Yorkshire Film Celebrates Tyrannosaur's Top Sundance Award

A feature film made in Leeds and Wakefield has won two top awards at Sundance, the world's leading international independent film festival, in Park City Utah over the weekend.
Renowned actor Paddy Considine took the World Cinema Directing Award: Dramatic Award for his feature directorial debut Tyrannosaur, produced by Warp X and co-funded by Screen Yorkshire.
Olivia Colman and Peter Mullan were awarded The World Cinema Special Jury Prizes: Dramatic for Breakout Performances for their roles in the hard-hitting drama, which explores how love and friendship can be found in the darkest of places.
Tyrannosaur, also written by Considine, became the buzz of audiences and critics alike following its World Premiere at Sundance, where it screened in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, on January 21. Filmed in Leeds and Wakefield in 2010, Tyrannosaur was produced on Warp Films' low budget feature initiative Warp X, which aims to support emerging talent to break into features. Tyrannosaur also had its European premiere last week as part of the Bright Future programme of first and second feature films at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Starring Peter Mullan (My Name is Joe, Trainspotting), Olivia Colman (Peep Show, Hot Fuzz) and Eddie Marsan (Happy Go Lucky, Vera Drake). Tyrannosaur tells the story of Joseph (Peter Mullan), a man plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction. As Joseph's life spirals into turmoil, a chance of redemption appears in the form of Hannah (Olivia Colman), a Christian charity shop worker. Their relationship develops to reveal that Hannah is hiding a secret of her own with devastating results on both of their lives.
The wins for Tyrannosaur alongside last week's Best TV Drama Award for This Is England '86 come as Screen Yorkshire undertakes redundancy consultation with fifteen of its nineteen staff.
Hugo Heppell, Head of Production at Screen Yorkshire, who co-funded Tyrannosaur and gave locations and crewing support, said: "We are absolutely thrilled at the success of Tyrannosaur at the Sundance Film Festival and congratulate Paddy Considine, Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman for their richly deserved awards. This unflinching, wonderful film, shot entirely on location in Seacroft, Leeds and part of Screen Yorkshire's long-term commitment to film made through its investment in Warp X, takes it place alongside The Arbor and The Kings Speed among the most lauded films of the year, and shows that film is still very much alive in Yorkshire despite these difficult times."
Paddy Considine, a world-renowned actor, previously co-wrote and starred in Shane Meadows' 2004 film Dead Man's Shoes, as well as appearing in films including In America, The Bourne Ultimatum, A Room For Romeo Brass and My Summer of Love. The script for Tyrannosaur, written by Considine, was based on his 2008 BAFTA-winning short Dog Altogether.
Tyrannosaur is produced by Diarmid Scrimshaw for Warp X and Inflammable Films, co-funded by Film4, the UK Film Council, Screen Yorkshire, Optimum Releasing, EM Media, Madman and Nonstop Entertainment, It will be released in the UK in autumn 2011 by Optimum Releasing, with Protagonist handling international sales.
(KMcA)