BFI, British Council Unveil Hot U.K. Projects Headed to Cannes in 2022

“Bait,” British filmmaker Mark Jenkin’s breakout feature, could well be considered a horror movie. Set in a quaint little fishing enclave off the Cornish coast, where the ship decks are rickety and the townhouses’ whitewash ever-peeling, the knotty fear of loss is ever-present: of history, of possession, of tradition, of heritage, of liberty.

Between her job as a French-English interpreter, the prospect of romantic fulfillment, and the impending deterioration of her father’s health, the woman holding together all the threads in Mia Hansen-Løve’s “One Fine Morning” navigates a wide spectrum of human emotion. In the director’s follow up to last year’s English-language meta homage “Bergman Island,” Sandra (Léa Seydoux) oscillates between desire and grief with believable fluidity.

Naman Ramachandran Producer and actor Sadie Frost (“Dracula”), who made her feature directorial debut with a documentary on British fashion designer Mary Quant, is now training her lens on another British cultural icon.“Twiggy” will be a feature-length documentary on Quant’s contemporary Lesley Lawson, better-known by her nickname Twiggy. It will trace her journey from her working-class childhood in northwest London, through to her international stardom as a celebrity model, and her career as an actor, singer, fashion designer, writer and TV presenter.

Final Cut,” directed by Michel Hazanavicius on opening night. This year’s Cannes is also the biggest film event to be hosted since the start of the pandemic, bringing together the festival and market crowds.

Coldplay and The Cure are taking part in this week’s DrumathonLIVE 2022 to raise funds and awareness for a host of charities.The livestream fundraiser, which kicked off on Saturday (May 14) and will run until next weekend (May 21), is set to clock up 250 hours and feature thousands of professional and semi-pro drummers.The event, which was founded by drummer Errol Kennedy and fellow musician Bev Sage in 2020, is raising money and awareness for four charities this year: UK Trauma Council, Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, Child Bereavement UK and Variety.The likes of Coldplay’s Will Champion, The Cure’s Jason Cooper and former Elbow drummer Richard Jupp are all taking part in DrumathonLIVE 2022.A post shared by DrumathonLIVE (@drumathonlive)Cherisse Osei (Simple Minds), Charlie Morgan (Elton John‘s Live Aid drummer), Matty Brown (Stormzy), Derrick McKenzie (Jamiroquai) Nick Hodgson (formerly of Kaiser Chiefs) and Paul Stewart (The Feeling) are among the other drummers who have signed up to this year’s DrumathonLIVE.The Cure drummer Cooper said in a statement: “Join me and an amazing group of drummers from around the world for DrumathonLIVE as we raise money for children’s mental health.”You can tune into DrumathonLIVE 2022 and donate here.

‘Trump In Tweets’ Producer Wonderhood Bolsters Senior Team

Manori Ravindran International EditorEuropean cinema giant Vue is partnering with the British Film Institute to create more exhibition opportunities for British, independent and international movies.From May, the cinema chain is set to screen a series of films curated by the BFI across all of its venues in the U.K. The program will be called “BFI Presents” and films will screen at Vue’s 88 movie theaters across the country.Vue and the BFI have a special connection given the exhibition chain’s CEO and founder Tim Richards was appointed chairman of the film org in February 2021.

Naman Ramachandran Oscar, BAFTA and Turner Prize winner Steve McQueen has said that broadcasters BBC and Channel 4 are an integral part of British identity. During the Virgin Media BAFTA TV awards on Sunday, McQueen said during his acceptance speech for winning best factual series for BBC documentary “Uprising” that BBC and Channel 4 have to be held tight and fought for every inch. Both broadcasters are facing an existential threat from the U.K.

Some of the UK’s biggest stars and creators issued passionate defences of Channel 4 at tonight’s BAFTA TV Awards in the wake of the UK government’s decision to privatize it.

Opening the glamorous BAFTA TV Awards at London’s Royal Festival Hall today, BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar called on the industry’s change makers to ensure more top-level diversity.

It’s Friday again, readers. Jesse Whittock here (for the first time, be gentle), taking you through the week’s top headlines.

Martin Scorsese will pay a personal homage to influential British filmmaking duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger in an upcoming feature doc. Altitude is attached to handle sales of the as-yet untitled doc and has secured a release in the UK and Ireland.

Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad star Bob Odenkirk has a starring role in Beach Bunny‘s new video for their song ‘Karaoke’ – you can watch the clip below.The track is taken from the Lili Trifilio-led band’s forthcoming new album ‘Emotional Creature’, which is set for release on July 22 via Mom+Pop Music.Speaking about ‘Karaoke’, Beach Bunny said: “‘Karaoke’ is a song about having a crush – it’s about infatuation, fleeting feelings, and the bittersweet nature of uncertainty. It’s about learning pieces of who someone is and liking them before even knowing the whole story.”The Eliza Chance-directed video for ‘Karaoke’ has gone live this afternoon (May 4), starring Odenkirk as a captain of a spaceship.The clip is the first in an “adventure visual series” of Star Wars-meets-Star Trek-inspired videos from Beach Bunny, according to a press release.Beach Bunny will embark on a UK and European tour in October and November.

Johnny Depp’s new movie Jeanne Du Barry will be launched for pre-sales at this month’s Cannes market, marking a first narrative feature for the actor in more than three years.

Eagles Of Death Metal are set to perform their only UK show of 2022 this weekend (April 30) when they headline the Saturday night of Teddy Rocks Festival – get your tickets here.Teddy Rocks kicks off tomorrow (April 29) and runs until May 1. Taking place at Charisworth Farm in Dorset, all profits received from the sale of tickets are donated to Teddy20, a charity which raises money for children and families fighting cancer.The 2020 and 2021 editions of Teddy Rocks were unable to take place due to COVID-19.

Tina Brown is promising bombshell revelations in her new book about Britain’s royal family.

British singer Tom Grennan has revealed the extent of his injuries after he was attacked outside a bar in New York on Wednesday evening.