Mike Leigh: Last News

EXCLUSIVE: Bleecker Street has dated their Sundance premiere title The Wedding Banquet starring Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone for April 18 while their Telluride acquisition, the Bill Murray and Naomi Watts movie The Friend will start its limited rollout on March 21.

Kneecap has taken home seven wins at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), including a joint lead accolade for its stars.The comedy biopic, which focuses on the rise of the Belfast hip-hop group, also won major awards including Best British Independent Film and Best Debut Screenwriter for Rich Peppiatt.Band members Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh won Best Joint Lead Performance at last night’s (December 8) ceremony at London’s Roundhouse, while the film also won four craft awards ahead of the ceremony.It was also a good night for Rungano Nyoni’s On Becoming A Guinea Fowl, Sandhya Suri’s Santosh and Pinny Gryllsa and Sam Crane’s Grand Theft Hamlet, which each won two awards, while Anora took home Best International Independent Film.Marianne Jean-Baptiste won Best Lead Performance for her turn in Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, while Franz Rogowski won Best Supporting Performance for Andrea Arnold’s Bird.NME described Kneecap as “arguably one of the best music biopics of all time” in our five-star review, naming it as our best film of 2024.The full list of BIFA winners are below:Best British Independent FilmBest International Independent FilmBest DirectorBest Joint Lead PerformanceBest ScreenplayBest Lead PerformanceBest Supporting PerformanceBest Debut DirectorBest Debut ScreenwriterBreakthrough ProducerRaindance Maverick AwardBest Debut Director – Feature DocumentaryBreakthrough PerformanceBest Feature DocumentaryBest British Short Film

Alex Ritman “Kneecap,” the hit Irish comedy biopic about the Belfast rap group of the same name, has landed the top honor at the British Independent Film Awards and a total of seven BIFA awards overall. Writer/director Rich Peppiatt’s debut feature — which went into Sunday’s ceremony already having won four BIFA craft awards — was named best British independent film, with Peppiatt winning best debut screenwriter and Kneecap bandmates Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh (who all play themselves) winning best joint lead.

The National Board of Review just announced the winners of the 2024 NBR Awards with Wicked winning some of the top awards.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and EventsThe Gotham Awards red carpet at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City has opened.Already spotted are Pamela Anderson, Guy Pearce, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and more.“Anora” leads the Monday night ceremony, considered the unofficial launch of the months-long awards march to the Oscars, with four nominations, including best feature. “Nickel Boys,” “Babygirl,” “Challengers” and “A Different Man” are also vying for the top prize.The best director race includes Sean Baker (“Anora”), Jane Schoenbrun (“I Saw the TV Glow”), Payal Kapadia (“All We Imagine as Light”), Guan Hu (“Black Dog”) and RaMell Ross (“Nickel Boys”).The Gothams went genderless for acting awards in 2021 so this year’s best lead performance nominees include Demi Moore (“The Substance”), Pamela Anderson (“The Last Showgirl”), Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”), Saoirse Ronan (“The Outrun”), Justice Smith (“I Saw The TV Glow”), Keith Kupferer (“Ghostlight”), Mikey Madison (“Anora”), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Hard Truths”) and Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”).Check out the best photos, updating live, from the arrivals red carpet below.The 34th edition of the Gothams will be livestreamed on Variety‘s YouTube channel beginning at 4 p.m.

Deadline is proud to launch its new International Grand Tour series which will kick off with Bleecker Street’s Hard Truths, the latest feature from legendary British filmmaker Mike Leigh. The film, which sees Leigh reunite with his Secrets & Lies actors Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Michele Austin, will screen across four major European cities – London, Paris, Rome and Copenhagen – followed by a Q&A with Jean-Baptiste. (Leigh will also join the Q&A for the London edition).

Jesse Eisenberg has listed Richard Ayoade’s Submarine as one of his favourite films.The actor, who is currently starring in A Real Pain, mentioned Ayoade’s 2010 directorial debut when he was asked to list his four favourite films.“My favourite British person is Richard Ayoade, who’s my friend, and his movie Submarine is like the movie I’ve seen more than any other movie,” he said.Adapted from Joe Dunthorne’s acclaimed novel of the same name, the film, starring Craig Roberts, has become a cult classic thanks to its open-hearted portrayal of teen life in Welsh suburbia. Initially shown in just 59 UK cinemas, it gathered steam via word-of-mouth and soon won a wide release after box office-busting first-week ticket sales.A post shared by Letterboxd (@letterboxd)It was also noted for its soundtrack which was written and performed by Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner.The other films Eisenberg listed included Armando Iannucci’s The Death Of Stalin, Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Mike Leigh’s Naked.A Real Pain – which is out in US and UK cinemas on January 10, 2025 – sees Eisenberg star alongside Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy and Daniel Oreskes.The plot revolves around two cousins who head to Poland to explore their family’s roots and celebrate their late grandmother.Speaking to Variety, Eisenberg recently spoke about his family history and how it influenced him to make the film.“My grandfather was born in the US, but his cousins and uncles lived in [Polish town] Krasnystaw and they all died in horrible ways.

Reuniting with filmmaker Mike Leigh for Hard Truths three decades after her breakthrough in their collaboration Secrets and Lies, Marianne Jean-Baptiste embarked on an unconventional route with the director to create not just her character, but the film’s story and fully-formed world.

The British film industry mourns the loss of a true legend, Dick Pope, who has passed away at 77.The Oscar nominee was celebrated for his work in films like Mr Turner and The Illusionist. His passing was confirmed by the British Society of Cinematographers, which released a heartfelt statement: "It is with deepest sadness that we learn of the passing of our friend and colleague Dick Pope BSC." They praised his collaborative spirit and passion for cinematography, noting his eagerness to adopt new technologies while honouring past traditions.

Dick Pope, the veteran British cinematographer best known for his decades-long collaboration with legendary filmmaker Mike Leigh has died. He was 77. 

British film icon Dick Pope has sadly died aged 77.

J. Kim Murphy Richard Pope, the British cinematographer who collaborated with director Mike Leigh across his career and earned an Oscar nomination for his work lensing Leigh’s 2014 biopic “Mr. Turner,” has died.

Deadline on Monday launched the streaming site featuring all panel conversations from Contenders London, the movie awards-season kickoff that featured creatives and key craftspeople from seven buzzy films that will be at the forefront of kudos conversations leading up to the Oscars.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor “The Room Next Door,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Maria” and “The Brutalist” and “A Real Pain” are among the films featuring at the 11th Miami Film Festival GEMS. The Festival’s fall midseason event will take place from Oct. 30 – Nov.

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter Like many of the fall film festivals, New York Film Festival had to mount its 2023 edition during the actors strike and without major stars like Emma Stone (“Poor Things”), Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore (“May December”) or Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal (“All of Us Strangers”) in attendance to promote their movies. So, NYFF’s artistic director Dennis Lim is relieved the annual celebration of cinema is returning in 2024 with business as usual.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The European Film Academy has added a further 16 feature films to the longlist – known as the Feature Film Selection – for the European Film Awards. With the already announced 29 films the list comprises 45 titles.

Whitney Cinkala Variety will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bleecker Street with a cocktail party and awards presentation to Bleecker Street CEO Andrew Karpen on October 5 at the New York Film Festival. Karpen will be honored with the Variety Vanguard Award for his exemplary leadership and extensive contributions to the indie film community. Variety’s co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh will give remarks and present the award.

José Luis Rebordinos, director of the San Sebastian Film Festival, has just over a week until opening night when he sits down for an interview with Deadline, and he is still plagued by one niggling organizational issue. 

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent SAN SEBASTIAN — Is this the San Sebastián Catalan Film Festival? Always boasting a sterling presence at San Sebastián, Catalonia has a massive 27 titles this year, counting five projects in doc forum Lau Haizetara and including four of the five Spanish movies in main Competition and 10 in Made in Spain. Following a break-down of major section titles: “Afternoons of Solitude,” (Andergraun Films, Ideale Audience, LaCima Producciones) Albert Serra’s not at all obvious follow-up to Cannes competition player “Pacifiction,” a portrait of star bullfighter Andrés Roca Rey at work.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent In terms of stars — Cate Blanchett, Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton, Pamela Anderson — and auteur power — Pedro Almodóvar, Sean Baker, Costa Gavras, Edward Berger, Mike Leigh, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Joshua Oppenheimer, François Ozon, Lupita Nyong’o, Mohammad Rasoulof, Walter Salles, Maite Alberdi — this year’s San Sebastián Festival promises one of its biggest editions ever. Yet it’s the Spanish festival’s wealth of new talent and rising names in its industry competitions sets it apart. Here are 10 things to expect from the fest, which runs Sept.

Lesley Manville, the star of The Crown, has opened up about her love for portraying strong, fearless, and flamboyant female characters. At 68, Lesley feels that age doesn't limit her as she enjoys a thriving period in her acting journey. Reflecting on her remarkable 50-year career during an event at London's V&A museum, she expressed her appreciation for her versatile talents.