2002 cert 18, running time 80 minutes

Director: Lab Ky Mo

The hilarious story of two lads from Ireland as they stumble their way through the London gay underworld in search of gainful employment.

Starring Glen Mulhern, Brendan Mackey, Steven Berkoff, Michael Praed and Vas Blackwood

Reviews

"Left me speechless, the most outrageous and original British film of the year"
- Henry Fitzherbert, Sunday Express

2012 cert 15, running time 85 minutes

Director: Johnny Daukes

A modern day Chaucerian tale written and directed by Johnny Daukes.

Starring Simon Callow, Harry Enfield and Celia Imrie.

Reviews

“Ingeniously scripted, darkly comic, cleverly plotted and completely original.”
- Decca Aitkenhead, The Guardian

2004 cert 15, running time 90 minutes

Director: Lenny Abrahamson

Friends since they were small boys, Adam and Paul-and we never learn which is which-have withered into two hapless, desperate Dublin junkies, tied together by habit and necessity. A stylized, downbeat comedy, the film follows the pair through a single day, which, like every other, is entirely devoted to the business of scrounging and robbing money for drugs.

Starring Tom Murphy and Mark O’Halloran.

Reviews

"The best Irish film I've seen in years."
- Derek Malcolm, London Evening Standard

"Abrahamson has made this tragicomic tale his own"
- The Independent (No 3 in Top 5 Films in UK) ★★★★★

"I can't remember when I last felt so bad laughing at characters in a film...this is superb stuff"
- Glasgow Evening Times ★★★★★

"A bleakly funny picture of indigence on the Liffey"
- Financial Times

"very impressive"
-The Times ★★★★

"an authentic feel of what it's like to be homeless"
- What's On In London ★★★★

"Mordantly funny and unexpectedly poignant"
-Time Out (Critic's Choice Film)

"Funny and touching"
- Heat (Top 10 Films of the Week)

"bleakly hilarious Dublin comedy"
- Empire

"This filthy pearl from director Lenny Abrahamson and writer/ actor Mark O'Halloran...it is hard to think of another film that ploughs its naturalistic, black comedy so seamlessly or less sympathetically. Highly Recommended"
- The List ( selected for the ‘Hit’ list)

"Among the frothy romcoms of prosperous Ireland one gritty film stands out."
-Times Online

"Astoundingly assured and bleakly comic debut from former commercials director Lenny Abrahamson, Adam and Paul follows the two sweaty strung-out eponymous junkies (rigorously played by writer Mark O'Halloran and Tom Murphy) as they scour the grim-grey underbelly of Dublin city for a life-saving fix. Along the way they bicker, they vomit, they go hungry, they make some inept attempts at robbery, meet some friends, avoid some hostile pushers, and finally, at the 11th hour, score two hefty bags of seemingly heaven-sent heroin. And though the movie's dark comedic tone is initially disorienting (Loachian social realism with extra slapstick - watch out for the football Paul!) the narrative slowly reveals its own appropriately woozy rhythms, like a loosely assembled set of 'desperate junkie' gags that loudly reference everything from Laurel & Hardy to Midnight Cowboy to Beckett. While the subtle genius of the movie is that it humanizes two unsympathetic and marginalized protagonists through the use of sly humour rather than didactic social commentary.
- UNCUT ★★★★

"bright acting, smart script...both funny and moving"
- Daily Star (7/10 stars)

"It's a bloody funny buddy movie"
- Metro ★★★★ (3rd best film of the week in the Critics Top 10)

"if the British authorities had any sense, A&P would be screened in schools...A grown up's film"
- Daily Mail

"...quite easily the best film to cross the Irish sea...It is a striking film, a magnificent achievement in imagery and performance; I didn't want it to end. But when it does, you'll be as stunned as I was in the final reel."
- Leicester Mercury ★★★★★

"Enormous credit has to go to the powerful performances"
- Mail On Sunday Channel 4 review

"rarely has such a relentlessly miserable little film left me with such a warm glow"
-The Independent On Sunday

"the films gets (it) just right without romanticizing them or coming over all moralistic"
- Big Issue

"Nihilistic but entertaining"
- Jewish Chronicle

"ADAM & PAUL is a beautifully nuanced and rather insightful Irish tragicomedy....beautifully stages moments of visual and verbal comedy rub against bleak and tender fragments of awful reality, balancing humour with something that hints of horror...an unexpected treat.”
- Mark Kermode, New Statesman

"it would be a shame to let it slip past your radar"
- Birmingham Post ★★★★

"Made for less than a quarter of a million pounds by a director that did not even get paid ADAM & PAUL is one of the best character driven films of the year. Who needs money when you have got talent."
- Birmingham Evening Mail ★★★★

" Brilliantly acted ...the non-narrative drifts from one surreal comic interlude to the next...Someone should lend Shane Meadows a copy."
-What's On In Birmingham ★★★★

2002 cert PG, running time 103 minutes

Director: Harley Cokeliss

A multi-award winning children’s fantasy adventure movie which links time and past and present generations. Ten per cent of the profits from the film are to go to the charity War Child, which provides immediate, effective and sustainable aid to children affected by war across the globe. DVD released 7 August 2006.

Starring Matthew Beard, Tom Wilkinson, Charlotte Wakefield, Angeline Ball, Hugo Speer.

Reviews

The Daily Mail Pick of the day
★★★★

“A fine drama”
- Sunday Times

“Must see, a classy piece of work.”
- Front Row BBC Radio 4

“A rare treat, quality drama, fine cast, top-flight production values.”
- Sunday Telegraph

Awards

An Angel for May has won awards around the world including Tokyo, Canada, Finland and Austria.

2001 cert 15, running time 89 minutes

Director: James Callis, Nick Cohen

You're only young and stupid once. From the seedier side of Soho to glamorous Paris by way of the Edinburgh fringe this unusual road move is based on true events (the names have been changed to protect the embarrassed).

Starring Julie Delpy, James Callis, Christopher Cazenove and Steven Berkoff.

Reviews

"British Independent film heralds a joyous surprise"

2004 cert 15, running time 90 minutes

Director: Eleanor Yule

An atmospheric psychological thriller, BLINDED explores the dark side of sexual desire in a story that reveals how hard it is for us to see the truth when the facts are right in front of our very eyes.

Starring Peter Mullan, Jodhi May, Anders W Berthelsen, Samantha Bond and Phyllida Law.

Reviews

"With it's isolated, timeless setting, stylistic elegance and narrative urgency, Eleanor Yule's impressively intense and stunningly shot Scottish-set drama recalls both Roman Polanski's claustrophobic thrillers and Ingmar Bergman's bleak portraits of relationship disintegration. Peter Mullen is typically strong as an embittered blind man who rules his timid young wife and devoted mother with an iron rod - until an outsider upends all their cloistered certainties."
- Hannah McGill, THE HERALD, ★★★★

"In Blinded, Scottish director Eleanor Yule uses Peter Mullan's ferocious screen presence to her advantage by letting the aura of discomfort he creates bleed into every scene of her impressive debut effort...Yule creates a wonderfully gothic atmosphere here and tight scripting and a strong cast ensure that the film never falters as it works towards it's dark conclusion."
- THE SCOTSMAN, ★★★★

"Performance of the week. Johdi May is impressive in Blinded. This underrated British actress finally gets a chance to show her true talent." - SUNDAY TIMES

"A Gothic tale brewed with Zola-style realism and brought to life by a strong cast that sustains a heightened level of simmering emotions." - VARIETY

"Blinded has audiences glued to their seats.”
- The Scottish Sun

“a cess-pit of lust murder and betrayal!" - DAILY EXPRESS

"One of the cutting-edge movies of the moment" THE SUN

1996 cert 15, running time 93 minutes

Director: Jevon O'Neill

Bruce Jones (Coronation Street's Les Battersby) contemplates suicide in Blackpool playing the title role in the new British film.

Starring Bruce Jones.

Reviews

"Immensely enjoyable, surreal comedy"
- Phillip French, The Observer

"This low-budget British film at times seems dated and the cash restrictions are clearly evident. However, the endearing narrative and dark humour make for a refreshing tale."
- Empire ★★★

"Britain's answer to IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE"
- Mark Cousins, DEFF

"Inventive and likeable realist-tinged fantasy adventure... affectionate tone and amusing"
- Time Out

2009 cert 15, running time 105 minutes

Director: Matt Lipsey

'The curtain’s coming down on this town'. Set in the beautiful Welsh valleys, a corrupt Parish council have used an award of EU funds earmarked for cultural development in the town, to fund a host of illicit activities, a swimming pool, 45 crates of champagne, several visits to Amsterdam’s red light district etc.

Starring Steve Speirs, Freddie Jones, Juliet Aubrey, Ralph Brown & Maureen Lipman

Reviews

When a corrupt Welsh Parish council are awarded a EU grant, rather than financing the cultural development of their town, they decide instead to embezzle the money to pay for their decadent lifestyles. But when the EU Cultural Commissioner pays a visit, the group must accept the impossible task of producing a Shakespearean play for the most important festival in the EU cultural calendar. We're introduced to the corrupt councillors of ex-mining town Pontycelwyddau as they boozily celebrate five years of getting away with embezzling EU money. Flawed anti-hero Jenkins (Speirs) is having an affair with council secretary Marlene (Aubrey) while his mousy girlfriend Gina (Evans) is desperate for a baby and worried that her ex-boyfriend Alan(Lewis Jones) is drinking too much following the break-up of his marriage. And there's a geeky young man (Weldon) who secretly yearns for Mandy (Barrand) who, being beautiful, is, of course, also stupid. Into this pack of corruption steps EU cultural commissioner Joep Schut (Withnail And I's Ralph Brown) whose name is pronounced 'shit'. The first third of the film is spent with the gang going to increasingly ludicrous lengths to prevent him discovering the truth. Meanwhile, a nefarious German corporation have plans to concrete over the town, represented locally by traitorous Michael (Virgo) and, from head office, by Judith Herbst (Maureen Lipman). The denouement is a 20 minute belly aching performance of Macbeth in front of an assembled EU audience in Brussels ... with a feel of a Brian Rix farce mixed with lewd edges of 21st century humour. Thoroughly recommended.
- NMO

2009 cert U, running time 120 minutes

Director: Julian Richards

CHARLES DICKENS’S ENGLAND for the very first time takes the viewer on a journey of all of the most important places, towns and cities that were the inspiration to some of the most famous settings in literature.

Starring Derek Jacobi

Reviews

"Thank goodness for Charles Dickens’ England. This combination of documentary and literary travelogue has no pretensions at all, merely a mad, endearing, Dickensian innocence."
- Financial Times

"Engaging documentary, cracking pace. Derek Jacobi does an expert job in relating how Dickens stories exposed the iniquities and injustices of Victorian England."
- David Parkinson, Radio Times

"Decidedly charming documentary. Derek Jacobi makes an eager and estimable companion."
- Empire Magazine

2003 cert 15, running time 110 minutes

Director: David Thewlis

The film marks the directorial debut of actor David Thewlis, (Naked, Harry Potter, Seven Years in Tibet) who also wrote and appears in this story of a father and son’s attempt to rebuild their lives after tragedy strikes. Toyshop owner Harry Sankey is devastated by the death of his wife Nancy and is struggling to bring up his son Sam single-handed and help him cope with his loss. Harry believes his wife’s last wish was for him to take part in the television programme Cheeky and manages to get a place on the show where he meets another Nancy, a charming fellow contestant who is intent on drawing him out of his misery. Cheeky is a universal story of one family’s survival and at the same time explores the fragile relationship between a father and a son. Told with humour and compassion, the film promises to touch the hearts of anyone who views it. Cheeky was filmed in the Lake District and London and was produced by Trudie Styler and Luc Besson.

Starring Lesley Sharp, Ian Hart, Mark Benton, Johnny Vegas, David Thewlis and Trudie Styler

Reviews

Cheeky is the name of a grotesque game show in which the contestants must not only have a fair smattering of general knowledge but be able to insult one other with unabashed zeal. Quite how the mild-mannered Harry Sankey (David Thewlis) arrives at this pass is part of this unusual romcom’s appeal. Marking the writing-directing debut of actor Thewlis, the film tackles bereavement, familial responsibility and the dumbing down of TV with a quirky blend of pathos and farce. The result—produced by none other than Luc Besson—is surprisingly funny, endearing and quite affecting.”
- James Cameron-Wilson (Film Review) ★★★

2002 cert 18, running time 79 minutes

Director: Simon Rumley

Tells the story of one night in Club Le Monde, the place to be on a Saturday night...

Starring: Danny Nussbaum; Emma Pike; Tania Emery ( THE BILL); Lee Oakes (THREE PINTS OF LARGER); Emma Handy; Tom Connolly; Tom Halstead; Daniel Ainsleigh; Thomas Fisher; Tony Maudsley; Kate Ford (TRACEY BARLOW - CORONATION STREET) Bruce Byron; Allison McKenzie; Dawn Steele(MONARCH OF THE GLEN; Brad Gorton; Paul Popplewell; Robert White. DJ's: Brandon Block, Alex P and Mr C. Music: The Shamen, Atlantic Ocean, Alison Limerick, Bizarre Inc, 808 State, B Line.

Reviews

"Rumley has done a pretty good job of observing young Londoners without cliche."
- Derek Malcolm, PICK OF THE WEEK, Midweek

(Rabbit on the Moon)
2004 cert 18, running time 112 minutes

Director: Jorge Ramirez-Suarez

A British/Mexican Co-Production. Though around them a criminal world seethes, Julie and Antonio are a young and loving couple with a new baby and a solid, white-collar sense of stability. But when a loose social connection suddenly ties them to a major political assassination, the two become innocents desperately trying to adapt to a world of murderous politicians and police that, moment to moment, threatens their lives.

Starring Bruno Bichir, Lorraine Pilkington, Jesus Ochoa, Adam Kotz, Alvaro Guerrero, Rodrigo Murray, Emma Cunniffe and Reece Dinsdale.

Reviews

"A terrific political thriller"
- Film Review, ★★★★

"With a willingness to boldly tell it like it is, this edgy and riveting political thriller digs deeply into corruption while telling an intensely personal story. It’s powerful, harrowing and startlingly important. As Mexican and UK officials engage in illicit dealings, a Mexico City artist Antonio (Bichir) innocently buys land from a dodgy salesman called Chubby (Cobos). But Chubby’s involved in a political assassination, and the Mexican secret police, in search of a scapegoat, exploit the link to Antonio. A friend helps him flee to London, but his British wife Julie (Pilkington) and infant daughter are secretly imprisoned by the chief investigator (Ochoa). Meanwhile, Antonio is trying to find help in London, not realising that Julie’s ex (Kotz) is actually an MI5 agent. Writer-director Suarez kicks off the film at full speed with a bewildering array of politicians, thugs and innocent bystanders thrown into a stew of corruption, torture, murder and fear. It’s thoroughly terrifying to contemplate how we’d react in the same situations. This is a story of everyday people unwittingly caught up in a massive conspiracy from which there seems to be no escape. The people in power can do whatever they like, while those who elected them are defenceless. There’s an edgy, relentless urgency to the filmmaking style that refuses to play it safe. Even a few badly contrived plot points can’t undermine the film’s bold story and unflinching themes. It helps that the script is extremely realistic, with actors who deliver raw, gritty performances. It’s also especially well edited, cutting between the various story threads to keep us utterly gripped to each element of the plot. (The title refers to one of Antonio’s paintings.) Reminiscent of Traffic or Syriana, this film touches on all aspects of government corruption, dodgy arms deals, drug money, black market babies, secret prisons and the mistreatment of political prisoners. It also bravely challenges our belief that these things can’t possibly happen in a 'civilised society', even if it’s the UK’s legal system that ultimately comes to the rescue. Despite its flaws, this is an important, courageous movie." 4 stars BBC Radio 5 Live "Gripping political drama of the first order"
- James Cameron-Wilson, TwentyFour7

"Set in a murky world of corruption in Mexico, this dark thriller sees naive, young Antonio accidentally implicate himself and his family in an assassination. Having fled to the UK, Antonio (Bruno Bichir) desperately tries to prove his innocence while his wife Julie and their child find themselves captured by the crooked chief of police. Although the UK scenes are the stuff of your bog-standard drama, the prison scenes with Julie (a superb performance from Lorraine Pilkington) are incredibly well executed, and so unbearably tense that they turn this into a completely absorbing story. It has its flaws but this is ultimately a gripping watch."
- HOTDOG, ★★★★

Awards

Conejo en la Luna / Rabbit on the Moon has won, or was nominated for, various awards in Latin America and Europe.

2008 cert 15, running time 93 minutes

Director: Toni Harman

To survive evil, first you must believe it exists. Dare to believe.

Starring MyAnna Buring, Clayton Watson, and Nathalie Pownall, Rhea Bailey, and Mark Joseph

Director's Statement

“The story of Credo began when Alex Wakeford (Writer, DoP & Producer) and I decided to make a low-budget feature film. We thought if we made a genre film for a low enough budget with high production value, then we stood a chance of selling the film and paying back our investors which would help get our next feature off the ground. We loved horror films, particularly films like the original The Haunting and early Polanski films, where the ‘monster’ is unseen, where it's all done through sound and by creating a tension-filled claustrophobic atmosphere. There was also the practical consideration that if we didn't show the ‘monster’, that'll help keep our costs down! We looked at our assets. We didn't have much money (we had a small amount of cash equity) but we had a good relationship with a property management company that allowed us access to some amazing properties in central London that were about to be renovated in three months time. So we had the money, we had the locations, we had a time-frame in that we needed to be finished shooting in these amazing locations in three months time, now all we needed was a script! We came up with the germ of an idea about five kids trapped in an abandoned building in central London (tick those horror boxes!) then Alex came up with a great twist concept, and that was it. We were away. In about six energy-charged weeks, Alex wrote the script, we found a fantastic crew, we managed to attach some amazing cast and then negotiated a great deal with a facility company for us to shoot and post on HD. We kept to our shoot dates and we achieved the seemingly impossible in that we did make it out before building work began (in one of our locations, surveyors in hard-hats were on-set writing on walls in-between takes!) And the end result is Credo.”
- Toni Harman, Director & Producer of Credo

1990 cert 12, running time 60 minutes

Director: Anthony Hopkins

Towards the end of his life Thomas toured the USA, performing his works before sell out audiences at colleges and universities. Dylan Thomas: Return Journey is Anthony Hopkins' interpretation of those legendary lectures starring Bob Kingdom.

Starring Bob Kingdom.

Reviews

"A thrilling lyrical journey ... A gripping and satisfying experience with Dylan Thomas. Well not actually the man himself - but you would not know it."
- The Manchester Guardian, UK

"Dylan Thomas: Return Journey is a feast for the soul... an incredible joy that nourishes the heart and the mind. It is the kind of rare treasure that one would have to grab up when fleeing a burning house."
- Richard G. Beyer, Alabama State Poetry Society

"For any lover of both the theatrical and poetic mediums Return Journey is a joy to behold and serves as the most fitting testament to and celebration of Dylan Thomas who, while haunted by demons, is so rightly celebrated for his creative genius."
- Eye for Film, ★★★★★

2004 cert 15, running time 85 minutes

Director: Richard Janes

In this hilariously charming crime caper set in the eccentric London art world, Nick Edwards owes 50,000 to the super-smooth, yet brutal, crime-lord Foster Wright and has four days to find the cash. Nick knows nothing about working a heist of that size, but when he stumbles across a lost sketch by the legendary Italian artist Antonio Fraccini, he believes he’s in the clear. The problem is, it’s only worth 15 grand! With the help of the eternal cynic Eve and her extremely talented yet naive artist brother Tony, the plan is hatched; to forge the drawing and sell it to five Mayfair galleries within an hour before anyone cottons onto the fact there’s a scam going down.

Starring Art Malik, Matthew Rhys, Kate Ashfield, Tom Chambers, Rula Lenska and Tony Haygarth.

Reviews

"Classy British caper flick...funny script, multiple twists and if that's not enough for you it stars Kate Ashfield from SHAUN OF THE DEAD."
- Film of the Week, NUTS ★★★★★

2005 cert 15, running time 90 minutes

Director: Juliet McKoen

Set in the stark beauty of Morecambe Bay, north west England, Frozen is a story about unresolved loss and the inherent danger of hope turning into obsession.

Starring Shirley Henderson, Roshan Seth, Ger Ryan, Ralf Little, Jamie Sives, Richard Armitage, Sean Harris, Shireen Shah, Rebecca Palmer and Lyndsey Marshal.

Reviews

"The Best British film in years is FROZEN directed by Juliet McKoen starring Shirley Henderson as a woman whose sister has disappeared."
- Ken Russell THE INDEPENDENT

"Frozen is a real delight, a film that will take you by surprise with its understated strength. And it's one that will stay with you long after its chilling ending."
- Film Review, ★★★★

"ghostly thriller...it's Henderson's blend of naivety and resolve that winds the film towards its tense, twisting finale."
- DVD Review, ★★★★

"Part drama, part arty thriller, Frozen fuses the day-to-day reality of a Ken Loach movie with the surreal menace of a David Lynch nightmare. Henderson is magnificent".
- Glasgow Daily Record, ★★★★

"great British cast..hauntingly shot film with good use of the Lancashire coast with its expanses of treacherous quicksand's compelling power to keep us watching "
- Birmingham Sunday Mercury, ★★★★

"Frozen is the most enthralling and intelligent British feature debut since Lynne Ramsay's Ratcatcher (1999). An intriguing study of unresolved grief, Frozen is serious, mannered, rich in theme, achingly beautiful, with nuanced performances and a strong sense of place. In other words, the film's director-co-writer Juliet McKoen may be a newcomer, but she arrives with a talent that is already fully formed."
- Channel 4

“For those of us in professional despair about the future of British cinema, there was precious little to gripe about. Juliet McKoen’s ghost story, Frozen, is a brave choice. It gives Shirley Henderson, so often the viola player in a string quartet, the chance to show how haunting she can be as a lead. In McKoen’s subtle hands Frozen becomes a poem about the limbo of not-knowing; of not being able to grieve for a loved one who keeps calling in dreams; and how this appalling ache reshapes the place where you live and the people you grow up with. It is also an exceedingly topical film about how horror is becalmed."
- The Times

"Powerful...disturbing...heartrending” - The Metro

"...a cracking debut, with a shoal of red herrings that keep us guessing to the last."
- Newcastle Sunday Sun

"Laden with promise and thick with atmosphere."
- Sight and Sound

"In McKoen's subtle hands Frozen becomes a poem about the limbo of not-knowing; of not being able to grieve for a loved one who keeps calling in dreams; and how this appalling ache reshapes the place where you live and the people you grow up with."
- The Times

"An eerie atmosphere and a stunning performance from Shirley Henderson as childishly seductive Kath - not to mention a killer ending." - Empire

"An almost unclassifiable mixture of mystery yarn, supernatural story and character study, Frozen has an ambition and originality that has become all too rare in British cinema."
- Scotland on Sunday

"A surreal and evocative tale. Shirley Henderson's acting is excellent. From childlike to erotic, from sad to simply fucked up, she has an ageless quality about her."
- Plume Noir

“A thoughtful, beautiful film that puts Shirley Henderson’s capability as a female lead beyond question.”
- Gareth McLean, Guardian Weekend Magazine

“Henderson is such an engaging and gifted actress that we can't take our eyes off her. Meanwhile, McKoen captures it with a real eye for beauty each frame looks like a work of art, using the coastline as another character in the story. As the mystery deepens, McKoen draws us in, revealing the characters slowly enough that we never get ahead of Kath in her quest and adding an ethereal parallel layer in Kath's fantasies."
- Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

“This well crafted film sees the first true lead role for this excellent, versatile and omnipresent Scottish actress. McKoen makes much photographically of the grim mud flats and decaying industry of this north-western corner.”
- Time Out London (DVD of the week.)

“Henderson's performance is childlike and her seeming innocence increases our fears for her wellbeing. In contrast, Roshan Seth is the very essence of stillness and maturity in what is an excellent performance. McKoen shows a skill for finding the heart of a place, for pinpointing the mood and it is a beautifully stark film. Recommended.”
- Alex Crawford, BBC

Awards

Best Actress Award - Shirley Henderson BAFTA Scotland 2005

Best Actress Award - Shirley Henderson Marrakech Film Festival

2005 The BBC Audience Award for Best Feature Film

Commonwealth Film Festival, Manchester, U.K. Winner

Kodak Best Cinematography Award Slamdance 2005, U.S.A.

Audience Award - Runner-up Slamdance 2005, U.S.A.

Special Grand Jury Mention Creteil Film Festival

France Silver REMI Award WorldFest, Houston, U.S.A.

Special Jury Mention Britspotting, Berlin, Germany

Best Feature Film Dubrovnik Film Festival

Best Cinematography Dubrovnik Film Festival

Golden Space Needle Award for Best Actress - Runner-up - Shirley Henderson - Seattle Film Festival

2005 cert 15, running time 82 minutes

Director: Robbie Fraser

A love triangle with a twist of fantasy! The hero is Ralph, a young nerd from a bad neighborhood who's on his way to university for the first time.

Starring Ross Finbow, Danielle Stewart and James Young.

Reviews

"The funniest Scottish movie since the heyday of Bill Forsyth"
- The Skinny, ★★★★

"Simultaneously charming, idiotic and genuinely witty"
- Site & Sound

1993 cert E, running time 90 minutes

Director: Joy Perino

Film based on the world-famous vet's best selling travel book, James Herriot's Yorkshire. Christopher Timothy, the actor who played James Herriot in the hugely popular TV series All Creatures Great and Small, introduces and stars in this highly successful video with a personal tribute and unique insight to the Yorkshire vet who sadly died on 23 February 1995.

Starring Christopher Timothy.

Reviews

"An affectionate, lovingly photographed chronicle of Yorkshire. A refreshing tonic."
- James Cameron-Wilson, Film Review Annual

"The film is a work of art; it's a beautiful video."
- Austin Mitchell, Member Of Parliament - BBC Radio 2

"It's a lovely, lovely film."
- Frank Bough - LBC Radio

"A lot of people will enjoy this film."
- Mike Harding - BBC Radio 2

"Based on his best-selling travel book of the same name, James Herriot's Yorkshire is the closest Herriot lovers will come to experiencing its splendour without actually being there. The panoramic, wide-screen views of the breathtaking scenery featured in the video are sure to delight any viewer."
- Leigh Ann Berry, British Heritage Magazine (USA)

2007 cert 15, running time 92 minutes

Director: Matt Winn

THIS YEAR’S GREATEST BRITISH COMEDY that will touch you in parts Four Weddings and The Full Monty missed!

Starring Naomi Bentley, Josephine Butler, Andrew Clover, Rachel Fielding, Ruth Gemmell, Dorian Healy, Simon Kunz, Julia Joyce and Che Walker

(aka Singleton's Pluck)

1984 cert 15, running time 89 minutes

Director: Richard Eyre

A farmer becomes an unintentional celebrity when, because of a strike, he has to walk his 5000 geese 100 miles to market.

Starring: Ian Holm, Penelope Wilton and Bill Owen.

Reviews:

"The best British film for ages"
- Derek Malcolm, The Guardian

"One of the most attractive of recent British films"
- David Thompson, The Times

2002 cert 15, running time 90 minutes

Director: Ryan L. Driscoll

A maniac on the loose. Murdering young women. Painting the walls with blood. And hiding their bodies. Where? Only the killer knows?

Starring Sean Gallagher, Billy Geraghty, Hywel Morgan, Deborah Sheridan-Taylor, Milton Johns, Gregory Cox, Catherine Fitzlanders.

Reviews

“Smartly done with great acting... Full of twists and turns that keep you guessing."
- David Aldridge, BBC Radio 5

2001 cert 18, running time 102 minutes

Director: Noli

Dark and explicit, Married/Unmarried is the debut film of writer/director Noli, an intense and provocative exploration of contemporary relationships that shatters the illusion of fidelity, the affectations of love, and the desensitisation of sexual mores. Written & Directed by Noli.

Starring Paolo Seganti, Ben Daniels, Gina Bellman, Kristen Mcmenamy, Denis Lavant.

Reviews

"this interesting and risky British film... I found it an arresting and intriguing chamber piece."
- Peter Bradshaw, THE GUARDIAN

2006 cert 15, running time 99 minutes

Director: Adrian Mead

A cold October night. Five stories, one city. Night People takes us on a journey across the city of Edinburgh, introducing a cast of characters for whom there will be no sleep. Each is faced with a dilemma that ranges from the hilarious to the heartbreaking and they have until dawn to make a decision that may change their lives forever. A powerful and thought provoking film, Night People exploits the beauty and grandeur of Edinburgh as a backdrop for tales of extraordinary moments in ordinary lives, and brings together an exceptional cast of newcomers to tell a tale of hope.

Starring Michael MacKenzie, Frank Gilhooley, Vivienne Harvey, Katrina Bryan and Alan McCafferty

Reviews

"Night People is well made, beautifully shot."
- Eye for Film

"A triumph for home grown, independent film-making."
- Daily Record

"Excellent performances... ambitiously and inventively shot and edited."
- The List

Awards

BAFTA Scotland audience award

2004 cert 15, running time 90 minutes

Director: Lee Pavey

A comedy about a greyhound - not a bloody sheepdog.

Starring Bobby George, Paul Danan, Terry Turbo, Billy Murray and Danielle Brent.

Reviews

"THE MUST SEE CHAP'S FILM OF 2004"
- Front Magazine (DVD of the Month)

2004 cert 15, running time 90 minutes

Director: Merlin Ward

Out of Bounds is a suspenseful thriller that features a standout lead performance from the breathtaking Myles.

Starring Sophie Ward, Sophia Myles and Celia Imrie.

Reviews

"Enough to keep you guessing right up until the end."
- Total DVD

"Thompson is played here with aplomb by Sophia Myles."
- SFX

"The claustrophobic atmosphere is aided by luminous photography and a haunting score."
- In-Movies

"Good extras, including a well-constructed out-takes section."
- Ultimate DVD

"Actually rather good British thriller, about a girl who has an affair with her art teacher. However, his wife learns of their relationship..."
- Evening Standard, ★★★

"Sophia Myles delivers a strong performance as an 18-year-old boarding school pupil in an affair with the art teacher husband of her headmistress. A brooding psychological thriller, this makes good use of its limited budget and stages more than a few effective shocks."
- What's on TV, 8 November, 2005

★★★ - Daily Mirror, 8 November, 2005

"Intriguing and chilling."
- TV Times

2004 cert 15, running time 98 minutes

Director: Robert Heath

What do you get if you take one television chef, past his sell by date, add two armed robbers, stir in the police and simmer for three days? The answer is Out on a Limb, a black comedy served with a dressing of sexual tension and confusion written by Bob McCabe and Rob Churchill, directed by Rob Heath and produced by Joy Mellins and Dave Shanks for Theta Films.

Winner - Best Actress 2005, Cherbourg Film Festival

Winner - Best Comedy 2004, Wine Country Film Festival

Starring Henry Goodman, Julianne White, Neil Stuke and Costa Milton.

Reviews

"Genuinely amusing and well written comedy."
- EMPIRE

"Yes, it's farcical but the success of the comedy lies more with its savvy social satire. Screenwriters Churchill and McCabe obviously know the lie of the media land very well, and revel in the caricatures that inhabit that world. This makes it far more intelligent and biting than the premise would suggest. Add to that the general hideousness of the main characters, which enables the viewer to eschew any time-consuming notions of sympathy, and the result is a relaxed and involving viewing."
- Adrienne Curtis, FILM REVIEW, ★★★★

1989 cert 15, running time 125 minutes

Director: Christopher Morahan

A lowly hospital orderly impersonates a recently deceased doctor and goes to work in the busy ER of a small hospital where he meets and befriends a nurse who slowly figures out his secret and helps him maintain his charade.

Starring Paul McGann, Amanda Donohoe and Tom Wilkinson.

2001 cert 15, running time 89 minutes

Director: Tony Maylam

He is one of the biggest selling recording artists in world music, but no one knows who he is. He has never performed live or appeared on screen. He has never spoken to the press and no photo of him exists. Yet his records continue to sell millions. Who is he? Where is he? Does he exist at all?

Starring James Murray, Amanda Donohoe, Emily Hamilton, and Jason Hughes.

Reviews

"Exotic, fast moving, refreshingly different. A good night's viewing.”
- BBC Radio 1 Live

2002 cert PG, running time 80 minutes

Director: Terence Ryan

A Terence Ryan film based on the novel by Spike Milligan starring Sean Hughes, Elliott Gould and Richard Attenborough.

Starring Sean Hughes, Elliott Gould and Richard Attenborough

Reviews

"Cracking comedy adapted from Spike Milligan's literary debut about the farcical arguments between a new border separating Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Sean Hughes shines in the leading role, with a superb ensemble supporting cast featuring Elliot Gould and Griff Rhys Jones."
- Star TV Magazine

“Best Film Of The Week”
- Sunday Mirror

2002 cert 15, running time 93 minutes

Director: Jim Doyle

In Jim Doyle's new film Eddie suddenly finds himself caught up in a chain of events that tears his life and family apart. Winner of the Tribecca Best Film Award at the Galway Film Festival. Winner of the Jury & Audience Prize for Best Film at the Cherbourg Film Festival. Written & Directed by Jim Doyle.

Starring John Lynch, Geraldine Somerville and John Thomson.

Reviews

“This is a timely look at a worrying subject...Lynch and Somerville neatly portray the frustration of people caught up in something beyond their control."
- HOTDOG

“Lynch brings sincerity to an awkward role and FAST SHOW alumnus John Thompson supplying gentle humour as his best mate.”
- TOTAL FILM

“This low-key British drama sees John Lynch as a well-meaning dad who isn’t shy when it comes to teaching his two young children the facts of life. However, his frankness lands him in trouble when an innocent bath time game is misinterpreted by his daughter’s teacher, and before long social workers are swarming to his doorstep convinced the little ones are being abused. As depressingly worthy as this might sound, it’s a very watchable little film, enlivened by decent performances from Lynch as a likeable chap whose only real crime is being a bit too liberal for his own good, and Thomson as his sympathetic best friend while the potentially thorny subject matter is sensitively handled."
- EMPIRE

3/5 stars
- NUTS

1983 cert 15, running time 101 minutes

Director: Jack Gold

A humorous look at Stalin, dictator and family man. Screenplay By Charles Wood from the short stories of Yuri Korotkov .

Starring Colin Blakley, David Suchet. David Threlfall, David Kelly, Brian Glover and Carroll Baker.

Reviews

“funny & exhuberant”
- Sunday Telegraph

“hilarious visual gags which speak louder than words”
- Daily Express

“a knockabout comedy not unlike Mel Brook’s SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER”
- Daily Mail

2005 cert 15, running time 90 minutes

Director: Steven Lewis Simpson

2006 cert 15, running time 84 minutes

Director: Eitan Arrusi

Record. Remix. Unleash.

"Songwriting is about getting the demon out of me. It's like being possessed.” - John Lennon

Things like witchcraft, which is a form of exploration and imagination, have been banned by the establishment and called `evil’. It’s because people are frightened to find out the full power of the mind.”
- Jimi Hendrix

Director’s Statement

Reverb originally grew out of my fascination with the stories and myths in the music business. In particular the myth of a record with a hidden sound buried beneath a normal recording. Rock ‘n’ roll is this amazing fusion of characters who often create their best music out of intense, passionate conflicts. Music is primal; it taps directly into our emotions; it is used in the occult and to enhance altered states. I’d often heard artists talk about their music as if they weren’t in control of it, as if it came from a supernatural place outside of themselves. It started me thinking: what if the thing talking to them was evil? From these ideas Mark Griffin was born. He embodies for me the dark collision of rock ‘n’ roll and occultism that was spawned in the late Sixties. Hendrix sang Voodoo Child and the Rolling Stones became Their Satanic Majesties, the Beach Boys recorded Charles Manson songs, Jimmy Page wrote scores for avant-garde films like Lucifer Rising and Aleister Crowley appeared on the cover of the Sgt. Pepper album. What was fascinating about Mark Griffin is that, as I created his ‘lost recordings’ and avant-garde films, he grew organically into the film. As Alex taps into him (or as he taps into Alex), and as the past and present become fused, Griffin’s presence is drawn more and more into the visual language of the film. I knew that I wanted to create a thriller. I’ve always loved Coppola’s The Conversation and the film that inspired it: Antonioni’s Blow Up. In Reverb I want each of the sound fragments and videos to make up ambiguous pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, I trust the audience to build the story and paint images in their own minds. No one knows the ‘truth’ behind supernatural events, we each create our own explanation of what ghosts might be. For me, fear exists in that gap of understanding. Imagine you wake in the middle of the night to a strange sound in your house. The most terrifying moment is the silence of those first minutes when we don’t know what might be waiting for us. My desire was to make a film that uses tension and suspense to unsettle. I’ve always loved the Seventies films of Polanski and Argento. At times they develop such a powerful atmosphere of menace that they become waking nightmares. Most horror films scare you because they show the characters reaction to jeopardy. I wanted to go further, to let the audience experience the chaos and disorientation that I imagine having a terrifying supernatural experience is like. It’s not logical or comprehensible, on the contrary, it’s terrifying precisely because you’re in the grip of something overwhelming and unknowable. It should be as visceral and emotional as being at a music gig. Eitan Arrusi

Starring Leo Gregory, Eva Birthistle, Luke de Woolfson, Margo Stilley and Stephen Lord

Reviews

"slick British horror movie"
- Philip French, The Observer

"A fear-drenched, supernatural thriller that rocks!"
- Billy Chainsaw, Bizarre

"an exploration of music's power to haunt and a chilling ghost story"
-Film 4

"Hauntingly good. Horror finds a new home - and it's soundproof!"
- David Aldridge, BBC 5 Live

"...a terrific performance from Eva Birthistle!"
- Total Sci-Fi

2007 cert 15, running time 107 minutes

Director: Jan Dunn

Jack (Bob Hoskins) is consumed by guilt and past regret. He is hated by his son and abused by local youths. The death of his wife leaves Jack lost and alone in his self loathing. Hope arrives in the unlikely form of eight year old, Florrie, when she moves in next door and delights in Jack's neglected racing pigeons, unwittingly rekindling his own love for the birds. When his glamorous French neighbour, Stephanie (Josiane Balasko) takes pity on him, Jack cannot help but fall for her charms. When gradually his innocent friendship with Florrie is thrown into question when the girl goes missing and Stephanie reveals a well kept secret, Jack's life is thrown into turmoil.

Starring Bob Hoskins, Josiane Balasko, Jody Latham, Josef Altin and Jessica Stewart.

Reviews

"A fine example of micro-budget indigenous film-making, Ruby Blue sees director Jan Dunn build on the success of 2006's Gypo with another low-key story set on the Kent coast. Dispensing with that flick's Dogme 95 trappings, Ruby tells of a pigeon-racing widower (Hoskins) whose budding romance with his new French neighbour (Balasko) is imperilled when his relationship with a young girl (Jessica Stewart) is misconstrued. Modest, thoughtful and gently humorous, it's a home-grown gem that's worth seeking out. Dunn's blend of the scripted and the improvised inevitably invites comparisons with Mike Leigh, as does her focus on what she has called ‘the harsh reality of lower-class suburban isolation.’ In reality, though, Ruby is far more tightly scripted than Leigh's oeuvre, revolving as it does around one key revelation and a certain amount of rather unlikely contrivance. It also feels noticeably less caricatured, although that is as much down to Hoskins and Balasko's well-rounded and heartfelt performances as it is to the director's pensive and compassionate screenplay.”
- POIGNANT CHARACTER STUDY

Okay, so the slightly dour visuals won't make you put Thanet on your list of potential vacation spots, while the ending feels a little too neat and cosy given all the trials that Hoskins' character is forced to endure. On the whole, though, this poignant character study is a real find that deserves a much wider release than the small art house roll-out.. Kudos, too, to KT Tunstall for giving the project a pair of tracks for its opening and closing titles."
- BBC Movies online, ★★★★

"Bittersweet to the core, Ruby Blue is director Jan Dunn's follow-up to Gypo. Hoskins is pigeon trainer Jack, a depressed widower who finds solace in the company of 8 year-old neighbour Florrie. Hunted by the narrow-minded community who fail to see the innocence in their bond, Jack builds a relationship with the mysterious Stephanie (Balasko), which is in turn threatened by a secret he finds hard to accept. The strong, understated cast, including the promising Jody Latham as wayward teen Ian, makes this slow building story into a personal and occasionally heart-rending piece of film. Far from seeming creepy or inappropriate, Jack's friendships with Florrie and Ian give hope against a backdrop of mob mentality and degrading social values. The naturalistic script gave a sense of realism, but the odd use of incidental music is distracting at times. Verdict: A hard hitting but hopeful British drama with a pared down performance from Bob Hoskins."
- Empire Magazine

"A warmly human story about loneliness, love and life in the raw"
- Evening Standard

2001 cert 15, running time 89 minutes

Director: Maeve Murphy

Set in Armagh prison in I980 at the height of the notorious 'Dirty Protest' Silent Grace tells the untold story of women's involvement in the struggle by Republican prisoners for political status. A fictional story based on true events, Silent Grace is a gripping story of friendship and survival. Aine, a criminal wild child, is thrown into the same cell as the highest ranking Republican prisoner. Eileen helps save Aine's sanity and as the protest escalates to the hunger strike Aine does all she can to help save Eileen's life.

Starring Orla Brady, Cathleen Brady, Cara Seymour, Dawn Bradfield, Conor Mullen and Robert Newman.

Reviews

"What is special about this film is the overwhelming strength of the performances." Vanessa Gildea Film West "Powerfully told, well worth seeing"
- Hugh Linehan, The Ticket

"Controversial Irish backed project"
- Vanessa Thorpe, The Observer

"A real find"
- Roger Shamon, Birmingham Post

"Ken Loach meets Robert Rodriguez"
- Irish Examiner

"Powerful, moving, a totally outstanding film"
- Sunday Life

2006 cert 15, running time 90 minutes

Director: Nial Heery

Set around a small fraternity of blue collar forestry workers, Small Engine Repair is the story of a group of men going nowhere. Doug (Iain Glen) thinks he's a country singer, but he's too old and lacks any motivation or self belief. He carries around a demo he won't let anyone hear while daydreaming of being heard on the local radio station or playing his mate's bar. His best friend is a worn out mechanic (Steven Mackintosh), a hapless loser desperate to persuade his son (Laurence Kinlan) not to leave the family business, the small engine repair shop of the title. With their personal ties disintegrating all around them, Doug suddenly finds himself staring one last chance in the eye and the chance to prove local doubters he has some worth.

Starring Iain Glen, Steven Mackintosh, Stuart Graham, Kathy Keira Clarke, Laurence Kinlan and Tom Jordan Murphy

Reviews

★★★★
- Daily Record

"A gentle, multi-faceted gem set in an Irish village touches the heart of our correspondent..."
- The Times, ★★★★

★★★★
- Film Review

"As with all the best country songs, the movie offers no pat answers, but a bittersweet blend of yearning, hope and resignation. On the strength of his first feature-length offering, Heery can face the future with considerable hope... In an excellent ensemble piece, Glen offers a superb performance of subdued rebellion, his craggy, windswept features reminiscent of Kris Kristofferson in his heyday."
- Irish Sunday Times, ★★★★

★★★★
- Irish Times

"Mr Heery?s Fine film, with good performances, expert pacing and pretty lens work ensures that even the most urbane audience will not be immune to its charns."
★★★★, Hotpress

"On a roll. The Irish film revival continues unabated. First Once, then Garage, now Small Engine Repair. Go see it."
- Irish Independent

"Debut feature director Niall Heery has created an Ireland rarely seen on the big screen and has also managed to get some excellent performances from his cast......Glen is an excellent but underrated actor who demonstrates his versatility here with a powerful yet subtle performace."
- Totally Dublin

"Heery loves and respects his characters; its easy to love and respect them back"
- Evening Standard

"if your woman (or man) has just left you this week and you fancy wallowing in your misery SMALL ENGINE REPAIR is absolutely perfect"
- The Sun

"This is easily Glen's best film role in a long while and he brings a flinty, understated vulnerability to the part whilst revealing a very impressive singing talent"
- Daily Express

"A gem"
- Independent of Sunday

"A low key but very charming film"
- The Information magazine (Saturday Independent)

"poignant, thoughtful film"
- Daily Mirror

"watchable little film"
- Guardian

"A little gem of a film...I would recommend everyone to go and see it...brilliant soundtrack?"
- The View RTE TV

“Evoking pleasant shades of Wim Wenders' Paris Texas... a rare, flawless film.”
- The Examiner

Awards

Best Film - Galway Film Fleadh

Director's Choice - Boston Irish Film

Festival Breakthrough Award for Niall Heery - The Irish Film and TV Awards

Audience Award & Best Film - Nashville Film Festival Audience

Award & Best Actor for Steven Mackintosh - Cherbourg-Octeville British Irish Film Festival

1999 cert 15, running time 119 minutes

Director: Piotr Szkopiak

When desire is not enough. Michael (Alex King) has his heart set on training and racing greyhounds at his local stadium but he's under pressure from his father (Jurek Jarosz) to take charge of the family delicatessen. Chris (Jason Merrells) is an amiable wide-boy with his heart set on making money, no matter what it takes to get it. Steve (Oliver Young) is an orphan with a passion for classic cars. John (Richard Banks) is a talented musician struggling to come to terms with his depressed mother. These four friends are like brothers and as with any family, they fight, they argue, but they've always been governed by this inseparable bond that means they will stick together, no matter what happens. Up until now Michael has quietly gone with the flow. He's helped out on the odd petty burglary, out of loyalty to his friend and as a means to earn some extra cash, but Chris' increasing criminal activities are beginning to scare him. When Chris hooks up with an established underworld villain, Geordie, for another small-time job he insists on dragging along Michael and the rest of his friends. Chris' criminal ambitions are escalating and Michael and the rest are reluctant to follow him into a life of crime. His feelings are further complicated by a secret infatuation with Ali (Juliette Caton), Chris' long-standing girlfriend. When he overhears Ali telling Chris that she is pregnant and Chris denying his responsibilities, Michael reaches the point where he can take no more. Intent on saving both Ali and his friends from Chris' dangerous and threatening influence, Michael takes a stand after the job goes disastrously wrong. Not content with stopping there, he also reveals his love for Ali. Having dropped a bombshell into the heart of the group he has known all his life, he must now either stand his ground or walk away forever?

Starring Alex King, Jurek Jarosz, Oliver Young and Richard Banks.

Reviews

"One damn fine piece of celluloid art, which keeps you interested, alert and often gripped by the headstrong actions of this group of second generation Polish youths trying to make their way in the big bad city of London ... thoroughly enjoyable and engaging."
- Living Abroad Magazine

"A hit at the Cannes Film Festival, this rare insight into a significant foreign community in the capital also stands on its own as good entertainment."
- London Tonight, Carlton Television

“it’s a film with heart, and Szkopiak is a director to watch.”
- The Guardian, 7 out of 10

1989 cert 15, running time TBC minutes

Director: Mike Newell

Lily and Chen move from Hong Kong to London to make their fortune. Enterprising Lily runs her own restaurant but she fails to persuade Chen who prefers the security of a job as a waiter in London’s Chinatown. Soho which forms the backdrop of much of the action, is Britain’s nerve centre for the Chinese Mafia, the Triads. In the back streets and illicit gambling dens, the film gives a rare insight to the Machiavellian exchanges between rival Triad gangs. Trying to pay off his father’s gambling debts; the innocent Chen accepts money from a Triad member, only to find that he is expected to pay for it by doing a heroin run. Terrified, he falls in with Lily’s plan to move away and start up a business. However back in Soho a high ranking Triad member is planning to overthrow his leader, and Chen’s unpaid debt could turn him into a pawn in a horrifying violent power struggle.

Starring Sylvia Chang

Reviews

"fascinating, a touching comic success story. The acting in flawless."
- Sunday Telegraph

2007 cert 12A, running time 80 minutes

Director: Justin Edgar

Enlisted to teach a class of wheelchair-users about filmmaking, neurotic filmmaker Jasper gets a little more than he bargained for. This hilarious comedy will make you laugh, cry and cringe.

Starring Dominic Coleman, Robyn Frampton, Jason Maza and David Proud

Reviews

"This film is, as the title suggests, a little bit special" Eye for Film "A well-observed tale with a big heart"
- Screen International

“Director's anger over comedy film's 'disability' warning.”
- The Independent

"...A milestone in mainstream cinema." - The Guardian

Awards

Michael Powell Award Nominee for Best New British Film at Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Best Film Nominee at Gijon International Film Festival 2007

Best Film at Britspotting Film Festival Berlin

2001 cert 15, running time 110 minutes

Director: István Szabó

Taking Sides is a gripping political drama investigating the responsibility of the individual within a dictatorship. Directored by Academy Award winner István Szabó the film is based on a screenplay by Ronald Harwood, adapted from his theatre play of the same name.

Starring Harvey Keitel, Stellan Skarsgard, Moritz Bleibtreu and Birgit Minichmayr.

Reviews

"Taking Sides is about as far from the mindless antics of Hollywood as you can get: intelligent, literate and, finally, important. A grown-up film of great integrity. The second disc has an excellent feature on the making of the film and a lengthy portrait of designer Ken Adams."
-Classic FM, ★★★★★

1995 cert 15, running time 106 minutes

Director: Terence Ryan

The Curragh prisoner of war camp in Kildare County, Ireland provides the backdrop and inspiration for The Brylcreem Boys, a unique war-time drama, exploring love and friendship amidst the bitter conflict of World War II. Stranger than fiction, The Brylcreem Boys brings an unusual chapter in Irish history into the present with a delightful mix of romance, humour and adventure.

Starring Bill Campbell, Gabriel Byrne, John Gordon-Sinclair, Angus MacFadyen, Joe McGann, William McNamara, Oliver Tobias and Jean Butler

Reviews

Voted one of the 'UK's Greatest DVDs' (Rated between Titanic and Twelve Monkeys) Total DVD - January 2000

"Providing a heart-warming, romantic and humorous look at WWII, this is a thoroughly enjoyable treat."
- Total DVD Hot Disc - 8/10

"The Brylcreem Boys surprisingly reveals itself to be a small gem of a film, with a great cast and plenty of gentle humour."
- DVD Review (Special Edition), Chosen as one of the 'Five Best of British DVDs'.

2009 cert 15, running time 105 minutes

Director: Jan Dunn

Joanna is about to graduate from University with her whole life set up for her but she has decided to face up to a truth she has been avoiding her whole life. Since she was small, she has had the desire to become a Nun. She is set on joining a closed order of Benedictines. Her best friend cannot believe it, her boyfriend is devastated and her mother feels it’s just a phase. The only encouragement she gets is from the family’s religious housekeeper, Consuela When she finally gets to the convent, the liberalism of a politically active Novice Sister, Ignatious and a bunch of women with border-line mental illness, including a psychotic Mother Superior an alcoholic football fan in charge of the vineyard, an over-pious floor mopper, Sister Hilda to name a few at first makes her wonder if she’s following the right path after all but as she gets to know the Sisters and the enormous community bond they all share and the spiritual love that connects them she starts to see glimpses of her own spiritual fulfilment. Several weeks into her vocation she discovers something in herself which brings a whole new series of secrets out into the open until eventually the bond she has with Sister Ignatious dictates and assists in her destiny.

Starring Brenda Blethyn, Emily Beecham, Susannah York, Rita Tushingham, Pauline McLynn, Joanna Scanlan, Susannah Harker, Harriet Thorpe, Amanda Donohoe and Corin Redgrave.

Reviews

"Gypo writer/director Jan Dunn again works wonders with a limited budget in this simmering convent melodrama. Ignoring the misgivings of her mother (Amanda Donohoe) and her best friend (Chloe Sirene), Joanna (Emily Beacham) goes on retreat to St Bertha's priory to consider her possible vocation. There, she promptly falls foul of some of the more dubious nuns, but the progressive Novice Sister (Brenda Blethyn) sees potential in the new postulant, especially when Joanna is faced with some trying personal matters. The fine cast also includes Susannah York and Rita Tushingham, plus Corin Redgrave making one of his last appearances as a bishop with a guilty secret. It may occasionally veer a touch too brusquely from gentle comedy to soap operatics, but this is still an entertaining and thoughtful insight into the effect that human frailty can have on even the strongest faith."
- Radio Times

"We’re a nun-obsessed society, it seems from The Sound of Music and Sister Act on stage to Doubt infiltrating last year’s Oscar nominations, the wimples are everywhere. Now they’re adorning the heads of several Establishment actresses in Jan Dunn’s sensitive film. Newcomer Emily Beecham plays a young woman determined to take the veil and holds her own well against such stalwarts as Brenda Blethyn and Susannah York. The reservations of her friends and family are sensitively tackled without taking sides, and the nuns are a (slightly predictably) quirky bunch. Their dry humour and lack of tact help to offset the more fraught moments. It never loses the feeling of being a gentle film, despite the rate at which it racks up deaths and dilemmas. This is one to keep in mind if you?re due to spend some quality time with your mum."
- TVBomb, ★★★

"Sisters are doing it for themselves in this NUN’S STORY update from writer/ director Jan Dunn, which sees a devout lass ( Emily Beecham) enter a priory to the dismay of mummy Amanda Donohoe. There, the lass encounters a kindly Brenda Blethyn, a demented Susannah York and various roadblocks that lead her to question whether or not a life of spiritual asceticism is really for her. Overstocked with incident and trading the line between awkward comedy and melodrama, THE CALLING ultimately gets by on the quality of its cast and Dunn’s admirable ability to make a virtually non-existent budget go an impressively long way."
- Total Film

"Fabulous film, the combination of light and dark is just breathtaking."
- BBC Radio Eclectic Light Show

"Bravely blends challenging ideas with laughter"
- Radio Four

"This film isn't just for the religious"
- Church Times

"A hothouse atmosphere... Blethyn particularly stands out"
- Empire

Awards

Winner - EMILY BEECHAM - New Talent Trailblazers, Edinburgh International film Festival Opening Gala Film - London Independent Film Festival

1989 cert 15, running time TBC minutes

Director: Mike Newell

A very rare film that asks hard and fundamental questions about the role of men: such as, is it ever too late for a man to learn that he can never love himself until he first learns to love somebody else?

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Jim Broadbent, Harriet Walter, Joanne Whalley, Stephen Fry and Simon Callow.

2003 cert 15, running time 90 minutes

Director: Tony McNamara

An exuberant, sharply satirical comedy about two parentally neglected teenagers who find the courage to believe in themselves. An Australian/British production.

Starring Ben Lee, Rose Byrne, Miranda Richardson, Garry McDonald and Nicholas Hammond

Reviews

“Tony McNamara has conjured an instant cult classic, as funny as any Australian film in recent memory. McNamara arms his script with witty barbs and aided by some fine comic performances from a splendid cast. If he never acts again, Lee can be assured of his place in cinemas pantheon of great comic performances. A bookish Rose Byrne also proves her mettle far more than her recent American outings TROY and WICKER PARK. But it’s a frizzy haired Richardson who steals the film with an excruciating turn as a beatnik mother-from-hell. With its hear firmly in the right place, this is one film that’s impossible to dislike.”
- TNT Film Of The Week, 8 of 10 stars

“The script is full of Aussie humour smart, absurd, blackly hilarious and astute, a little beauty.”
- Johnny Vaughan, The Sun

“an unexpected treat”
- NOW, ★★★★

"A quirky and endearing coming-of-age tale from Australia, with charming performances and an hilariously absurd script. Ben Lee is superb as Placid Lake, desperate to rid himself of his pesky virginity. Miranda Richardson is terrific as his stoner mum."
- QX Magazine, 7 out of 10 stars

2004 cert 15, running time 90 minutes

Director: George Milton

The Truth is an outrageous murder-mystery for the 'Me Generation'. Number three in TIME OUT's critics top ten films.

Starring William Beck, Elaine Cassidy, Stephen Lord, Elizabeth McGovern, Lea Mornar, Rachael Stirling, Zoe Telford and Karl Theobald.

Reviews

“We've seen quite a few British comedies this year which confirm the dictum that you can never make a good film out of a bad script. The Truth didn't have that problem. Skilfully balancing black comedy with a murder-mystery (yes, you read right), George Milton's Highlands-set movie had some of the funniest scenes we saw all year. It also lacerated political correctness and group therapy with the precision of a surgeon. Did we mention that this film didn't get the audience it deserved either? Voted in Best 10 UK films 2006, BBC Film Network. Dark British comedy set in a rural self-help retreat. It gets strange in parts, but is almost consistently funny. A low-budget indie that deserves to be seen. London Lite '"Irony has no place in this room," advises Donna Shuck (Elizabeth McGovern), as she welcomes a new group of variously needy individuals who've signed up for her seven-step programme, 'Adventures in Truth'. No place at Serenity Lodge in the remote Highlands, perhaps, but irony is plentiful in Milton's low-budget but highly satisfying, slyly intelligent UK indie. An inevitably motley crew gathers to confront the truth about themselves (and, of course, each other): feisty wheelchair-user Candy (Elaine Cassidy), bankrupt dotcom queen Martha, sensitive Spud, predatory letch Felix, nurse-turned-dominatrix Blossom, muso Scott, and Croatian Mia, whom Donna allows into therapy sessions in return for cooking and house-cleaning. Cue, just as inevitably given the way such movie gatherings go, an accelerating spiral of spiteful lies and recriminations, as the shared oath to tell the truth and nothing but takes its toll. 'Nothing else is inevitable, however, in this engagingly fresh take on a subgenre of potentially slim pickings. With consistently interesting plot twists and shifts in power between the uncertainly allied characters, the film's a real rollercoaster, alternating deliciously deadpan humour with serious insights, deft satire with dark suspense, and even managing to succeed, here and there, in several different tonal registers at once. Though it may seem clear where Milton's sympathy lies, he keeps pulling the rug from under our feet, so we're never quite sure whether we're watching a mystery thriller, a sophisticated parody or a wry comment on our capacity to turn ethics into whatever's expedient. Only at the end are we left with any certainty: the truth is dead. Long live the truth!”
- Geoff Andrew, Time Out

“Believe me. You can't handle The Truth.”
- Daily Mail

“The "truth seekers" are hideously and hilariously self-obsessed... the young cast are excellent and the dialogue never less than sharp.”
- Hotdog

“Well-acted and handsomely shot, and at its best recalls the pagan oddness of The Wicker Man, the institutionalised sadism of Lars von Trier's The Idiots and social combat of Polanski's Cul-de-Sac.”
- Uncut

“Skewers group therapy in hilarious and deadly style... an intelligent script with top-notch performances ... smart, courageous filmmaking.”
- BBC Online

“It gets impressively depraved, even a little Lars von Trier-ish, towards the end.”
- Sunday Telegraph

“This smart, funny and ambitious British movie satirises the ‘me generation’... as the movie moves from the uneasy group comedy of The Office to Agatha Christie mystery and onto Wicker Man menace, it keeps the audience entertained.”
- The Daily Record (Scotland)

“An occasionally wry satire of the self-help-loving "Me Generation" has the feel of a good sitcom ...George Milton fills it with enough ideas to keep things interesting.”
-The Scotsman

“Makes some razor-sharp observations on human nature. gripping and hilariously unhinged.”
- Shadows On The Wall

“Brilliant. A horribly funny movie. Had me weeping with laughter.' 26 'A very eccentric and very British low budget film, which is well worth seeking out.”
- The Independent

“An occasionally wry satire of the self-help-loving "Me Generation" has the feel of a good sitcom ...George Milton fills it with enough ideas to keep things interesting.”
- The Scotsman

“The Truth eludes easy categorisation, and is all the better for it. Divided, like Donna's programme, into seven discrete sections (or 'steps'), it begins as a hilarious spoof of contemporary confessional culture, then stumbles upon the seemingly different generic territory of the murder mystery, before finally, like its characters, losing the plot altogether, or at least concealing it beneath a layer of self-deluding spiritualist bromides. Any or all of Candy's fellows could be the killer, but by the end, the truth behind Mia's death has become a casualty of their faddish relativism, and Candy must learn to go along with the group's self-serving psychosis if she is to keep her head above water. The result is a mix of black comedy, horror, mystery and suspense, where any notion of 'the truth' is rapidly replaced by the players' collective fictions and the film's overarching cynicism. 'These shifts in genre are skillfully modulated by Elaine Cassidy, as she navigates the heroine's journey from initial rebellion to Hitchcockian suspicion and terror, and finally to half-hearted surrender. Elizabeth McGovern's endless stream of psychobabble gives the film its most memorable lines, while the supporting cast, familiar for the most part from British television, all expertly manage the switch from absurd and apparently harmless narcissism to something altogether more sinister and dangerous. 'Mornar's Mia is the only teller of truths at Serenity Lodge, and as such she represents the group's troubled conscience. Bury that, this film suggests, and you can convince yourself of the truth of anything, no matter how preposterous. It is, in this age of postmodernity, a hard lesson for us all - but also, thankfully, a very funny one.' Verdict: 'Counterbalancing a small budget with big ideas, The Truth darkly satirises the moral blindness of relativism without ever forgetting to surprise or amuse.”
- Film Four

“Good and nasty British dark comedy about a group of self-absorbed idiots who go on a retreat and have an even worse time than you would imagine.”
- New

“Black humour and some witty observations of human foibles.”
- Boys Toys

“THE TRUTH is a perky British low budgeter ...Is it a parable about US cinema's dominance over British film culture. Is it an allegory about Bush's dominance over Blair? Or is it - it probably is - a shrewdly ironic tale about the need to keep other people out of our brains, unless they have been properly screened, scanned and intellectually credit-rated?”
- Nigel Andrews, Financial Times

“The ‘truth seekers’ are hideously and hilariously self-obsessed... the young cast are excellent and the dialogue never less than sharp”
- Hotdog

“Well-acted and handsomely shot, and at its best recalls the pagan oddness of The Wicker Man, the institutionalised sadism of Lars von Trier's The Idiots and social combat of Polanski's Cul-de-Sac”
- Uncut

“Astute, intelligent and very funny satire of the me generation.”
- The List (Scotland)

“While the drama?s occasionally intense, this is most enjoyable for its dark comedy, satirising the self-help world without falling back on lazy cliches (Karl Theobald draws from his Green Wing persona to particularly amusing effect). This won’t be for everyone, but if you’re willing to be drawn into its odd, dark little world, it has many pleasures.”
- Empire Magazine

“Funny dark and twisted. A great little film.”
- Dazed and Confused

2002 cert PG, running time 109 minutes

Director: John Henderson

A comedy drama based on the true story of two British Army dentists who in 1942, eager to see action, go AWOL and invade occupied France on their own.

Starring Kenneth Cranham, Leo Bill, Derek Jacobi, Phyllida Law, James Fleet, Julian Glover and Anthony Valentine.

Reviews

"A brilliant new British film ...wryly humorous, tender, odd, beautifully filmed. A real gem."
- Mail on Sunday, ★★★★★

"We are so used to British films disappointing us that our joy is even greater when we encounter such an utterly delightful film as Two Men Went to War with a comic touch that we have rarely seen since the great Ealing days, this splendid tale of British eccentricity is hilariously funny... ...a wonderful plot that continually branches off in unexpected directions... encouragingly it doesn't have that grey, washed-out look of so many British movies but is shot in deliciously vibrant colours... It reminded me of the better episodes of Dad's Army... There'll always be an England, just so long as we can still make occasional movies like this... it banishes the blues and puts you in the most splendid of moods. What more could you want from a film?"
- Simon Rose, BBC Radio, ★★★★★

"In true DAD'S ARMY style, these dentists are guaranteed to put a smile on your face."
- Sunday Telegraph

1998 cert 15, running time 97 minutes

Director: Caleb Lindsay

In desperation Elliot and Oz decide to reply to a telephone dating ad to kickstart their nonexistent love lives. Their prayers are answered when two gorgeous girls agree to meet them on a blind date.

Starring Kevin McKidd, John Simon and Amelia Curtis

Reviews

"Surprisingly sharp tongued romance."
- Uncut

1998 cert 18, running time 82 minutes

Director: Genevieve Jolliffe

URBAN GHOST STORY, a paranormal drama set against the backdrop of Glasgow. The filmmakers are the authors of THE GUERILLA FILM MAKERS HANDBOOK and are very well known in the film world. The makers of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, for example, made their film after reading the book.

Starring Jason Connery, Billy Boyd, James Cosmo, Elizabeth Berrington, Stephanie Buttle and Heather Anne Foster.

Reviews

"Ken Loach meets The Exorcist"
- Variety

"...genuinely chilling moments... Heather Ann Foster is an astounding young talent"
- Dreamwatch, ★★★★★

"A shrewdly judged chiller that boasts a brilliant, moving performance from newcomer Foster as the troubled Lizzie"
- Daily Mail

"genuinely haunting work"
- The Independent

"Packed with spine-tingling thrills, 'Urban Ghost Story' is one of the most intelligent British horror films in years... Urban Ghost Story' manages to create a truly disturbing sense of unease and anxiety ... . Don't see it alone."
- Carlton Popcorn

"Urban Ghost Story is one of the most credible studies of spectral obsession ever committed to celluloid. The film establishes a disturbing mise en scene that keeps one rooted"
- Film Review

"Trainspotting out of The Exorcist"
- Sunday Times

"...utterly electrifying... Heather Ann Foster illuminates Urban Ghost Story with compelling intensity."
- Uncut

"...impressively chilling and emotionally articulate ... Scary, subtle and smart..."
- Film Four 16:9

"...performances are uniformly outstanding and Jolliffe’s direction is low key but right on the money."
- Darkside Magazine

1988 cert 15, running time 90 minutes

Director: Colin Gregg

An aimless young man, Johnny, is sent to prison. He entrusts his beloved dog, Evie, to the care of his former lover and best friend, Frank. When he gets out of prison, he has to face difficulties at home. Added to this, is the fact that he may have to give up Evie to Frank. Based on the best-selling book by J A Ackerley.

Starring Sir Alan Bates, Gary Oldman, Frances Barber, Liz Smith and Max Wall.

Reviews

“This beautifully acted film...Mostly hits a tone that is both funny and sad.”
- Derek Malcolm, The Guardian

“A crafty comedy of manners, impeccably acted.”
- Mail on Sunday

“The film is so accomplished at every level...”
- The Tablet

“A scalding comedy of manners and a strangely compelling love story.”
- TV Guide

“The scenes between Bates and Oldman are truly magnetic.”
- City Limits

“Cruelly funny precision on class war and sexual nuances.”
- Daily Mail

“An affectionate, enjoyable adaptation.”
- Observer

“A wry, amusing comedy of frustration”
- Evening Standard

2000 cert 15, running time 86 minutes

Director: Julian Nott

An off-beat comedy British feature film.

Starring Bill Thomas, Chrissie Cotterill, Craig Fairbrass and Edna Doré.

Reviews

"Great debut British film with cool extras.....Made on a small budget and all the better for it, Weak at Denise is one of those Brit flicks that you will either love or hate....Colin played brilliantly by (Bill) Thomas......Let's hope we can look forward to more of the same...?"
- DVD Review, ★★★★

"Somehow this film exceeds all expectations. From a director who's bread and butter is writing classical music, this dark, suburban tales provides over an hour of pure enjoyment."
- Sky Box Office

"If you can endure the punning title, you'll like the film. The dialogue is eminently quotable and the characters are pleasantly skewed versions of stalwart Brit-flick cliches; Nott's humour is wicked, off-beat and downright vile."
-FilmFour.Com

1993 cert 18, running time 96 minutes

Director: Chris Jones

WHITE ANGEL, serial killer thriller starring classic British actor Peter Firth as the terrifyingly mild mannered murderer of the title. The filmmakers are the authors of THE GUERILLA FILM MAKERS HANDBOOK and are very well known in the film world. The makers of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, for example, made their film after reading the book.

Starring Peter Firth.

Reviews

“The most convincing portrayal of a serial killer ever put on film...? Brian Masters (author of Dennis Nilsen?s and Jeffrey Dahmner?s biographies) ?Mesmerisingly good and a triumph of British independent production? LFF ?Extraordinarily well made...White Angel has an indefinable haunting quality...grotesquely compelling? Starburst ?Unpretentiously gripping and solidly commercial? Film Review ?Terrifying? Mariella Frostrup ?Chillingly impressive...so scarily sinister it makes psycho look like an old Ealing comedy? NME ?Stylish, slick and very, very frightening? Select ?Unashamedly entertaining? VOX

2006 cert 15, running time 73 minutes

Director: Craig Strachan

On an overnight hike, a church youth group find a baby abandonned on the moors, and on their hike back to safety are chased by a wild beast intent on protecting its brood, which relentlessly pursues them one by one...

Starring Samantha Shields, Martin Compston, Peter Capaldi, Kevin Quinn, Nicola Muldoon, and Jamie Quinn

Reviews

4 starsAlan Jones - Starburst "The pace never flags" BBC Movies

2006 cert 18, running time 82 minutes

Director: Emilis Velyvis

Who is going to die on such a beautiful day? ZERO is an 0 sucking in a young deserter, a casino victim and three heroin brothers. That is a destiny, a mixture of objectives and desires of heroes. That is a lifestyle balancing on the edge - bullets, numbers and needles. A Lithuanian/ British co-production

Starring Donatas Ivanauskas, Mindaugas Papinigis and Andrius Paulavicius

Reviews

"Slick, violent and funny." Lee Griffiths - DVD Monthly