers with a story that promises to be his best film ever” says Sony Pictures Classics.

“After our successful collaboration on ANOTHER YEAR, it is great to be reunited with Sony Pictures Classics,” adds Mike Leigh.

Blu Monday: July 12, 2011

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