NEW CINEMA FUND INVEST IN MULLAN’S FEATURE

THE New Cinema Fund have announced they are investing £600,000 in ‘Magdalene’, the new feature film from acclaimed actor and director Peter Mullan.
Set in the 1960s, ‘Magdalene’ follows the chilling story of four young women imprisoned in a Magdalene Asylum. The Church in Ireland ran these asylums to house women whose families rejected them as sinners. Rape victims and unmarried mothers were put to work as laundresses in harsh conditions for no pay. The last asylum was finally closed in the 1980s.
‘Magdalene’ is written by and will be directed by Mullan, produced by Frances Higson and will star Vanessa Redgrave. The executive producer is Ed Guiney.
The film is financed by Scottish Screen, Dumfries & Galloway and the Film Council.
‘Momentum’ is distributing in the UK, Lucky Red is distributing in Italy and Wild Bunch, both in the Cannes Official Competition and will handle international sales.
The New Cinema Fund also announced that they are backing the Meera Syal scripted ‘Anita & Me’, based on her best selling novel of the same name to be directed by Metin Huseyin.
‘Anita & Me’ is Syal's second comedy feature after the acclaimed ‘Bhaji On The Beach’. The film tells the bitter/sweet story of a young girl growing up in the late 70's West Midlands. Best known for her comedy skills in the hit television series ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ and her novel ‘Life Is Not All Ha Ha Hee Hee’, Syal was most recently seen as the star of the ‘Single Voices’ comic monologues for Carlton for which she won a Best Actress award. Paul Raphael will produce through his company Starfield Productions.
The New Cinema Fund have launched their pilot programme with: Dagur Kari's ‘Noi The Albino’ to be produced by Icelandic production company Zik Zak, ‘Cork’, a William Boyd scripted feature directed by actress Catherine McCormack and Alex Cox's futuristic thriller ‘Revengers Tragedy’ based on Middleton's Jacobean play. (CD)