News

David Jonsson, the fast-rising star who has quickly become one of the most in-demand actors in the industry, has set up his own production company.

The Brit — who turned heads in 2023 indie darling “Rye Lane,” made his Hollywood break last year in “Alien: Romulus” and in February won the BAFTA Rising Star award — has partnered with BIFA-nominated producer Sophia Gibber to launch film and TV banner greyarea.

The duo most recently collaborated on Cal McMau’s upcoming debut feature “Wasteman,” which Jonsson stars in and exec produces alongside Gibber, who also serves as lead producer on the project.

“We found greyarea. because the stories we love don’t live in black and white. They live in the contradictions, complexities, and all the emotional truths in between — that’s where the most compelling storytelling happens,” said Jonsson.

“Over the last few years — and especially working together on ‘Wasteman’ — we found a...

David Jonsson, the fast-rising British star of “Alien: Romulus,” “Rye Lane” and “Industry,” has joined Phoebe Arnstein’s short film “If You’re Happy” as executive producer.

Starring “The Crown” alumnus Erin Doherty (soon to be seen in Disney+ series “A Thousand Blows”), “If You’re Happy” follows Lotte (Doherty) as she navigates the daunting challenges and demands of early motherhood. Seeking connection, she attends a local baby group led by a bizarre teacher (Jo Hartley). Lotte is further displaced by the surreal environment and uses a childish game to vent her fury, sparking an unexpected, primal outpouring of emotions amongst the other mothers.

“All the things about British cinema. Shot in my hometown — honest, complex simplicity. A story of our time,” said Jonsson, who was recently unveiled as one of Variety‘s 10 actors to watch in 2024.

“’If You’re Happy’ is about the importance of meaningful human connection in a time of crisis,...

Bankside Films has revealed a first look at Calum Macdiarmid’s feature debut, prison thriller Wasteman.

Rye Lane’s David Jonsson stars alongside The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Tom Blyth.Bankside has also revealed additional cast, star of Disney+ seriesRivals Alex Hassell, plus Corin Silva and Paul Hilton.

The UK film, currently in post-production, follows a parolee whose hopes of a fresh start are jeopardised by the arrival of a new cellmate.

Sophia Gibber and Myles Payne of Agile Films produce, in association with Philip Barantini and Samantha Beddoe’s It’s All Made Up Productions and Hoopsa Films,...

Bankside Films has boarded Calum Macdiarmid’s prison thriller Wasteman starring 2023 Screen Star of Tomorrow David Jonsson and Tom Blyth and has struck an early deal with Lionsgate for UK & Ireland rights.

Macdiarmid’s feature debut follows parolee Taylor, whose hopes of a fresh start are jeopardised by the arrival of dominant cellmate Dee, played by Blyth, who recently played the young Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes.

As Taylor finds solace and protection in Dee’s shadow, their bond is tested when Dee becomes the target of a vicious attack, leading to an...

It’s our favourite night of the year! The 2021 BIFA awards took place this evening at Old Billingsgate in London. Hosted by People Just Do Nothing’s Asim Chaudhry, those attending include Emma Corrin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Joe Cole, Lucy Boynton, Jude Law, Harris Dickinson, Paapa Essiedu, Caitriona Balfe, Morfydd Clark, Riz Ahmed, Wumni Mosaku, Ruth Wilson, Stephen Graham and James Norton.

The 24th British Independent Film Awards saw Joanna Scanlan’s After Love take home a handful of awards, Clio Barnard’s Ali & Ava also did well – and there’s something wonderful in championing the very best in British Independent film – so, hey – we’re all winners here.*

David Sztypuljak and Scott Davis were our men at the event, asking questions.

You can see our interviews below, as well as a full list of tonight’s winners and nominees.

*Actual winners are below.

The 2021 BIFA Red Carpet Interviews

The...

Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” and Philip Barantini’s “Boiling Point” lead nominations at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), with 11 nods each.

Nominations for “Belfast,” Branagh’s autobiographical tale of life as a young boy in Belfast in 1969 in the midst of the Troubles, include best actress for Caitríona Balfe, best supporting actress for Judi Dench, best supporting actor for Ciarán Hinds and a breakthrough performance nomination for newcomer Jude Hill in addition to seven craft nominations.

Nominations for single take film “Boiling Point,” which follows an up-and-coming chef under extreme pressure, include best actor for Stephen Graham, best supporting actor for Ray Panthaki, best supporting actress for Vinette Robinson and a breakthrough performance nomination for Lauryn Ajufo.

Aleem Khan’s “After Love,” Prano Bailey-Bond’s “Censor” and Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir Part II” have nine nominations each, while Clio Barnard’s “Ali & Ava” has seven nominations, Sean Durkin...

Variety Director to Watch Prano Bailey-Bond (“Censor”) and BAFTA-nominated “After Love” filmmaker Aleem Khan are among the 39 filmmakers longlisted in the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) new talent categories.

The 39 longlisted filmmakers will be invited to join BIFA’s Springboard scheme, a tailored program of professional development, peer-to-peer support, mentoring, networking and skills enhancement aimed to nurture emerging talent as they build on the success of their first features.

The final five nominations in each category will be announced on Nov. 3. Winners will be revealed at the ceremony on Dec. 5.

The longlists:

The Douglas Hickox Award

(Best Debut Director)

Aleem Khan – “After Love”

Matt Chambers – “The Bike Thief”

Prano Bailey-Bond – “Censor”

Jonathan Butterell – “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie”

Sonita Gale – “Hostile”

Jack Clough – “People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan”

Reggie Yates – “Pirates”

Celeste Bell “Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché” [also Directed By Paul Sng]

Corinna Faith – “The Power”

Charlotte Colbert – “She Will...

Only 140 out of 1,686 industry attendees took part online.

After last year’s festival relied on an online industry offering, with many international attendees unable to attend in person, the screen sector was champing at the bit to return to San Sebastian, a festival cherished by many for its beach location and exquisite culinary offerings, which wraps tomorrow (Sept 25).

Industry professionals who did manage to attend in 2020 remember the city being something of a ghost town, with restaurants often closed and evenings spent holed up in hotel rooms. But for the 69th edition, which continued to offer a mix of in-person and online industry events,...

Exclusive: The San Francisco Chronicle, UK production company Ugly Duckling Films and Sony Music Entertainment are partnering to develop the first narrative podcast project from the Chronicle, a new true crime series called The Doodler.

The podcast will tell the story of the ongoing hunt for the notorious serial killer known as the “Doodler” who targeted San Francisco’s closeted gay community in the 1970s and is suspected to have murdered up to 16 people.

Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-nominated Chronicle reporter Kevin Fagan and the paper’s longtime investigative reporter Michael Taylor, with contributions from King Kaufman, The Doodler will investigate the perplexing cold case and the anonymous killer named for the skilled drawings of the victims that he left behind at the scenes of his crimes.

In some corners there is belief that the killer is still alive and residing in the Bay Area. The investigation gained new momentum in...

Exclusive: UK production company Ugly Duckling Films, whose features include 2013 sci-fi Coherence and Lena Headey-starrer The Broken, is in development on its first TV project: crime series We Are Your Children based on San Francisco’s ‘Doodler’ serial killer.

The series, about the 1970’s killer who targeted San Francisco’s gay community, is being scripted by emerging Brit writer Ryan Brown. The murderer became known as the ‘Doodler’ from the elaborate drawings of his victims that he’d leave behind at the scenes of his crimes. At the time, two of his victims survived and identified a man, but refused to testify in court and the man was never charged.

Inspired by these events, the series will see a female cop unite with a gay rights activist and drag queen after the targeted homosexual killings disrupts the city. Ingenious Media arranged early development funding on the project.

Until recently,...

Project is the directing debut of Matt Chambers.

Munich-based powerhouse Beta Cinema has boarded international sales on The Bike Thief, Matt Chambers’ feature directing debut starring God’s Own Country actor Alec Secareanu and 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days actress Anamaria Marinca.

UK producers Ellipsis Pictures and Ugly Duckling Films have also released a first look at Secareanu in the film, which sees the actor clad in motorcycle gear.

Based on an original idea by director Chambers, the screenplay, which was on the 2018 Brit List, follows a Romanian family living in London. The father (Secareanu) delivers pizzas for a living,...

Exclusive: Independent boards doc about the life and career of acting legend Ian McKellen.

London-based sales and production outfit Independent has boarded feature documentary McKellen: Playing The Part and will introduce the title to buyers at Cannes.

Watch an exclusive first clip below, or click here to watch on mobile.

Joe Stephenson (Chicken) is directing the feature about the life of revered English actor Ian McKellen, whose career has spanned nearly 50 years and has seen him Oscar nominated for roles in Gods And Monsters and The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.

The film, which is based around an exclusive 14-hour interview with McKellen, will also feature archive material of the actor’s early work, and never-before-seen photography from McKellen’s private collection.

English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel has written music for the film, which also features the likes of Luke Evans, Frances Barber, Adam Brown, Scott Chambers, Milo Parker and [link...