UK director Mike Leigh will receive a lifetime achievement award at Malta’s second annual Mediterrane Film Festival (June 22-30).
The seven-time Oscar nominee will also host a masterclass and participate in an in conversation with Adrian Wootton, CEO at the British Film Commission, with whom the festival has a partnership.
Leigh began his career in theatre and TV with work including Abigail’s Party in 1977. He focused on features throughout the 1990s, winning acclaim for films such as High Hopes, Life Is Sweet, Naked and Secrets And Lies. The latter won the Palme d’Or in 1996.
His following films included Topsy-Turvy,...
The seven-time Oscar nominee will also host a masterclass and participate in an in conversation with Adrian Wootton, CEO at the British Film Commission, with whom the festival has a partnership.
Leigh began his career in theatre and TV with work including Abigail’s Party in 1977. He focused on features throughout the 1990s, winning acclaim for films such as High Hopes, Life Is Sweet, Naked and Secrets And Lies. The latter won the Palme d’Or in 1996.
His following films included Topsy-Turvy,...
- 4/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
Malta’s Mediterrane Film Festival will honor BAFTA-winning writer-director Mike Leigh (Vera Drake, Another Year, Happy-Go-Lucky) with its inaugural career achievement Golden Bee Award this year.
The honor is awarded “in recognition of a lifetime achievement in film,” organizers said Monday. “Leigh, who has received seven Academy Award nominations across his career, will also host a master class in the upcoming second edition of the festival,” which will take place June 22-30 in Valletta, the capital of the island of Malta.
Palme d’Or-winning director Leigh will be in conversation with Adrian Wootton, who previously served as acting director of the British Film Institute and is currently CEO of Film London and the British Film Commission.
Last year, StudioCanal acquired U.K. rights to Leigh‘s secretive project Hard Truths, starring Secrets & Lies star Marianne Jean-Baptiste, marking the first time the distributor has worked with the iconic director. Bleecker...
The honor is awarded “in recognition of a lifetime achievement in film,” organizers said Monday. “Leigh, who has received seven Academy Award nominations across his career, will also host a master class in the upcoming second edition of the festival,” which will take place June 22-30 in Valletta, the capital of the island of Malta.
Palme d’Or-winning director Leigh will be in conversation with Adrian Wootton, who previously served as acting director of the British Film Institute and is currently CEO of Film London and the British Film Commission.
Last year, StudioCanal acquired U.K. rights to Leigh‘s secretive project Hard Truths, starring Secrets & Lies star Marianne Jean-Baptiste, marking the first time the distributor has worked with the iconic director. Bleecker...
- 4/29/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cate Blanchett is taking on the U.N. by way of Hillary Clinton meets Margaret Thatcher garb in a first look at upcoming comedy “Rumours.”
The film is written and directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson, with Bleecker Street distributing. While no release date has been announced yet, the feature is expected to be released in 2024, and debuted first look footage as part of Bleecker Street’s 10-year anniversary reel.
Oscar winner Blanchett co-stars alongside fellow Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander, Roy Dupuis, Charles Dance, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, Takehiro Hira, and Zlatko Burić. “Rumours” follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest liberal democracies at the annual G7 summit after they become lost in the woods and face increasing peril while attempting to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis.
Ari Aster executive produces through his and Lars Knudsen’s Square Peg production company,...
The film is written and directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson, with Bleecker Street distributing. While no release date has been announced yet, the feature is expected to be released in 2024, and debuted first look footage as part of Bleecker Street’s 10-year anniversary reel.
Oscar winner Blanchett co-stars alongside fellow Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander, Roy Dupuis, Charles Dance, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, Takehiro Hira, and Zlatko Burić. “Rumours” follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest liberal democracies at the annual G7 summit after they become lost in the woods and face increasing peril while attempting to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis.
Ari Aster executive produces through his and Lars Knudsen’s Square Peg production company,...
- 4/10/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Rarely do we make note of single-digit seconds’ footage, but when it’s two films that ranked among our 50 most-anticipated films of 2024––one landing very high on that list––exceptions can be made. Just to say Bleecker Street Films have posted a celebration of their 10-year anniversary that includes previews of this year’s slate––among which are Guy Maddin’s Rumours, starring Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander, and Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
We’ve already learned the former concerns “the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest liberal democracies at the annual G7 summit after they become lost in the woods and face increasing peril while attempting to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis”; from the latter we’ve only seen a single image, and still have no notable updates. However, with Cannes’ lineup announced in a matter of days, we may have...
We’ve already learned the former concerns “the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest liberal democracies at the annual G7 summit after they become lost in the woods and face increasing peril while attempting to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis”; from the latter we’ve only seen a single image, and still have no notable updates. However, with Cannes’ lineup announced in a matter of days, we may have...
- 4/10/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Bleecker Street has unveiled a reel showcasing both where the company has been and where it’s headed, unveiling never-before-seen footage from numerous upcoming titles.
Titles nearest on the horizon that are teased include Nathan and David Zellner’s acclaimed Sundance pic Sasquatch Sunset, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough, which opens in select theaters April 12, and Tony Goldwyn’s family dramedy Ezra, out May 31. Others include Julia von Heinz’s Treasure (June 14), starring Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry; Jocelyn Moorhouse’s comedy The Fabulous Four (July 26), starring Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler, Megan Mullally and Sheryl Lee Ralph; Mikael Håfström’s sci-fi pic Slingshot (August 23), starring Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishbourne and Emily Beecham; and Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths (October 18), starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
Then, there’s Uberto Pasolini’s The Return, starring Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche and Charlie Plummer, and the film Rumours with Cate Blanchett,...
Titles nearest on the horizon that are teased include Nathan and David Zellner’s acclaimed Sundance pic Sasquatch Sunset, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough, which opens in select theaters April 12, and Tony Goldwyn’s family dramedy Ezra, out May 31. Others include Julia von Heinz’s Treasure (June 14), starring Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry; Jocelyn Moorhouse’s comedy The Fabulous Four (July 26), starring Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler, Megan Mullally and Sheryl Lee Ralph; Mikael Håfström’s sci-fi pic Slingshot (August 23), starring Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishbourne and Emily Beecham; and Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths (October 18), starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
Then, there’s Uberto Pasolini’s The Return, starring Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche and Charlie Plummer, and the film Rumours with Cate Blanchett,...
- 4/10/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Although there’s no distributor yet confirmed for Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-in-development, nearly completed epic Megalopolis, we’re starting to get a sense of when we may see the $100 million epic. The director himself recently indicated it’ll be out in a few months, but according to a new report, a fall release is more likely.
In a round-up of Cannes possibilities, Deadline notes the movie is targeting “a big fall IMAX release,” which means a Venice or North American festival (i.e. TIFF or NYFF) could be more likely than a visit to the Croisette. The article also notes it’s unlikely that Steve McQueen’s Blitz, Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, David Lowery’s Mother Mary, Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, and Luca Guadagnino’s Queer will be stopping by Cannes, but George Miller’s Furiosa, Audrey Diwan’s Emmanuelle, Andrea Arnold’s Bird, and David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds,...
In a round-up of Cannes possibilities, Deadline notes the movie is targeting “a big fall IMAX release,” which means a Venice or North American festival (i.e. TIFF or NYFF) could be more likely than a visit to the Croisette. The article also notes it’s unlikely that Steve McQueen’s Blitz, Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, David Lowery’s Mother Mary, Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, and Luca Guadagnino’s Queer will be stopping by Cannes, but George Miller’s Furiosa, Audrey Diwan’s Emmanuelle, Andrea Arnold’s Bird, and David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds,...
- 2/29/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For regular updates, sign up for our weekly email newsletter and follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSHard Truths.Mike Leigh’s forthcoming Hard Truths will reunite him with Marianne Jean-Baptiste, star of Secrets and Lies (1996). It will be the British director’s first film set in the present day since Another Year (2010).Jia Zhangke has divulged some details of We Shall Be All, now in the early stages of post-production. In production off and on since 2001, the film will be his first feature since Ash Is Purest White (2018). “I travelled with actors and a cameraman to shoot, without a script, without any obvious story,” the director told Variety. “This is a work of fiction, but I have applied many documentary methods.”Robert Bresson’s rarely seen Four Nights of a Dreamer is being restored by MK2 Films, set for a spring release.
- 2/28/2024
- MUBI
Details of Mike Leigh’s new film are beginning to emerge. The title, Hard Truths, and the leading cast have been confirmed.
Mike Leigh’s new film Hard Truths will be his first new release in five years. Mike Leigh’s films have been more sporadic in recent years, but it’s very much a case of quality over quantity, from Timothy Spall’s astonishing turn as Mr Turner in 2014 to 2018’s epic historical drama Peterloo.
Known for his improvisational method of creating characters, there is no script, in fact there us often no basic idea of what the plot will be when his actors are cast. Leigh begins by having private conversations with his actors about people they know in real life followed by an in-depth period of inprovisation. Actors are then introduced to each other and over an intensive couple of weeks, even months, the characters are developed.
Mike Leigh’s new film Hard Truths will be his first new release in five years. Mike Leigh’s films have been more sporadic in recent years, but it’s very much a case of quality over quantity, from Timothy Spall’s astonishing turn as Mr Turner in 2014 to 2018’s epic historical drama Peterloo.
Known for his improvisational method of creating characters, there is no script, in fact there us often no basic idea of what the plot will be when his actors are cast. Leigh begins by having private conversations with his actors about people they know in real life followed by an in-depth period of inprovisation. Actors are then introduced to each other and over an intensive couple of weeks, even months, the characters are developed.
- 2/16/2024
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
With Covid lockdowns and shuttered cinemas and the dual wallop of the writers’ and actors’ strikes, it’s been a rough few years for independent movies. But the end of strike action last November has triggered a rebound in the indie market. After a strong showing in Sundance, buyers and sellers are looking to Berlin’s European Film Market to provide proof this recovery has legs.
Early signs are promising, with a flood of new projects across all budgets and genres. CAA Media Finance alone has half a dozen finished films on sale and around 20 big packages, including sci-fi actioner Afterburn with Dave Bautista and Samuel L. Jackson attached, selling together with Black Bear; the drama A Big Bold Beautiful Journey from After Yang and Pachinko director Kogonada, featuring Colin Farrell and a post-Barbie Margot Robbie, that 30West and Neon International are jointly handling, and the Michelle Yeoh action thriller The Mother alongside AGC International.
Early signs are promising, with a flood of new projects across all budgets and genres. CAA Media Finance alone has half a dozen finished films on sale and around 20 big packages, including sci-fi actioner Afterburn with Dave Bautista and Samuel L. Jackson attached, selling together with Black Bear; the drama A Big Bold Beautiful Journey from After Yang and Pachinko director Kogonada, featuring Colin Farrell and a post-Barbie Margot Robbie, that 30West and Neon International are jointly handling, and the Michelle Yeoh action thriller The Mother alongside AGC International.
- 2/16/2024
- by Scott Roxborough and Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Following 2018’s Peterloo, Mike Leigh has openly discussed how difficult it was to finance his next feature. Thankfully, he recently amassed the resources and quietly began production last year on his 23rd film, with the backing of Thin Man Films, The Mediapro Studio, co-financed by Film4 in association with Creativity Media, with Bleecker Street releasing the film in the US later this year, Studiocanal releasing in the UK, and Cornerstone Films handling international sales.
Titled Hard Truths, nothing was known about the project, but now Bleecker Street have unveiled the first image and details. Led by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who worked with Leigh on his 1996 feature Secrets & Lies and received an Oscar nomination for her performance, the film marks Leigh’s “return to the contemporary world with a tough but compassionate intimate study of family life.” The London-set film also stars Michele Austin.
Leigh was joined behind the camera by...
Titled Hard Truths, nothing was known about the project, but now Bleecker Street have unveiled the first image and details. Led by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who worked with Leigh on his 1996 feature Secrets & Lies and received an Oscar nomination for her performance, the film marks Leigh’s “return to the contemporary world with a tough but compassionate intimate study of family life.” The London-set film also stars Michele Austin.
Leigh was joined behind the camera by...
- 2/14/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The cast of “Hard Truths,” the 23rd film from legendary British director Mike Leigh, has been unveiled, along with a first look image.
The feature, which like most Leigh projects has remained under a veil of secrecy, has reunited the filmmaker with Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who received an Oscar nomination for his 1996 drama “Secrets & Lies.” Michele Austin, another frequent Leigh collaborator, also stars.
“Hard Truths” was shot in London in 2023 and, following his historical epics “Mr. Turner” and “Peterloo,” sees Leigh return to the contemporary world. However, plot details are still scarce, the film’s only description being that it’s a “tough but compassionate intimate study of family life”.
Leigh was joined behind the camera by his regular crew members, including producer Georgina Lowe, cinematographer Dick Pope, costume designer Jacqueline Durran (who recently earned her 9th Oscar nomination for her work on “Barbie”), production designer Suzie Davis, composer Gary Yershon...
The feature, which like most Leigh projects has remained under a veil of secrecy, has reunited the filmmaker with Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who received an Oscar nomination for his 1996 drama “Secrets & Lies.” Michele Austin, another frequent Leigh collaborator, also stars.
“Hard Truths” was shot in London in 2023 and, following his historical epics “Mr. Turner” and “Peterloo,” sees Leigh return to the contemporary world. However, plot details are still scarce, the film’s only description being that it’s a “tough but compassionate intimate study of family life”.
Leigh was joined behind the camera by his regular crew members, including producer Georgina Lowe, cinematographer Dick Pope, costume designer Jacqueline Durran (who recently earned her 9th Oscar nomination for her work on “Barbie”), production designer Suzie Davis, composer Gary Yershon...
- 2/14/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
UK sales outfit Cornerstone Films has revealed details of Mike Leigh’s 23rd feature Hard Truths which reunites the auteur with star Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who was Oscar nominated for her role in Leigh’s 1996 film Secrets & Lies.
Hard Truths also stars Michele Austin, another star of Secrets & Lies, and shot in London in 2023. Following his historical films Mr.Turner and Peterloo, Hard Truths sees Leigh return to the contemporary world with a tough but compassionate intimate study of family life.
It is a Thin Man Films and The Mediapro Studio co-production, co-financed by Film4 in association with Creativity Media.
Hard Truths also stars Michele Austin, another star of Secrets & Lies, and shot in London in 2023. Following his historical films Mr.Turner and Peterloo, Hard Truths sees Leigh return to the contemporary world with a tough but compassionate intimate study of family life.
It is a Thin Man Films and The Mediapro Studio co-production, co-financed by Film4 in association with Creativity Media.
- 2/14/2024
- ScreenDaily
Mike Leigh has unveiled the first look at what will be the “Another Year” and “Secrets & Lies” director’s 23rd feature film, a new project called “Hard Truths.”
“Hard Truths” reunites Leigh with actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who starred in 1996’s “Secrets & Lies” and was Oscar-nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in the film. You can see her looking concerned and harried while talking on the phone in the first look photo of the film above.
After last directing “Mr. Turner” and “Peterloo,” both of which were historical dramas, Leigh is back in a contemporary setting for “Hard Truths.” Specific plot details are still being kept under wraps, but the film is described as a “tough but compassionate and intimate study of family life.” Michele Austin, another of Leigh’s frequent collaborators, also stars.
Any details about “Hard Truths” were largely secret (it’s not...
“Hard Truths” reunites Leigh with actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who starred in 1996’s “Secrets & Lies” and was Oscar-nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in the film. You can see her looking concerned and harried while talking on the phone in the first look photo of the film above.
After last directing “Mr. Turner” and “Peterloo,” both of which were historical dramas, Leigh is back in a contemporary setting for “Hard Truths.” Specific plot details are still being kept under wraps, but the film is described as a “tough but compassionate and intimate study of family life.” Michele Austin, another of Leigh’s frequent collaborators, also stars.
Any details about “Hard Truths” were largely secret (it’s not...
- 2/14/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Mike Leigh’s hotly-anticipated, but super-secretive, new film will see the iconoclastic British director reunite with his Secrets & Lies star Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
Hard Truths is Leigh’s first film since 2018’s Peterloo and will co-star frequent Leigh collaborator Michele Austin (Another Year, Secrets & Lies). After Peterloo and 2014’s Mr. Turner, both period dramas, Hard Truths will see Leigh return to the modern day, with a drama described as “a tough but compassionate intimate study of family life.”
Other Leigh regulars returning for Hard Truths include producer Georgina Lowe, cinematographer Dick Pope, costume designer Jacqueline Durran, production designer Suzie Davis, composer Gary Yershon and casting director Nina Gold.
Secrets & Lies, which premiered in Cannes in 1996, winning the Palme d’Or, featured Jean-Baptiste as a well-off Black professional who seeks out her biological mother, a poor white factory worker living in East London, played by Brenda Blethyn. Jean-Baptiste was Oscar-nominated for her performance,...
Hard Truths is Leigh’s first film since 2018’s Peterloo and will co-star frequent Leigh collaborator Michele Austin (Another Year, Secrets & Lies). After Peterloo and 2014’s Mr. Turner, both period dramas, Hard Truths will see Leigh return to the modern day, with a drama described as “a tough but compassionate intimate study of family life.”
Other Leigh regulars returning for Hard Truths include producer Georgina Lowe, cinematographer Dick Pope, costume designer Jacqueline Durran, production designer Suzie Davis, composer Gary Yershon and casting director Nina Gold.
Secrets & Lies, which premiered in Cannes in 1996, winning the Palme d’Or, featured Jean-Baptiste as a well-off Black professional who seeks out her biological mother, a poor white factory worker living in East London, played by Brenda Blethyn. Jean-Baptiste was Oscar-nominated for her performance,...
- 2/14/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Seven-time Oscar nominee Mike Leigh has reteamed with British actor Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who led his 1996 Oscar-nominated Secrets & Lies, on his latest feature, Hard Truths. We can share a first look at the feature above.
We first broke news of the project, which was shot in London, last May. Hard Truths is described as a movie set in the “contemporary world” with a plot said to be a “tough but compassionate intimate study of family life.”
The film also stars Michele Austin and is a Thin Man Films and The Mediapro Studio co-production, co-financed by Film4 in association with Creativity Media. Bleecker Street will release the film theatrically in the US later this year, with Studiocanal releasing in the UK and Cornerstone Films handling international sales. The film will be part of the company’s upcoming European Film Market slate.
Leigh was joined behind the camera by regular crew members,...
We first broke news of the project, which was shot in London, last May. Hard Truths is described as a movie set in the “contemporary world” with a plot said to be a “tough but compassionate intimate study of family life.”
The film also stars Michele Austin and is a Thin Man Films and The Mediapro Studio co-production, co-financed by Film4 in association with Creativity Media. Bleecker Street will release the film theatrically in the US later this year, with Studiocanal releasing in the UK and Cornerstone Films handling international sales. The film will be part of the company’s upcoming European Film Market slate.
Leigh was joined behind the camera by regular crew members,...
- 2/14/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
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