Hot British Films Gain Exposure At Sundance

Three of the four UK National Lottery funded titles to screen at the Sundance Film Festival mark feature debuts for new British directors.
The four films co-funded by the UK Film Council, selected by Sundance from a record number of films submitted from around the world are:

• Rupert Wyatt’s The Escapist
• Christ Waitt’s A Complete History of My Sexual Failures
• Olly Blackburn’s Donkey Punch
• James Marsh’s Man on Wire

Sally Caplan, Head of the Premiere Fund said: ”We are delighted that Rupert Wyatt who emerged from the UK Film Council’s Cinema Extreme short film scheme is now among the talented directors whose films have been selected for Sundance 2008. We are particularly thrilled that the film has been included in the festival’s Premiere section. The Escapist is a compelling film and an excellent feature debut. It’s great to see it join a range of Lottery funded titles from new and established talent achieving recognition at one of the world’s leading film festivals.”
The Escapist is backed by the UK Film Council’s Premiere Fund while A Complete History of my Sexual Failures, Donkey Punch and Man on Wire are backed by the New Cinema Fund. The Escapist is a prison escape thriller set in the subterranean tunnels beneath London, starring Brian Cox and Joseph Fiennes. It is the feature debut of award-winning director Rupert Wyatt, who also co-wrote the script.
A Complete History of My Sexual Failures and Donkey Punch are projects from Warp X, the digital studio co-funded by the New Cinema Fund with partners Film4, EM Media, Screen Yorkshire and Optimum Releasing. A Complete History of My Sexual Failures is the feature debut of award-winning shorts writer and director Chris Waitt, a comedy documentary about being a loser in love.
Donkey Punch is the feature debut of writer and director Olly Blackburn and writer David Bloom, with a cast including Julian Morris and Jaime Winstone in a thriller about seven young holiday-makers caught up in a deadly game of survival on a boat.
Man on Wire is a documentary feature from BAFTA award-winning director James Marsh presenting the dramatic retelling of Philippe Petit's daring, and illegal, scheme to walk the high-wire between New York's twin towers - the artistic crime of the 20th century.
Lenny Crooks, Head of the New Cinema Fund said: “With A Complete History of My Sexual Failures and Donkey Punch, Warp X has established itself as the industry leader in low budget feature films made for a worldwide audience. The whole team should be congratulated on achieving a Sundance double, with extremely gifted first time feature film directors Chris Waitt and Olly Blackburn.
“Meanwhile, the selection of Man on Wire, demonstrates the great potential of feature documentaries if we tackle subjects with an international perspective. James Marsh is a proven talent, both in drama and documentary, and we are privileged to be supporting him on this film.”
A number of other British films have also been selected to screen at Sundance including: Isaac Julien’s 'Derek'; Marc Evans’s 'In Prison My Whole Life'; Tanaz Eshaghian’s 'Be Like Others'; Martin McDonagh’s 'In Bruges'; Sharon Maguire’s 'Incendiary'; Stephen Walker’s 'Young @ Heart'.
Sundance taking place from January 17-27 2008 in Park City, Utah, USA, is America’s leading indie film festival, and is the premier showcase for new work by independent filmmakers.
(SP)