Latest News

28th June 2009 - Fish Tank's Kate Jarvis win acting award at Edinburgh Film Festival.

Young actress Kate Jarvis had just about the most perfect Edinburgh Film Festival imaginable. After seeing her hard work in BBC Films' Fish Tank rewarded with a red carpet gala screening as the opening film, she also celebrated her eighteenth birthday during the festival.

And on top of that, Kate was also awarded the PPG Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film, for her extraordinary debut performance.

Kate was obviously delighted with her recognition:

"It is a real honour to receive this award, both for myself and the film. I would like to thank Andrea for the opportunity and for believing in me.”

Fish Tank is directed by Andrea Arnold and also stars Michael Fassbender, Kierston Wareing, Rebecca Griffiths and Harry Treadaway. The film also won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

24th May 2009 - BBC Films' Fish Tank wins Cannes Jury Prize.

May 24 2009: Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank, a BBC Films' co-production, picked up the Prix du Jury ex aequo with Park Chan-Woo's Thirst, at the closing night ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival this evening.

This is the second Prix du Jury for Andrea Arnold, having won one in 2006 for her debut feature Red Road, for which she won many other awards including the Carl Foreman BAFTA Award in 2007.

Warmly received by critics in Cannes, the film stars Michael Fassbender, Kierston Wareing, Katie Jarvis, Rebecca Griffiths and Harry Treadaway. From a screenplay by Andrea Arnold, Fish Tank is the story of how 15-year-old Mia's life is turned on its head when her mother brings home a new boyfriend. Arnold casts the same unflinching, unprejudiced gaze and touches on the themes of her Oscar®-winning short Wasp to create an original and unsettling tale for our age.

Fish Tank was Executive Produced by Christine Langan, Creative Director of BBC Films and David Thompson, who commissioned their development prior to leaving BBC Films last year.

BBC Films also had another film selected for competition this year at Cannes - Jane Campion's Bright Star, her first film in competition at Cannes since her Palme d'Or triumph with The Piano in 1993, which also won her two Oscars® - for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

TV rights for Palme d'Or winner The White Ribbon, directed by Michael Haneke, were acquired by BBC Programme Acquisiton at script stage and the film will be shown on BBC Four.

23rd April 2009 - BBC Films' Bright Star and Fish Tank set for Cannes competition

Maintaining the impetus of a very encouraging start to the year for BBC Films, two of their co-productions, Jane Campion's Bright Star and Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank, have been selected for prestigious Competition slots at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, it was announced today.

Andrea Arnold won the Prix du Jury at the 2006 Cannes Festival for her debut feature Red Road, for which she won many other awards including the Carl Foreman BAFTA Award in 2007.

Starring Michael Fassbender, Kierston Wareing, Katie Jarvis, Rebecca Griffiths and Harry Treadaway, and written by Andrea Arnold, Fish Tank is the story of how 15-year-old Mia's life is turned on its head when her mum brings home a new boyfriend. Arnold casts the same unflinching, unprejudiced gaze and touches on the themes of her Oscar-winning short Wasp to create an original and unsettling tale for our age.

Jane Campion's Bright Star will be her first film in Competition in Cannes since her Palme d'Or triumph with The Piano in 1993, which also won her two Oscars® - as Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

Written by Campion, the film is an intense exploration of the two year relationship between the 18-year-old Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) and the 23-year-old romantic poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw). Producers are Jane Campion, Jan Chapman and Caroline Hewitt.

Both Cannes competition films were Executive Produced by Christine Langan of BBC Films and David Thompson, who commissioned their development prior to leaving BBC Films last year. "We're delighted to have supported Jane Campion and Andrea Arnold - two brilliantly unique female directors - and we're thrilled to see Bright Star and Fish Tank - such strikingly distinct films - in competition this year," commented Christine Langan, Commissioning Editor, BBC Films. "This eclectic mix is precisely what we're seeking to achieve for BBC Films in partnership with the industry as a whole."

23rd February 2009 - Two Oscars® for BBC's Mon On Wire and The Duchess.

James Marsh's double Sundance 2008 winner Man On Wire followed up its recent BAFTA as Outstanding British Film with a coveted Oscar for Best Documentary Feature last night in Los Angeles. This truly thrilling feature length documentary was produced by Wall to Wall in association with Red Box films for Discovery. The idea was originally brought to the BBC by Nick Fraser, commissioned by Richard Klein and funded by BBC Documentaries, the UK Film Council and Discovery Films and was supported by BBC Films.

In addition, Michael O'Connor won the Oscar for Best Costume Design for his work in Saul Dibb's best performing independent film at the UK Box Office in 2008, THE DUCHESS. The Oscar complements the BAFTA O'Connor won recently.

9th February 2009 - Three BAFTA Film Awards for the BBC

James Marsh's Man On Wire beat off competition from favourites including Hunger and In Bruges to win the Outstanding British Film award at the BAFTA Film Awards last night.

Essentially the second most prestigious award of the night after the Best Film award (which went to Slumdog Millionaire), many observers expected the envelope to name Steve McQueen's prison drama, Hunger, or perhaps even a feel-good hit like Mamma Mia! as Best British Film, but instead the academy awarded the only documentary among the nominees.

Man On Wire was produced by Wall To Wall in association with Red Box Films for Discovery Films, BBC Storyville and the UK Film Council.

Elsewhere on the night, Michael O'Connor won a well deserved BAFTA for his extraordinary costume design in BBC Film's The Duchess. Most of his creations were worn by Keira Knightley in the period drama about the life of an 18th-century aristocrat.

The final BBC win went to Wallace and Gromit in 'A Matter Of Life And Death', which won Best Short Animation. The Christmas Day ratings hit was a collaboration between Aardman Animations and the BBC.

Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire was the big winner of the night, bringing home seven prizes, while The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button was the major American winner with three awards. Kate Winslet won Best Actress for The Reader, beating off competition from herself in BBC Films' Revolutionary Road.

25th January 2009 - Two major prizes for An Education

Lone Scherfig's film also picked up for distribution.

BBC Films' An Education, directed by Lone Scherfig, has had its hugely successful World Premiere at the Sundance Festival underlined by two major prizes there - the Audience Prize and the Best Cinematography (John de Borman) Prize in the World Cinema section.

For more information about the Sundance success, see our full press release here.

Just before the film's world premiere at Sundance it was acquired for distribution by E1 Films.

Alex Hamilton, the director of E1 Films, comments 'We're delighted to have such an outstanding British Film.'

23rd January 2009 - This time it's Oscar® nominations for BBC Films

Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road collected three Oscar nominations today - Michael Shannon as Best Supporting Actor, Achievement in Art Direction (Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt) and Achievement in Costume Design (Albert Wolsky), to add to Kate Winslet's Golden Globe win as Best Actress. Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt and Albert Wolsky are all BAFTA nominees too.

Based on the celebrated novel by Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road is the heart-rending story of thwarted passion and the search for fulfilment opens across the UK on January 30. Producers are John N. Hart, Scott Rudin, Sam Mendes, and Bobby Cohen.

Saul Dibb's best performing independent film at the UK Box Office in 2008, The Duchess, was nominated in two categories - Achievement in Costume Design/Michael O'Connor, also a BAFTA nominee and Achievement in Art Direction (Michael Carlin/Rebecca Alleway).

And last, but by no means least, is a nomination in the Best Animated Short Film category for This Way Up, directed by Smith and Foulkes at London-based animation studio Nexus - a clever and funny animated short co-produced by BBC Films, BBC Comedy and BBC Film Network, commissioned under the BBC Comedy Shorts scheme. Producers are Charlotte Bavasso and Christopher O'Reilly, Nexus Productions.

15th January 2009 - Revolutionary Road picks up four Bafta nominations

BBC Films in line for more glory as The Duchess also gains two nods.

Revolutionary Road, developed by BBC Films and produced by DreamWorks, has garnered four nods; for adapted screenplay (Justin Haythe), leading actress ( Kate Winslet), production design (Kristi Zea/Debra Schutt) and costume design (Albert Wolsky).

The Duchess, which starred Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes, was nominated in two categories - costume design (Michael O'Connor) and makeup and hair (Daniel Phillips/Jan Archibald).

The final BBC Films nomination was for Terence Davies' critical smash, Of Time And The City, whose producers (Sol Papadopoulos and Roy Boulter) were recognised in the Carl Foreman promising talent category.

For more information about other BBC nominations, see our full press release here.

The Orange British Academy Film Awards take place on Sunday February 8 at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London.

12th January 2009 - Winslet Wins Again

Kate Winslet has won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance in Revolutionary Road, a BBC Films co-production directed by Sam Mendes - who was also nominated Best Director.

The film's script was developed in-house by BBC Films and Hart-Sharp Entertainment, before a production partnership was established with DreamWorks Pictures in 2007.

Winslet has had a long and successful history with BBC Films. Her BBC film projects have included Michael Winterbottom's Jude, Gillies MacKinnon's Hideous Kinky and she received an Academy Award® nomination for her performance in Richard Eyre's Iris.

Her role in Revolutionary Road has also secured a nomination for best actress at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. At Sunday's Golden Globe awards, in a rare double, the actress also picked up the Golden Globe as best supporting actress, for her role in The Reader.

Revolutionary Road marks the first time Winslet and co-star Leonardo DiCaprio have worked together since the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, and is also Winslet's professional debut with husband Mendes.

Revolutionary Road is a heart-rending story of thwarted passion and the search for fulfilment based on the celebrated novel by Richard Yates, it has been adapted for the screen by Justin Haythe.

Paramount Pictures will release the film across the UK on January 30

11th December 2008 - BBC Films Bags Five Golden Globe Nominations

Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road and Saul Dibb's The Duchess have earned five nominations for the 2009 Golden Globes. Revolutionary Road has been nominated for Best Motion Picture (Drama), Best Actress (Kate Winslet), Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Best Director (Sam Mendes), while Ralph Fiennes has been recognised in the Best Supporting Actor for his work in The Duchess.

BBC Films also announces today that Armando Iannucci's forthcoming political satire In The Loop and Lone Scherfig's An Education are to play at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival.

More information is available in our press section here.

26th November 2008 - Christmas Chills From The Children

The Christmas holidays. What starts as a relaxing house party for two families coming together to celebrate the festive season gradually turns into a horrifying fight for survival as one by one the children mysteriously fall ill and begin to turn against their parents with increasingly disturbing consequences.

Starring Eva Birthistle (Ae Fond Kiss), Stephen Campbell Moore (Bright Young Things) Jeremy Sheffield and introducing Hannah Tointon, The Children is written and directed by Tom Shankland (WΔZ) and based on a screenplay by Paul Andrew Williams (London To Brighton)

The film was acquired at script stage by BBC Films, and is released in December by Vertigo Films.

26th November 2008 - Mel Gibson In The Edge Of Darkness

EDGE OF DARKNESS, directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) and starring Academy Award® winner Mel Gibson and Ray Winstone, has just completed principle photography - filmed by GK Films, from a development by BBC Films.

Based on the BAFTA Award-winning BBC mini-series of the same name, Edge Of Darkness is produced by Academy Award® winner Graham King (The Departed, The Aviator, Gangs of New York) and Michael Wearing (producer of the BBC mini-series). The screenplay is written by Academy Award® winning screenwriter William Monahan (The Departed) and Andrew Bovell (Lantana), from an original story by Troy Kennedy Martin. Additional casting includes Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic and Shawn Roberts.

The film is an emotionally charged thriller set at the intersection of politics and big business. Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is a veteran homicide detective for the Boston Police Department and a single father. When his only child, twenty-four year old Emma (Bojana Novakovic), is murdered on the steps of his home, everyone assumes that he was the target. But he soon suspects otherwise, and embarks on a mission to find out about his daughter’s secret life and her killing. His investigation leads him into a dangerous, looking-glass world of corporate cover-ups, government collusion and murder - and to CIA operative Darius Jedburgh (Ray Winstone) who has been sent in to clean up the evidence. Craven’s solitary search for answers about his daughter’s death transforms into an odyssey of emotional discovery and redemption.

26th November 2008 - Bettany and Connelly together again for Creation

Paul Bettany and Academy Award® winner Jennifer Connelly play Charles and Emma Darwin in Creation - a Recorded Picture Company production, co-financed by BBC Films and the UK Film Council.

Creation is a powerful story which illustrates a key period in Darwin’s life: the years while he was formulating one of the most important works ever written – On the Origin of Species, a book that forever changed the way people think about mankind’s evolution.

Paul Bettany stars as the charismatic Charles Darwin, a brilliant scientist and devoted father. Inspired by Annie, his treasured daughter, Darwin writes On The Origin Of Species and finds himself not only pitted against society’s beliefs, but against his wife Emma. Yet the decision to publish his manuscript rests in Emma’s hands. Jennifer Connelly plays Emma, a deeply religious and passionate woman faced with a terrible choice: her faith or the man she loves.

Jon Amiel (Entrapment, Sommersby, The Singing Detective) directs from a screenplay by John Collee (Master and the Commander: The Far Side of the World, Happy Feet), based upon Randal Keynes’ book, Annie’s Box, about the life of his great great grandfather, Charles Darwin. Jeremy Thomas produces.

Filming at locations which include Darwin’s home, Down House - a World heritage Site, the film’s release has been scheduled for 2009, the bi-centenary of Darwin’s birth.

Creation was co-developed by BBC and the UK Film Council.

HanWay Films is handling worldwide sales and distribution. Icon Film Distribution has UK and Australia theatrical rights and been an early supporter of the project.

6th November 2008 - BIFA nominations 2008

The BBC received an impressive 18 nominations for its co-productions from the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), announced on 28 October.

Leading the way for BBC Films were Eran Creevy's debut feature Shifty with five nominations, Saul Dibb's The Duchess with four, Mark Herman's The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas with three, and one each for Julian Jarrold's Brideshead Revisited, Stephan Elliott's Easy Virtue, John Maybury's The Edge Of Love and Terence Davies's much lauded Of Time And The City. James Marsh's acclaimed documentary Man On Wire received two nominations.

The BIFA Awards ceremony takes place on 30 November.

15th February 2008 - Peter Sarsgaard Gets An Education

An exceptional cast has been assembled for Lone Scherfig's An Education, written by Nick Hornby. The cast already in place includes Peter Sarsgaard (Boys Don't Cry), Carey Mulligan (Bleak House), Rosamund Pike (Pride & Prejudice) and Emma Thompson (Sense And Sensibility). To be directed by award-winning Danish director Lone Scherfig (Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself, Italian For Beginners), An Education is based on a piece of memoir by Lynn Barber and written for the screen by international best-selling novelist/screenwriter Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About A Boy).

An Education is the story of a teenage girl's coming-of-age set in early 1960s London, a city caught between the drab, post-war 1950s and the glamorous, more liberated decade to come. Jenny (Mulligan) stands on the brink of becoming a woman: a brilliantly witty and attractive 17-year-old whose suburban life is about to be blown apart by the utterly unsuitable thirtysomething Alan (Sarsgaard). He introduces her to an exciting new world of chic dinners with his charismatic, sophisticated friend Danny and his stunning girlfriend Helen (Pike), whisks her off to art auctions, smoky clubs and foreign trips. But just as her parents' long-held dream of Jenny getting into Oxford University seems within reach, another kind of life tempts her. Will Alan be the making or the undoing of Jenny?

Produced by Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, and executive produced by Stern and Endgame Entertainment's Wendy Japhet and Douglas E Hansen and David M Thompson for BBC Films, the film will shoot in London in March and April 2008. The film is being financed by James D Stern's Endgame Entertainment and BBC Films, with Odyssey Entertainment handling worldwide sales.

1st February 2008 - BBC Films Shoots The Damned United

Based on the best-selling novel by David Peace, BBC Films' The Damned United will shoot this spring. From a screenplay by Peter Morgan, Tom Hooper's drama tells the passionate and dramatic story of controversial and gifted football manager Brian Clough and his turbulent 44-day period in 1974 as manager of Leeds United. Michael Sheen will star as Clough, with Andy Harries producing and Ealing Studios handling worldwide sales. Tom Hooper previous directed the Golden Globe-winning drama Longford.

1st February 2008 - Bright Star Set To Shine

Jane Campion's Bright Star, featuring Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish (pictured), is the third of three high profile BBC Films are set to go into production this spring. The historical drama is an intense exploration of the two-year relationship between the 18-year-old Fanny Brawne (Cornish) and 23-year-old romantic poet John Keats (Whishaw, recently seen in Todd Haynes' I'm Not There). Jan Chapman and Caroline Hewitt will produce. Jane Campion has previously directed the award-winning An Angel At My Table and The Piano.

1st February 2008 - The Other Boleyn Girl Set For Berlinale World Premiere

BBC Films' co-production of The Other Boleyn Girl will have its world premiere out of competition at the Berlin Film Festival. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Eric Bana, directed by Justin Chadwick and written by Peter Morgan, The Other Boleyn Girl is the tale of Mary and Anne Boleyn, a passionate story of love, rivalry and a family torn apart by ambition.

In the UK, the film has been chosen for the Royal Film Performance on February 19, prior to its major release through Universal on March 7.

1st Febuary 2008 - Oscar Nomination And Two BAFTA Nominations For Eastern Promises

BBC Films' Oscar hopes lie with David Cronenberg's box office success Eastern Promises, starring Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts and Vincent Cassel. Mortensen has an Oscar nomination as Best Actor, while the film also received two BAFTA nominations - Best British Film and Best Actor (Viggo Mortensen). The Academy Awards take place at the Kodak Pavilion in Los Angeles on Sunday February 25.

7th June 2007 - Brideshead Revisited Visits Yorkshire
Principal photography on Brideshead Revisited began in Yorkshire in June 2007. The 11 week shoot included five weeks at Castle Howard as well as locations in Oxford, London, Venice and Morocco. Brideshead Revisited is directed by Julian Jarrold (Becoming Jane, Kinky Boots), from an adapted screenplay by Andrew Davies (TV's Bleak House) and Jeremy Brock (The Last King Of Scotland) from Evelyn Waugh's celebrated 1945 novel of the same name.

Brideshead Revisited is an evocative and poignant story of forbidden love and the loss of innocence, set in pre-war England when privileged aristocracy fell into decline. The story begins in 1925 at Oxford, when Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) is befriended by the louche and flamboyant Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw), son of Lord Marchmain, and is quickly seduced by an exciting new world of money, glamour and outrageous behaviour. When he is invited to Brideshead, the Flyte family's magnificent ancestral home, Charles becomes infatuated with Julia (Hayley Atwell, pictured left), Sebastian's beautiful sister.

Brideshead Revisited is an Ecosse Films Production in association with BBC Films, 2 entertain, the UK Film Council's Premiere and Development Funds, Screen Yorkshire and Miramax Films, who will distribute the film in North America and in the UK through BVI for 2 entertain. Worldwide sales are being handled by Dreamachine.

23rd March 2007 - Titanic Stars Reunite For Revolutionary Road

BBC Films are teaming up with Sam Mendes and DreamWorks to make Revolutionary Road, based on the celebrated novel by Richard Yates. Five time Oscar nominee Kate Winslet and three time Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio re-unite for the first time since the 1997 all-time box office hit and Oscar-winning Titanic to play the leading roles in this heart-rending story of thwarted passion and the search for fulfillment. "This is an extraordinary story with wide international appeal and resonance," said David Thompson, Head of BBC Films. "To be working with such outstanding talent from both sides of the Atlantic is particularly exciting, and is very much in line with our strategy of attracting world class talent to BBC Films' projects as well as giving opportunities to new talent." Production will start this summer in the US with Paramount handling worldwide distribution.

23rd January 2007 - Four Oscar Nominations For Notes On A Scandal

BBC Films' Notes On A Scandal has received four nominations in this year's Academy Awards. The film's stars, Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett, received nominations in the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories, with Dench stating: "I'm very pleased. I'm in frighteningly good company. It was one of the harder parts I have played. At the end of the day I was quite glad to get back to the person I am. I had the power to do it because of Richard Eyre. He steered me through the rougher waters of it." Patrick Marber was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, whilst Philip Glass was nominated for Best Original Score. The Academy Awards will be announced on Sunday 25th February 2007.

15th January 2007 - BAFTA Nominations For Scandal, History Boys And Red Road

BBC Films has received six nominations in this year's Orange British Academy Film Awards, including three for Richard Eyre's upcoming Notes On A Scandal. Notes has received nods for the Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year; Actress in a Leading Role - Judi Dench; and Adapted Screenplay - Patrick Marber. Two members of The History Boys cast - Richard Griffiths and Frances De La Tour - were nominated as Actor in a Leading Role and Actress in a Supporting Role, respectively, while Red Road writer/director Andrea Arnold is nominated for the Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British director, Writer or Producer in their First Feature Film. The BAFTAs are held on Sunday 11th February 2007.

14th December 2006 - Notes On A Scandal And Miss Potter Nominated For Golden Globes

BBC Films received four nominations in the 2007 Golden Globes. Dame Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett were nominated for their performances in Notes On A Scandal (Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, respectively), while Renée Zellweger was cited in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy category for her work in Miss Potter. Patrick Marber's Notes On A Scandal script earned a nomination in the Best Screenplay - Motion Picture category.

3rd November 2006 - BBC Films And BBC Natural History Unit Shoot Meerkats

BBC Films will collaborate with the world-renowned BBC Natural History Unit to produce their first ever feature film together, The Meerkats, a highly dramatic and emotional journey to the heart of Africa on the big screen. The film is set to start principal photography in November in the Kalahari Desert. The Weinstein Company are co-financing the project, and will distribute the film internationally. The Meerkats is directed by James Honeyborne, with Joe Oppenheimer and Trevor Ingman producing.

3rd November 2006 - BBC Films Up For BIFAs And Scottish BAFTAs

BBC Films have had an encouraging start to the awards season with 12 BIFA nominations, and nine from BAFTA Scotland. Andrea Arnold's Red Road, now on release, leads the way with five Scottish BAFTA nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Andrea Arnold), Best Screenplay (Andrea Arnold), Best Actor (Tony Curran) and Best Actress (Kate Dickie). The film also received five British Independent Film Award (BIFA) nominations for Best British Independent Film, Best Performance by an Actor (Tony Curran), Best Performance by an Actress (Kate Dickie) and Best Performance by a Supporting Actor (Martin Compston). Andrea Arnold is also listed as a candidate for the Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director, alongside Tom Vaughan for his Starter For Ten, which Icon will release across the UK on November 10. Other BIFA nominations were for Nick Hytner's The History Boys, which received four nominations, and Michael Caton-Jones' Shooting Dogs, with the director cited for his work. Rounding out the BAFTA Scotland nominees was Steve Hudson's True North, a thriller set in the stormy waters of the North Sea starring Peter Mullan, Martin Compston and Gary Lewis. True North was listed in the following categories: Best Film, Best Screenplay (Steve Hudson), Best Direction (Steve Hudson) and Best Actor (Martin Compston).

18th October 2006 - Two BBC Films Features For London Film Fest

Andrea Arnold's Cannes Grand Prix du Jury winner Red Road and Richard Linklater's much anticipated Fast Food Nation are two BBC Films features which will screen at the Times bfi 50th London Film Festival. Oscar-winning British filmmaker Andrea Arnold (Wasp) makes her feature debut with Red Road, which will be released in the UK by Verve Pictures on October 27. Written and directed by Arnold, Red Road stars Kate Dickie, Tony Curran, Martin Compston and Natalie Press, and is about a CCTV operator who's compelled to confront a man from her past. Renowned American director Richard Linklater joins forces with British producer Jeremy Thomas for Fast Food Nation, which stars Catalina Sandino Moreno, Greg Kinnear, Ethan Hawke, Kris Kristofferson, Patricia Arquette and Avril Lavigne. Tartan Films will distribute Fast Food Nation next year in the UK.

3rd October 2006 - The History Boys Making History

The History Boys received a Royal premiere to add to the many accolades already collected on Monday 2nd October in London's Leicester Square. The film's world premiere was in front of The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and raised money for youth charity The Prince's Trust. The History Boys charts the fortunes of an unruly bunch of bright sixth form boys in pursuit of a place at Oxford or Cambridge University. Set in Sheffield in the 1980s, this insightful comedy sees the boys torn between a highly unconventional teacher who wishes to inform and inspire them and a young supply teacher who is only interested in results. The film, directed by Nicholas Hytner and adapted for the screen by Alan Bennett (from his own award-winning play), will open in the UK on Friday 13th October 2006.

11th September 2006 - High Five For BBC Films At Toronto

It was another busy festival for BBC Films with five films premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival. True North, written and directed by Steve Hudson, had its world premiere in Canada. The film stars Peter Mullan, Martin Compston and Gary Lewis, and is set in the stormy waters of the North Sea where a trawler's crew fight to save their livelihoods and risk losing their souls when they pick up an illegal human cargo.

The romantic comedy Starter For Ten also had its world premiere in Toronto. Adapted by David Nicholls from his own novel, it stars James McAvoy as a working class student who stumbles romantically and academically through his first year at university, learning about love and the difference between knowledge and wisdom. This will be released in the UK by Icon on 10th November. Confetti (released in the UK in May 2006) had its North American premiere in Toronto, as did the Cannes Prix du Jury award-winning Red Road. Also making its North American bow is the Ontario-set Snow Cake. Marc Evans' film stars Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman and Carrie Anne-Moss and was released in the UK on 8th September.

15th August 2006 - Grow Your Own, The Other Boleyn Girl and Death Defying Acts Set To Shooth

Four high profile BBC Films co-productions are set to roll later this summer and early autumn. The movies are Gillian Armstrong's Death Defying Acts, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Guy Pearce, about the dramatic last days of Harry Houdini's life; Justin Chadwick's tale of Mary and Anne Boleyn, The Other Boleyn Girl, starring Scarlett Johannson, Natalie Portman and Eric Bana; David Cronenberg (pictured) will direct a London-set thriller - currently untitled - starring Naomi Watts and Viggo Mortensen; and Richard Laxton's Grow Your Own is a magical comedy about real life, true love and plump vegetables on a city allotment in Liverpool. Written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, it stars Benedict Wong, Eddie Marsan and Omid Djalili.

15th August 2006 - Snow Cake, Shoot The Messenger And Life & Lyrics Set For Edinburgh

Fans of music legends David Bowie, Radiohead, Morrissey and Coldplay were treated to a showing of Glastonbury The Movie on the BBC Big Screen in Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol and London. This was an opportunity to see the acclaimed BBC Films documentary about the world famous music festival in the open air. The film, directed by Julien Temple, was shown free of charge in London's Canary Wharf at 9pm on Saturday 15th July and included a special introduction from the festival founder Michael Eavis. Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol screened Glastonbury the following evening on Sunday 16th July. The screening coincided with the film's first TV transmission, on BBC Two on Saturday 15th July.

14th July 2006 - Glastonbury Screening As Nature Intended

Fans of music legends David Bowie, Radiohead, Morrissey and Coldplay were treated to a showing of Glastonbury The Movie on the BBC Big Screen in Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol and London. This was an opportunity to see the acclaimed BBC Films documentary about the world famous music festival in the open air. The film, directed by Julien Temple, was shown free of charge in London's Canary Wharf at 9pm on Saturday 15th July and included a special introduction from the festival founder Michael Eavis. Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol screened Glastonbury the following evening on Sunday 16th July. The screening coincided with the film's first TV transmission, on BBC Two on Saturday 15th July.

28th May 2006 - Red Road Triumphs At Cannes

British feature film director Andrea Arnold won the Prix du Jury in Cannes for her debut feature, Red Road. Written and directed by Arnold, Red Road is a powerful tale of obsession and forgiveness, starring Kate Dickie, Tony Curran, Martin Compston and Natalie Press. "Andrea Arnold's Red Road is the most striking debut I've ever seen," says head of BBC Films David Thompson. "Working with new talent is crucial to what we do at BBC Films, and it's fantastic to see new talent celebrated in this way." Verve Pictures will release Red Road in the UK in October 2006.

12th May 2006 - BBC Films Competing At Cannes

For the first time ever, two BBC Films productions are screening in competition at the Cannes International Film Festival (17th-28th May 2006). Oscar-winning British filmmaker Andrea Arnold makes her feature debut with Red Road (pictured), which stars Kate Dickie, Tony Curran, Martin Compston and Natalie Press. Renowned American director Richard Linklater, meanwhile, joins forces with British producer Jeremy Thomas for Fast Food Nation. The film is an adaptation of Eric Schlosser's best-selling exposé of the fast food business, and stars Catalina Sandino Moreno, Greg Kinnear, Ethan Hawke, Kris Kristofferson, Patricia Arquette and Avril Lavigne. To complete the Cannes line-up, a BBC Films short, Undone - written and directed by Lucy Moore - is one of ten shortlisted from hundreds of entries in this year's Cannes 2006 Online Film Competition.

10th March 2006 - Shooting Dogs Premiere In Rwanda

On March 27th Shooting Dogs will have its premiere in Kigali, Rwanda. In front of an audience of 5,000 Rwandans at the Amahoro Stadium and in the presence of President Paul Kagame, this will be the first massed screening of the film in Rwanda. "We're delighted to be taking the film back to Rwanda and showing it to the thousands of people who helped make Shooting Dogs. It will be an emotional but important night for all the cast and crew," said producer David Belton. Shooting Dogs will be released in the UK on Friday March 31st. You can read Shooting Dogs blogs at www.shootingdogsfilm.blogspot.com

31st January 2006 - Nominations And Award For BBC Films

BBC Films co-productions received three Oscar nominations at the 2005 Academy Awards - Judi Dench was nominated as Best Actress for her outstanding performance in Stephen Frears' Mrs. Henderson Presents, with Sandy Powell cited for her achievement in Costume Design. Woody Allen's Match Point script nominated as Best Original Screenplay.

Saul Dibb, meanwhile, has won the Best Newcomer Award at the Evening Standard British Film Awards for Bullet Boy. Speaking about the award and nominations, David Thompson said: "What's so exciting is to see both established talent acknowledged at the Oscars, and on the same day new talent like Saul Dibb recognised for his first feature at the Evening Standard Film Awards."

31st January 2006 - Three BBC Films Bound For Berlin

Three BBC Films co-productions have been given highly prestigious slots in the upcoming Berlin Film Festival (February 9-19). Marc Evans' Snow Cake will open the Festival on February 9, screening in competition. Snow Cake is a film about friendship, snow, acceptance, obsessive cleaning and about finding the warmest of friendships in the coldest of places. Peter Cattaneo's Opal Dream (previously known as Pobby and Dingan), has been selected to open the Kinderfilmfest on February 10, and Julien Temple's documentary feature Glastonbury has been selected for the Panorama Spezial section.

19th January 2006 - BAFTA Nominations For BBC Films

Three BBC Films co-productions feature amongst the nominations for this year's BAFTA awards. Stephen Frears' Mrs Henderson Presents has garnered four nominations: a best actress nomination for Judi Dench; best original screenplay (Martin Sherman); best film music (George Fenton); and best costume design (Sandy Powell). Meanwhile Michael Winterbottom's anarchic and hilarious A Cock And Bull Story, starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, is nominated for the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film.

BBC current affairs producer and director David Belton has also received a nomination for the Carl Foreman Award, which recognises special achievement by a producer, director or writer in their first feature film, for his work on BBC Films' Shooting Dogs.

14th December 2005 - BBC Films Fly The Flag With Seven Golden Globe Nominations

BBC Films co-productions have received seven Golden Globe nominations, including four for Woody Allen's Match Point and three for Stephen Frears' box office hit Mrs. Henderson Presents. Match Point has been nominated as Best Motion Picture (Drama), with the iconic Woody Allen picking up nominations for his direction and screenplay, and leading actress Scarlett Johansson receiving a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting role. Mrs. Henderson Presents has received nominations for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), while Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins have been nominated in the Best Performance by an Actress (Musical or Comedy) and Actor in a Supporting Role categories respectively. The results are announced on Monday 16th January 2006.

9th November 2005 - Four European Film Academy nominations for BBC Films' My Summer Of Love

Pawel Pawlikowski's My Summer Of Love received a remarkable four nominations from the European Film Academy. The film, an intoxicating tale of obsession and the struggle for love and faith in a world where both seem impossible, was nominated as European Film of the Year, with Pawlikowski nominated as European Director, Natalie Press as European Actress, and Ryszard Lenczewski as European Cinematographer. The awards will be announced in Berlin on 3rd December.

25th October 2005 - BBC Films score well with BIFA nominations

BBC Films co-productions scored well in the nominations for this year's BIFAs (British Independent Film Awards). At the top is Mrs. Henderson Presents, which received 8 nominations - Best British Film, Best Actor - Bob Hoskins, Best Actress - Judi Dench, Best Newcomer - Thelma Barlow, Best Supporting Actress - Kelly Reilly, Best Director - Stephen Frears, Best Screenplay - Martin Sherman, and Best Technical Achievement for costume designer - Sandy Powell. The awards ceremony takes place on 30th November.

19th September 2005 - More Emmy wins for BBC Films

BBC Films co-productions scooped four major awards at last night's Primetime Emmy Awards in LA. The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers - co-produced with HBO - picked up awards for Best Directing (Stephen Hopkins), Best Writing (Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely) and Best Actor (Geoffrey Rush). Meanwhile The Lost Prince, a BBC Films co-production with Talkback, was named Outstanding Miniseries - one of very few British programmes in the history of the awards to be recognised in the primetime categories.

12th September 2005 - Emmy wins for BBC Films

BBC Films co-production The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers has scooped six awards at the Creative Primetime Emmys - the highest number awarded to a single programme. These included awards for picture editing, sound editing, visual effects, hair, makeup and cinematography. Stephen Poliakoff's The Lost Prince - a co-production with Talkback - picked up two awards, for costume and art direction. Both films are also nominated in categories to be revealed at the main awards ceremony on 18th September.

14th July 2005 - Emmy nominations for BBC Films

BBC Films co-production The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers has been nominated for 16 awards at this year's Primetime Emmys, topping the list with more nominations than any other programme. Nominations include Outstanding Made for TV Movie, Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Made for TV Movie (Geoffrey Rush), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Made for TV Movie (Charlize Theron), Outstanding Director of a Miniseries or Made for TV Movie (Stephen Hopkins) and Outstanding writing for a Miniseries or Made for TV Movie (Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus). Also nominated is Stephen Poliakoff's The Lost Prince, with three nominations, including Outstanding Miniseries. The winners will be announced in LA on September 18th.

29th March 2005 - Millions release date announced

Millions - an enchanting new family film from the imagination of Danny Boyle - opens across the UK on Friday May 27th. The film, which has recently received rave reviews in the United States (Entertainment Weekly called it a "sparkling new family movie"), stars James Nesbitt and Daisy Donovan, with star-making performances from newcomers Alex Etel and Lewis McGibbon.

24th March 2005 - My Summer Of Love triumphs at the Director's Guild of Great Britain Awards

Pawel Pawlikowski's My Summer Of Love added to its awards haul when it was named Best British Feature of the year at the Director's Guild of Great Britain Awards. The accolade was shared with Shane Meadows' Dead Man's Shoes.

13th February 2005 - My Summer Of Love wins Best British Film BAFTA

BBC Films co-production My Summer Of Love, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, won the prestigious Alexander Korda award for Best British Film at the 2005 BAFTA Awards, beating off stiff competition from Vera Drake, Dead Man's Shoes, Shaun Of The Dead and Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban.

17th January 2005 - BBC Films co-production wins two Golden Globes

The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers, a BBC Films and HBO Films co-production, netted two prestigious Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday 16th January. The film - which went out on the HBO channel in the US - won the award for Best Mini-series or Motion Picture made for Television, whilst Geoffrey Rush picked up the award for best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture made for Television.

14th December 2004 - BBC Films get Golden Globe nods

BBC Films' The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers has received four nominations in this year's Golden Globe Awards, to be presented on 16th January in Los Angeles. A co-production with HBO, The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers has been nominated as best Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television, whilst three of the lead performances have also been recognised, with nominations for Geoffrey Rush (Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television) and Charlize Theron and Emily Watson (Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television).

Miranda Richardson has also received a nomination (Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television) for her role as Queen Mary in Stephen Poliakoff's The Lost Prince, a Talkback Production in association with BBC Films.

1st December 2004 - Bullet Boy scores at the BIFAs

Ashley Walters, also known as So Solid Crew's Asher D, was named Best Newcomer for his role in Saul Dibb's Bullet Boy at the British Independent Film Awards. The film played to critical acclaim at the London Film Festival, and will be released in April 2005.

27th October 2004 - BBC Films nominated for British Independent Film Awards

My Summer Of Love has been nominated for five awards, including Best Film, at the British Independent Film Awards. Its stars - Paddy Considine, Natalie Press, and Emily Blunt - are all up for acting awards and Pawel Pawlikowski is nominated as Best Director. BBC Films' Bullet Boy, The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers, Code 46 (pictured), and The Mother also feature prominently in the nominations. For a full list of winners go to the BIFA website.

25th October 2004 - My Summer Of Love opens to rave reviews

Pawel Pawlikowski's My Summer Of Love opened on Friday 22nd October to a fantastic critical reception. Reactions from the press include "terrific... intelligent, taboo and very funny" (The Times); "a gorgeous piece of cinema" (the Mail on Sunday); "a gem of intelligent, absorbing filmmaking" (The Guardian); and both the Telegraph and Financial Times acclaimed it as "the best British film of the year".

30th August 2004 - BBC movie named best British film at Edinburgh festival

Pawel Pawlikowski's My Summer Of Love, co-financed by BBC Films, has been named as the winner of the prestigious Michael Powell Award for Best British Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The film, which stars Natalie Press and Emily Blunt, opens across the UK on 22nd October.

9th July 2004 - Dirty Pretty Things script wins top Humanitas prize

Steven Knight's screenplay for BBC Films' Dirty Pretty Things has won the feature film category in the Humanitas Prize ceremony in Los Angeles. Judges praised its "stark and realistic depiction of the life of undocumented workers". This award follows an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.