“There are no cheap parlor tricks here!” growls Locke (Armando Gutierrez), the cloak-swirling, goatee-twitching villain of Blake Harris and Chris Bouchard’s “The Little Mermaid,” providing such an easy way in for the disgruntled reviewer (and few will be gruntled) that it almost feels like a trap. Creaky visual effects, slapdash plotting and a script drunk on cliché: There’s pretty much nothing but cheap parlor trickery here.
The biggest trick of all, of course, is that though it feels like it was designed to capitalize on the confusion, this is neither the forthcoming Lin-Manuel Miranda-assisted Disney remake, nor Universal’s similarly titled, status-unknown project that formerly had Sofia Coppola and Chloë Grace Moretz attached. Nor does it bear much resemblance to the 1989 animated musical, or to the Hans Christian Andersen story that purportedly inspired all of the above. Instead it belongs to the subgenre of “imagine insert-mythical-creature-here was real” movies,...
The biggest trick of all, of course, is that though it feels like it was designed to capitalize on the confusion, this is neither the forthcoming Lin-Manuel Miranda-assisted Disney remake, nor Universal’s similarly titled, status-unknown project that formerly had Sofia Coppola and Chloë Grace Moretz attached. Nor does it bear much resemblance to the 1989 animated musical, or to the Hans Christian Andersen story that purportedly inspired all of the above. Instead it belongs to the subgenre of “imagine insert-mythical-creature-here was real” movies,...
- 8/17/2018
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, Poppy Drayton’s “The Little Mermaid” gets a theatrical release, Melissa Leo gets a film festival honor, and the script for holiday adventure “Escape From the North Pole” is bought.
Release Date
A live-action independent version of “The Little Mermaid,” starring British actress Poppy Drayton, has been set for release nationwide exclusively in AMC Theatres beginning Aug. 17.
The movie is inspired by the 1837 Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale rather than the Disney animated movie and follows a young girl who discovers an enchanting woman she believes to be the real “Little Mermaid” of lore.
William Moseley stars as a reporter following a story about a mermaid and a magic healing water. Together with his sick niece, played by Loreto Peralta, they travel to a small town in Mississippi to uncover a legend.
Shirley MacLaine, Gina Gershon, and Armando Gutierrez also star. Production companies are...
Release Date
A live-action independent version of “The Little Mermaid,” starring British actress Poppy Drayton, has been set for release nationwide exclusively in AMC Theatres beginning Aug. 17.
The movie is inspired by the 1837 Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale rather than the Disney animated movie and follows a young girl who discovers an enchanting woman she believes to be the real “Little Mermaid” of lore.
William Moseley stars as a reporter following a story about a mermaid and a magic healing water. Together with his sick niece, played by Loreto Peralta, they travel to a small town in Mississippi to uncover a legend.
Shirley MacLaine, Gina Gershon, and Armando Gutierrez also star. Production companies are...
- 5/10/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The Little Mermaid, the live-action film inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale more than the Disney animated classic, has set an August 17 release date exclusively at more than 200 AMC Theatres nationwide via Freestyle Releasing. The Royals‘ William Moseley and Downton Abbey‘s Poppy Drayton star in the debut feature from Robert Molloy’s Kingsway Productions.
Written by Blake Harris and co-directed by Harris and Chris Bouchard, the fantasy-adventure follows a young girl who discovers a beautiful, enchanting woman she believes to be the real “Little Mermaid” of lore. Moseley is Cam Harrison, a young reporter following a big story about the mermaid (Drayton) and a magic healing water said to cure all. He travels with his sick niece (Loreto Peralta) to a small Mississippi town and uncovers a legend that’s as mysterious as the circus they find it in. Shirley MacLaine, Gina Gershon and Armando Gutierrez co-star.
Written by Blake Harris and co-directed by Harris and Chris Bouchard, the fantasy-adventure follows a young girl who discovers a beautiful, enchanting woman she believes to be the real “Little Mermaid” of lore. Moseley is Cam Harrison, a young reporter following a big story about the mermaid (Drayton) and a magic healing water said to cure all. He travels with his sick niece (Loreto Peralta) to a small Mississippi town and uncovers a legend that’s as mysterious as the circus they find it in. Shirley MacLaine, Gina Gershon and Armando Gutierrez co-star.
- 5/9/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: British director created YouTube sensation The Hunt For Gollum.
Gravitas Ventures has picked up Us rights to Chris Bouchard’s gangster film London’s Finest.
Nathanael Wiseman, Arin Alldridge and Enoch Frost star in the story of a small-time drug-dealer who lands in trouble when a corrupt police officer tries to steal a consignment intended for vicious criminals.
Framestore served as executive producer on London’s Finest, while Shudder Films and Porter Pictures co-produced.
Bouchard co-directed the upcoming Hans Christian Andersen adaptation The Little Mermaid that stars Shirley MacLaine and Gina Gershon, as well as YouTube hit The Hunt For Gollum.
“Framestore has a proud history of nurturing talent within its ranks,” global marketing director Stephanie Bruning said. “We were keen to support Chris’ directing work on London’s Finest having been impressed with his ambitious Tolkien fan film.”
The film was released in the UK through Trinity Films as Hackney’s Finest.
Jeff Porter of [link...
Gravitas Ventures has picked up Us rights to Chris Bouchard’s gangster film London’s Finest.
Nathanael Wiseman, Arin Alldridge and Enoch Frost star in the story of a small-time drug-dealer who lands in trouble when a corrupt police officer tries to steal a consignment intended for vicious criminals.
Framestore served as executive producer on London’s Finest, while Shudder Films and Porter Pictures co-produced.
Bouchard co-directed the upcoming Hans Christian Andersen adaptation The Little Mermaid that stars Shirley MacLaine and Gina Gershon, as well as YouTube hit The Hunt For Gollum.
“Framestore has a proud history of nurturing talent within its ranks,” global marketing director Stephanie Bruning said. “We were keen to support Chris’ directing work on London’s Finest having been impressed with his ambitious Tolkien fan film.”
The film was released in the UK through Trinity Films as Hackney’s Finest.
Jeff Porter of [link...
- 7/31/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Ten feature projects include drama about First World War camp for Muslim prisoners.
The writers on the inaugural Adapt to Film initiative in the UK are wrapping the five-month programme and pitched their projects to a group of invited industry experts such as producers and agents earlier this week in London.
The scheme, spearheaded by Broadway in Nottingham and run by script and talent development executives Anna Seifert-Speck and Caroline Cooper Charles, was designed for writers adapting source material for film. The scheme is supported by Creative Skillset’s Film Skills Fund, with BFI’s Film Forever National Lottery funds.
The ten writers and their projects are:
Raisah Ahmed presented Half-Moon Camp, which she is writing based on newspaper articles and original research about a prisoner of war camp in Germany that was home to Muslim prisoners in the First World War.
The Glasgow-based writer is also working on Meet Me By The Water, about a young...
The writers on the inaugural Adapt to Film initiative in the UK are wrapping the five-month programme and pitched their projects to a group of invited industry experts such as producers and agents earlier this week in London.
The scheme, spearheaded by Broadway in Nottingham and run by script and talent development executives Anna Seifert-Speck and Caroline Cooper Charles, was designed for writers adapting source material for film. The scheme is supported by Creative Skillset’s Film Skills Fund, with BFI’s Film Forever National Lottery funds.
The ten writers and their projects are:
Raisah Ahmed presented Half-Moon Camp, which she is writing based on newspaper articles and original research about a prisoner of war camp in Germany that was home to Muslim prisoners in the First World War.
The Glasgow-based writer is also working on Meet Me By The Water, about a young...
- 3/16/2017
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Ten feature projects include drama about First World War camp for Muslim prisoners.
The writers on the inaugural Adapt to Film initiative in the UK are wrapping the five-month programme and pitched their projects to a group of invited industry experts such as producers and agents earlier this week in London.
The scheme, spearheaded by Broadway in Nottingham and run by script and talent development executives Anna Seifert-Speck and Caroline Cooper Charles, was designed for writers adapting source material for film. The scheme is supported by Creative Skillset’s Film Skills Fund, with BFI’s Film Forever National Lottery funds.
The ten writers and their projects are:
Raisah Ahmed presented Half-Moon Camp, which she is writing based on newspaper articles and original research about a prisoner of war camp in Germany that was home to Muslim prisoners in the First World War.
The Glasgow-based writer is also working on Meet Me By The Water, about a young...
The writers on the inaugural Adapt to Film initiative in the UK are wrapping the five-month programme and pitched their projects to a group of invited industry experts such as producers and agents earlier this week in London.
The scheme, spearheaded by Broadway in Nottingham and run by script and talent development executives Anna Seifert-Speck and Caroline Cooper Charles, was designed for writers adapting source material for film. The scheme is supported by Creative Skillset’s Film Skills Fund, with BFI’s Film Forever National Lottery funds.
The ten writers and their projects are:
Raisah Ahmed presented Half-Moon Camp, which she is writing based on newspaper articles and original research about a prisoner of war camp in Germany that was home to Muslim prisoners in the First World War.
The Glasgow-based writer is also working on Meet Me By The Water, about a young...
- 3/16/2017
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Broadway’s inaugural initiative welcomes experienced writers to present their projects.
The writers on the inaugural Adapt to Film initiative in the UK are wrapping the five-month programme and pitched their projects to a group of invited industry experts such as producers and agents earlier this week in London.
The scheme, spearheaded by Broadway in Nottingham and run by script and talent development executives Anna Seifert-Speck and Caroline Cooper Charles, was designed for writers adapting source material for film. The scheme is supported by Creative Skillset’s Film Skills Fund, with BFI’s Film Forever National Lottery funds.
The ten writers and their projects are:
Raisah Ahmed presented Half-Moon Camp, which she is writing based on newspaper articles and original research about a prisoner of war camp in Germany that was home to Muslim prisoners in World War I. The Glasgow-based writer is also working on Meet Me By The Water, about a young...
The writers on the inaugural Adapt to Film initiative in the UK are wrapping the five-month programme and pitched their projects to a group of invited industry experts such as producers and agents earlier this week in London.
The scheme, spearheaded by Broadway in Nottingham and run by script and talent development executives Anna Seifert-Speck and Caroline Cooper Charles, was designed for writers adapting source material for film. The scheme is supported by Creative Skillset’s Film Skills Fund, with BFI’s Film Forever National Lottery funds.
The ten writers and their projects are:
Raisah Ahmed presented Half-Moon Camp, which she is writing based on newspaper articles and original research about a prisoner of war camp in Germany that was home to Muslim prisoners in World War I. The Glasgow-based writer is also working on Meet Me By The Water, about a young...
- 3/16/2017
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
This is not the Disney live action version of The Little Mermaid. There are no talking crabs or adorable neon colored fish. This is the other live action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, based on Hans Christian Anderson’s original fairy tale. It looks… pretty much terrible, but maybe kind of wonderful? I don’t know. The setting (the circus in the South) and the apparent framing device (old person telling a story to younger relatives) do give me a sort of Big Fish vibe, which I love, but it also seems pretty much like a Feature Films for Families joint. I bet I would love it if I had grown up watching it without knowing it was bad, though. I still have affection for The Buttercream Gang after all.
This take on the classic follows a journalist and his little sister who travel to Mississippi to find a real mermaid.
This take on the classic follows a journalist and his little sister who travel to Mississippi to find a real mermaid.
- 3/10/2017
- by Mily Dunbar
- GeekTyrant
“Beauty and the Beast” isn’t the only beloved Disney movie getting the live-action-remake treatment. Well, kind of: The upcoming “Little Mermaid” is being produced by Conglomerate Media and Kingsway Productions rather than Disney, but this new take on Hans Christian Andersen’s most famous fairy tale is heading to theaters all the same. Watch the trailer below.
Read More: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Review: Disney’s Animated Classic Gets A Needless Makeover
“Once long ago in the deep blue below,” begins Shirley MacLaine to two youths who claim that mermaids don’t exist. “You wouldn’t say that if you’d met one,” she responds. Here, the mermaid (Poppy Drayton, “Downton Abbey”) is a circus performer known as the Mermaid of Mississippi whose plight inspires a little girl to not only believe in the underwater creatures of myth but attempt to free this one from her captivity.
Read More:...
Read More: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Review: Disney’s Animated Classic Gets A Needless Makeover
“Once long ago in the deep blue below,” begins Shirley MacLaine to two youths who claim that mermaids don’t exist. “You wouldn’t say that if you’d met one,” she responds. Here, the mermaid (Poppy Drayton, “Downton Abbey”) is a circus performer known as the Mermaid of Mississippi whose plight inspires a little girl to not only believe in the underwater creatures of myth but attempt to free this one from her captivity.
Read More:...
- 3/9/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
William Moseley ("The Chronicles of Narnia," "The Royals") will join Shirley MacLaine and Poppy Drayton in Chris Bouchard's live-action family adventure "A Little Mermaid" at Mvp Studios.
Blake Harris' script is inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale and has Moseley playing a reporter who travels with his younger sister (Loreto Peralta) to a small Southern town where they discover an enchanting creature (Drayton) they believe to be the real 'Little Mermaid.'
MacLaine portrays an eccentric woman who has intimate knowledge of the story. Diahann Carroll, William Forsythe and Gina Gershon also star. Robert Molloy and Armando Gutierrez are producing the film which recently began production in Georgia.
This is not to be confused with the Chloe Moretz-led live-action adaptation in the works at Universal.
Source: Variety...
Blake Harris' script is inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale and has Moseley playing a reporter who travels with his younger sister (Loreto Peralta) to a small Southern town where they discover an enchanting creature (Drayton) they believe to be the real 'Little Mermaid.'
MacLaine portrays an eccentric woman who has intimate knowledge of the story. Diahann Carroll, William Forsythe and Gina Gershon also star. Robert Molloy and Armando Gutierrez are producing the film which recently began production in Georgia.
This is not to be confused with the Chloe Moretz-led live-action adaptation in the works at Universal.
Source: Variety...
- 3/29/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Mvp Studios is mounting a new adaptation of “A Little Mermaid,” based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. “The Shannara Chronicles” star Poppy Drayton will star in the film alongside Loreto Peralta and Shirley MacLaine. Chris Bouchard is directing from a screenplay by Blake Harris. Also Read: 'The Shannara Chronicles' Star Austin Butler Explains Why Wil Keeps Falling for Eretria's Tricks Story follows a young orphan (Peralta) who discovers a beautiful and enchanting creature (played by Drayton) she believes to be the real “Little Mermaid.” MacLaine portrays Eloise, an eccentric woman who has intimate knowledge of the story.
- 2/23/2016
- by Linda Ge
- The Wrap
Mvp Studios said today it is kicking off production next month on the live-action family pic A Little Mermaid, which will serve as the first project for the new company founded by Robert Molloy, who is the grandson of former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, and producer Armando Gutierrez. Poppy Drayton, Loreto Peralta and Shirley MacLaine are set to star in Mermaid, with Chris Bouchard directing. The film will be shot in Georgia for a 2017 release. In the Blake…...
- 2/23/2016
- Deadline
Shirley MacLaine will star in a live-action rendition of Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale A Little Mermaid.
The film will come from Mvp Studios, a newly formed entertainment company founded by Robert Molloy and Armando Gutierrez.
Chris Bouchard will direct the pic, which was written by Blake Harris, and will also star Shannara Chronicles' Poppy Drayton and Loreto Peralta.
Chloe Grace Moretz is set to star in a different Little Mermaid adaptation from Working Title that will come from director Rebecca Thomas.
Mvp's A Little Mermaid will be filmed entirely in Georgia; principal photography is set to begin in March.
MacLaine is ...
The film will come from Mvp Studios, a newly formed entertainment company founded by Robert Molloy and Armando Gutierrez.
Chris Bouchard will direct the pic, which was written by Blake Harris, and will also star Shannara Chronicles' Poppy Drayton and Loreto Peralta.
Chloe Grace Moretz is set to star in a different Little Mermaid adaptation from Working Title that will come from director Rebecca Thomas.
Mvp's A Little Mermaid will be filmed entirely in Georgia; principal photography is set to begin in March.
MacLaine is ...
- 2/23/2016
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Shirley MacLaine will star in a live-action rendition of Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale A Little Mermaid.
The film will come from Mvp Studios, a newly formed entertainment company founded by Robert Molloy and Armando Gutierrez.
Chris Bouchard will direct the pic, which was written by Blake Harris, and will also star Shannara Chronicles' Poppy Drayton and Loreto Peralta.
Chloe Grace Moretz is set to star in a different Little Mermaid adaptation from Working Title that will come from director Rebecca Thomas.
Mvp's A Little Mermaid will be filmed entirely in Georgia; principal photography is set to begin in March.
MacLaine is ...
The film will come from Mvp Studios, a newly formed entertainment company founded by Robert Molloy and Armando Gutierrez.
Chris Bouchard will direct the pic, which was written by Blake Harris, and will also star Shannara Chronicles' Poppy Drayton and Loreto Peralta.
Chloe Grace Moretz is set to star in a different Little Mermaid adaptation from Working Title that will come from director Rebecca Thomas.
Mvp's A Little Mermaid will be filmed entirely in Georgia; principal photography is set to begin in March.
MacLaine is ...
- 2/23/2016
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stars: Nathanael Wiseman, Arin Alldridge, Enoch Frost, Marlon G. Day, Rajan Sharma, Neerja Naik, Malcolm Tomlinson, Sean Cronin, Jeanette Rourke, Christopher Dingli, Katarina Gellin | Written by Thorin Seex | Directed by Chris Bouchard
I’ve reviewed quite a few British gangster movies and know what to expect, some take themselves a little too seriously and others look to offer comedy. As long as you know that then there is a good chance they end up being entertaining at least. The British gangster movie to be released is Hackney’s Finest, which is a film I remember looking for funding from a Kickstarter campaign, so it’s nice to see an independent film getting some success to mainstream distribution.
Sirus (Nathanael Wiseman) is a small time drug dealer who, when his friend Asif (Rajan Sharma) offers him a new delivery of drugs invites his Welsh friends Tony (Enoch Frost) and B (Marlon G. Day...
I’ve reviewed quite a few British gangster movies and know what to expect, some take themselves a little too seriously and others look to offer comedy. As long as you know that then there is a good chance they end up being entertaining at least. The British gangster movie to be released is Hackney’s Finest, which is a film I remember looking for funding from a Kickstarter campaign, so it’s nice to see an independent film getting some success to mainstream distribution.
Sirus (Nathanael Wiseman) is a small time drug dealer who, when his friend Asif (Rajan Sharma) offers him a new delivery of drugs invites his Welsh friends Tony (Enoch Frost) and B (Marlon G. Day...
- 4/17/2015
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
London crime drama, from the director of YouTube hit The Hunt for Gollum, set for release early 2015.
UK distribution and production company Trinity has acquired Chris Bouchard’s debut feature, Hackney’s Finest, which premiered at this year’s East End Film Festival. Release has been earmarked for early 2015.
Set in London’s East End, the film centres on a group of small-time Afghan heroin dealers and hapless minicab operator Sirus (Nathanael Wiseman) are forced to take on corrupt detective inspector Priestley (Arin Allridge) and his Russian associates, while having to face gun-toting Welsh-Jamaican yardies Tony and B (Marlon G. Day, Enoch Frost).
Hackney’s Finest is based on an original story written by Thorin Seex, a former heroin addict and squatter living on Hackney’s notorious ‘murder mile’.
It is executive produced by Framestore, the London visual-effects company behind Gravity.
It marks the debut feature of Bouchard’s and actor-producer Alldridge. Bouchard previously...
UK distribution and production company Trinity has acquired Chris Bouchard’s debut feature, Hackney’s Finest, which premiered at this year’s East End Film Festival. Release has been earmarked for early 2015.
Set in London’s East End, the film centres on a group of small-time Afghan heroin dealers and hapless minicab operator Sirus (Nathanael Wiseman) are forced to take on corrupt detective inspector Priestley (Arin Allridge) and his Russian associates, while having to face gun-toting Welsh-Jamaican yardies Tony and B (Marlon G. Day, Enoch Frost).
Hackney’s Finest is based on an original story written by Thorin Seex, a former heroin addict and squatter living on Hackney’s notorious ‘murder mile’.
It is executive produced by Framestore, the London visual-effects company behind Gravity.
It marks the debut feature of Bouchard’s and actor-producer Alldridge. Bouchard previously...
- 8/26/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Pick-ups include Raindance title Convenience and Hackney’s Finest.
UK sales outfit Moviehouse has added sales titles Convenience and gangster film Hackney’s Finest to its Cannes lineup.
Raindance title Convenience stars Ray Panthaki, Vicky McClure, Adeel Akhtar and Verne Troyer in the story of best friends who attempt to rob a petrol station to clear a debt owed to a couple of Russian gangsters.
Comic crime-thriller Hackney’s Finest depicts a drug-fuelled night of mayhem in East London. The UK’s Rickety Shack Films produces.
The deal was negotiated by producer Arin Alldridge of Rickety Shack Films and Moviehouse Entertainment’s Mark Vennis.
Hackney’s Finest is the first feature from director Chris Bouchard and will world premiere at London’s East End Film Festival.
Moviehouse has also boarded production Funny Cow, set to star Red Riding star Maxine Peake in the story of a female comedian’s rise to fame from a tough working...
UK sales outfit Moviehouse has added sales titles Convenience and gangster film Hackney’s Finest to its Cannes lineup.
Raindance title Convenience stars Ray Panthaki, Vicky McClure, Adeel Akhtar and Verne Troyer in the story of best friends who attempt to rob a petrol station to clear a debt owed to a couple of Russian gangsters.
Comic crime-thriller Hackney’s Finest depicts a drug-fuelled night of mayhem in East London. The UK’s Rickety Shack Films produces.
The deal was negotiated by producer Arin Alldridge of Rickety Shack Films and Moviehouse Entertainment’s Mark Vennis.
Hackney’s Finest is the first feature from director Chris Bouchard and will world premiere at London’s East End Film Festival.
Moviehouse has also boarded production Funny Cow, set to star Red Riding star Maxine Peake in the story of a female comedian’s rise to fame from a tough working...
- 5/18/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
World premiere of Dermaphoria, starring The Vampire Diaries’ Joseph Morgan and Ron Perlman, to open 13th edition of the London festival.
The line-up for the East End Film Festival (June 13-25) has been revealed.
The 13th edition of the festival - which runs for 13 days - will open on Friday 13th June with the world premiere of Dermaphoria. The Us film is the second feature from Ross Clarke, the east London-based filmmaker and DJ who directed homeless documentary Skid Row in 2007 and co-founded music festival Lovebox.
Based on a novel by Craid Clevenger, Dermaphoria follows an experimental chemist who wakes up in a New Orleans jail with amnesia, accused of arson and links to a drug-manufacturing ring. The cast includes Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Walton Goggins (The Shield), Anwan Glover (The Wire) and Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy).
Football focus
The festival, which coincides with the World Cup in Brazil, will welcome...
The line-up for the East End Film Festival (June 13-25) has been revealed.
The 13th edition of the festival - which runs for 13 days - will open on Friday 13th June with the world premiere of Dermaphoria. The Us film is the second feature from Ross Clarke, the east London-based filmmaker and DJ who directed homeless documentary Skid Row in 2007 and co-founded music festival Lovebox.
Based on a novel by Craid Clevenger, Dermaphoria follows an experimental chemist who wakes up in a New Orleans jail with amnesia, accused of arson and links to a drug-manufacturing ring. The cast includes Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Walton Goggins (The Shield), Anwan Glover (The Wire) and Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy).
Football focus
The festival, which coincides with the World Cup in Brazil, will welcome...
- 5/7/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The East End Film Festival returns to the city of London this summer celebrating its thirteenth year, and running in the height of the World Cup, Director Alison Poltock says she’s determined to make it the festival’s best year ever.
Opening on Friday, 13th June, the festival will run in East London for thirteen days, playing host to over 100 feature narrative and documentary films, and close to 100 shorts, the majority of which will be either World, UK, or London premieres.
Ross Clarke’s sophomore feature, Dermaphormia, will kick events off as the Opening Night Gala selection. Clarke has lined up an impressive cast for his first narrative film, following his award-winning documentary Skid Row, led by Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries), Nicole Badaan, Walton Goggins (Django Unchained), Lucius Falick, Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Anwan Glover (The Wire), and Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy). The crime-thriller centres on an experimental...
Opening on Friday, 13th June, the festival will run in East London for thirteen days, playing host to over 100 feature narrative and documentary films, and close to 100 shorts, the majority of which will be either World, UK, or London premieres.
Ross Clarke’s sophomore feature, Dermaphormia, will kick events off as the Opening Night Gala selection. Clarke has lined up an impressive cast for his first narrative film, following his award-winning documentary Skid Row, led by Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries), Nicole Badaan, Walton Goggins (Django Unchained), Lucius Falick, Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Anwan Glover (The Wire), and Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy). The crime-thriller centres on an experimental...
- 5/7/2014
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Launched on Kickstarter last month, upcoming British gangster film, Hackney’s Finest, is heading for the last hurdles on its path to distribution.
The two-month production was completed earlier in the year, and is just shy of its £6,000 goal over on Kickstarter, with a little under a week left on the clock.
To help whet your appetite, a new extended trailer has landed online, giving a good look at what’s to come. And though some of the accents feel a little off – though, having never been to Hackney, take that with a pinch of salt – it looks like a kind of Lock, Stock fifteen years on.
Hackney’s Finest is a lighthearted journey into the dark underbelly of London. A fast-paced crime thriller, packed with intrigue, corruption, dirty police, Afghan heroin smugglers, Welsh-Jamaican arms dealers and Eastern-European skinheads!
A ruthless police detective plans to steal a shipment of heroin...
The two-month production was completed earlier in the year, and is just shy of its £6,000 goal over on Kickstarter, with a little under a week left on the clock.
To help whet your appetite, a new extended trailer has landed online, giving a good look at what’s to come. And though some of the accents feel a little off – though, having never been to Hackney, take that with a pinch of salt – it looks like a kind of Lock, Stock fifteen years on.
Hackney’s Finest is a lighthearted journey into the dark underbelly of London. A fast-paced crime thriller, packed with intrigue, corruption, dirty police, Afghan heroin smugglers, Welsh-Jamaican arms dealers and Eastern-European skinheads!
A ruthless police detective plans to steal a shipment of heroin...
- 8/2/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Last summer I was working on an independent feature when I came in one morning to find the production office abuzz with hushed gossip and Chinese whispers. Pretty quickly I found out the news: the UK Film Council was to be abolished. The immediate reaction seemed to be concern; what.s the next chapter for the UK film industry? Who will fill the gap? People shouted and petitioned, a number of high profile actors and directors got involved, but it was no good. By 31st March 2011, the UKFC was closed for business.
Cut to nine months later and a house in South Devon, where director David M. Reynolds is launching an appeal . via online crowdfunding website Kickstarter – to publically fund his latest venture, The Underwater Realm. The project is a series of short films taking its audience from the height of the Roman empire right through to modern day, chronicling...
Cut to nine months later and a house in South Devon, where director David M. Reynolds is launching an appeal . via online crowdfunding website Kickstarter – to publically fund his latest venture, The Underwater Realm. The project is a series of short films taking its audience from the height of the Roman empire right through to modern day, chronicling...
- 12/29/2011
- by Alex Turner
- Obsessed with Film
A couple of clicks away on the web are scores of films made by fans – by turns hilarious, ingenious and ambitious. Lurking among their makers might be Hollywood's next generation.
Many still regard them as flatulent waste products of the socially deficient unemployed-layabout community. In most cases, they're pretty much right. But it looks increasingly likely that some of the amateur fan films that pervade YouTube and other online broadcasters will one day be cherished by movie-lovers as the formative works of the next generation of cutting-edge film-makers.
The idea of the fan film – an amateur, not-for-profit work inspired by a commercial movie, TV show or comic book – isn't new. Even before science fiction conventions in the 1970s began to provide sizeable audiences for homemade homages to much-loved sci-fi/fantasy franchises, teenage movie geeks such as Hugh Hefner and Batman fan Andy Warhol were finding their film-making feet making short...
Many still regard them as flatulent waste products of the socially deficient unemployed-layabout community. In most cases, they're pretty much right. But it looks increasingly likely that some of the amateur fan films that pervade YouTube and other online broadcasters will one day be cherished by movie-lovers as the formative works of the next generation of cutting-edge film-makers.
The idea of the fan film – an amateur, not-for-profit work inspired by a commercial movie, TV show or comic book – isn't new. Even before science fiction conventions in the 1970s began to provide sizeable audiences for homemade homages to much-loved sci-fi/fantasy franchises, teenage movie geeks such as Hugh Hefner and Batman fan Andy Warhol were finding their film-making feet making short...
- 5/13/2010
- by Jane Graham
- The Guardian - Film News
If you’re not already a Tolkien geek, this won’t turn you into one, and if you’re not already a Tolkien geek, you won’t get much out of this... Okay, now that the non-Tolkien geeks are gone: Wow. This is a beautiful little fan film: it’s fan fiction to the Nth degree, a “missing scene” story that Tolkien wrote but Peter Jackson didn’t film for his Lord of the Rings trilogy And rightly so: it wasn’t necessary for the larger telling of the whole big epic, but it’s lovely to see it done up so nicely for, as the proudly fannish creators inform us, “the personal, uncompensated enjoyment of ourselves and other Tolkien fans.” In between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn (Adrian Webster) attempts to track down Gollum (cleverly CGI’ed, and voiced by Gareth Brough...
- 6/4/2009
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
SciFi Wire is reporting today that the Lord of the Rings fan-produced film The Hunt for Gollum, which premiered online Sunday night, broke up its server space with over 250,000 views in its first 24 hours. To date, the video has received over 400,000 views via host DailyMotion, which is currently offering both high definition and standard definition versions of the 38 min. long film. The film follows the story of the story of Strider and Gandalf as they attempt to keep the ring a secret. As Sauron prepares to unleash his armies unto Middle Earth, they race to find Gollum, who has crucial knowledge as to the Ring's location. Thus far the response from fans appears to be positive. Speaking with SciFi Wire, director and executive producer Chris Bouchard said, "I was shocked, actually, because I was expecting a lot of stick for interpretations. We thought maybe the actors, they've got a lot to live up against trying to play...
- 5/6/2009
- by Neil Miller
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Sure, all the early news and rumors about The Hobbit are fun to read, but we have to wait more than three years to see what Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro have cooked up. Three years is an eternity -- the world could end before The Hobbit (part one of two) arrives on the big screen in 2012! What's a Tolkien movie fan to do?
Hundreds of Hobbit-hungry volunteers in the UK came together to make The Hunt for Gollum, a 40-minute film based on the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, according to The Guardian. Reportedly, the short "shows Aragorn's quest to find Gollum, the tortured creature who seeks the ring for himself. And faithful to Peter Jackson's trilogy, the lead bears an uncanny likeness to Viggo Mortensen." Chris Bouchard directed the film, composed the music, and served as executive producer. He told The Guardian:...
Hundreds of Hobbit-hungry volunteers in the UK came together to make The Hunt for Gollum, a 40-minute film based on the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, according to The Guardian. Reportedly, the short "shows Aragorn's quest to find Gollum, the tortured creature who seeks the ring for himself. And faithful to Peter Jackson's trilogy, the lead bears an uncanny likeness to Viggo Mortensen." Chris Bouchard directed the film, composed the music, and served as executive producer. He told The Guardian:...
- 5/5/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
A bunch of readers have emailed me about this -- thank you all -- and yes, I’ve been aware of it, and I’ve been meaning to get to it for quite a while. Remember when Strider went hunting for Gollum? You do if you read the appendices Tolkien packed with all the side stories that never made it into The Lord of the Rings. British filmmaker Chris Bouchard turned that particular tidbit into this 40-minute short, produced for £3,000 by volunteer fans (read more about it at the Guardian). I hope to watch the film today or tomorrow and report on it Asap. “The Hunt for Gollum” is available to watch online at the official site.
- 5/5/2009
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
We've been getting emails all weekend to post a fan-made film, which is supposed to be a prequel to "The Lord of the Rings." Entitled "The Hunt for Gollum," the new movie is the work of 150 volunteers who had only $4,500 to work with. The plot focuses on a search to find the deranged Gollum. The fear is that the wizened creature might reveal the whereabouts of the magic ring to the powers of darkness. "We're essentially a bunch of fans and enthusiast filmmakers," said director Chris Bouchard, who has put two years into the project. "I guess this story is just a small chapter when you compare it to a feature film. We tried to expand it a bit and show the epic scale of Middle Earth in kind of a tribute to what Peter Jackson did." Watch the entire 38-minute movie by clicking on the link below.
- 5/4/2009
- WorstPreviews.com
Back in mid-February I posted the trailer for the independently made film The Hunt for Gollum, which follows Aragorn (Adrian Webster), the Heir of Isildur as he sets out to find the creature Gollum (voiced by Gareth Brough and Jason Perino). The creature must be found to discover the truth about the ring, and to protect the future Ringbearer. The script for the film was adapted from elements of the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" by Chris Bouchard, who also served as exec producer and director. At the time I posted the trailer it was known the film would be releasing on May 3 and, wouldn't you know, it completely slipped my mind until regular RopeofSilicon reader "Jm" shot me an email to remind me today is in fact May 3 and the full film, which has a running time of 38:11, can be viewed online right now in HD.
- 5/4/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
For months now, the blogosphere has been abuzz with anticipation for The Hunt for Gollum, a 40 minute film prequel to The Lord of the Rings, which will finally be released online on May 3rd. Why does anyone care about a low budget fan project? Basically, the two very impressive-looking trailers released by the producers have raised expectations dramatically. In short, this looks like it could be one seriously cool film! What exactly can we expect? Recently, we sat down with the film's screenwriter/director, Chris Bouchard, an independent filmmaker who previously composed the music for another online fan project, Star Wars: Revelations. TheTorchOnline: So, in a nutshell, what's the story? Chris Bouchard: Well, the The Hunt For Gollum falls just before The Fellowship of the Ring in the timeline -- in fact, it overlaps at the end!
- 4/27/2009
- thetorchonline
The fan film has come a long, long way. That almost goes without saying these days as more and more independent film makers tackle established worlds to prove their chops but here comes yet another example with Chris Bouchard’s The Hunt For Gollum. As you might guess from the title, Bouchard and a crew of over a hundred volunteers have been working more than two years to bring a story from Middle Earth to the screen, a story referenced in the appendices of Jrr Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings but never actually written down in detail.
Now, we’ve had impressive Star Wars fan films in the past and impressive Superman and Batman films, too, but this appears to be the first time anyone has taken a solid run at The Lord of the Rings. And for good reason, frankly. I’ve long maintained that the sword...
Now, we’ve had impressive Star Wars fan films in the past and impressive Superman and Batman films, too, but this appears to be the first time anyone has taken a solid run at The Lord of the Rings. And for good reason, frankly. I’ve long maintained that the sword...
- 4/26/2009
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
The Hunt for Gollum, a 40-minute film conceived, created and funded by fans of the J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, will be screened exclusively online on Dailymotion on Sunday, May 3. The film will have a simultaneous premiere at Sci-fi London, the 8th Annual London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film, with free tickets available to festivalgoers. Written, directed, and produced by Chris Bouchard, who was inspired by notes in the appendices from the The Lord of the Rings, The Hunt for Gollum follows Aragorn as he sets out to find the Gollum so as to discover the truth about the Ring. As quoted in the film’s press release, Bouchard explains that the high production values of The Hunt for Gollum "would not have been possible without the commitment and resources of experienced prop makers, costume makers, prosthetics and make-up specialists, fight...
- 4/22/2009
- by Irene Young
- Alt Film Guide
Can't wait for Guillermo del Toro's the Hobbit? Need your next Lotr fix a little sooner than 2011? Well you're in luck, another prequel to Peter Jackson's groundbreaking trilogy is currently in production in England and will be available free on the internet next year. It's called The Hunt for Gullum and it's so far from your standard cheapo role playing shenanigans that it was even worth sharing.
The Hunt For Gollum cost just £3,000 to put together, compared with the £190million spent on making the three The Lord Of The Rings films. And, simply put, it looks stunning. I mean, look at the make-up work to the right.
The script is adapted from elements of the appendices of The Lord of the Rings. The story follows the Heir of Isildur; the "greatest huntsman and traveller in Middle Earth" as he sets out to find the creature Gollum. The creature must...
The Hunt For Gollum cost just £3,000 to put together, compared with the £190million spent on making the three The Lord Of The Rings films. And, simply put, it looks stunning. I mean, look at the make-up work to the right.
The script is adapted from elements of the appendices of The Lord of the Rings. The story follows the Heir of Isildur; the "greatest huntsman and traveller in Middle Earth" as he sets out to find the creature Gollum. The creature must...
- 12/4/2008
- QuietEarth.us
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