2011 was such a good year for film, and the British Film Institute have released the year’s final tally at the box office that reflect just how good a year it was. The figures show an increase of 5% from 2010, taking a total of £1.04bn., marking the first time the UK box office has surpassed the £1bn.-mark.

The year saw a release of so many great films, judging from both critical and commercial measures, including the likes of The King’s Speech, Fast Five, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Inbetweeners, and of course, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which was the year’s most successful film across the world, taking £73m. at our box office, and a total of $1.3bn. from cinemas around the globe.

The total number of tickets sold was also up 1.4% from 2010 to 171.6 million, and the independent British film industry also had its best year to date in terms of market share, recording a figure of 13.5%.

The BFI note that the strong performance last year was fuelled both by independent British films like The Inbetweeners as well as blockbusters made in the UK with British talent, crew, and services, like the Harry Potter finale and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (though Robert Downey, Jr. is of course an American in the lead, but that’s neither here nor there, because he’s so damn cool).

The report notes that the year also saw a drop in the number of films made, however, reduced from 262 in 2010 to 169 last year, a drop of roughly 35.5%.

“It’s still a challenging time for filmmakers trying to raise finance to make independent British films in this tough economic climate,” said the BFI’s Amanda Nevill.

“As we enter 2012, many challenges remain but today’s figures clearly show that keeping audiences at the heart of everything we do will help the British film industry to enjoy even greater success in the future and continue to be an important contributor to the UK economy.”

The BFI’s director general, Liz Bales, added further,

“It’s great to see film fans’ enthusiasm for the fantastic creative output of the British film industry… The BFI figures provide further evidence that the overwhelming majority of people are willing to pay for film, TV and video content.”

Though there has been talk of the Olympics this year providing competition for the box office this summer, I’m remaining hopeful and optimistic that it won’t have a significant negative impact. The Olympics will be running from 27^th July to 12^th August, during which time the main films currently scheduled for release include Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, which should be able to draw a strong young audience along with their parents; Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which should pull the teen and young-adult audience; Seth MacFarlane’s feature debut, Ted, which is going to be awesome; and Step Up 4 at the tail-end of the Olympics, which will no doubt draw teens and fans of the earlier franchise.

Provided it does well (which everyone’s expecting it to), The Amazing Spider-Man will probably also be in cinemas at the start of the games, with its release on 4^th July. And of course The Dark Knight Rises will be hitting cinemas a week before the Games kick-off on 20^th July, and I’ll take the Nolan brothers’ conclusion to their Batman trilogy over the Olympics any day of the week, and I’m sure there’ll be plenty of others who’d do the same.

So here’s to hoping that this time next year, we’ll be bringing you a similar report saying that 2012 has been even better than 2011 was, getting even further past the £1bn.-mark, which will hopefully become a benchmark in the years to come.

Source: BBC, who note that the figures account for UK cinemas, not including the Republic of Ireland.

Those who follow me on Twitter will know I have no love for the current UK government. In fact, I can’t stand almost everyone involved with it, so bare with me while I spit the following sentence through gritted teeth: The new policy announced by David Cameron on Wednesday – to invest Lottery money in ‘commercial’ projects – is a positive step. It’s not the way I would have gone, but it is a definite improvement upon what went before.

I feel dirty.

Even as I write this, I can hear an angry mob forming, and calling me a philistine, so I’d probably best clarify my position, and my reasons for holding it.

For at least the last decade, if not considerably longer, the people charged with investing state funds in film have had two conflicting goals: to invest in a sustainable film industry and to support projects that otherwise would not have been made. And while this diktat from on high seemed reasonable to someone, somewhere, it doesn’t take a great deal of knowledge about economics, or about the film industry to realise that these two goals are mutually exclusive.

The result of this has been an investment policy that could charitably be described as ‘a mess’. It’s been confused, opaque and it consistently fails to achieve either of the goals outlined above. In the 11 years since the foundation of the UK Film Council, only a handful of the films it funded returned an investment. I don’t have access to figures for its predecessor bodies, but I suspect they would have fared equally as badly, if not worse.

It’s a little harder to gauge how successful the organisation was when it came to fulfilling the other part of its remit, but a quick glance over the list of films produced by the UKFC shows money often going to the same, small pool of production companies, directors and writers. In and of itself, there is nothing untoward about this – some film makers, as we have touched upon, rely on non-commercial support to make their movies. Even still, it seems odd to support so few people so ardently, when there are so many unheard voices, trying to break in to the industry.

Over the last few years, I’ve spoken to many people who applied for Lottery funding in the past, some successfully, others not. The overall impression I was given was that it’s a long, disheartening and all too frequently fruitless experience, where successful applicants often had an established relationship with the body, and successful projects often shared similar themes and ideas.

Let me be clear, if only for the sake of avoiding a libel action and/or sounding like some sort of crazy: I do not believe there was any corruption or conspiracy at the old UK Film Council, nor any funding body. I do believe however, that subjective decisions, made by a relatively small group of people are going to reflect their tastes and beliefs, and be biased in favour of people they are already familiar with.

The new proposals are far from perfect, and they still leave many people out in the cold – including just about everybody refused Lottery funding previously, but they should be much more objective. The basis of the policy is that funding will go to filmmakers with a proven track record. As long as there is a clear definition of what ‘proven track record’ actually means, the new system will be much more open, transparent and accountable.

There is also some logic in giving money to people who have had success previously. It may not be possible to predict with certainty how much money a given film will make, but as a general rule writers, directors and particularly producers who have made profitable films before tend to do so again. For the most part, these are the guys who tell stories well (even if they are stories about giant robots or ghostly pirates), keep costs low and extract every bit of production value from the pennies pumped into their films.

There are of course, flaws. The foremost raised by critics of the new proposals is that films that have either no commercial value, or are high risk will stand no chance of being made. Sadly this is true, at least in the immediate term, but that may not be the case over a longer duration. If these plans are successful, production companies will have more money to spend. Historically, when this has been the case, they tend to take more risks (for lots more information on that sort of thing, check out the excellent ‘Blockbuster’ by Tom Shone). That will probably be cold comfort to Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, but it should reassure, and indeed encourage most up and comers in the industry.

What is much more troubling is that production companies will no longer be expected to return the money to the investment pool when they begin to turn a profit. In the most simple terms, this means that the state is giving these companies money, rather than lending it to them. This will cause numerous issues, both economic and ethical.

This will, without question, turn the Lottery fund into the lender of first resort for those who ‘have a proven track record’. Why on earth would anyone apply for a loan on commercial terms when they can have a freebie? Consequently, it’s rather likely that the chaps administering this are going to be swamped. What makes this even more troubling, is that many of those who will be benefitting from this free money are personally very wealthy.

The argument in favour of this is that companies will reinvest that money, but unless clear conditions are laid down and adhered to, with a legal framework in place to regulate it, this will be abused. Personally, I would propose that the fund is treated as any other investor would be – the loan is paid back, in addition to a return on the investment. By doing this over a period of time, the pool of investment funding would (hopefully) increase beyond the £50 million currently available.

Which brings me neatly to the other major flaw – £50 million isn’t a lot of money. Admittedly, I’d be quite happy with it, but in production terms its peanuts. The entire pot would barely buy you an Iron Man or a Captain America. You’d need somewhere in the region of three times that for a Harry Potter, and that’s before marketing. Even a lowly, direct-to-DVD flick is likely to cost somewhere in the region of £500,000 to £1 million. In short, the fund isn’t going to generate the British version of Avatar any time soon. What it likely will do is allow companies like DNA, MARV and Matador to avoid seeking foreign investment partners, keeping their profits in the UK and allowing them to grow.

As I mentioned at the top of the article, the Tory plan isn’t the direction I would go in, and from the collective shock and hand wringing, it would seem it’s also not the direction most people in the industry would pick, but it is – finally – a direction. After years upon years of the state pottering about in the industry, being neither one thing, nor another, we now know that it’s going to support the big boys and help them get bigger.

If this new plan succeeds, we will all benefit with a film industry in sustainable growth. If it doesn’t – something that will become clear in about three to four years time as films funded by this initiative are released – then we know this wasn’t the way. We can abandon the idea of state support for large production companies, and come up with a new strategy. Either way, the industry wins.

Ahead of next week’s publication of Lord Smith’s review on the state and future of the British film industry David Cameron visited Pinewood Studios today to deliver a speech setting out his thoughts on the aims of the industry.

The choice of Pinewood was well made. The studio, which is already two projects into its new initiative of film production as well as being an icon of British film, is at the heart of the industry in this country and much of what Mr. Cameron said will impact those working in this, and other, British studios.

Lord Smith’s report is expected to focus lottery funding to encourage more commercially successful, the word ‘mainstream’ rears its head here, as well as culturally rewarding films and the Prime Minister talked about the £4bn contribution to the economy as well as the ‘incalculable contribution to our culture’ of British film in his speech. His encouragement of the talent in the industry here is commendable, and he is right to promote this sector in the glowing terms he does.

However, unless you’re Martin Sheen, politics and filmmaking are rarely tender bedfellows, with the clamour for immense financial returns often running up against the artistic vision of the filmmakers. Though this is clearly not always the case it is at the heart of the statement from the Prime Minister.  A key misunderstanding comes here, the devil revealed in this particular detail,

Our role, and that of the BFI, should be to support the sector in becoming even more dynamic and entrepreneurial, helping UK producers to make commercially successful pictures that rival the quality and impact of the best international productions.

Equating quality and the nebulous notion of impact with commercial success gives us a few scenarios. The first is that we pump out films like Disney’s recent Alice in Wonderland which, through star power and audience familiarity with the characters, made a mint despite disappointing many. A second, and more troubling, option is that projects are only put into production once their original vision is adapted for maximum financial potential.

Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire surprised many people with its success, not least at the 2009 Oscars; it became a defining film of that year, and many in the UK will remember the marketing campaign coating the image of a hugging Frieda Pinto and Dev Patel with the graceless misnomer ‘The Feel-Good movie of the Decade’. That this was not expected to make any money, and was considered for a straight-to-DVD release, is important.

Number 10 are naturally keen to pull out The King’s Speech as an example of how successful a British Independent film can be. Likewise Harry Potter is rolled out as the other end of the production spectrum, focusing on the British talent involved in front of, and behind, the camera. When I spoke to Tom Hooper last year, prior to his Oscar win, he talked of the process of getting the film out there, and how he found the commercially focused studio system,

[The King's Speech] has taken on this momentum, so people might not acknowledge it as a British, small budget, independent film. But that’s what it is. Without the Film Council it would not have got made, without Momentum, the distributors, it wouldn’t have got made. And the studios all had it, but they were never going to make it in today’s climate.

It may change, and these things are cyclical, but at the moment the studios are focused on films that make £400 million or so, or franchises that can make over a billion and they’re not so interested in this kind of filmmaking. I think it might change but certainly when I was setting The King’s Speech up that was the world we were in.

So what do we do? Have Noel Clarke complete the Kidulthood trilogy with Knighthood? Should Joe Cornish have made Decorate the Block (with Carol Smillie and Alesha Dixon), maybe Ben Wheatley have made a film about two men organising a dinner party,

Shopping List?

Should Andrew Haigh have been encouraged to throw in a mainstream actor to bump up the audience appeal for Weekend?

Where will it all end?

Not here. But you get my point?

The recent BAFTA awards longlist failed to include Kill List or Weekend, despite both films having a very strong showing critically and commercially. Whether it is the pre-Oscar placing or a desire to be seen as mainstream and populist those omissions are stark indicators of where we find ourselves. Richard Ayoade’s Submarine was a shining example of a new voice emerging, as was Chris Morris’s Four Lions the year before. Both had the quality Cameron appears to be talking about, but not the impact, assuming soaring box office hauls and success abroad (i.e. America) is what is suggested here. The question therefore is, if the UK Producers are being supported to focus on making commercially successful films as a guiding principle, would these films have been made?

We need a British Film industry that encourages, develops, supports and celebrates the variety of talent it has, commercial success is necessary and a very high priority for everyone involved in each film that is produced. Understanding that the nuturing of homegrown talent enables the individual rivulets to find their way to making up the mainstream rather than simply being thrown in and becoming obscured by it is crucial.  If the report by Lord Smith has these ambitions then we should see a continuation of the emergence of a strong identity through filmmaking. Focusing on the box office take is not the way to do this.

David Cameron’s full speech is printed below and further information is available on the Number 10 website,

The UK film industry, the skills and crafts that support it, and our creative industries more widely, make a £4bn contribution to our economy and an incalculable contribution to our culture.

“But in this year when we set out bold ambitions for the future, when the eyes of the world will be on us, I think we should aim even higher, building on the incredible success of recent years.

“Our role, and that of the BFI, should be to support the sector in becoming even more dynamic and entrepreneurial, helping UK producers to make commercially successful pictures that rival the quality and impact of the best international productions. Just as the British Film Commission has played a crucial role in attracting the biggest and best international studios to produce their films here, so we must incentivise UK producers to chase new markets both here and overseas.

“I am confident that Lord Smith’s Review will form an ambitious blueprint, and look forward to his recommendations next week.

As do we all.

The 55th BFI London Film Festival opens tonight with 360,  Fernando Meirelles’ latest film and it is a suitably globe-trotting film for a festival whose programme is similarly drawn from all around the world.

Our review of the film will be up on the site later tonight, but if you want to hear what Meirelles, writer Peter Morgan and some of the cast had to say about the film at the press conference earlier today then look no further, we’ve got the highlights embedded below.

It’s a divisive film to be sure, and a very low-key opener for the festival however Meirelles and Morgan make a good case for the film and you’ll be able to find out how we found 360 shortly.

Here’s the video, check out the rest of the LFF programme and book your tickets right here – there are some stunning films this year so get stuck in.

There are many good reasons to venture into the capital during the month of October and from 12th to the 27th the BFI’s 55th London Film Festival is in full cinematic swing and we’ve got an exciting announcement for a very special evening we are hosting along with Jameson and our very good friends at Who’s Jack.

On Monday the 17th of October HeyUGuys will be taking over the Jameson Apartment on Greek Street for an evening of drinks and demons with a Q&A for the film Demons Never Die with confirmed guests writer/director Arjun Rose, producer Jo Podmore and star Jason Maza with more guests waiting to confirm. It’ll be an excellent chance to put your questions to the creative team behind the film and mingle with the cast and crew in the bar afterwards.

It should be a fun celebration of British film in the middle of the festival and we hope to see you there on the night. You can find out more about the night on the Jameson Cult Film Club website and we’ll have more details about how you can join us on the 17th shortly.

The BFI London Film Festival is the biggest film festival the UK has to offer, and one of the most prestigious and well-recognised festivals across the globe. This year, the festival is celebrating its 55^th run, and it has an absolutely fantastic line-up of films scheduled to play through the festival, from 12^th – 27^th October.

We’re now able to share with you the shortlists for the festival’s various awards, along with the juries for each of those awards. More excellent news also comes with the announcement that the BFI will be honouring both writer-director David Cronenberg, who is bringing his film A Dangerous Method to the festival this year, and actor-director Ralph Fiennes, who will be bringing his directorial debut Coriolanus to the festival, with its highest honour, in the form of the BFI Fellowship.

On receiving the award, Cronenberg has said,

“This is a monumental, in fact overwhelming, honour, and my being the first Canadian to receive it makes it all the sweeter. British cinema has been a potent inspiration for me, and to be associated with this particular group of filmmakers is tremendously exhilarating.”

And Fiennes, too, is just as humbled by the announcement,

“I’m extremely honoured and delighted to be given this fellowship by the BFI”

The festival’s awards are divided into four categories: the Best Film Award, the Best British Newcomer Award, the Sutherland Award (for most original directorial debut), and the Grierson Award for Best Documentary.

You can catch up on our coverage of the festival here, which we’ll be updating throughout the course of the two weeks this month as we go to the festival ourselves, something I’m really looking forward to.

The 55^th BFI London Film Festival (in partnership with American Express) will be running from 12^th – 27^th October, and you can find details about screenings and getting tickets right here. It’s going to be great. If you’re planning on coming to any of the films running at the festival too, do let us know in the comments below.

Without further ado, here are the four shortlists for the awards, each followed by the jury that will be judging them. The awards will be taking place on the penultimate day of the festival, 26^th October, and we’ll be sure to bring you the results as soon as we get them.

Best Film Award

• 360, Fernando Meirelles, UK/Austria/France/Brazil
• THE ARTIST, Michel Hazanavicius, France
• THE DEEP BLUE SEA, Terence Davies, UK
• THE DESCENDANTS, Alexander Payne, USA
• FAUST, Aleksandr Sukurov, Russia
• THE KID WITH A BIKE, Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Belgium/France/Italy
• SHAME, Steve McQueen, UK
• TRISHNA, Michael Winterbottom, UK
• WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN, Lynne Ramsay, UK/USA

The jury for this award will include the brilliant director John Madden (Shakespeare In Love), Gillian Anderson (The X-Files), writer-director Asif Kapadia (Senna), producer Tracey Seaward (The Constant Gardener), novelist Andrew O’Hagan, and director Sam Taylor-Wood, OBE (Nowhere Boy).

Best British Newcomer Award

• Nick Murphy, Director, THE AWAKENING
• Tinge Krishnan, Director, JUNKHEARTS
• Candese Reid, Actress, JUNKHEARTS
• Nirpal Bgohal, Writer/Director, SKET
• Aimee Kelly, Actress, SKET
• Tom Cullen, Actor, WEEKEND
• Chris New, Actor, WEEKEND
• D.R. Hood, Writer/Director, WRECKERS

The jury for this award will include actress Anne-Marie Duff (Nowhere Boy), actor Tom Hollander (Hanna), director of the National Film and Television School Nik Powell, producer Andy Harries (the upcoming The Lady), Radio 1 presenter Edith Bowman, and producer Stephen Woolley (Interview with the Vampire).

Sutherland Award

• CORPO CELESTE, Alice Rohrwacher, Italy/Switzerland/France
• ETERNITY, Sivaroj Kongsakul, Thailand
• HERE, Braden King, USA
• THE HOUSE, Zuzana Liová, Czech Republic
• LAS ACACIAS, Pablo Giorgelli, Argentina/Spain
• LAST WINTER, John Shank, Belgium/France
• MICHAEL, Markus Schleinzer, Austria
• MOURNING, Morteza Farshbaf, Iran
• SHE MONKEYS, Lisa Aschan, Sweden
• SNOWTOWN, Justin Kurzel, Australia
• THE SUN-BEATEN PATH, Sonthar Gyal, China
• WITHOUT, Mark Jackson, USA

The jury for this award will include Phil Collins, producer Andrew Eaton (The Killer Inside Me), director Joanna Hogg (Archipelago), director Peter Kosminsky (White Oleander), actress Saskia Reeves (Page Eight), managing director of Icon UK Group Hugo Grumbar, and film journalist Tom Robey.

Grierson Award for Best Documentary

• BERNADETTE: NOTES ON A POLITICAL JOURNEY, Lelia Doolan, Ireland
• BETTER THIS WORLD, Katie Galloway, Kelly Duane de la Vega, USA
• THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE 1967-1975, Goran Hugo Olsson, Sweden/USA
• DRAGONSLAYER, Tristan Patterson
• DREAMS OF A LIFE, Carol Moley, UK/Ireland
• INTO THE ABYSS: A TALE OF DEATH, A TALE OF LIFE, Werner Herzog
• LAST DAYS HERE, Don Argott & Demian Fenton, USA
• WHORE’S GLORY, Michael Glawogger, Austria/Germany

The jury for this award will include documentarian Adam Curtis (All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace), documentarian Kim Longinotto (Rough Aunties), the Grierson Trust’s Mandy Chong, and the BBC’s Head of Documentary Commissioning Charlotte Moore.

If you’ve missed our coverage of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen’s new movie, 50/50, I highly recommend that you spend a quick minute or two playing catch-up (which you can do here), because this is a movie to get excited about.

The film is written by Will Reiser, a long-time friend of Rogen’s, based upon events of his own life, making his writing feature film debut, and is directed by Jonathan Levine, the very talented director of The Wackness and All the Boys Love Mandy Lane.

“Inspired by a true story: Adam Lerner has a pretty great life — with a talented, sexy artist girlfriend and a cool job with NPR, the 27-year old seems to have it all. But when Adam discovers he has a rare and possibly fatal form of cancer, his entire life turns to chaos.

As his world starts to unravel in every way, Adam finds himself dealing with the wellmeaning but totally outrageous attempts by his friends and family to make it all better. His best friend, Kyle, uses Adam’s condition to lure girls into sympathy sex, his overbearing mother loses sight of him in her own fears, his otherwise-occupied girlfriend, Rachael tries to distract herself an increasingly frantic social life, and Katherine, the inexperienced therapist assigned to his case, struggles to keep up with the needs of her third client ever.”

Yahoo Movies have now got a terrific video of a short roundtable with the main cast, featuring Gordon-Levitt, Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Reiser in the middle. It’s only a few minutes long, but they all get to speak a little about the film and their characters, and Gordon-Levitt talks about his time-sensitive decision about whether or not to board the project. It’s short but sweet, and is getting me even more excited about this film’s release. The States is lucky enough to be getting this on wide release as of tomorrow, but we here in the UK will have to wait until 6^th January next year to see it on our screens.

We here at HeyUGuys will very fortunately be catching the film a little earlier when it screens at this year’s BFI London Film Festival next month, and I personally cannot wait to see what should be a terrific project on the big screen. No doubt I’ll be seeing it next month and then again when it comes out in January. Without further ado, here’s the brilliant roundtable clip to enjoy.

Until recently, writer-director Nick Murphy’s credits mostly included a few episodes of the odd TV series or documentary. He’s now starting to make a big name for himself with his first feature film, The Awakening, starring Rebecca Hall and Dominic West, due out in November.

Murphy is now set to go behind the camera again for another feature, Blood, which is to be an adaptation of the Bill Gallagher’s TV series, Conviction, which Gallagher will himself adapt, ScreenDaily report.

The project is already taking shape nicely, with three fantastic lead actors attached in the form of Paul Bettany (Priest), Brian Cox (X-Men 2), and Stephen Graham (Snatch), the last of which Murphy has already worked with on the 2009 TV series, Occupation.

Neal Street Productions, whose credits include Jarhead, Starter For 10, The Kite Runner, and Revolutionary Road, has already secured funding from BBC Films and the BFI, which is terrific news, and production is scheduled to begin in January next year.

Blood will be,

“about two policemen who kill a murder suspect and are then plunged into chaos when they are forced to investigate their own crime.”

Those two roles of the policeman, who are brothers, will presumably be filled by the awesome Bettany and Graham, both absolutely fantastic actors, and Cox will likely be playing their father, who, according to Wikipedia, in the original series is fighting a losing battle with Alzheimer’s.

I missed the original TV series when it was shown back in 2004, but I’m definitely tempted to hunt it down and watch it soon, because it sounds pretty awesome. As much as I tend to watch American television and films more than I do British, I must admit that the BBC often gets it so right when it comes to making good television.

Just from that basic premise, I can already see Bettany, who is by far one of my favourite British actors working at the moment, being beyond amazing in this role, and it really can’t come to the big screen fast enough for me. Hopefully with production already scheduled for the start of next year, I won’t have to wait too long to see the final product. This is going to be something to look forward to for sure.

In a few short weeks London’s cinemaland cloaks itself in the finest festival garb as the 55th BFI London Film Festival comes to the capital.

Tickets go on sale today so click here to uncover the treasures on offer and then click here to buy all the tickets you can.

I’ve picked out a few films I can’t wait to see and hope that the choices inspire you to take a look at what’s playing as this year’s festival continues the tradition of an eclectic selection with broad horizons making up for the lack of premieres on offer.

Here are my choices, let me know what you’re looking forward to.

Dominik Moll takes on a true literary classic with his adaptation of Matthew Lewis’s The Monk. Vincent Cassell appears perfect casting for the magnetic, complex Ambrosio and I have high hopes that Moll walks the line between complete devotion and fanatic hysteria which makes the slow corruption of Lewis’s novel so potent.

Click here for further info and booking details

Famous for his unique adaptations of folk tales the director Michel Ocelot is perhaps best known for his Kirikou films, and he brings his new compilation of six fairy tales to London this year with Tales of the Night. The striking animation style, one of many Ocelot has used in his career and last seen in Dragons and Princesses a year ago, will be shown in 3D, and what I saw in the preview clip was enough to convince me to check this one out.

Click here for further info and booking details

A stern looking Michael Fassbender implores you to see one of his two films at the festival, here with Viggo Mortensen and Keira Knightley in David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method or reuniting with Hunger director Steve McQueen for a dose of Shame. I tried to find a trailer for Shame and failed utterly so I’ve put the one for A Dangerous Method in below – both look interesting but for my money McQueen’s second film will be the one to catch. Or watch both. Watch both twice if you want.

Click here for further info and booking details

The long awaited adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s compelling novel from Ratcatcher director Lynne Ramsey has played very well on the festival circuit and comes to London with great expectations. John C. Reilly and Tilda Swinton lead this harrowing tale of a family coping with a high school shooting. Ramsey joined the project, which had already been in development for a number of years, after her ties to the adaptation of The Lovely Bones were cut. While it would have been fascinating to see her vision of Alice Sebold’s novel it is doubtful it would have had the impact and reaction Ramsay has enjoyed with this film.

As part of the Time Out screening there will be a Film in Focus event in which Lynne Ramsay, her co-writer Rory Kinnear, producer Luc Roeg and Director of photographer Seamus McGarvey will be discussing the film. You can find out more about this event and book your place right here.

Click here for further info and booking details

You’ll want to see this one. Just give the trailer a watch and see if your cockles aren’t warmed. Winning at Cannes and charming the stone cold hearts from cynics across the world this slice of silent Hollywood looks the business and is a definite one to make time this October.

Click here for further info and booking details

Director Yorgos Lanthimos won international acclaim for his 2009 film Dogtooth and his follow up film looks to be continuing his provocative and unconventional take on the world with a group of disparate people coming together under unusual circumstances. Death and the darkest comedy are sure to abound.

Click here for further info and booking details

I’m hoping the trouser emporia around Leicester Square are well stocked as there will be call for a fresh pair after the screenings of Nick Murphy’s The Awakening. Rebecca Hall and Dominic West lead us through a proudly traditional ghost story which is sure to benefit from a great cast, Stephen Volk’s writing and the general malaise of gut-emptying torture porn.

Click here for further info and booking details

At the preview event for the LFF we were treated to a scene from Gerardo Naranjo’s latest and it was a crucial moment in the film when everything changes for Laura, our beauty queen hopeful and it proved an excellent introduction to the world of Miss Bala. Take a look at the trailer for a hint of the action on offer.

Click here for further info and booking details

Elizabeth Olsen is winning all sorts of plaudits for her lead role in Sean Durkin’s dark tale Martha Marcy May Marlene and from what we’ve seen so far this film will be a very tough examination of a family reunited following the daughter’s return from an abusive cult. John Hawkes is in support and if the festival buzz is to be believed this is a film to take the time to see.

Click here for further info and booking details

Before his turn in Martha Marcy May Marlene, John Hawkes was a wonderful lead in Miranda July’s Me and You and Everyone We Know and this year’s London Film Festival welcomes July’s next film, The Future, into its midst. Featuring another triple turn of writer, director and actor Miranda July’s latest film features a stray cat and two people finding themselves facing an uncertain future. The two may, or may not, be related.

Click here for further info and booking details

Much loved stalwart of the British film industry, Dexter Fletcher, makes his directorial debut with Wild Bill and it’s entirely appropriate that it’s one of the films we are most looking forward to catching in London this year. Starring Charlie Creed-Mills and Will Poulter this is the story of a father who returns to his family after a prison term to find his two young sons fending for themselves and reluctant to recconect with a man who left them. We can’t wait to see what Fletcher has up her directorial sleeve.

There is an accompanying masterclass in which Dexter Fletcher and DOP George Richmond talk about the cinematography of the film. Here’s a link to find out more and book up those tickets.

Click here for more details and to book tickets

Oscar-nominated Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener) has surrounded himself with an absolutely stellar group of people to help him make his latest film, 360.

With a script from two-time Oscar nominee, Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon), and a cast headed up by Anthony Hopkins, Rachel Weisz, Jude Law, and Ben Foster, there’s definitely a lot of talent involved with the project.

We first got a look at the film back in July with a photo of married couple Law and Weisz, which was then soon followed up with more images from the film that gave us our first look at Hopkins and Foster, and a hint of discontent in Law and Weisz’s marriage. Then came the wonderful news that the film would be opening this year’s BFI London Film Festival on 12th October, marking its European premiere.

The film is based on a 1900 play by Austrian author, Arthur Schnitzler, entitled Reigen (a.k.a. La Ronde).

“Schnitzler’s original used ten pairs of lovers from different sections of Viennese society to show how sexual relationships can transgress social boundaries. Morgan and Meirelles broaden this out, as the film weaves through Vienna, Bratislava, Paris, London, Rio, Phoenix and Denver into a single, seamless narrative. An ambitious young woman sees sex as a way to escape her background; a respectable widower wrestles with the conflict between desire and religious principles; a man grieving his long-lost daughter forges a bond with a heartbroken girl; a married couple come to see each other with fresh eyes. Individual stories connect, choices are made and directions taken but, as always in Meirelles’ films, these are grounded in a sense of place. Each city the characters pass through feels real, vividly so.”

We’ve now got the first clip from the film to share with you, courtesy of The Playlist, ahead of its London premiere next month. It doesn’t give much away in terms of what we can expect plot-wise, but it does show so much promise for the film amongst the cast’s performances, with Hopkins really nailing his character, an alcoholic, who looks filled with regret in this scene.

There’s no word yet on a UK release date, so if you get to see this next month at the London Film Festival, count yourself lucky. Unfortunately, the film had something of a bad start when it debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival a couple of weeks ago, with technical faults delaying the screening and sound problems affecting the screening itself. Let’s hope, however, that it will be shown precisely how it’s meant to be seen when it opens the festival next month, because this really does look like a film to watch out for. Without further ado, here’s the great first clip from 360.

The BBC have revealed that despite 2010′s U.K. cinema admissions being down by 2% on the previous year, the overall box office takings came in at £988 million; a whole 5% more than 2009.

With this growth being ascribed to the premium prices attributed to 3D tickets, BFI chief executive Anita Nevill is hopeful for the future of cinema in the U.K.

“The outlook for film is still generally positive with much to be optimistic about. There are still challenges to address and the BFI looks forward to working closely with the industry and with government to address these.”

Any celebration may be a little premature, however, with a number of sources noting that the 3D medium seems to be falling out of favour with the general public.

Whereas Toy Story and Alice in Wonderland might have constituted a hefty percentage of the U.K. box office, this year’s crop of 3D movies have been slightly less successful in theatres.

According to The Observer, Disney’s Mars Needs Moms grossed only $7 million on its opening weekend in the U.S., barely recouping any of its $175 million budget. Cinemablend, meanwhile, note that this year’s Kung Fu Panda constituted another considerable shift in consumer behaviour, with only 45% of the film’s opening weekend gross came from 3D sales (against 60% of Toy Story 3′s). This is even reflected in the stock market, with shares in RealD falling 12%.

Not that this is at all surprising. Opening hot on the heels of Avatar, a deeply immersive and genuinely jaw-dropping example of what the format can do, 2009  featured a steady stream of 3D features that effectively cashed in on James Cameron’s success with Avatar. It’s now 2011, however, and it is becoming increasingly apparent that the honeymoon period is over. Taken with a growing number of detractors and escalating cost of 3D tickets, a decrease in quality product has only served to propagate audience dissatisfaction.

As films continue to charge premium prices for a format that rarely delivers on the format’s full potential, the ineffective product of a hasty post-production conversion, there is less and less motivation to stump up the additional charge.

While this 5% rise in box office takings is of course good news for the U.K. film industry, such that it is, it is inevitably masking a decline that might not always have the safety net of 3D to fall back on.

Going to the cinema late on a Friday evening feels like a semi-normal occurrence. That is until you realise it’s the beginning of a 10 hour Harry Potter half-marathon and you won’t be let out until 10am the following morning. Those not dressed in full Hogwarts attire feel like outsiders while those in the first few rows get settled in for an evening of neck pain.

For those unaware, I’m referring to the Harry Potter all nighters held at the IMAX in London to celebrate the final Harry Potter film that is mere weeks away. The IMAX is hosting Harry Potter all nighters over the weekends of the 17th and the 24th June, the Friday showing films 1-4 and Saturday 5-7.1.

The IMAX serves free tea, coffee and hot chocolate during the half an hour break between each film but most will be pleased to know there is also a fully stocked bar ready to supply beer, spirits and wines to get you through the night.

With a costume competition each night you won’t be surprised to see Dumbledore, Trelawney, Quirrel, and many Hogwarts students amongst the theatre.

Having sat through films 1-7 over the past 48 hours here are my brief reviews of the films so far to ready you for the final instalment.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Harry learns he is a Wizard and leaves his family in the company of a giant man he’s never met before. Professor Snape hates him for taking notes in Potions, learns Professor McGonagall is a cat and Hermione Granger hates to be bullied. Also he had to power of touch to defeat evil Wizards.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Harry and Ron’s voices break. They meet their first homosexual wizard, Gilderoy Lockhart. Harry discovers he can talk to snakes (a possible kink for future relationships) and spends an inordinate amount of time in the girls’ bathrooms.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Hermione acts weirdly, Draco gets beaten up by a Hippogriff, Ron’s rat acts strangely, Harry meets his Godfather then finds out his teacher’s a Werewolf and lots of time travel occurs.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Despite being underage Harry gets chosen to be part of a dangerous tournament alongside Edward Cullen. He faces dragons, a maze and water demons whilst trying to find a date for the Yule Ball. Someone dies.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix: Nothing happens.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: Harry finds a used potions book, property of the half blood prince which becomes his new best friend. He forms a romantic relationship with Ginny after she wins a Quidditch game. They kiss twice. Someone dies.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: Harry and gang run away from their final year at school, spending their year camping, eating berries and getting in arguments while trying to find the Horcruxes. Someone betrays them and lots of people die.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2, the final ever Harry Potter film reaches cinemas on July 15th, tickets have already started selling so book now to avoid disappointment!

The BFI have been in touch and been kind enough to give us three pairs of tickets to see  screening of Deep End, written and directed by Jerzy Skolimowsk at the BFI Southbank. The movie hits UK cinemas 6th May and you can pick a screening convenient for you if you win.

The Swinging Sixties may be over, but there are still eye-opening new experiences in store for wet-behind-the-ears teenager Mike when he takes a job at a rundown London swimming bath. Here he meets Susan, a sassy, self-assured, but spoken-for co-worker, whom he develops an unhealthy obsession for. Soundtracked with great intensity by legendary Krautrock band Can, Jerzy Skolimowski’s compelling, darkly poetic portrait of London makes a long overdue return to the big screen.

Deep End is in cinemas 6 May. For venue listings and more information, visit: http://www.bfi.org.uk/go/heydeepend/

To be in with a chance of winning one of the three pairs of tickets, simply tell us who directed the movie, Deep End using the form below.

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 2nd May 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show is a classic of American cinema and the BFI in their infinte wisdom are running a restored print of the film at the BFI Southbank from the 15th – 28th April and we’ve got some tickets to give away.

Forty years after it helped to initiate a golden age of American movies made by a generation of cinephiles, Bogdanovich’s finest film returns in a digitally restored version of his director’s cut. This film is a classic evocation of American culture, depicting period and place with an eloquency that translates as well today as it did when it was made. It is a stylishly shot, black and white movie that saw Cybill Shepherd make her cinematic debut and shot her into the Hollywood limelight and kept them there. It is a very cool cult classic that appeals to both young and old.

To be in with your chance to win one of three pairs of tickets to see the film at BFI Southbank please answer the following question using the form below, and find out more about the film at the BFI’s site here.

Which Coen Brothers favourite plays Cybill Shepherd’s co-star in The Last Picture Show?

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• Tickets are subject to seat availability
• The competition will close 3rd April 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Last night HeyUGuys had the pleasure of attending the 31^st London Critics’ Circle Film Awards.  Hosted at the BFI Southbank, it was a great evening, featuring talented names aplenty all supping from complimentary miniature bottles of Moët served up classily with bendy straws.

It might not have the same profile as this weekend’s BAFTA ceremony, but with its awards voted for by more than 120 members of the London Circle – including critics, broadcasters and writers – it’s certainly not an event to be ignored. And with this article, accompanied by our own personal photographs from the occasion (click any image to enlarge), you can feel like you were there.

First to arrive on the red carpet were Lesley Manville, who would pick up British Actress of the Year for her performance in Mike Leigh’s Another Year, and actor Thomas Turgoose, nominated for Young British Performer of the Year for his part in The Scouting Book For Boys. Though it turned out that Turgoose was to miss out on this occasion (the award going to Conor McCarron for his role in NEDs), he was more than happy to discuss his upcoming work with us.

Known for his collaborations with director Shane Meadows, we inquired as to whether Thomas had any news on the latest This Is England sequel, this time set in 1988. “It’s like a Christmas special,” the actor revealed, giving a nice hint at when we can expect to see it on air, “But I’m not allowed to say what happens in it! Literally only about seven people have the script at the moment, but I think you can expect some surprises. In fact, you should definitely expect some pretty major surprises. It’s going to do well, I think.” What a tease!

But with all Turgoose’s projects to date being set in familiar English territory, would the actor ever consider the move across the pond? “No, definitely not. Well, to be fair, I guess I’d consider it if it was a good offer, but I still live in Grimsby at the moment – I’ve never been to America. I won an award at Tribeca once, Robert De Niro’s festival, but I had to do my maths exam!”

Shortly after Thomas left us, a wave of excitement rippled through the autograph hunters on the other side of the carpet. “Danny!”, the shouts came, “Danny who?”, we wondered, flicking through our list of attendees. Turning around, it soon became apparent than one certain Mr Danny Boyle (nominated for British Director of the Year for 127 Hours) had apparently sneaked into the ceremony unannounced, using a back entrance and avoiding the pomp of the red carpet. Dressed casually in jeans and a zip-up jumper, he posed for some publicity shots with a bottle of Moët before making his way back inside.

Next to come our way was Gareth Unwin, co-producer of The King’s Speech.  Speaking about the film, he had nothing but praise for how his colleagues approached the screenplay. “We always knew the script had humour,” Unwin explained, “but it wasn’t until Colin and Geoffrey started vibing off each other on set that we realised we had this kind of comedy bromance in the making.  If you watch the film, I think there’s this wonderful ebb and flow between high drama and real humour, which Tom Hooper manages wonderfully.”

The film’s screenwriter David Seidler followed soon after and expressed how grateful he’d been to hear about those audience’s that burst into spontaneous applause at the end of their screenings. “When it started happening in America, at the film festivals, I was really blown away by it,” he shared. “And when we were at Toronto and two thousand people stood as one and applauded, I completely lost it. I disgraced myself – tears rolling down my face – and then they put a spotlight on me!” Clearly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of praise the film has been drawing, Seidler added; “I keep on looking over my shoulder waiting to see the guy who really wrote it! I’m waiting for the alarm clock to go off and to realise that it’s all been a dream.”

When asked about the current situation regarding the film’s American certificate battle, the writer responded that “the film would have to be re-cut anyway eventually for aeroplane use and for television, so that was always going to happen.” Speaking honestly, Seidler added that he thought that “the possible error of judgement was to talk about it before the Oscars, amongst the general public. Harvey Weinstein’s a very bright man, he loves film and he’s a great marketer, but I think announcing it this early was not one of his best ideas.”

With Colin Firth being whisked past before we got a chance to lunge in with any questions about the upcoming Gambit remake, the only thing we did manage to overhear at this point was the Sunday Mirror attempting to grab an exclusive scoop of Colin’s favourite party trick. “I don’t have any party tricks, I’m afraid. I’ll have to get back to you on that one!” Drat. Though after winning his award, the star did later reveal to the News of the World that he’d been having a little jam on his guitar just the day before. Asked whether he’d ever like to set up his own band, Firth grinned as he replied; “Who says I haven’t?” King George VI rocking a six string? You heard it here first! And there’ll be more from Mr Firth later on.

Incidentally, Mrs Firth – better known as Livia Giuggioli – dazzled many of the press with an eye-cathing Henrietta Ludgate structured dress and multicoloured heels. For pictures, see the gallery at the end of this article.

With Aaron Sorkin also slipping through our fingers on the red carpet (don’t worry, we got a hold of him later on), it was time to head inside to the Winner’s Room, where we were visited by the successful gong collectors after they had received their awards.

Among the first to join us was Olivia Williams, picking up the award for British Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in The Ghost. Williams had no trouble relating what had first drawn her to the project. “Well, there’s the obvious attraction of being married to Pierce Brosnan and shagging Ewan McGregor,” the actress quipped, much to the delighted agreement of the female attendees, “but there’s also the attraction of getting to work with the greatest living auteur, possibly the greatest ever auteur, Roman Polanski. I’m still looking for the down side.”

Sharing her experience of Polanski’s directorial style, Williams suggested that the director was frank, but fair. “He tells you what he wants you to do and if you don’t do it right then you go back and do it again. But he’s always right, so if you don’t do what he tells you, you’re a fool. He’s the master of suspense and it was an honour to work with him.”

Speaking to us after receiving her award for British Actress of the Year for her part in Mike Leigh’s Another Year, Lesley Manville paid tribute to to the other actresses in the film, including Ruth Sheen who she was nominated against. ”There have been some great parts for women this year,” Manville told us, “and especially women over 40, which I think is a good move.”

Relating her fondness for Leigh, whom the actress has worked with on six occasions, Manville said; “he’s great director. The work you do with him so collaborative. You really do get asked to work with him and create the characters from scratch. With Another Year, I think he’s made a great film about the human condition and how difficult it is for all of us to try and form those relationships that can last throughout a lifetime.”

Next came the return of the man of the moment, Colin Firth, fresh from receiving his prize for Actor of the Year.  It is the second year in a row that Firth has won the award having won last year for his role in A Single Man. Speaking in a similar vein to screenwriter David Seidler, Firth suggested the response to the film had been humbling, explaining that “to hear that people are actually standing up or clapping or expressing a personal response is probably as good as it gets.”

Going on to praise the validity not only of the Critics’ Circle, but every audience, Firth commented that “films like this depend entirely on what people say about them. They don’t depend on the money because there wasn’t much, they don’t depend on a big studio machine or a big financial apparatus.” Asked about reports that the Queen has both watched and enjoyed the film, he said that “it means a very great deal to me if that is the case.”

But despite the success of The King’s Speech, it was The Social Network that came out on top, winning Film of the Year. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin was on hand to claim all four of the film’s awards – including his own for Screenwriter of the Year. “Andrew [Garfield] won tonight, David Fincher won tonight,” Sorkin summarised, “but of course the one we’re most proud of is the one we all won together.”

The key to the film’s success, Sorkin suggested, is the number of ways it can be interpreted. “I think if you line up ten people and ask them what they just saw after seeing The Social Network, you’re going to get ten different answers,” he said, “One of those answers is going to be that old media was sticking it to new media. Now, that certainly wasn’t my intention, but I don’t think it’s any less valid to take away than any of the other nine.”

When we asked him if he ever felt weary during the writing process as to how audience’s would take to a project about the founding of Facebook, Sorkin gave us an insight into his process. “I try to write what I like, what my friends would like and what I think my father would like. After that you keep your fingers crossed,” he explained. “I think if you try to write for what you think everybody’s going to like, that’s a good recipe for a bad movie.” Not wishing to take all the credit, however, Sorkin suggested that there were still “about a hundred different ways to make this movie badly. David [Fincher] managed to avoid every cliché.”

But before Mr Sorkin left, we seized the opportunity to try and wangle any exclusive news we could about his upcoming HBO series, which is set to portray the goings on of a cable news network.  ”It’s coming along well,” he shared, “I’ve written the pilot and we’re at the beginning of casting now.” The title? “More As The Story Develops.” And until we find out more, it seems very apt.

So, there you have it – the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards – done and dusted for another year! Click here to read a full list of the night’s nominees/winners and please feel free to look at the remainder of the night’s photos in the gallery below, including appearances by Will Poulter, Dexter Fletcher and winner of the Outstanding Contribution to Film award, Kristin Scott Thomas.

See you next year!

Tonight saw the fall of the 31st Critics’ Circle Film Awards, which was held for the first time at London’s BFI Southbank. Our full report will be online later today with all the red carpet gossip and winner’s reactions. Want to see Danny Boyle advertising Moët, hear about Aaron Sorkin’s upcoming HBO series, or find out whether Colin Firth has a favourite party trick? Then don’t miss out!

To whet your appetite in the meantime, though, we can now give you a full list of all the night’s winners. It was The Social Network and The King’s Speech which came out on top, grabbing four and three awards respectively, with Another Year, NEDs and Monsters also scooping rewards for their British talents.

The list below shows winners in red whilst blue text indicates the “Runners Up” as ruled by the critics board, so you can know who came close.

BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKER

• Banksy- Exit Through the Gift Shop
• Clio Barnard – The Arbor **Runner Up**
• J Blakeson – The Disappearance of Alice Creed
• Gareth Edwards – Monsters **Winner**
• Chris Morris – Four Lions

YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR

• Jessica Barden – Tamara Drewe **Runner Up**
• Conor McCarron – NEDs **Winner**
• Will Poulter – The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• Saoirse Ronan – The Way Back
• Thomas Turgoose – The Scouting Book For Boys

BRITISH ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• Helena Bonham Carter – Alice in Wonderland
• Christine Bottomley – The Arbor
• Minnie Driver – Barney’s Version
• Rosamund Pike – Made in Dagenham **Runner Up**
• Olivia Williams – The Ghost **Winner**

BRITISH ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• David Bradley – Another Year **Runner Up**
• Pierce Brosnan – The Ghost
• Andrew Garfield – The Social Network **Winner**
• Tom Hardy – Inception
• Peter Wight – Another Year

BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

• Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
• Lesley Manville – Another Year **Winner**
• Rosamund Pike – Barney’s Version
• Ruth Sheen – Another Year
• Tilda Swinton – I Am Love **Runner Up**

BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR

• Riz Ahmed – Four Lions
• Christian Bale – The Fighter **Winner**
• Jim Broadbent – Another Year **Runner Up**
• Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
• Andrew Garfield – Never Let Me Go

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

• Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right **Winner**
• Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
• Natalie Portman – Black Swan **Runner Up**
• Noomi Rapace – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit

ACTOR OF THE YEAR

• Jeff Bridges – True Grit
• Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network
• Colin Firth – The King’s Speech **Winner**
• Ryan Gosling – Blue Valentine
• Edgar Ramirez – Carlos **Runner Up**

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR

• Dogtooth
• I Am Love **Runner Up**
• Of Gods and Men **Winner**
• The Secret in Their Eyes
• Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR

• Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg – The Kids Are All Right
• Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – True Grit
• Chris Morris, Sam Bain, Simon Blackwell & Jesse Armstrong – Four Lions
• David Seidler – The King’s Speech **Runner Up**
• Aaron Sorkin – The Social Network **Winner**

BRITISH DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

• Clio Barnard – The Arbor
• Danny Boyle – 127 Hours
• Tom Hooper – The King’s Speech **Winner**
• Mike Leigh – Another Year **Runner Up**
• Christopher Nolan – Inception

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

• Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan **Runner Up*
• Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – True Grit
• David Fincher – The Social Network **Winner**
• Christopher Nolan – Inception
• Apichatpong Weerasethakul – Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR (THE ATTENBOROUGH AWARD)

• 127 Hours
• The Arbor
• Another Year **Runner Up**
• The King’s Speech **Winner**
• Monsters

FILM OF THE YEAR

• Black Swan
• The Kids Are All Right
• The King’s Speech **Runner Up**
• The Social Network **Winner**
• Toy Story 3

And finally, the Critics’ Circle named their TOP 10 FILMS OF 2010 as follows:

1. The Social Network
2. The King’s Speech
3. Black Swan
4. Toy Story 3
5. The Kids Are All Right
6. Another Year
7. True Grit
8. Inception
9. I Am Love
10. Winter’s Bone

And that just about wraps it up for the night’s accolades. Let us know what you think of the winners and don’t forget to check back later on for our full report of the evening’s event, complete with pictures and words from the guests themselves.

As previously reported Danny Boyle was honoured last night with the BFI Fellowship on the eve of the London Film Festival’s close, with his latest 127 Hours set to play to eager crowds at the Closing Gala screening tonight.

Boyle was handed the award by Stephen Daldry, and as part of the Festival awards Martin Scorsese celebrated the 75th anniversary of the BFI National Archive, whose work in restoring Herbert Ponting’s epic silent film The Great White Silence was a festival highlight.

How I Ended This Summer by Alexei Popogrebsky won the Best Film award while the Grierson award for Best Documentary went to Janus Metz for Armadillo.

The big winner of the festival however was director of The Arbor, Clio Barnard, who won the award for Best British Newcomer, as well as winning the Sutherland award for Best British Film Debut. The Arbor is undoubtedly a brave take on a troubled cycle of self-hatred, domestic dispassion and moral lethargy and much has been made of the lip-syncing technique employed by the cast to bring this story to the screen. It should find a wide audience after the two awards tonight and it’ll be extremely interesting to see which direction Barnard goes in next.

Following his Oscar success with Slumdog Millionaire it was assured that Danny Boyle’s next film would receive great attention and 127 Hours starring James Franco is highly anticipated and should make an excellent closing night film for the 54th London Film Festival this year.

I can still remember sitting in a Southampton cinema as the titles for Shallow Grave came up on screen and I knew then that I was watching something new, fresh and effortlessly vibrant and energetic.

To follow that film up with Trainspotting compounded the interest in Boyle’s work and he has turned his hand to many other genres in the past decade and a half, growing in confidence and capability and enthralling millions of moviegoers.

That he is to be awarded the BFI Fellowship is both completely correct and a celebration of the man’s work so far, and he joins an august list of Fellows (which you can see here).

Here’s what the BFI issued,

Director Danny Boyle will receive the highest accolade that the British Film Institute bestows, the BFI Fellowship. This award is given to individuals whose body of work has made an outstanding contribution to film culture. Boyle, whose latest feature 127 HOURS closes this year’s festival, said of the award

“A significant helping of humility is called for in the face of this honour and that is not difficult considering those awarded it before. I am shocked, flattered and delighted to receive the Fellowship on behalf of everyone who has helped me make the films, the successful ones and the not so successful ones, and on behalf of all runts in every litter.”

Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire closed the 2008 festival and screened to huge acclaim on its way to worldwide box office and awards success.

One of the highlights of this year’s London Film Festival is the BFI National Archive’s screening of Herbert Ponting’s documenting of Captain Scott’s expedition of the South Pole, The Great White Silence, and today the BFI released a trailer for us all to enjoy.

The footage captured by Ponting, now painstakingly restored,  speaks for itself, and it’s a joy to behold. The film will be shown a week into the festival, on the 20th of October and you can find out more here.

Check out the trailer below,

Last week we were given a chance to see what the 54th BFI London Film Festival has in store, and kicking aside the disparaging comments about the lack of world premieres, a complaint which misses the point completely, there’s a real sense of excitement and discovery about the festival this year.

Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go will open the festival and there are other high profile films on offer in the capital this October. Of chief interest are Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan and Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech with Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Whether it is a deliberate choice to wait for an English Language version, or for the curiousity value alone there will be a keen audience for Let Me In, Matt Reeves’ take on Let The Right One In, which is playing in the festival and hopefully surpassing expectations.

Mike Leigh returns to the festival with his latest, Another Year, which did well at Cannes and from the clip we were shown is looking like typical Leigh, which is a very good thing. Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell will be seen in Conviction and Julianne Moore, Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo looked good in the clip we were shown for The Kids Are All Right.

Casting the net wider Justin Chadwick’s The First Grader and Debs Gardner-Paterson’s Africa United both look intriguing, along with Benedek Fliegauf’s Womb, with Matt Smith and Eva Green.  The clips we saw for Ken Loach’s Route Irish and Richard Ayoade’s Submarine were well chosen and Joanna Hogg’s Archipelago will certainly be on my list to see when it comes to the festival.

These are just a few of the films which caught my eye, and when you see the full line up there will undoubtedly be many more you will want to check out. It’s worth looking at the events the BFI are putting on, with Darren Aronofsky’s talking over his career to date, as will Mark Romanek – both events too good to miss. There are short films, animation, archive screenings including Louise Brooks in a new restoration of G W Pabst’s Pandora’s Box, and there’s a celebration of British cinema with Breaking with Convention, an event taking a look at the contemporary narrative and documentary forms.

To steal a PR line, there is something for everyone this year, and the films on offer this year should make for an eclectic and inspiring festival, with surprises and some unmissable events. The restoration of Herbert Ponting’s The Great White Silence is the festival’s Archive Gala screening, and the print will be shown with a new score, played live by Simon Fisher Turner. What we saw in the collection of clips looked breathtaking, and this is easily a highlight of the festival for me. I’m sure tickets will be snapped up so if you’re interested, for this or any other film, please do click here and get booking as soon as possible.

Introducing the line up Artistic Director Sandra Hebron and the Director of the British Film Institute Amanda Nevill made much of the diversity at the festival, and championed the British talent on display here, both of which were in full force when the roster of films was announced. While much of the news surrounding British film has been of abolishment and cutbacks, both Nevill and Hebron were keen for the London Film Festival to be a celebration, to bring some amazing films to London.

Here’s the video, which came from the BFI’s London Film Festival Facebook page, and shows off a few of the films on offer. It’s going to be a very good October in London.