Anchor Bay Entertainment and The Weinstein Company have announced the home entertainment release of the critically acclaimed comedy/drama starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, PHILOMENA. Directed by Stephen Frears and co-written by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, PHILOMENA will be available for digital download on April 4, 2014 before heading to DVD and Blu-Ray™ with Digital HD UltraViolet™ on April 15, 2014.
PHILOMENA premiered in the main competition section at the 2013 Venice Film Festival where it took home the prize for Best Screenplay. Later, the film won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Hamptons International Film Festival. The Weinstein Company released the powerful film theatrically on November 22, 2013 where it has grossed over $34 million dollars to date. The film accolades continued with a 2014 Screen Actor’s Guild nomination for Judi Dench for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role and 2014 Golden Globe nominations for Judi Dench for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture, and Best Motion Picture – Drama.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated PHILOMENA for four Academy Awards including: Best Picture; Best Actress in a Leading Role, Judi Dench; Best Music – Original Score, Alexandre Desplat; and Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay, Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope. In February, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts honored Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope with the Best Adapted Screenplay award.
Judi Dench stars in the story of Philomena Lee, mother to a boy conceived out of wedlock and given up for adoption. Nearly 50 years later, Philomena meets Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), a former BBC reporter looking for his next big story. Together, they embark on a journey to locate her long lost son. As the pieces of the puzzle come together, the unlikely travel companions form a comic and heartwarming friendship. Based on the 2009 investigative book by Martin Sixsmith ‘The Lost Child of Philomena Lee’, the film adaptation has been hailed as “a triumph for Judi Dench. Brilliant. A performance of grace, nuance and cinematic heroism.” (Mary Corliss, TIME MAGAZINE).
In his review for Rolling Stone Magazine, Peter Travers salutes Judi Dench’s performance: “It’s Dench, showing how faith and hell-raising can reside in the same woman, who makes Philomena moving and memorable.” Entertainment Weekly’s Chris Nashawaty raves, “Dench and Coogan’s chemistry is undeniably great.” Deborah Young asserts in her review in The Hollywood Reporterthat director “Stephen Frears returns to top form in a touching, at times funny true story.”
PHILOMENA has a running time of 98 minutes and is rated PG-13 for some strong language, thematic elements and sexual references. DVD and Blu-Ray™ special features include A Conversation with Judi Dench; The Real Philomena Lee; Q&A with Steve Coogan; and Feature Commentary with Steve Coogan and Screenwriter Jeff Pope.
With two weeks to go until the 86th Academy Awards are handed out in Hollywood, all eyes were on London as the EE British Academy Film Awards were announced Sunday evening from the Royal Opera House.
12 YEARS A SLAVE was named Best Film with Chiwetel Ejiofor winning leading actor. GRAVITY won six awards including British Film, Director, Original Music, Cinematography, Sound and Special Visual Effects, while AMERICAN HUSTLE won three BAFTAs for Original Screenplay, Make Up & Hair, and Supporting Actress for Jennifer Lawrence.
Leading Actress was presented to Cate Blanchett for playing the title role in BLUE JASMINE– her third BAFTA win – and in his feature film debut Barkhad Abdi won Supporting Actor for CAPTAIN PHILLIPS.
Hosted by Stephen Fry, the ceremony featured a live performance from multi-platinum-selling artist Tinie Tempah and Mercury Prize nominee Laura Mvula.
Dame Helen Mirren was the recipient of the BAFTA Fellowship, Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema went to Peter Greenaway (THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE & HER LOVER), while the EE Rising Star Winner (voted for by the public) was Will Poulter.
For the first time as part of its annual Oscar Week events, the Academy will present a live “Oscar Concert”celebrating this year’s nominated scores and songs on Thursday, February 27, at 8 p.m. at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
The program features an 80-piece orchestra performing suites from each of the nominated original scores, conducted by their composers.
They include:
William Butler and Owen Pallett, “Her”
Alexandre Desplat, “Philomena”
Thomas Newman, “Saving Mr. Banks”
Steven Price, “Gravity”
John Williams, “The Book Thief”
Prior to each piece, the respective composers will participate in a brief onstage conversation with film critic and radio host Elvis Mitchell about creating their scores.
The concert also will feature this year’s nominated original songs, including “Let It Go” from “Frozen,” performed by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and “Happy” from “Despicable Me 2,” performed by Jill Scott. Other special performers and guests will be announced on www.oscars.org.
On Tuesday morning actor/writer Steve Coogan and director Stephen Frears appeared on CBS This Morning to talk about the emotionally moving PHILOMENA.
In limited release now, this fantastic film is beating box office expectations, and generating some well-deserved Golden Globe and Oscar buzz.
The movie stars Judi Dench as an unwed Irish woman forced to give up her toddler 50 years earlier, and Steve Coogan, the reporter who decided to tell her story.
Coogan obtained the rights to the best-selling book, “The Lost Child of Philomena Lee” by Martin Sixsmith and adapted the script with Jeff Pope. Coogan portrays Sixsmith who aided Mrs. Lee in her spiritually triumphant and emotionally charged quest.
He told the co-hosts that it is based on a true story, one he read in the paper one day that moved him to tears.
“It made me cry,” Coogan said. “I was compelled to tell it because, in some ways, Philomena could be anyone’s mother, she could be anyone’s grandmother.”
With awards, nominations and some of the best reviews of her storied career already pouring in for Dame Judi Dench’s title performance in the multiply-nominated and awarded film, PHILOMENA, the acting icon is making it clear that she’s just getting started. Or at least that she has no plans to slow down the run of awarded film performance which she began at the ripe young age of 63.
Even a recent knee replacement will not cause her to replace her passion for work in films of great meaning for directors of great accomplishment. PHILOMENA director Stephen Frears’ list of awarded motion pictures includes “The Grifters,” “Dangerous Liaisons,” “My Beautiful Launderette” and “The Queen” which recently earned Helen Mirren the Best Actress Academy Award.
Dench points out that great direction doesn’t always involve detailed or stern directives. “I love working with Stephen. He hardly says anything, but he subtly helps you get the drift of it.”
A culminating performance like PHILOMENA, a new high in a fifteen year film acting career which already includes six Academy Award nominations and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar (for “Shakespeare In Love,”) promises more culmination to come. Her non-stop schedule has Dench on the way to India to film the sequel to “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” once more under the direction of John Madden who also piloted “Shakespeare In Love.”
Another key figure in the unstoppable crescendo of Dench’s film successes, and a reason for her unabating appetite for more films of significant public impact, is Harvey Weinstein. As The Hollywood Reporter‘s Scott Feinberg, recently noted of Dench, “the 79-year-old British legend, who has scored six Oscar noms since turning 63 — five for Weinstein-distributed films — might well nab a seventh nod on Jan. 16.”
THR went on to say, “It would be an understatement to describe Dench and Weinstein as a Hollywood ‘odd couple.’ Dench, 79, is the elegant British actress who has performed Shakespeare on stage, conquered TV and, since turning 63, scored six Oscar noms.” In observing that “the critically-acclaimed Weinstein Co. film ‘Philomena’ has received a Golden Globe nom for best picture and garnered Dench best actress Critics’ Choice, Globe and SAG,” it quoted the actress as saying, “It’s because of Harvey that I’ve got a film career.” Weinstein began Dench’s film eminence when he saw a British film headed to television, “Mrs. Brown,” gave it an enthusiastic film release and secured the actress’ first Best Actress Oscar nomination.
Weinstein, backing up Dench’s assurance that “neither charging youthfully up to eighty or replaced knee or even joining the ranks of other legends who have won the Best Actress Oscar will move her one step toward retirement. She says she feels like 43. Eighty is just the speed she’s driving.”
The Hollywood Reporter’s story also speculated that “The duo’s latest collaboration, ‘Philomena,’ might well be their most moving yet.”
On its chances to win a Best Picture Oscar, Variety‘s Tim Gray wrote, “PHILOMENA deals with forgiveness and religion, the latter a subject most studios are terrified to broach. On Dec. 19, Helen Mirren was the host of a reception for the film at Dan Tana’s in Beverly Hills, and the crowd was enthusing about having seen the film several times, while admitting they hadn’t seen other contenders even once. The AARP demographic in the Academy are a voting force. And they like this film.”
From The Weinstein Company, PHILOMENA begins its wide US national release Friday, January 10.
Contributed by Melissa Thompson and Michelle McCue
The sets. The hair and makeup. The cinematography. The story. The sound. All of the work of talented crafts people are pulled together under the very heart of any good movie – the score.
With the Academy Award nominations on Thursday, January 16, looming like the drumline at the head of a marching band, we thought we’d have a look back at some of the finer scores of 2013.
Listen and watch a handful of Hollywood’s leading composers discuss the art of scoring a film in The Hollywood Reporter’s round table discussion. With one hundred fourteen scores from 2013 vying for nominations in the Original Score category for the 86th Oscars, we suspect some of these names will be announced .
Honorable Mention: INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS from T Bone Burnett.
The soundtrack for INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS transported us to another time and place. The documentary feeling of the film stems from the Coens Brothers decision to shoot and record the music live with no playback and we joined right in the folk-song revival.
For more on the music, read a Q&A with T Bone Burnett HERE.
1. GRAVITY – Steven Price
For Alfonso Cuarón’s thriller, Price created a groundbreaking score, blurring the lines between electronic and organic sounds, incorporating a wide range of elements, from glass harmonicas to string and brass sections. The score captures the on-screen emotion and vacuum of space as another character in the film and left our hearts pounding.
American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mike Patton, best known as the lead singer of the alternative metal/experimental rock bands Mr. Bungle and Faith No More, has composed a brooding and emotionally charged original score. Patton’s music guides the viewer through this multi-generational drama, linking characters, time periods, and locations with a harmonic convergence of jazz, folk, rock, blues and classical.
Patton’s score features an eclectic selection of music including selections by Arvo Part and Ennio Morricone.
3. ALL IS LOST – Alex Ebert
In a film so devoid of dialogue, this great musical score assumed special importance. Director J.C. Chandor turned to acclaimed singer-songwriter Alex Ebert, leader of the band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, to compose the film’s score—his first such project.
“It was sort of a shocker in some ways,” says Ebert. “It’s amazing that J.C. would have that kind of faith in someone who hadn’t scored a film.”
Ebert says Chandor initially asked him to deliver very subdued materials, drones and low notes that sustained over scenes. He also specifically requested that the instrumentation avoid piano. That was challenging for the composer, who had already written some pieces on piano, but he understood Chandor’s reasoning.
“The piano has this inherent emotion to it,” he says. “We didn’t want anything that was ’emotion in a can’ or ‘tension in a can.’ But eventually I started taking more chances, and after some back and forth with J.C., we landed in this middle spot that I think was perfect.”
“It’s about beauty,” he says. “It’s emotional and everything that comes along with life and death, and nothing less. I think that’s the primary subject of humanity—and it’s something that you might want to stay away from because it would be overdramatic. But this dude’s in the middle of the ocean on a raft. Let the music be emotional because it is emotional. We followed the movie’s lead.”
The very emotional score from Alexandre Desplat’s PHILOMENA broke our hearts. We laughed and cried from beginning to end with Philomena Lee’s heart-wrenching story.
5. OBLIVION – Anthony Gonzalez, M83, Joseph Trapanese
The score was one of the best of 2013 and an intregral part of OBLIVION’s sci-fi landscape.
Jackman displays versatility in capturing both the intense, desperation and terror in the story of Captain Richard Phillips’ hostage situation with Somali pirates as well as the humanity of the circumstances. Hitting the right musical balance of drama and intensity was a challenge in minimalism for Jackman, so as not to manipulate the audience.
7. NEBRASKA – Mark Orton
A member of the bluegrass folk collective Tin Hat, Orton’s vibe for Americana music was sought out by director Alexander Payne. Horns, acoustic strings and organ are some of the primary elemental instruments fueling the musical emotion to this story, capturing both the vast landscape and people of the flyover states. Orton, a graduate of the Sundance Filmmaker Institute, also scored the music to the 2014 Sundance premiere Drunktown’s Finest.
A celebrated musician and former member of the platinum-selling group Simply Red, Pereira sings to the hearts of children through his scores for Despicable Me 2. The sequel, which follows the further adventures of the notorious spy Gru, Pereira created specific themes for the new characters, specifically 1960s romantic comedy tones for his love interest Lucy and Latin-mariachi rhythms for the evil El Macho.
9. SAVING MR. BANKS – Thomas Newman
Newman has composed music for nearly 100 motion pictures and television series and has earned 11 Academy Award® nominations and six Grammy® Awards. His score goes hand-in-hand with the back story of Walt Disney and PJ Travers making of MARY POPPINS and left us looking for tissues by the film’s end.
10. FROZEN – Christophe Beck
The second of Disney’s movies that showed young girls it was okay to be their very own heroes!
11. RUSH – Hans Zimmer
With their collaborations on blockbusters from The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons to more intimate projects such as Frost/Nixon, director Ron Howard and Hans Zimmer, a Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award® winner, once again joined forces for the sounds of RUSH.
Balancing the racers’ simple desires with their frenetic-yet-controlled behavior on the track was a challenge for Howard and Zimmer as they created the soundtrack to the film. The composer captured the spirit of the Formula 1 world.
12. EPIC – Danny Elfman
The rousing score for The Leaf-Men. Enough said.
13. PACIFIC RIM – Ramin Djawadi
Okay, so maybe it didn’t live up to everyone’s expectations, but hot damn if the score to PACIFIC RIM wasn’t one of the coolest of 2013. Made us want to suit up as Jaeger pilots and make a last stand in our ‘Gipsy Danger’.
14. WORLD WAR Z – Marco Beltrami
Animal skulls and teeth combined with percussion add to the tension of utter panic and anxiety in a world being overrun by a Zombie pandemic.
Giving you the sense of dread and desperation, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s score for PRISONERS left us with aches and chills over a parent’s worst nightmare.
We couldn’t end our list without a quick mention for composer Alan Silvestri’s music for THE CROODS. While the film score conveyed beautiful themes and resonated on a deeper level than words could ever say, we were fans of how Silvestri combined the Abbey Road Orchestra and the USC Trojan Marching Band… especially the percussion section!
The emotional story is inspired by true events, tinged with both tragedy and comedy, about two very different people who join forces for a remarkable road trip. They are seeking to uncover the truth behind a heartbreaking story that has remained a mystery for half a century.
Philomena Lee, an Irishwoman in her 70’s, became pregnant as a teenager in 1952. Her family abandoned her out of shame and sent her to a convent in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, where, along with other young girls in the same predicament, she was regarded as ‘a fallen woman’. In compensation for the nuns taking her in and looking after her during childbirth she was made to work in the laundry there and only allowed access to her young son, Anthony, for an hour a day. When he was only three Anthony was taken from the convent against her will; the Catholic nuns at Roscrea had agreed to sell him for adoption to an American family for £1000. Philomena spent the next 50 years trying in vain to find him.
Through a lucky set of circumstances she happened to meet Martin Sixsmith, an ex-BBC foreign correspondent and former director of communications for Tony Blair’s government. When Philomena tells Martin about her long search for her son, he realizes that hers is a remarkable story. He arranges for the two of them to visit the United States to find out what happened to Anthony.
Together they embark on an extraordinary road trip. Philomena notices the differences between them and while flying to America, she can tell that Martin is uneasy about flying in the Coach section – as if it’s beneath him. In just one example of Steve Coogan’s and Jeff Pope’s witty script, she tells Martin, “Just because you’re in First Class, it doesn’t make you a 1st class person.” On the way they learn from each other, see a different point of view, and find reasons to laugh. While their search is often underpinned by sadness, Philomena learns about her son and his life.
These real-life characters, Philomena Lee and Martin Sixsmith, are played by Oscar-winning actress Dame Judi Dench (SKYFALL, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL) and Steve Coogan (THE LOOK OF LOVE, 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE).
Philomena and Martin make an odd couple. She’s a plain speaker and a trusting soul who takes people at face value. Despite all the injustices she has suffered she still retains her religious faith. Philomena loves the simplicity of life.
In contrast he is sophisticated and well highly educated, yet having lost his job in politics and been publicly humiliated, he’s cynical and without religious conviction.
Philomena never thought that her journey would lead to this. She was raised a Catholic and she carries a lot of guilt about what happened in her life. She worries, “what will people think of me?” She didn’t want to embarrass her family. Martin manages to convince Philomena that there are still other people in the same situation and she is moved to continue their quest to an unimaginable conclusion.
Based on Sixsmith’s book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, PHILOMENA is from the Oscar nominated director, Stephen Frears (THE QUEEN). His movie is about mothers, babies, children – something everyone can identify with – and he deftly balances this story between what’s funny and what’s tragic.
The beautiful score is from Alexandre Desplat and will move you to tears. Hair and make-up artist, Naomi Donne, convincingly transforms Judi Dench into a little old Irish lady. It’s remarkable. See the real Philomena Lee at the NY premiere of the Weinstein Company’s film. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B72bGjiiD-w)
The cinematography from Robbie Ryan, costume design by Consolata Boyle with production design from Alan Macdonald pulls the viewer completely into this tale about love, loss, separation, and ultimately redemption.
PHILOMENA is a performance-driven movie. Steve Coogan’s Martin is sophisticated and educated and while Judi Dench’s Philomena comes from a humbler background, she often ‘reads’ people and situations better than he does. This is Steve Coogan’s best work and a career making performance. He and his screenplay are just wonderful.
Judi Dench is terrific. She gives the audience a kindly woman who comes through this ordeal with love and forgiveness. She is Philomena Lee. Expect Dench to receive a lot of Awards Season notice in the months to come.
See this lovely film. PHILOMENA is about the triumph of the human spirit and will make your heart soar.
The film is rated PG-13 and opens in St. Louis on Wednesday, November 27th.
Ahead of it’s debut this Sunday (November 17) at the St. Louis International Film Festival, The Weinstein Company has released a new featurette for their upcoming film PHILOMENA.
The real-life characters, Philomena Lee and Martin Sixsmith, are played by two actors at the very summit of their respective careers: the legendary Oscar-winning actress Dame Judi Dench (SKYFALL, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) and Steve Coogan (THE LOOK OF LOVE, 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE), one of Britain’s leading comics and creator of the legendary TV and radio ‘personality’ Alan Partridge.
Based on the 2009 investigative book by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, PHILOMENA focuses on the efforts of Philomena Lee (Dench), mother to a boy conceived out of wedlock — something her Irish-Catholic community didn’t have the highest opinion of — and given away for adoption in the United States. In following church doctrine, she was forced to sign a contract that wouldn’t allow for any sort of inquiry into the son’s whereabouts. After starting a family years later in England and, for the most part, moving on with her life, Lee meets Sixsmith (Coogan), a BBC reporter with whom she decides to discover her long-lost son.
PHILOMENA, with a script by Coogan and Jeff Pope based on Sixsmith’s book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, is directed by Stephen Frears, one of Britain’s most distinguished filmmakers, twice Oscar-nominated and the director of such outstanding films as THE QUEEN, HIGH FIDELITY, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS and DANGEROUS LIAISONS. It is produced by Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward. Henry Normal of Baby Cow, Christine Langan of BBC Films, and François Ivernel and Cameron McCracken of Pathé are executive producers.
In select theaters November 22, PHILOMENA opens nationwide Wednesday, November 27th.
Based on the 2009 investigative book by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, PHILOMENA focuses on the efforts of Philomena Lee (Judi Dench), mother to a boy conceived out of wedlock — something her Irish-Catholic community didn’t have the highest opinion of — and given away for adoption in the United States.
In following church doctrine, she was forced to sign a contract that wouldn’t allow for any sort of inquiry into the son’s whereabouts. After starting a family years later in England and, for the most part, moving on with her life, Lee meets Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), a BBC reporter with whom she decides to discover her long-lost son.
The film also features Sophie Kennedy Clark, Maxwell Martin, Ruth McCabe, Barbara Jefford, Kate Fleetwood, Peter Hermann, Marie Winningham, and Michelle Fairley.
From director Stephen Frears, PHILOMENA opens nationwide Wednesday, November 27th!
WAMG invites you to enter for your chance to receive a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of PHILOMENA – Tuesday, November 19th at 7PM in St. Louis.
Answer the following:
Steve Coogan co-wrote, produced and stars alongside Judi Dench in PHILOMENA –
He previously starred with Ben Stiller in which TWO films?
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1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
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One of the highly anticipated Galas playing this week at the 57th BFI London Film Festival, here’s the new trailer for director Stephen Frears’ PHILOMENA.
Based on the 2009 investigative book by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, PHILOMENA focuses on the efforts of Philomena Lee (Dench), mother to a boy conceived out of wedlock – something her Irish-Catholic community didn’t have the highest opinion of – and given away for adoption in the United States. In following church doctrine, she was forced to sign a contract that wouldn’t allow for any sort of inquiry into the son’s whereabouts.
After starting a family years later in England and, for the most part, moving on with her life, Lee meets Sixsmith (Coogan), a BBC reporter with whom she decides to discover her long-lost son.
The film also stars Michelle Fairley, Barbara Jefford, Anna Maxwell Martin and Mare Winningham.
The Weinstein Company will release the film in select theaters November 22, 2013.
The 38th Toronto International Film Festival today announced its award recipients at a reception at the Intercontinental Hotel in Toronto.
This year marked the 36th year that Toronto audiences were able to cast a ballot for their favorite Festival film, with the BlackBerry® People’s Choice Award. This year’s award goes to Steve McQueen for 12 YEARS A SLAVE.
The film tells the incredible true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841 and finally freed in 1853. The story is a triumphant tale of one man’s courage and perseverance to reunite with his family that serves as an important historical and cultural marker in American history.
The award offers a $15,000 cash prize and custom award, sponsored by BlackBerry.
The first runner up is Stephen Frears’ PHILOMENA. The second runner up is Denis Villeneuve’s PRISONERS.
Will director Steve McQueen’s drama be the film to beat come Oscar time? It’s still a long ways off until Oscar Sunday – March 2, 2014, but over the years TIFF has been a good indicator of who will be left standing when the Academy Award for Best Picture is announced.
“It’s a good omen for Oscar as such recent Best Picture winners as The King’s Speech, Slumdog Millionaire, American Beauty, and Chariots Of Fire were also winners that went on to take the Oscar for Best Pic.”
Two items to consider: How will 12 YEARS A SLAVE be received by AMPAS voters (nominations announced January 16, voting ending February 25, 2014) and filmgoers when it’s released in theaters October 18th.
As far as the actors’ race, The Hollywood Reporter’s chief awards analyst, Scott Feinberg, pointed out over on Twitter.
NOTEWORTHY: TIFF Audience Award 1st runner-up was PHILOMENA and 2nd runner-up was PRISONERS. Watch out for Judi and Jakey!
My sentimental side has Dame Judi Dench winning her first Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role as Philomena Lee, an Irishwoman searching for her long-lost son she was forced to give up for adoption 50 years earlier.
Dench’s solo Academy Award was for Best Supporting Actress in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (1999), while she was previously nominated for Best Actress with her performances in MRS. BROWN (1998), IRIS (2002), MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS (2006), NOTES ON A SCNADAL (2007) and a supporting nod for CHOCOLAT (2001).
PHILOMENA writers Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope won Best Screenplay at the 70th Venice Film Festival in early September.
Time will tell if the film and Dench will carry this early momentum at the very telling Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday, January 18, 2014.
The Toronto International Film Festival is the annual hub for fervent film sales activity on a U.S. and International level, and 2013 was no exception. To date, 32 film sales have been announced to territories globally. That includes 21 major sales to U.S. distributors and a significant increase in Canadian sales with a total of eight. More agreements are expected to be announced in the coming days.
Key acquisitions include: Bad Words, Burt’s Buzz, Can a Song Save Your Life?, Fading Gigolo, Joe, McCanick, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him and Her, The F Word, The Green Inferno, The Railway Man, Tom at the Farm and Under the Skin.
