Exclusive: Here’s a first image from The Lady of Heaven, Eli King’s historical drama chronicling two interviewing storylines set centuries apart: A young Iraqi child’s journey amidst a battle-scarred country to learn the power of patience, and the historical tale of Lady Fatima.
The $15M movie stars Ray Fearon, Christopher Sciueref, Mark Anthony Brighton, Denise Black, Lucas Bond, Sami Karim, Albane Courtois, Matthew Brenher, Chris Jarman, Yasmin Mwanza, Dimitri Andreas and Oscar Garland. It is produced by Matthew Kuipers and Enlightened Kingdom, and executive produced by Richard Rionda Del Castro, Irakli Chikvaidze and Abdul Malik Shlibak. Oscar winner John Stephenson was as creative consultant.
Hannibal Media will be handling worldwide rights at the virtual European Film Market this week.
The $15M movie stars Ray Fearon, Christopher Sciueref, Mark Anthony Brighton, Denise Black, Lucas Bond, Sami Karim, Albane Courtois, Matthew Brenher, Chris Jarman, Yasmin Mwanza, Dimitri Andreas and Oscar Garland. It is produced by Matthew Kuipers and Enlightened Kingdom, and executive produced by Richard Rionda Del Castro, Irakli Chikvaidze and Abdul Malik Shlibak. Oscar winner John Stephenson was as creative consultant.
Hannibal Media will be handling worldwide rights at the virtual European Film Market this week.
- 3/1/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Stars: Gemma Arterton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lucas Bond, Penelope Wilton, Tom Courtenay, Toby Osmond, Dixie Egerickx | Written and Directed by Jessica Swale
Ever since the super low budget and criminally underrated Disappearance of Alice Creed (if you have not seen it check it out), I have been a big fan of Gemma Arterton; she is easily in the top 5 or 6 actresses we have on our British shores. So with that in mind, I am always keen to see the latest films she features in. Sprinkle in a whole dose of actual global virus events and a somewhat upbeat hopeful movie about evacuees during World War 2 might just be what the doctor ordered…
Arterton plays Alice, a shut off reclusive writer, spending her days researching folklore and writing her new book in the picturesque setting of the seaside cliffs of Southern England while World War II rages on in the background. After...
Ever since the super low budget and criminally underrated Disappearance of Alice Creed (if you have not seen it check it out), I have been a big fan of Gemma Arterton; she is easily in the top 5 or 6 actresses we have on our British shores. So with that in mind, I am always keen to see the latest films she features in. Sprinkle in a whole dose of actual global virus events and a somewhat upbeat hopeful movie about evacuees during World War 2 might just be what the doctor ordered…
Arterton plays Alice, a shut off reclusive writer, spending her days researching folklore and writing her new book in the picturesque setting of the seaside cliffs of Southern England while World War II rages on in the background. After...
- 12/18/2020
- by Kevin Haldon
- Nerdly
Lucas Bond as “Frank” and Gemma Arterton as “Alice” in Jessica Swale’s Summerland. Photo by Michael Wharley. Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release
Summerland is a sweet drama set in the English countryside during WWII, about a reclusive, curmudgeonly writer who has her heart softened by a young refugee who has been sent to her Sussex village to escape the London Blitz. Gemma Arterton is delightful as the author but everything about writer/director Jessica Swale’s warm-hearted story is a bit too neat and perfect to be believable, much like the folk tales and myths about which the central character writes.
Playwright Jessica Swale makes her feature film debut with Summerland, which stars Gemma Arterton and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who also appeared in Swale’s Olivier Award-winning play “Nell Gwynn.”
Summerland opens in a picturesque cottage in the English Sussex coastal countryside, with a disheveled older Alice...
Summerland is a sweet drama set in the English countryside during WWII, about a reclusive, curmudgeonly writer who has her heart softened by a young refugee who has been sent to her Sussex village to escape the London Blitz. Gemma Arterton is delightful as the author but everything about writer/director Jessica Swale’s warm-hearted story is a bit too neat and perfect to be believable, much like the folk tales and myths about which the central character writes.
Playwright Jessica Swale makes her feature film debut with Summerland, which stars Gemma Arterton and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who also appeared in Swale’s Olivier Award-winning play “Nell Gwynn.”
Summerland opens in a picturesque cottage in the English Sussex coastal countryside, with a disheveled older Alice...
- 8/3/2020
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Making a tearjerker that still has a sense of fun to it is a fairly difficult proposition. After all, you want the emotions to seem real, so the playfulness can’t overwhelm it, or frankly, vice-versa. While the back half of Summerland goes for emotions and tears more than the first part, which is lighter and almost comic, the film manages to work on its own merits. To be sure, a main reason why the movie works is Gemma Arterton, who gets to shine in a juicy lead role. Now playing, it’s an option that adults longing for some solid drama can really sink their teeth into. The film is a drama, set during World War II. Alice (Arterton) is a reclusive writer, living a rather solitary life in a small town on the seaside cliffs of Southern England. The war rages, but she’s largely unconcerned, just focused...
- 8/1/2020
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Gugu Mbatha-Raw is stretching herself, even while social distancing. The actress co-stars in Summerland, a British dramatic film written and directed by Jessica Swale. Mbatha-Raw plays Vera, the love interest to Alex (Gemma Arterton) during the 1940’s. The love doesn’t last and heartbroken, Alex becomes a recluse in her quaint cottage home. It isn’t until she’s signed up to be a temporary caregiver of Frank (Lucas Bond) during WWI that Alex is forced to face her fears and her past love.
Continue reading Gugu Mbatha-Raw On ‘Summerland’ & The Journey Of Living Through Her Characters [Interview] at The Playlist.
Continue reading Gugu Mbatha-Raw On ‘Summerland’ & The Journey Of Living Through Her Characters [Interview] at The Playlist.
- 7/31/2020
- by Joi Childs
- The Playlist
It’s a volatile time in our country. We are divided and there’s an extreme sense of civic unrest. As hopeless as many of us feel, there are heroes on the front lines who are protecting our constitutional freedoms when it comes to abortion rights, immigration rights, LGBTQ rights and voting rights — and those heroes are chronicled in the documentary The Fight which debuts today in select theaters and on demand.
Directed by Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman and Eli Despres, who produce alongside Kerry Washington, The Fight debuted at Sundance earlier this year. Who would have known that this documentary would be so poignant during this pivotal moment in history when Black lives are being killed, trans women of color are being murdered, the well-being of immigrants is at risk and the Trump’s administration is doing everything they can to put civil liberties of marginalized communities in danger.
Directed by Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman and Eli Despres, who produce alongside Kerry Washington, The Fight debuted at Sundance earlier this year. Who would have known that this documentary would be so poignant during this pivotal moment in history when Black lives are being killed, trans women of color are being murdered, the well-being of immigrants is at risk and the Trump’s administration is doing everything they can to put civil liberties of marginalized communities in danger.
- 7/31/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
As far as feature debuts for a writer/director go, there have been few as rewarding as Summerland, the first endeavor from award-winning playwright turned filmmaker Jessica Swale. Utilizing breathtaking English locations and anchoring a wartime drama that sneaks in a wickedly effective love story, replete with fine performances all around, Summerland is that rarest of experiences, a film that somehow manages to make everything in it seem fresh, bright, and new again.
Alice (played by Gemma Arterton) is a reclusive writer, resigned to a solitary life on the seaside cliffs of Southern England while the horrid events of World War II rages on across the channel. When, one day, she opens her front door to learn that she is now expected to watch over a young London evacuee named Frank (Lucas Bond). Although she is resistant at first, it is not long before the two realize they have more...
Alice (played by Gemma Arterton) is a reclusive writer, resigned to a solitary life on the seaside cliffs of Southern England while the horrid events of World War II rages on across the channel. When, one day, she opens her front door to learn that she is now expected to watch over a young London evacuee named Frank (Lucas Bond). Although she is resistant at first, it is not long before the two realize they have more...
- 7/31/2020
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
Tucked in her seaside cottage, clattering away at her typewriter, and smoking like a chimney, Alice Lamb (Gemma Arterton) doesn’t fit in with her buttoned-up small-town Kent neighbors. Perhaps it’s the townsfolk’s predilection for referring to her as a witch? Or the punk kids who shove trash into her mailbox and run off screaming? Maybe the elder statesman who tells Alice she’s all but asking to be shunned by, what, simply existing? Alice is an outsider and disinterested in playing nice with her community; that’s the sort of thing that would bother her neighbors even during regular times, but Alice is the product of Jessica Swale’s “Summerland,” set in the heat of World War II, even if the bombs are falling miles and miles away.
Alice’s isn’t helped by her own disdain for the world around her — “That’s right, we’ve...
Alice’s isn’t helped by her own disdain for the world around her — “That’s right, we’ve...
- 7/30/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
On the surface, Jessica Swale would seem to have a lot of beginner’s luck. The first play she ever wrote, “Blue Stockings,” was a massive success with audiences and critics, premiering at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2013. Her first official foray behind the camera as writer-director, a short film titled “Leading Lady Parts,” starred a who’s who of powerhouse women and quickly went viral. And now her feature film debut as writer-director, “Summerland,” comes out this week to warm reviews for its story and lead actors Gemma Arterton and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. She also has several scripts in various stages of development, from her own works to adaptations of Jane Austen’s “Persuasion” and the novel “Longbourn.”
Of course, luck has little to do with Swale’s success; she’s a self-proclaimed workaholic who spent a decade building her bona fides as a stage director on such plays as “Sense and Sensibility...
Of course, luck has little to do with Swale’s success; she’s a self-proclaimed workaholic who spent a decade building her bona fides as a stage director on such plays as “Sense and Sensibility...
- 7/29/2020
- by Jenelle Riley
- Variety Film + TV
In a cozy, seaside cottage in Kent, with the winds of WWII still at a distance, Alice Bloom (Gemma Arterton) bangs out academic theses about folklore on her typewriter and launches verbal attacks on neighbors who dare to interrupt her work. The locals have the swaggering, chainsmoking Alice pegged as a witch who’s probably signaling the Nazis from her perch over the white cliffs. The Brit villagers are not even half right — but oh, does she have anger to spare. Her reveries concern a torrid affair with Vera ((Gugu Mbatha-Raw...
- 7/29/2020
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
It’s 1975 and Alice Lamb, played by Penelope Wilton, is cussing at her typewriter and telling cute children to “bugger off.” When we cut back to the same typewriter some 30 years earlier, Alice, now played by Gemma Arterton, is again shouting at local kids and pointedly buying for herself the rationed chocolate bar another saucer-eyed moppet so desires. “Summerland,” the amiable debut feature from UK theater director and playwright Jessica Swale, works hard in its opening 10 minutes to convey the irascible Alice’s unlikability, and then even harder over the following 89 to unpick that impression. It’s all very good-natured but it does amount to a zero-sum game.
We’re on the outskirts of a small coastal village in Kent, in a picturesquely scuffed cottage in the dunes. Alice (Arterton) lives here alone, writing “academic theses” on folklore and investigating the “island in the sky” phenomenon, a kind of Fata Morgana...
We’re on the outskirts of a small coastal village in Kent, in a picturesquely scuffed cottage in the dunes. Alice (Arterton) lives here alone, writing “academic theses” on folklore and investigating the “island in the sky” phenomenon, a kind of Fata Morgana...
- 7/27/2020
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
It has been seventy-five years since World War II ended and there appears to be no shortage of new tales to tell. Enter Summerland, written and directed by Jessica Swale. The film concerns Alice (Gemma Arterton), a hermetic writer living in Southern England. She’s hated by the entire community, and hates them right back. The legend Tom Courtenay offers up some pitch-perfect facial expressions as the principal of the local school.
As the war tears apart London, a group of children arrive in the seaside town to be temporarily adopted for their safety. Alice is perturbed to find she has apparently volunteered to take care of one: a boy named Frank, played by Lucas Bond. Before long, of course, the pair grow comfortable with one another.
Arterton has been an under-appreciated performer for much of her career. Too often do her stellar turns come in under-seen fare, such as Tamara Drewe and Byzantium.
As the war tears apart London, a group of children arrive in the seaside town to be temporarily adopted for their safety. Alice is perturbed to find she has apparently volunteered to take care of one: a boy named Frank, played by Lucas Bond. Before long, of course, the pair grow comfortable with one another.
Arterton has been an under-appreciated performer for much of her career. Too often do her stellar turns come in under-seen fare, such as Tamara Drewe and Byzantium.
- 7/27/2020
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
During the Second World War, around one and a half million people, most of them children, were evacuated from London to keep them safe from bombing raids. Children found themselves staying with strangers all around the UK. Their experiences varied enormously. Some of them were warmly welcomed. Some of them were not.
Alice (Gemma Arterton) lives alone in a rambling house on the south coast of England and makes her living as a writer and researcher - something which necessitates long hours of work. The last thing she wants is a child hanging around the house, demanding attention and getting in the way. When young Frank (Lucas Bond) arrives, she's counting down the hours until she can get rid of him. In the face of this - and the pre-existing stress of being separated from his parents - the boy copes remarkably well, settling in at the local school and making.
Alice (Gemma Arterton) lives alone in a rambling house on the south coast of England and makes her living as a writer and researcher - something which necessitates long hours of work. The last thing she wants is a child hanging around the house, demanding attention and getting in the way. When young Frank (Lucas Bond) arrives, she's counting down the hours until she can get rid of him. In the face of this - and the pre-existing stress of being separated from his parents - the boy copes remarkably well, settling in at the local school and making.
- 7/26/2020
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Summerland IFC Films Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Jessica Swale Screenwriter: Jessica Swale Cast: Gemma Arterton, Lucas Bond, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Penelope Wilton, Siân Phillips, Tom Courtenay, Amanda Root Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 7/22/20 Opens: July 31, 2020 If you’re a fan of World War 2 movies […]
The post Summerland Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Summerland Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 7/26/2020
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Lionsgate UK has launched a new trailer for ‘Summerland’ starring Gemma Arterton.
The film follows the story of fiercely independent folklore investigator, Alice (Gemma Arterton) who secludes herself in her clifftop study, debunking myths using science to disprove the existence of other-worldly forces and magic. Consumed by her work, but also profoundly lonely, she is haunted by a love affair from her past.
When spirited young Frank, an evacuee from the London Blitz, is dumped into her irritable care, his innocence and wonder unlock deeply buried and painful secrets in Alice’s past and make her re-evaluate what it really means to free your imagination. Bravely embracing life’s miraculous unpredictability, Alice learns that wounds may be healed, hope and second chances do exist, and any woman must defiantly be two things: who and what she wants.
Written and directed by Jessica Swale, the film stars Gemma Arterton (The King’s Man,...
The film follows the story of fiercely independent folklore investigator, Alice (Gemma Arterton) who secludes herself in her clifftop study, debunking myths using science to disprove the existence of other-worldly forces and magic. Consumed by her work, but also profoundly lonely, she is haunted by a love affair from her past.
When spirited young Frank, an evacuee from the London Blitz, is dumped into her irritable care, his innocence and wonder unlock deeply buried and painful secrets in Alice’s past and make her re-evaluate what it really means to free your imagination. Bravely embracing life’s miraculous unpredictability, Alice learns that wounds may be healed, hope and second chances do exist, and any woman must defiantly be two things: who and what she wants.
Written and directed by Jessica Swale, the film stars Gemma Arterton (The King’s Man,...
- 7/14/2020
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Sneak Peek the upcoming Brit romantic war drama "Summerland", written, directed by Jessica Swale, starring Gemma Arterton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lucas Bond, Dixie Egerickx, Siân Phillips, Penelope Wilton and Tom Courtenay:
"During World War II, reclusive writer 'Alice' (Arterton) has her sequestered life upended when 'Frank', an evacuee from the 'London Blitz', is left in her care.
"Despite initially resolving to be rid of him, Alice finds herself and her emotions reawakened by him...."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Summerland"...
"During World War II, reclusive writer 'Alice' (Arterton) has her sequestered life upended when 'Frank', an evacuee from the 'London Blitz', is left in her care.
"Despite initially resolving to be rid of him, Alice finds herself and her emotions reawakened by him...."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Summerland"...
- 7/13/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Gemma Arterton stars in Summerland as Alice, a reculsive writer who focuses on her work as World War II rages on across the channel (she lives amidst the seaside cliffs of Southern England).
Alice’s life takes a huge turn after she adopts a London evacuee named Frank (Lucas Bond), and actually taking care of another human [...]
The post Gemma Arterton Develops Lifelong Bond In Evocative ‘Summerland’ Trailer appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
Alice’s life takes a huge turn after she adopts a London evacuee named Frank (Lucas Bond), and actually taking care of another human [...]
The post Gemma Arterton Develops Lifelong Bond In Evocative ‘Summerland’ Trailer appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 6/8/2020
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
IFC Films is acquiring U.S. rights to “Summerland,” a British drama starring Gemma Arterton and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Variety has learned exclusively.
The movie is the directorial feature debut from Jessica Swale, who won an Olivier Award for her play “Nell Gwynn,” in which Arterton and Mbatha-Raw both starred. Swale was named as one of Variety’s Brits to Watch in 2019.
IFC Films will release “Summerland” on July 31. In the film, Arterton portrays a fiercely independent folklore investigator who secludes herself in her clifftop study to debunk myths using science to disprove the existence of magic. Consumed by her work, but also profoundly lonely, she is haunted by a love affair from her past. When Lucas Bond’s spirited evacuee from the London Blitz is dumped into her irritable care, his innocence and curiosity awaken her buried emotions. “Summerland” also stars Penelope Wilton (“Downton Abbey”) and Tom Courtenay.
“‘Summerland’ reinforces...
The movie is the directorial feature debut from Jessica Swale, who won an Olivier Award for her play “Nell Gwynn,” in which Arterton and Mbatha-Raw both starred. Swale was named as one of Variety’s Brits to Watch in 2019.
IFC Films will release “Summerland” on July 31. In the film, Arterton portrays a fiercely independent folklore investigator who secludes herself in her clifftop study to debunk myths using science to disprove the existence of magic. Consumed by her work, but also profoundly lonely, she is haunted by a love affair from her past. When Lucas Bond’s spirited evacuee from the London Blitz is dumped into her irritable care, his innocence and curiosity awaken her buried emotions. “Summerland” also stars Penelope Wilton (“Downton Abbey”) and Tom Courtenay.
“‘Summerland’ reinforces...
- 4/20/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Release set for July 31.
IFC has picked up Us rights from Embankment Films to Gemma Arterton Second World War era drama Summerland.
Olivier award-winning theatre director Jessica Swale’s feature directorial debut stars Arterton as a heartbroken debunker of folklore whose life changes when she is charged with looking after a young evacuee from the Blitz in London.
The cast includes Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Penelope Wilton, Lucas Bond, and Tom Courtenay. Guy Heeley and Adrian Sturges served as producers.
IFC Films will release Summerland on July 31. The film is a Quickfire and BFI presentation of a Shoebox Films and Iota Films production.
IFC has picked up Us rights from Embankment Films to Gemma Arterton Second World War era drama Summerland.
Olivier award-winning theatre director Jessica Swale’s feature directorial debut stars Arterton as a heartbroken debunker of folklore whose life changes when she is charged with looking after a young evacuee from the Blitz in London.
The cast includes Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Penelope Wilton, Lucas Bond, and Tom Courtenay. Guy Heeley and Adrian Sturges served as producers.
IFC Films will release Summerland on July 31. The film is a Quickfire and BFI presentation of a Shoebox Films and Iota Films production.
- 4/20/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Embankment Films has sold British rights to Lionsgate U.K. for romantic drama “Summerland,” starring Gemma Arterton and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Variety has been given the exclusive first-look image for the film, which has just wrapped production.
The pic is the feature debut of British playwright Jessica Swale, who won an Olivier Award for her play “Nell Gwynn,” in which Arterton and Mbatha-Raw both starred. Swale won BAFTA’s Jj Screenwriting Bursary for “Summerland” in 2012.
The film centers on fiercely independent writer Alice (Arterton) who “secludes herself in her clifftop study, debunking myths using science to disprove the existence of magic,” according to a statement.
When a spirited young man, Frank, an evacuee from the London Blitz, is placed in her care, “his innocence and curiosity awaken Alice’s buried emotions… perhaps magic really does exist.”
The cast includes Penelope Wilton (“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”) and Tom Courtenay (“45 Years...
The pic is the feature debut of British playwright Jessica Swale, who won an Olivier Award for her play “Nell Gwynn,” in which Arterton and Mbatha-Raw both starred. Swale won BAFTA’s Jj Screenwriting Bursary for “Summerland” in 2012.
The film centers on fiercely independent writer Alice (Arterton) who “secludes herself in her clifftop study, debunking myths using science to disprove the existence of magic,” according to a statement.
When a spirited young man, Frank, an evacuee from the London Blitz, is placed in her care, “his innocence and curiosity awaken Alice’s buried emotions… perhaps magic really does exist.”
The cast includes Penelope Wilton (“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”) and Tom Courtenay (“45 Years...
- 11/1/2018
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
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