Author: Alton Williams

The Uncertain Kingdom, the ground-breaking anthology of twenty short films from twenty directors will be released in the UK & Ireland on demand on 1st June. The Uncertain Kingdom will be available on BFI Player programmed in two feature-length volumes, which will also be available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Amazon & Curzon Home Cinema. In addition, The British Council will release the films internationally allowing their partners to view the films simultaneous to the UK release.

Dogwoof are pleased to announce THE AUSTRALIAN DREAM, a film from BAFTA Award winning director Daniel Gordon (Hillsborough, George Best: All By Himself) and Walkley Award winning journalist Stan Grant, will be releasing in the UK Digitally on Demand from Friday 12^th June. The film will be available through various digital platforms such as iTunes, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Sky Store, Google Play, Virgin Media Store, Rakuten TV and Microsoft Store, amongst others.

The global curated streaming service MUBI has announced it will host a free exclusive premiere of EMA on May 1 in the UK and Ireland, featuring an appearance from the film’s leading talent Mariana Di Girolamo. The special preview will be hosted on MUBI and will be available to stream for free for 24-hours in over 50 countries including the UK and Ireland. Mariana Di Girolamo will introduce the virtual premiere and conclude with an exclusive pre-recorded Q&A, which will be available to watch on May 1 only.

In light of widespread cinema closures Shudder has rerouted from their planned Spring release for BLOOD QUANTUM and is excited to spontaneously launch it at a moment in history where it could not be more significant. “We knew the film was important and timely when we acquired it last year, but given recent events, Blood Quantum’s themes of isolation, fear of contagion, and humanity struggling with the ramifications of a global virus have only grown more relevant,” said Shudder General Manager Craig Engler. “When a theatrical release became untenable due to the real-world pandemic, we decided to accelerate the launch of Barnaby’s film so it would reach the biggest audience possible.”

College film student Benjamin Glass (played by writer-director Aaron Fisher) has it all: ADHD, OCD, borderline personality. And he’s also bipolar. But Glass is more than his diagnoses – he prefers the term “recklessly extravagant” – and he’s determined to prove his genius. When a misunderstanding threatens to expel him from college, Glass pushes back; he plans on recreating the incident on video with the help of a moonlighting sex worker (Ellen Toland), to clear his name. But how will he raise the money for the film, when his parents dismiss the scheme as another manic episode? 

Lock & Key Films and Spillane Brain Music announce the release of MURDER MADE EASY (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by renowned indie horror film composer Sean Spillane (The Woman, Tales of Halloween, Jug Face). Available on digital music sites April 28, the soundtrack features music from the Dave Palamaro directed murder mystery, released by Scream Team Releasing and Terror Films respectively. Murder Made Easy is currently available on Blu-ray and digital VOD.

Renowned surgeon and culinary enthusiast, Carmine Braun, invites playwright, Jeffrey Duncan, and his wife to join his eccentric friends at their semi-annual dinner party, having promised to fund Duncan’s new play to Broadway. As the evening descends into madness, the group’s true intentions are revealed, along with an ancient secret that will change the Duncans’ lives and fortunes forever.

Directed and produced by the brother and sister team of Anthony and Claire Bueno, CLEANIN’ UP THE TOWN: Remembering Ghostbusters is the definitive retrospective documentary that charts the making of the original 1984 Ghostbusters and pays a fitting tribute to the whole creative team behind today’s global phenomenon.

London based production company Snap Dance Films have announced the release of their debut feature; “The Easy Bit”.  The documentary, which will be self-distributed with support from Fertility Road, The Fertility Foundation and Life Whisperer on April 29^th, seeks to highlight the lack of mental health support for men going through IVF and the trauma of being unable to conceive.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker keeps its place at Number 1 on the Official Film Chart with the biggest physical debut of 2020 so far.

With 235,500 sales on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD this week the final episode of the saga surpasses the previous 2020 record – set by Downton Abbey in February – by 5,000 physical copies.

Jumanji: The Next Level (2) holds on to last week’s position, as Frozen 2 (5), Sonic The Hedgehog (6), Blue Story (8), Knives Out (9) and Trolls (10) slip from their previous places.Three brand new entries on this week’s Top 10, with the honour of highest new entry going to Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn at Number 3.

Birds of Prey chronicles Harley Quinn’s (Margot Robbie) adventures after splitting up with the Joker. Harley teams up with superheroes Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to save a young girl being targeted by nefarious crime lord Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor).

The next new entry is Spies in Disguise (4), when the world’s best spy Lance Sterling (Will Smith) is accidentally turned into a pigeon by his genius – though socially awkward – tech officer, they must work to change Sterling back and save the world.

The third new entry on this week’s Top 10 is the epic boxset, Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (7). It features all nine of the films in the ‘Skywalker Saga’ plus 26 hours of bonus features. Hopefully enough Star Wars content for you to watch ahead of the Official Star Wars Day on May 4^th.

This week we feature a behind the scenes look at the award winning World War One drama 1917, available to Download & Keep from May 4.

If you’re planning a home movie night this week, make sure to check out FindAnyFilm.com for a comprehensive choice of classics, family-friendly watches and brand new favourites.

The Official Film Chart Top 10 – 29^th April 2020

LW	Pos	Title	Label
1	1	STAR WARS IX – THE RISE OF SKYWALKER	WALT DISNEY
2	2	JUMANJI – THE NEXT LEVEL	SONY PICTURES HE
NEW	3	BIRDS OF PREY	WARNER HOME VIDEO
NEW	4	SPIES IN DISGUISE	20TH CENTURY FOX HE
4	5	FROZEN 2	WALT DISNEY
3	6	SONIC THE HEDGEHOG	PARAMOUNT
NEW	7	STAR WARS – THE SKYWALKER SAGA	WALT DISNEY
5	8	BLUE STORY	PARAMOUNT
7	9	KNIVES OUT	LIONSGATE
6	10	TROLLS	DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

© Official Charts Company 2020

VIEW THE FULL TOP 40 – https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/film-chart/

Lionsgate UK announced today that they will be celebrating the communal experience of going to the cinema, while supporting the NHS Charities Together COVID-19 Urgent Appeal and The Film and TV Charity COVID-19 Emergency Response, by presenting Lionsgate Live! A Night at the Movies– a programme of four Saturdays of free films streaming live on YouTube. 

Beginning on Saturday 2^nd May and continuing every Saturday for four consecutive weeks, Lionsgate UK will livestream four of its most popular theatrical releases – the multiple Academy Award^® and BAFTA-winning La La Land, the uplifting biopic Eddie The Eagle, the British classic Bend It Like Beckham, and the smash-hit blockbuster The Hunger Games – exclusively on the Lionsgate UK YouTube channel.

Each film shown as part of Lionsgate Live! A Night at the Movies will be presented by a unique celebrity host, including Edith Bowman, Keith Lemon, Jack Whitehall and Jonathan Ross. Every Saturday the event will feature special programming and interactive opportunities for fans, such as surprise guest appearances, real-time fan chats via YouTube Live, live tweeting @LionsgateUK and partners, costume contests, giveaways, and more. 

Most importantly, audiences will have the chance to join Lionsgate UK in helping the NHS Charities Together COVID-19 Urgent Appeal, who are currently supporting NHS staff and volunteers caring for COVID-19 patients, and The Film and TV Charity COVID-19 Emergency Response, supporting the people behind the scenes who bring these stories to our screens.

The free movies that will livestream on Saturdays at 6.00pm BST are:

May 2 – “La La Land”

May 9 – “Eddie The Eagle”

May 16 – “Bend It Like Beckham”

May 23 – “The Hunger Games”

To present the live movie event, Lionsgate UK is joining with some of its most important exhibition partners, including Cineworld, Odeon, Showcase, Empire, The Light, Picturehouse, Everyman, Curzon, The Industry Trust and many other Independent Cinemas across the country. And what’s a movie night without popcorn? Joe & Seph’s, the award-winning family business with over 50 gourmet popcorn flavours, is celebrating Lionsgate UK’s new initiative by creating three exclusive Gourmet Popcorn Bundles, which movie fans can have delivered to their door ready for each Saturday nightstreaming session, and enjoy 10% off.

“Although there is nothing quite like watching a film on the big screen, Lionsgate Live! is a great chance for the UK to come together and celebrate the cinematic experience from home,” said Zygi Kamasa, CEO Lionsgate UK. “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to show our support and raise money for the NHS Charities Together COVID-19 Urgent Appeal and The Film and TV Charity COVID-19 Emergency Response, who are both doing incredible work during this time. Join us as we celebrate a night out at the cinema, and bring it on home!” 

Animation fans will be able watch some of the world’s most creative animated short films on paus, thanks to a new partnership with the London International Animation Festival (LIAF) – the UK’s largest and longest-running stand-alone animation festival.

paus is the new streaming app that will launch with over 100 shorts from the best independent filmmakers. Animation highlights, curated by the LIAF on paus, will include:

●      The Brave Heart – a film from director duo Luca Schenato and Sinem Vardarli, about a heart who takes a wild journey inside the body, an official selection from LIAF in 2018

●      Nigel – by Natasza Cetner based on a true story of Nigel, a lonely gannet of Mana Island who hopelessly fell in love with a concrete statue

●      Herman Brown is Feeling Down – Royal College of Art graduate Dan Castro channels his personal experiences with anxiety and stress into a beguiling animated short film using a combination of digital and traditional ink-on-film techniques

●      Take Rabbit – fifteen-minute animated film by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Peter Peake. Take Rabbit is a humorous take on an age-old conundrum – a man attempts to transport some unlikely passengers across a river in his tiny boat but soon realises he’s taken on more than he bargained for. The film features the vocal talents of top British actors Stephen Graham, Amelia Bullmore, Steve Pemberton and Matt Berry.

The next paus live stream and tipping event on Tuesday, 28th April at 7pm (BST) will be an animation-special, featuring Take Rabbit and The Brave Heart, followed by a Q&A with their writer/directors, as well as the LIAF.  The live stream will be online at www.paus.tv/livestream. 

“As we get closer to bringing the paus iOS app to the UK App Store, it’s exciting to be able to announce further support from the independent film festival community,” said Rishi Kapoor, Founder and CEO of paus. “Animation is one film genre that has the potential to ride out the current pandemic-induced lockdown due to the nature of production, and we look forward to welcoming more animation filmmakers to the paus community through our collaboration with LIAF.”

Nag Vladermersky, director, The London International Animation Festival added:  “There’s a popular misconception that animation is just cartoon for kids, but at LIAF we have been screening the broadest range of intelligent, entertaining and provocative short animated films from every corner of the planet to audiences up and down the UK for 17 years. We’re really excited to be partnering with paus to increase our reach and bring the world of creative independent animation to an even bigger new global audience.”

Unlike other subscription or ad-funded video platforms, paus will use a unique digital tipping feature allowing audiences to tip any film or filmmaker they want to support – any amount from 30p to £1000+, at any time. paus is integrated with digital payment methods, such as Apple Pay®, so it’s quick and easy to tip the creators who entertain and inspire. With paus we weigh the scales in the filmmaker’s favour – they keep 80% of every single tip.

From director Jose Altonaga, and starring Steffani Brass (Six Feet Under), Brooke Mackenzie (Everybody Hates Chris) and Tina Cole (The 6th Friend), discover the witch inside this April! Michele is the sole survivor of a vacation gone horribly wrong, in which several of her friends were murdered. She discovers that she is harboring the spirit of a centuries-old witch inside her, and it’s up to her best friend to find a way to save her soul from eternal damnation.

This month, the Reel Women’s Network presents the confronting documentary ROCKING THE COUCH. The online streaming service showcases films, shows, web series, documentaries and digital content created by women and Women-Identified filmmakers and content creators.

Tarantino meets Bad Times at the El Royale in writer-director Kevin James Barry’s Among Them, now available on Amazon Prime and Tubi TV from Cinema Epoch.

From the teams that brought you La Casa de Papel (writer) and The Crown (production company) comes WHITE LINES. The body of a legendary Manchester DJ is discovered twenty years after his mysterious disappearance from Ibiza. When his sister returns to the beautiful Spanish island to find out what happened, her investigation leads her through a thrilling world of dance clubs, lies and cover-ups, forcing her to confront the darker sides of her own character in a place where people live life on the edge.

When you’re the outcast, the underdog; they all think they can mess with you. But what happens when you have a vampire in your shed? The game changes and everyone becomes a target. Make a choice, who lives, who dies? Who enters The Shed?

From director Corneliu Porumboiu – a hilarious and poignant documentary feature about one man’s search to redefine the beautiful game and his own philosophy of life – funny and profound.  What happens when we try to alter the rules of the game of life? Infinite Football Trailer

Venice Film Festival world premiere, Dalai Lama – Scientist, is the first film to look at how the Dalai Lama’s keen interest in modern scientific theory has influenced his Buddhist philosophy over the years. The film examines how scientists like David Bohm, Carl von Weizsacker, and others affected the Dalai Lama’s thinking and vice versa.  It has won 40 Best Documentary Awards all over the world. 

Alexander Black’s Lycanthropy touches on child abuse, a subject that is sadly more prevalent during the Coronavirus lockdown. This British crime drama has already won multiple awards and has been selected for over thirty high profile international film festivals. 

Final Destination meets Wishmaster. Following the death of his father, Aaron (Michael Welch) returns home to help his devastated mother (Lin Shaye) pack up his father’s belongings. Discovering one item of unknown origin, Aaron soon comes to believe his wishes are coming true, but the more wishes he makes the more danger he puts those closest to him in. Be careful what you wish for. Experience true horror featuring genre icons TONY TODD and LIN SHAYE.