News

Queens of Mystery season 3 is not confirmed yet, but the creators may be taking their time in announcing it. The main cast of the show, including Matilda and her aunts, would be expected to return in season 3. While there are no specific story details for season 3, the mystery of Matilda's missing mother is likely to be explored further.

Queens of Mystery season 3 would be the next chapter in the comedy-drama murder mystery TV series. A TV show like Only Murders in the Building, Queens of Mystery is a delightful and clever romp with all the sensibilities expected of a British crime show. The series follows young detective Matilda Stone (Olivia Vinall in season 1 and Florence Hall in season 2) who is assigned to the constabulary of her hometown, the sleepy and fictional Wildemarsh, England. There she is reunited with her crime novelist aunts Cat (Julie Graham), Beth (Sarah Woodward), and Jane Stone...

Evoking the twisted eeriness of classic folk horror but with a contemporary twist, Joseph Brett’s Stones is the story of a brother and sister whose family reunion at a stone circle becomes interrupted by an uninvited guest. Realised through the medium of stop motion animation, Brett’s film embraces the uncanny nature of the form with silicone-style puppets that bring a childlike yet unsettling sensibility to its tale of nostalgia, home and the connections we share with our local landscapes. Dn is delighted to premiere Stones today on the May 1st, the day used to commemorate the pagan festival of Beltane, alongside a in-depth conversation with Brett about his journey creating the film across lockdown, the creative marriage he sees between folk horror and stop motion, and the desire he and Writer Bec Boey (the other half of their Production Company Jackdaw Films) had to alter notions of representation within popular folk aesthetics.

Cruella Review — Cruella (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by Craig Gillespie, and starring Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, John McCrea, Emily Beecham, Mark Strong, Kayvan Novak, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Jamie Demetriou, Niamh Lynch, Andrew Leung, Ed Birch, Dylan Lowe, Paul Bazely, and Tipper Seifert-Cleveland. Craig Gillespie’s new film, Cruella, [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: Cruella (2021): Emma Stone Hits a Home Run in Craig Gillespie’s Stylistic Film...

Everyone wants to be a kid again, and sometimes all it takes is a favorite toy to recapture the magic. Twenty-One Pilots and Megan Thee Stallion both set recent music videos in toy shops. The Nacelle Company explored the power of nostalgia when they gifted us with Netflix’s The Movies That Made Us, The Toys That Made Us, Disney+’s Behind the Attraction, and Down To Earth with Zac Efron. Now Nacelle will premiere A Toy Store Near You season 3 on June 23, on Amazon Prime Video.

Season 1 hit during Covid, and the show showcased store owners fighting to stay afloat in the middle of the pandemic. Each of the shops’ unique history was laid out. Season 2 highlighted the vintage toys. A Toy Store Near You season 3 The travels the globe to visit favorite toy stores and meet the small business owners who keep the vintage toy community running.

“Hard work,...

Exclusive: AMC Networks streamer Acorn TV has renewed its darkly comic British crime series Queens Of Mystery for a second season, with production already underway in Kent, south-east England.

Season 1 of Queens of Mystery followed a perennially single female detective and her three well-known crime writing aunts, who help her solve whodunit-style murders as well as set her up on blind dates. Acorn TV describes it as one of its most popular originals, though it did not disclose streaming figures.

Olivia Vinall played detective Matilda Stone in the first season, but will be replaced by Florence Hall in the second due to a scheduling conflict. Julie Graham (The Bletchley Circle), Sarah Woodward (The Pale Horse), and Siobhan Redmond (Unforgotten) return as Stone’s aunts.

The show will return for three feature-length stories, which will be broken up into six, 45-minute episodes. In episodes titled Sparring with Death,...

British East and Southeast Asian media advocacy group Beats has rolled out a ground-breaking new representation measure for the U.K. industry.

Launched during a virtual summit hosted by Beats (British East Asians in Theater and on Screen), the British Film Institute (BFI) and ITV, the Beats Test measures on-screen representation for British East and Southeast Asians in U.K. film and television productions. The initiative is fashioned after the Bechdel Test, which evaluates portrayals of women in media, and the Riz Test, a measurement of Muslim representation inspired by Riz Ahmed’s rallying 2017 speech about diversity.

In order to pass the Beats Test, a project must be able to answer “yes” to the following three questions, in which Besea stands for British and Southeast Asians: (1) Are there two or more Besea characters? (2) Do at least two Besea characters speak fluent English with a British accent? (3) Does at least one...

Stop the presses! Flack has found a new home. Season two of the cancelled Pop comedy-drama TV series has been picked up by Amazon Prime.

Flack stars Anna Paquin, Sophie Okonedo, Genevieve Angelson, Lydia Wilson, Rebecca Benson, Arinzé Kene, Marc Warren, Rufus Jones, and Andrew Leung. The story centers on crisis PR strategist and publicity expert Robyn (Paquin), who excels in the London offices of the Mills Paulson agency, but can’t stop sabotaging her personal life.

The first season of Flack averaged a 0.01 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 48,000 viewers on Pop TV. The six episodes aired in February and March of 2019 in the United States. The show is produced in association with UKTV, a British broadcaster.

While the Pop ratings were low, Flack was renewed for a second season in...

Stars: Louise Brealey, Lee Ross, Sheila Reid, Andrew Leung, Hannah Chalmers, Pippa Nixon, Luke McGibney, William Postlethwaite, Christos Lawton, Gabriel Senior | Written by David Lemon | Directed by Neil McEnery-West

[Note: With 4Digital Media re-releasing the film under the new title of Infected this week, here’s a reposting of our review of Neil McEnery-West’s 2015 horror Containment]

When deadbeat dad and failing artist Mark wakes up in his dingy London council flat late one morning, he thinks the worst that’s going to happen is losing a custody battle for his child. While that is pretty bad, Mark’s day soon goes even further downhill when he discovers that he and every other tenant in his estate has been sealed into their homes and they may or may not have been exposed to a deadly virus.

Thankfully, the dividing walls between abodes are so thin (helpfully demonstrated by Mark’s elderly neighbour...

Network: Pop TV.

Episodes: 12 with 6 unaired (hour).

Seasons: Two.

TV show dates: February 21, 2019 — present.

Series status: Cancelled.

Performers include: Anna Paquin, Sophie Okonedo, Genevieve Angelson, Lydia Wilson, Rebecca Benson, Arinzé Kene, Marc Warren, Rufus Jones, and Andrew Leung.

TV show description:

From creator Oliver Lansley, the Flack TV show is a dramedy set in the world of public relations. The story centers on Robyn (Paquin), who excels in her profession, but can't stop sabotaging herself.

As a crisis PR strategist and publicity expert serving high-profile athletes, entertainers, and fashionistas, Robyn is accustomed to handling tricky, unexpected scenarios at lightning speed. She works in the London offices of Mills Paulson, under agency head Caroline...

Vulture Watch

What will become of Robyn? Has the Flack TV show been cancelled or renewed for a second season on Pop? The television vulture is watching all the latest TV cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of Flack season two. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?

What's This TV Show About?

A Pop dramedy, Flack stars Anna Paquin, Sophie Okonedo, Genevieve Angelson, Lydia Wilson, Rebecca Benson, Arinzé Kene, Marc Warren, Rufus Jones, and Andrew Leung. The story centers on crisis PR strategist and publicity expert Robyn (Paquin), who excels in the London offices of the Mills Paulson agency, but can’t stop sabotaging her personal life. Read More…...

Is the first season of the Flack TV show on Pop TV in need of a PR flack? As we all know, the Nielsen ratings typically play a big role in determining whether a TV show like Flack is cancelled or renewed for season two. Unfortunately, most of us do not live in Nielsen households. Because many viewers feel frustration when their viewing habits and opinions aren't considered, we'd like to offer you the chance to rate all of the Flack season one episodes here. *Status update below.

A Pop dramedy, Flack stars Anna Paquin, Sophie Okonedo, Genevieve Angelson, Lydia Wilson, Rebecca Benson, Arinzé Kene, Marc Warren, Rufus Jones, and Andrew Leung. The story centers on crisis PR strategist and publicity expert Robyn (Paquin), who excels in the London offices of the Mills Paulson agency, but can’t stop sabotaging her personal life.

Read...

Since its 2015 rebranding from TV Guide Network (Tvgn), the Pop cable TV channel has built up its original programming slate, and while much of that consists of "reality" TV series, they do offer scripted series too, like Schitt's Creek. The Flack TV show is the latest such offering. Since it will also air on UKTV's premium channel, W, the Nielsen ratings may not be the only factor to determine whether Flack is cancelled or renewed for season two, but the first season ratings will still influence whether the Us audience will see another season, so stay tuned. *Status update below.

A Pop dramedy, Flack stars Anna Paquin, Sophie Okonedo, Genevieve Angelson, Lydia Wilson, Rebecca Benson, Arinzé Kene, Marc Warren, Rufus Jones, and Andrew Leung. The story centers on crisis PR strategist and publicity expert Robyn (Paquin), who excels in the London offices of...

Zdf Enterprises will bring “Queens of Mystery” to a host of markets after striking a rights deal for the offbeat drama that streaming service Acorn TV ordered as one of it latest originals.

The deal with Acorn hands Zdfe the rights to the show in non-English-language territories. It is the second time Zdfe and Acorn have pacted on distribution after they worked together on “London Kills,” another original for the British-content-skewed streamer and which has been picked up by the BBC in the U.K.

Specifically, Zdfe has teamed with Acorn Media Enterprises, the AMC-owned firm’s content division. Its sales unit, Acorn Media International, will sell “Queens of Mystery” in English-language markets.

Olivia Vinall (“Apple Tree Yard”) plays Matilda. Her aunts are played by Julie Graham (“The Bletchley Circle”), Sarah Woodward (“New Blood”), and Siobhan Redmond (“Between the Lines”).

Andrew Leung (Doctor Who) also stars a dashing doctor in the series,...

The Woman in White’s Olivia Vinall, The Bletchley Circle’s Julie Graham and The Politician’s Husband’s Sarah Woodward are set to star in Acorn TV original Queens of Mystery.

The trio are joined in the six-part female detective series by Siobhan Redmond (Alfresco), Andrew Leung (Doctor Who), Rebecca Grant (Holby City) and Martin Trenaman (The Inbetweeners).

Queens of Mystery follows Matilda Stone, played by Vinall, a perennially single female detective and her three aunts, played by Graham, Woodward and Redmond, who are well-known crime writers that help her solve whodunit style murders as well as set her up on blind dates

Leung plays the dashing Dr. Daniel Lynch, Grant as Daniel’s mean-spirited girlfriend Natasha; Michael Elcock as Police Constable Terry Foster, who has long been in love with Matilda and Trenaman plays dry Inspector Derek Throne.

The Amelie-esque contemporary murder mystery series will feature quirky characters,...

There’s nothing groundbreaking in this low-budget sci-fi thriller, but newbie director Mcenery-West makes excellent use of his claustrophobic setting. I’m “biast” (pro): big sci-fi fan

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

In a residential tower block in an unnamed English town, artist Mark (Lee Ross: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) wakes up one morning to discover that there’s no water, no power, no phones… and that the front door to his apartment and all the windows have been sealed shut. And he’s not alone in this confinement: he can see, across the courtyard, other people in another building banging on their windows. Down below, outside? An army of people in orange hazmat suits, setting up what looks like a field hospital. In his first film, writer-director Neil Mcenery-West — who cowrote the script with David Lemon,...

Stars: Louise Brealey, Lee Ross, Sheila Reid, Andrew Leung, Hannah Chalmers, Pippa Nixon, Luke McGibney, William Postlethwaite, Christos Lawton, Gabriel Senior | Written by David Lemon | Directed by Neil McEnery-West

When deadbeat dad and failing artist Mark (jeez, close to the bone much?) wakes up in his dingy London council flat late one morning, he thinks the worst that’s going to happen is losing a custody battle for his child. While that is pretty bad, Mark’s day soon goes even further downhill when he discovers that he and every other tenant in his estate has been sealed into their homes and they may or may not have been exposed to a deadly virus.

Thankfully, the dividing walls between abodes are so thin (helpfully demonstrated by Mark’s elderly neighbour who berates him for being a sad-sack from the comfort of her living room) that our downbeat hero is soon...

Exclusive: Us sales outfit boards rights to UK thriller.

Vision Films has boarded rights to UK thriller Containment, the debut feature from London-based director Neil Mcenery West.

Lee Ross, Louise Brealey, Sheila Reid, Andrew Leung and rising theatre stars Pippa Nixon and Andrew Postlethwaite star in the story of an artist who wakes one morning to discover that the doors and windows of his apartment have been sealed shut with sinister figures lurking outside and a killer virus from within.

The deal was brokered between Lise Romanoff at Vision Films and Simon Sole at Bandoola Productions, the financing and production outfit behind the film.

Producers are Christine Hartland of Patchwork Productions and Casey Herbert and Pete Smyth of Bright Cold Day Films.

Vision Films’ managing director and CEO Lise Romanoff said: “This is a film about ordinary people like us, people who think they’re at a distance from a world pandemic crisis. It’s a film...

Director Hong Khaou on the set of "Lilting"

Jose here. Director Hong Khaou’s touching drama Lilting centers on the ways in which we deal with grief, filtered through two characters who are in pain over the loss of the same person but who can’t share this pain, because they don’t speak the same language. The death of Kai (Andrew Leung) leaves his Cambodian-Chinese mother Junn (Cheng Pei-pei) completely devastated, but little does she know that Kai’s boyfriend Richard (Ben Whishaw) is going through the same. As he tries to fulfill the protecting-role Kai would expect of him, he finds Junn to be reluctant to his attention.

Tenderly directed by Khaou, who with this makes his feature length directorial debut, Lilting is a quiet, yet poignant, chamber piece anchored by the subdued, beautiful performances of Cheng and Whishaw. Exploring themes of cultural shock, intolerance and rediscovering life’s worth,...

The BBC has been forced to respond to complaints by more than one hundred viewers upset by a dark theme brought up in "Dark Water," this past weekend's episode of "Doctor Who".

Spoilers Ahead For Last Weekend's "Doctor Who" Episode

The episode was the first part of the season's two-part finale and saw Peter Capaldi’s Time Lord and his sidekick Clara Oswald visiting the mysterious 3W Institute which claims to look after the care of the dead once they've passed with their minds and 'souls' now living inside what appears to be a giant sphere.

The scene in question that's causing all the fuss sees The Doctor and Clara talking with institute representative Doctor Chang (Andrew Leung) who is explaining that 3W is short for 'three words' which the institute's founder discovered within standard white noise transmissions and which are said to be telepathic messages from the recently departed.

With upmost compassion and disregarding the language barriers that may exist between people from opposite sides of the world, Hong Khaou made a film that deals with a tragic death through the experience of those left behind grieving. In “Lilting,” Richard (Ben Whishaw) is a gay man who is trying to connect with his deceased partner’s mother, Junn (Cheng Pei-pei). She is an elderly Cambodian woman who has never fully adapted to life in the U.K. Kai (Andrew Leung), her son, was her only link to the unknown outside world. Now living in a nursing home, Junn has disconnected from everything around her, but Richard wants to help her find hope in the arms of a man. Their relationship is complex not only because they don’t share a common language and a translator is needed, but also because Junn doesn’t know that Kai and Richard were not friends, but lovers. Told with a luscious visual aesthetic, Khaou’s debut feature constructs a picture of a man between the past and the present from the memories of the two people he loved the most. Elegantly directed, heartbreaking, and deeply nuanced, “Lilting” is an emotionally poignant love letter that doesn’t care for words in any language. It’s a poem build of wordless love verses written in heartfelt images.

“Lilting” is now playing in NYC and L.A. and its being distributed by Strand Releasing.

Carlos Aguilar: In "Lilting" emotion seems to be more important than language. Was this idea of a common way to connect without words something that intrigued you?

Hong Khaou: I wanted to think about the emotions as a theme more than focusing on plot. Emotion is a language. Therefore, one of the things I was exploring was communication. Communication brings back understanding and acceptance and bridges cultural differences. Equally, it highlights differences so strongly that it can even cause conflict. Thinking about communication and language, emotion is very much a language that’s transcendental. It’s a universal thing. You don’t have to learn that language. Emotion is a language we can all pick up in a very intuitive way.

Aguilar: How difficult was it to find the right balance between these two characters' grief and their relationship with each other?

Hong Khaou : They are both very different people. Ben is carrying the guilt that was left behind by Kai. Each person has a particular way to grief. He decides to go and visit the mother of his deceased partner. Then, things start to unravel and he gets caught up deeper and deeper in this relationship with her. They are both different. You have a mother who is grieving the loss of her son and he is grieving his lover, but what connects them is their love for the same man. Ultimately that is what heals the differences between them.

Aguilar: What was the spark or event that inspired you to write such an intimate film?

Hong Khaou : It came from within me. I’m bilingual and I come from an immigrant family that came to Britain 30 years ago. Still, my mom hasn’t fully assimilated into the culture. I wanted to re-imagine how someone would react if heir lifeline to the outside world was taken away. I wanted to see how that unfolds in the story.

Aguilar: You made a film that revolves around a character that is hardly seen in the film. The story unravels because of him but he is not the central character on screen.

Hong Khaou : That was something that I was very conscious of because we don’t see much of him. On top of that, there are only three scenes with him and Ben. I was very concern if that was enough to show the nuances or the different layers of their relationship, so that when you don’t see him you almost feel like you miss him. I was thinking abut how to keep Kai there when he is not actually there because I wanted grief to gently permeate the film. That was the story and it presented the challenge of trying to keep him there while he is absent. I used the camera’s language to move between the present and the past in a way that would blur the boundary between them.

Aguilar: Tell me about the actors yo chose for this personal story, Ben Whishaw, who of course is a big star in England, and Cheng Pei-pei who has worked in China extensively.

Hong Khaou : Ben was incredible. He is so truthful when you watch him, and we had Cheng Pei-Pei who is so expressive with her face. Ben conveys every word with such urgency and truth. There is a scene in the film that sums up that for me. When the mother says, “I can smell Kai,” and Ben says “Me too” and he turns away from the camera. It was so beautiful. It says a lot about Ben being so selfless in a situation like that. I didn’t expect him to turn away from the camera. That made the scene far more painful and poignant. He is always seeking the truth about what’s happening. Even when he wasn’t on the shot he was very generous trying to help the other actors find that truth in the scene.

Aguilar: Despite being a character driven intimate story, the visual aesthetic of the film is very specific. It has an almost ethereal or dreamy quality. Was it crucial for you to give the film a particular visual style?

Hong Khaou : We always wanted to make it cinematic and we knew that the budget was a limitation. The film was always going to be performance-driven, and I wanted to create a language to help reinforce those emotions. I wanted to give the camera a specific language. We wanted to make it look beautiful but everything we decided was in tone to the story. Urszula, the cinematographer, and I, decided that whenever we are in the present we would pan clockwise and in the past we pan counterclockwise. We watched a lot of films for references such as a short by Sean Durking who did “Martha, Macy, May Marlene,” the film is really dreamy and we wanted to have that. There is also John Sayles “Lone Star.” For the flashbacks I didn’t just want to do a flashback that uses black-and-white or sepia, and his film kept popping in my head. He does similar things. The camera pans and in a single pan he’s moved between the past and present. I guess I wanted to use that to make it a bit more refreshing.

Aguilar: Junn gets a second chance by meeting a new man, did you ever considered giving Ben's characters a second chance with another person?

Hong Khaou : I did think of all these possibilities. This was certainly considered, but I think I quickly discovered that I didn’t want it to be this conventional story with a conventional resolution in which everybody finds some peace and hope. I wanted to end it in a hopeful tone, but at the same time I didn’t want everybody’s lives to be resolved. That way everything would be too neat and tied with a bow.

Aguilar: Where you concern that the subject of homosexuality could be perceived as culturally specific given the characters in the film?

Hong Khaou: I don’t think it was culturally specific, though, of course, in Asian culture it is hard to come out. I think that to this day it’s still hard to come out in certain parts of the world including certain parts of America or England. It's hard even in Western developed countries. But what I wanted to say is that the difficulty of coming out is not a cultural thing, it’s more about the fear of disappointing your parents. This shame that one carries is what was important for me to explore.

Aguilar: After making your feature debut, where do you go from here as a filmmaker?

Hong Khaou: [Laughs] I don’t know. Hopefully I can continue making films. This was such a big learning experience. It was a bit stressful. It was baptism by fire.

Common Grounds: Khaou Strikes Graceful, Observant Notes in Debut

A moving, and sharply wrought screenplay supported by several elegant performances marks Cambodian born director Hong Khaou as a director to keep note of with his directorial debut, Lilting. A quiet drama revolving around communication, acceptance, and overcoming cultural barriers, it’s a viewing experience that’s wholly rewarding but requires patience, dealing with the hard won realism of grief, resentment, and the still prevalent notion of the hurt and awkwardness that accompanies the process of coming out to loved ones.

We meet June (Cheng Pei-pei) as her son Kai (Andrew Leung) visits her in a London nursing home. Quickly we learn, as they converse in Mandarin, that this a recent, and begrudgingly temporary decision on behalf of both parties. They interact with familiar warmth, but June seems bitter that she cannot move into her son’s home, something impossible due...

Lilting is the touching debut feature by Cambodian born director Hong Khaou. Ben Whishaw plays Richard, who has lost his long term partner Kai (Andrew Leung) in accident. Kai was incredibly close to his Cambodian Chinese mother, who is unable to speak English and so is completed isolated without him. In attempt to feel close to Kai, and to honour him, Richard reaches out to Kai’s mother Junn (Pei-pei Cheng), in the hope that he also bring her some comfort. Junn was unaware of their relationship, firmly believing that they were just best friends, and initially greets Richard’s attempts at a friendship with some suspicion. But as their relationship blossoms, what plays out is a gentle, if somewhat challenging piece.

Grief is a subject covered often in cinema, and director Hong Khaou certainly attempts to explore the subject in an interesting way. Flashbacks see Richard and Kai in intimate moments,...

Lilting is about loss times two. Mother and partner divided when their love object was alive. Battling still after his unexpected death. But although you will get teary eyed, the film is not depressive by any measure.

Why?

Writer/director Hong Khaou's debut feature is exhilarating in its craft, its performances, and its tale of the eventual fusing of two disparate hearts. Also, in its timeliness. Many ethic groups residing in Western countries are still more than a few steps behind in their acceptance of same-sex relationships.

The film commences with the handsome, lithe Kai (Andrew Leung) visiting his mother Junn (Cheng Pei Pei) in a London retirement home. Junn, of Cambodian-Chinese origin, although having lived in England for decades, has never bothered to become proficient in English. In fact, "Fuck you very much"is about her total vocabulary. A widow, Junn has consequently always depended on Kai for everything,...

Nursing homes are some of the scariest places on the planet. There are no ghouls in the closets or evil thoughts harboured (save those fostered by their tenants), no, they’re much scarier than all that – they’re the be all and end all of human life. It is the place where people go when they are too fragile, too damaged or too much trouble for their families and friends to cope with, and it is where they will stay until the day they die. It’s a morbid fact, but a genuine one – and as June (Cheng Pei Pei) is dropped off in her own rural British oldies home/metaphorical cul-de-sac in Lilting, she knows it only too well.

Her son, Kai (Andrew Leung) is all too quick to reassure her it’s only temporary, but she knows what’s really happening. Or at least she thinks she does.

Thanks to everyone who commented on or read our Sundance coverage! We braved Park City's confounding bus system for you, you know. (If you appreciated it why not like us on Facebook and follow Michael and Glenn and I on twitter?)  I had attended Sundance twice before. Once before I was a writer during college and once officially as press in 2010 when the highlight was dancing with Parker Posey at a party! But this felt like a first time again, mostly because I brought a team so we did it up right. Well, mostly right. 75% right. We definitely didn't attend enough parties but there's always next year if -- no, I can't even think about leaving NYC again any time soon. I've woken up in my own cozy bed the past few mornings for the first time in two weeks (a quick La trip was before Sundance, remember) and it feels great.

Our last two Sundance movies! But for the roundup/index post in the morning, this is our final bit of coverage from Sundance 2014. Let's end with two movies featuring faces and topics I'm willing to bet you'll love: Ben Whishaw in a gay culture-barrier drama and Melanie Lynskey and Anna Kendrick in a dramedy about sister-in-laws.

Chang Pei Pei & Ben Whishaw in "Lilting"

Lilting

Remember Chang Pei Pei as Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon? She's just as pissed off in Lilting, but with good reason. Her only son Kai (Andrew Leung) has abandoned her by way of sudden death. This is not a Spoiler Alert: We see him in flashbacks but he's dead as the story begins. She's left grieving and alone... but for unexplained visits from her son's "best friend" (Ben Whishaw) though she can't fathom why he keeps dropping in since a) she hates him though...

Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience and other special awards of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the feature film Awards Ceremony, hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, in Park City, Utah. Video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at Sundance.org/Live.

The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented by Tracy Chapman to:

Rich Hill / U.S.A. (Directors: Andrew Droz Palermo, Tracy Droz Tragos) - In a rural, American town, kids face heartbreaking choices, find comfort in the most fragile of family bonds, and dream of a future of possibility.

The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented by Leonard Maltin to: Whiplash / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Damien Chazelle) - Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity. Cast: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons.

The World Cinema...

Photo by Dvrosa

It was another great year at the Sundance Film Festival! There were so many fantastic movies shown, and I still have a couple more to go. I'm really happy to say that Miles Teller and J.K. Simmon's film Whiplash took home the top two prizes, winning the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. This was my number one favorite film from the festival, and it seems like everyone else at the festival loved it too, so it doesn't surprise me that it won.

Here's the full list of winners:

Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience and other special awards of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the feature film Awards Ceremony, hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, in Park City, Utah. Video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.sundance.org/live.

The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was...

Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash was Day 1 feel good buzz title of the fest that ultimately served as a measuring stick for the other competing 15 titles in the section and as predicted below had a good chance at doing what last year’s Fruitvale did: when both major awards of its category. Now that I’ve completed a 15 hour nap, I can watch the ceremony below – and you can spoil the suspense by simply going over the other award winners in the multiple categories below. Next week we’ll be publishing our interviews with several of the filmmakers mentioned below. Congrats to the winners and non-winners.

Park City, Ut — Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience and other special awards of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the feature film Awards Ceremony, hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, in Park City, Utah. Video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.

Miles Teller in Whiplash Photo: Daniel McFadden The two Day One Sundance films I caught offered a pianoforte of contrast in tone and style. From the UK came Lilting, a (sometimes too) softly spoken poem of a film tackling bereavement and the importance of finding a common language, while the Us brought the spiky jazz riff of Whiplash, a music school movie with unexpected menaces.

Ben Wishaw continues to prove he is one of the brightest young British actors working today with his portrayal of Richard a bereaved gay man who is trying to contend with the loss of boyfriend Kai (Andrew Leung), at the same time as trying to work out how to help Kai's Chinese-Cambodian mum Junn (Cheng Pei-Pei).

The problem for Richard is that in addition to blaming him for her recent move into an old folks' home, Junn also speaks virtually no English and has no...

Title: Lilting Director: Hong Khaou Starring: Ben Whishaw, Cheng Pei Pei, Andrew Leung, Morven Christie, Naomi Christie, Peter Bowles To be effective, movies about loss must begin by establishing several things. Most importantly, there must be sympathy for the one who is gone as well as for those that are left behind. Cambodian director Hong Khaou’s film Lilting begins with Kai (Andrew Leung) visiting his mother Junn (Cheng Pei Pei) in an assisted-living home. While Junn scolds her son for being forgetful and abandoning his mother, their conversation is one laced with love. The film begins its poignant journey when a knock at the door causes the entrance of a [ Read More ]

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There's a scene in "Lilting," writer/director Hong Khaou's feature film debut, where Junn (Cheng Pei-Pei), an elderly Chinese-Cambodian woman, dances with Alan (Peter Bowles), her English sort-of boyfriend who lives in the same nursing home in London. They do not share a common language, but Junn speaks softly anyway. The cheery, old-fashioned music fades into something shapelessly melancholy, and Junn whispers anxiously about having moved to England to give her son a better life. Oblivious, Alan kisses her hands and dances closer as her recollections grow more desperate: "Five years later we're English people, but I'm not English!" Suddenly Alan becomes Kai (Andrew Leung), Junn's adult son, and he promises to take her out of there and let her move in with him. She hugs him close; that's all she wanted. Unfortunately, when the song comes to an end, she's dancing with Alan. Kai is dead, and Junn...

Hong Khaou’s Lilting examines artificial barriers, but does so in an artificial way. Human connection can obviously transcend ethnicity and sexual orientation, but Khaou belabors the point, and while the small scale does provide a sense of intimacy to the story, the film constantly feels overwrought. It’s a frustrating picture because there’s sweetness to the story, and it helps bring a little sunlight into the dingy world of grief and sad flashbacks. To his credit, Khaou tries to let his actors have the room to carry the picture, but even at their best, they keep falling into an emotional rut where what’s supposed to be soft and lyrical is flat and listless. Junn (Pei-Pei Cheng) is stuck in a nursing home, and grieving over the recent death of her son, Kai (Andrew Leung), although her spirits are somewhat buoyed by a harmless romance with fellow resident,...

The 2014 Sundance Film Festival is right around the corner, and the Sundance Institute has released the full line-up for the competition films that will be premiering!

This year there were 12,218 total submissions, and 117 films were accepted from 37 countries around the world. It looks like there's a lot of good selection of films this year.

The Sundance Film Festival 2014 runs from January 16th to the 26th, and the GeekTyrant team will be there to cover as many movies as we possibly can.

U.S. Dramatic Competition

The 16 films in this section are world premieres and, unless otherwise noted, are from the U.S.

“Camp X-Ray” — Directed and written by Peter Sattler. A young female guard at Guantanamo Bay forms an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Payman Maadi, Lane Garrison, J.J. Soria, John Carroll Lynch.

“Cold in July” — Directed by Jim Mickle, written by Nick Damici.

Sundance Film Festival continues to be one of the most popular, and arguably one of the most important, events on the industry calendar, launching as it does some of the most prominent independent films at the start of each year.

This year will be no different, with Sundance announcing last night the initial line-up of films screening in competition, led by Song One, starring Anne Hathaway; Camp X-Ray, starring Kristen Stewart; Infinitely Polar Bear, with Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana; Joe Swanberg’s Happy Christmas, starring Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham, and Swanberg himself; The Skeleton Twins, with Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, and Ty Burrell; Life After Beth, with Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, and John C. Reilly; Listen Up Philip, with Jason Schwartzman and Elisabeth Moss; Whiplash, starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons; and many, many more.

U.S. Dramatic Competition

Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films,...

God’S Pocket

Sundance Institute announced today the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions and the out-of-competition section of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

Robert Redford, President & Founder of Sundance Institute said, “That the Festival has evolved and grown as it has over the past 30 years is a credit to both our audiences and our artists, who continue to find ways to take risks and open our minds to the power of story. This year’s films and artists promise to do the same.”

For the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, 118 feature-length films were selected, representing 37 countries and 54 first-time filmmakers, including 34 in competition. These films were selected from 12,218 submissions (72 more than for 2013), including 4,057 feature-length films and 8,161 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 2,014 were from the U.S. and 2,043 were international. 97 feature films at...

It’s among the two sections that we usually don’t put much focus on (yes, we love subtitles, but we’re more concerned, naturally more inclined to cover the deluge of American Indie film offerings) but among the dozen film selections in the World Cinema Dramatic Comp section we find the latest from Argentinean director Natalia Smirnoff (she gave us the Berlin Film Fest winner The Puzzle) who returns with Lock Charmer, we find the highly anticipated film from Hong Khaou (Lilting) and a title which we start speculating on last year in Stuart Murdoch’s God Help the Girl which stars Emily Browning, Olly Alexander and Hannah Murray (see pic above). Also worth the mention is the directing debut from writer Eskil Vogt – who co-wrote Reprise and Oslo, August 31st for Joachim Trier. Here are the dozen selected.

“52 Tuesdays” (Australia) — Directed by Sophie Hyde, written by Matthew Cormack.

The U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competition lineups for the 2014 Sundance Film Festival were announced today and just below I have featured pictures from the 16 films that will be competing in the U.S. Dramatic competition and they feature a lot of names you're going to recognize. The titles begin with Camp X-Ray, which stars Kristen Stewart as a guard in Guantanamo Bay, where she forms an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees. Jim Mickle made an impact earlier this year with We Are What We Are and he returns with Michael C. Hall with Cold in July. Fishing Without Nets looks to tell a story similar to that of Captain Phillips, only this time from the Somali side of things; God's Pocket is "Mad Men" star John Slattery's writing and directorial debut and he's lined up an impressive cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins,...

Film London announces Lilting, the latest project from Film London Microwave, will be distributed by Curzon Film World’s Artificial Eye in the UK with Protagonist Pictures to manage international sales. A striking feature debut from director Hong Khaou with an all-star cast led by Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, Cloud Atlas) and Cheng Pei Pei (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), Lilting explores love without a common language.

Written and directed by Khaou and produced by Dominic Buchanan, Lilting is the eighth film from the successful feature film fund Film London Microwave. Alongside Whishaw and Pei Pei, the film also stars Peter Bowles (Blow-Up, The Bank Job), Morven Christie (House of 9, The Young Victoria) and Andrew Leung (The List).

As part of Film London Microwave’s mentorship component, award-winning film-maker Michael Winterbottom acted as writer/director Khaou’s mentor, while producer Buchanan received guidance and support from his mentor Ken Marshall, the producer of London to Brighton, Filth and Song for Marion.

Curzon Film World’s Artificial Eye is known for its discerning taste in the best of European and world cinema. The label has released more winners of the Cannes Palme d'Or than any other UK distributor, with titles including The Class (2008) and The White Ribbon (2009).

Commercially-minded and creatively-spirited Protagonist Pictures is an international sales company committed to strong relationships with film-makers. Recent highlights in their catalogue include Searching for Sugar Man, Sightseers, The Imposter and Microwave’s Shifty. This year at Cannes they represent The Selfish Giant by Clio Barnard, screening in Directors’ Fortnight, and in the Critics’ Week, Paul Wright’s debut feature For Those In Peril.

Lilting tells the story of a Chinese mother (Pei Pei) as she grieves for her son (Leung) following his untimely death. He was her eyes and ears in the UK, their adopted country, and without him she is stranded. The only person left is his lover (Whishaw) – who she knows only as his flat mate. Together they are forced to overcome their differences and unite in sorrow whilst struggling against the absence of a shared language. An intimate and thoughtful film, Lilting addresses overcoming cultural and generational boundaries, the power of memory, and the lifelines and relationships formed in the face of grief.

Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, said: “Lilting is a moving cinematic achievement and I am delighted that it will reach UK audiences through Curzon Film World and that Protagonist will be managing international sales. It is a testament to Microwave’s innovative approach to film-making that its projects attract high-calibre talent and prestigious commercial distributors and sales agents. The scheme’s successful track record is also a result of the Microwave team, who are integral to nurturing and guiding all our film-makers. I am proud to see another Microwave feature proving itself in the commercial marketplace and hope this is only the start of Lilting’s success.”

Louisa Dent, Managing Director of Curzon Film World said: "When we read the script, it was clear that this was something special. There is an emotional urgency that is compelling and honest. Hong is a real emerging talent and his short films marked him out. We knew that the Microwave/Film London team would be great partners on this and with a quality cast it seemed liked a perfect fit for us.”

Mike Goodridge, CEO of Protagonist Pictures said: “I had admired Hong's shorts so it was with great excitement that I watched his first feature Lilting. But Hong exceeds expectations: the film is an accomplished and mature portrait of love and loss, graced by two extraordinary lead performances. The whole Protagonist team was knocked out by it and we are confident it will be embraced by distributors around the world.”

Funded by Film London Microwave, additional finance came from production companies Stink Films and Andy Brunskill’s recently launched Sums Film and Media Ltd., supported by financier/producer Bob & Co, Lim Kay Sui and Neo Swee Lin.

Film London Microwave is a unique training-through-production scheme delivered in partnership with BBC Films and with support from Creative Skillset. Challenging London-based film-makers to shoot a feature film for up to £120,000, Film London Microwave enables talent to thrive in a limited budget with its integrated training programme which offers crucial guidance and mentoring throughout the film-making process.

The Film London Microwave team is made up of Creative Producer Mia Bays, who also acts as the Distribution/Marketing Consultant and Mike Kelly, Business and Finance Producer, alongside Film London’s Talent Development Manager Kevin Dolan and Development and Production Officer Tessa Inkelaar. Film London will soon be appointing a new Head of Talent Development and Production, who will head up the Microwave team.

Encompassing training and development from script to screen and beyond, Film London Microwave has enjoyed excellent results. Last year saw the successful UK theatrical releases of Ben Drew’s iLL Manors, released by Revolver, and Frances Lea’s Strawberry Fields, released through Soda Pictures’ New British Cinema Quarterly programme. Other films produced through the scheme include the BAFTA-nominated Shifty, award-winning horror Mum & Dad, documentary The British Guide to Showing Off, teen drama Freestyle and the yet to be release Borrowed Time which was awarded Best in Fest at the 2012 Edinburgh International Film Festival.

About Film London Microwave

Launched in 2006, Microwave is the acclaimed micro-budget feature film scheme set up by Film London with BBC Films, with support from Creative Skillset. Committed to discovering and investing in emerging London-based film-makers, Microwave backs talented teams with fresh voices and strong stories. A unique ‘apprenticeship’ scheme, it provides an intensive approach to film-making with the emphasis on original ideas, tightly focussed scripts and short production schedules. Film-makers are supported by an extensive training and mentoring programme from development, through production, all the way to the film’s release in the UK and internationally.

In pre production:

Seekers Written by Arinze Kene, directed by Nicole Volavka and produced by Rob Watson.

A thriller set in the world of London's underclass. An African single mother finds new happiness with Jean-Baptiste, a refugee from Rwanda, and their struggle to survive in the big city eases. But a chance sighting of a ghost from the past exposes long buried traumas, which puts their lives in danger and everything they have is threatened.

Completed features:

Mum & Dad (2008) Directed & written by Steven Sheil and produced by Lisa Trnovski. Released Boxing Day 2008 in the UK and Mother’s Day 2009 in North America courtesy of Revolver Entertainment

Shifty (2008) Directed & written by Eran Creevy and produced by Rory Aitken and Ben Pugh. Released on 24 April 2009 in the UK courtesy of Metrodome Distribution. Shifty received a BAFTA nomination for the Carl Foreman Award (Best Debut) in 2010 and 5 Bifa nominations in 2008

Freestyle (2009) a teen romance based around the world of freestyle basketball, directed by Kolton Lee and produced by Lincia Daniel. Released in London and key cities by Revolver in February 2010 and became the first Microwave film to receive a theatrical release in the Us through Phase 4

The British Guide to Showing Off, director Jes Benstock’s Alternative Miss World documentary produced by Dorigen Hammond. Distributed by Verve Pictures in autumn 2011

Strawberry Fields, directed by Frances Lea and produced by Liam Beatty and Lucie Wenigerova, is an intense rites of passage film bursting with energy, sex and humour set during a perfect English summer. It received its World Premiere at the 55th BFI London Film Festival and released by Soda Pictures on 6 July

iLL Manors, written and directed by Ben Drew and produced by Atif Ghani

A unique crime thriller set on the unforgiving streets of London, following six disparate lives, all struggling to survive the circles of violence that engulf them. Released by Revolver on 8 June 2012

Borrowed Time, a bittersweet comedy about growing up and rediscovering youth, written and directed by Jules Bishop and produced by Olivier Kaempfer, starring Philip Davis, Theo Barklem-Biggs and Perry Benson. The film received its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2012 and is set for release in 2013.

Lilting Written and directed by Hong Khaou and produced by Dominic Buchanan

Starring Ben Whishaw and Cheng Pei Pei, Lilting is an intimate and thoughtful film about communication, falling in love and forming relationships without a common language. A mother’s attempt at understanding who her son is after his untimely death, her emotions are stirred up by presence of his partner.

The Film London Microwave team includes Kevin Dolan, Talent Development Manager, Tessa Inkelaar, Development and Production Officer, Creative Producer Mia Bays, who also acts as the Distribution/Marketing Consultant, and Mike Kelly, Business and Finance Producer.

About Film London

Film London, as the capital’s film and media agency, aims to ensure London has a thriving film sector that enriches the city’s businesses and its people. The agency works with all the screen industries to sustain, promote and develop London as a major international production and film cultural capital, and it supports the development of the city’s new and emerging film-making talent. Film London is funded by the Mayor of London, the National Lottery through the BFI, and receives significant support from Arts Council England and Creative Skillset.

About BBC Films

BBC Films is the feature filmmaking arm of the BBC. It aims to make strong British films with range and ambition, bringing the best of British talent to audiences. BBC Films is firmly established at the forefront of British independent filmmaking and co-produces around eight films a year, working in partnership with major international and UK distributors. Christine Langan is the Head of BBC Films, responsible for the development and production slate, strategy and business operations.

Recent releases include Sally Potter’s reflection on troubled friendship Ginger and Rosa currently in cinemas, Ol Parker’s teen romance Now is Good, Fernando Meirelles’ stylish and contemporary drama 360, James Marsh’s heart-wrenching thriller Shadow Dancer, Julien Temple’s documentary feature London – The Modern Babylon, Lasse Hallström’s romantic comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Max and Dania’s kinetic 3D film StreetDance 2, Ralph Fiennes’ contemporary Shakespeare adaptation Coriolanus, Simon Curtis’ comedy drama My Week with Marilyn, Nick Murphy’s supernatural mystery The Awakening, Lynne Ramsay’s adaptation of the Winner for the Orange Prize for Fiction We Need to Talk About Kevin, David Mackenzie’s romantic thriller Perfect Sense, Cary Fukunaga’s modern retelling of Jane Eyre, and James Marsh’s moving documentary Project Nim.

Forthcoming films include Mike Newell’s sumptuous Dickens classic Great Expectations in cinemas 30 November and Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, the wickedly comic Quartet, which will be in cinemas 4 January 2013, and in March Terri Hooley biopic Good Vibrations from directors Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn will feature in cinemas. Also set for a Spring release is Nick Murphy’s gripping thriller Blood.

BBC Films has an impressive back catalogue, which includes titles such as Nigel Cole’s Made in Dagenham, Lone Scherfig’s Academy Award® nominated and BAFTA award-winning An Education; Armando Iannucci’s Academy Award® and BAFTA award-nominated In the Loop; Jane Campion’s Academy Award®nominated Bright Star; and Andrea Arnold’s BAFTA award-winning Fish Tank.

Twitter @BBCFilms...

• 24′s Dennis Haysbert is in talks to play Manute in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, the role originated in 2005′s Sin City by actor Michael Clarke Duncan, who passed away earlier this year at 54. Haysbert will join Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Jaime King, and Rosario Dawsome, who are all reprising their roles in the first film; Jamie Chung is taking over Devon Aoki’s role. As with the first film, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller are sharing writing and directing duties on the film, based on Miller’s series of Sin City graphic novels. [THR]

• Timothy Olyphant (FX’s Justified) will join Kurt Russell,...