British films in UK Cinemas and on Digital, DVD & Blu-Ray March 2019.
March is a busy month for UK film with 22 releases, including an impressive 16 in selected British & Irish Cinemas. In the list we have included Belgian film HANNAH starring the unsurpassable Charlotte Rampling, and Lee Cronin's highly anticipated Irish horror THE HOLE IN THE GROUND.
If we have missed any titles then please let us know by email contacts@britflicks.com
You can massively help BritFlicks & indie film by subscribing to the Britflicks YouTube Channels, BritFlicks for film trailers and BritFlicksExtra for behind the scenes.
DESTINATION DEWSBURY in Showcase Cinemas 1st March 2019.
Directed By Jack Spring
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis; Back in the 80s, five inseparable friends cause ruckus in their schooldays. Twenty years on and they've got jobs they don't want, and wives who don't want them. The leader of the gang, Frankie, is now dying in Yorkshire. The others find out and get together for one last sad, mad, bad road trip to Dewsbury, before it's all too late. Rude but loveable British comedy at its finest.
BURNING MEN is in UK Cinemas 1st March 2019.
Directed By Jeremy Wooding
Genre: Drama/Road Movie
Synopsis: When young musicians Ray (Ed Hayter) and Don (Aki Omoshaybi) are evicted from their South London squat, they decide to sell their precious vinyl collection and fly to Memphis in search of their destiny. Frustrated by the shortfall in funds, they steal an ‘uber-rare’ Black Metal record at a Camden record fair and head out of town to sell it. As they drive north in their beaten-up Volvo Amazon, picking up hitchhiker Susie (Elinor Crawley) en route, they find themselves stalked by dark forces apparently unleashed by the ‘devil disc’ they have stolen.
Jeremy Wooding talks with Stuart Wright on the BritFlicks Podcast.
THE HOLE IN THE GROUND is in UK & Irish Cinemas 1st March 2019. (Irish Film)
Directed By Lee Cronin
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: Sarah moves her precocious son Chris to a secluded new home in a rural town, trying to ease his apprehensions as they hope for a fresh start after a difficult past. But after a startling encounter with a mysterious new neighbour, Sarah’s nerves are set on edge.
Chris disappears in the night into the forest behind their house, and Sarah discovers an ominous, gaping sinkhole while searching for him. Though he returns, some disturbing behavioural changes emerge, and Sarah begins to worry that the boy who came back is not her son.
https://www.facebook.com/TheHoleInTheGround/
HANNAH is in selected UK Cinemas from 1st March 2019. (Belgian Film)
Directed By Andrea Pallaoro
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: Starring Charlotte Rampling, Hannah is the intimate portrait of a woman's loss of identity as she teeters between denial and reality. Left alone grappling with the consequences of her husband's imprisonment, Hannah begins to unravel. Through the exploration of her fractured sense of identity and loss of self-control, the film investigates modern day alienation, the struggle to connect, and the dividing lines between individual identity, personal relationships, and societal pressures.
Pat Kelman talks with Stuart Wright about setting up 606 DISTRIBUTION.
ACCEPTABLE DAMAGE is in selected UK Cinemas from 3rd March 2019
Directed By Lavinia Simina
Genre: Drama/Social Realism
Synopsis: Katy, an Aspergic teenager dreams of becoming a rock star. Three things stand in her way. She is being harassed by a gang of ex school friends. Her mother Lucy is so keen to protect her from abuse that she restricts her freedom. Katy is unaware that her boyfriend Roxy is one of the gang. Gang leader Rabbit wants to make Katy feel as low as he has been made to feel by the world around him. When Katy sings live feels that the future she has planned is on it’s way. But when the gang break into her house and she sees Roxy with them, the situation escalates. Lucy frantically calls the police. Katy responds wildly by attacking one of them. She is arrested and taken to the police station alone. Katy wants Roxy to choose between her and Rabbit. But has his loyalty come too late?
Cineworld - Harlow (3rd March)
Cineworld - Bradford (10th March)
Cineworld - Birmingham (17th March)
POSSUM is released on Digital. DVD & Blu-Ray 4th March 2019.
Directed By Matthew Holness
Genre: Horror/Thriller/Drama
POSSUM is about a disgraced puppeteer (played by Sean Harris) on the edge of his own sanity.
POSSUM is Matt Holness' debut feature. He is probably best known for 2004’s Garth Marenghi's DARKPLACE, and boy has he switched dramatic gears. Where once he revelled in a very British horror parody, be prepared to wallow in a bleak, fever dream about one man isolation and abandonment issues.
Phillip (played by Sean Harris) is a disgraced puppeteer on the edge of his own sanity. He carries a brown leather holdall that contains a gruesome spider like puppet with an adult doll’s face. He spends a lot of the film trying to get rid of it, but like the book in THE BABADOOK, it inexplicably comes back. When he’s not coping with his own dissociative unreality he’s being taunted and teased by unhinged stepfather Maurice – a minimalist Fagin character who Alun Armstrong twists and turns for his own morbid fascination and ours.
POSSUM is Matt Holness' debut feature. He is probably best known for 2004’s Garth Marenghi's DARKPLACE, and boy has he switched dramatic gears. Where once he revelled in a very British horror parody, be prepared to wallow in a bleak, fever dream about one man isolation and abandonment issues.
Phillip (played by Sean Harris) is a disgraced puppeteer on the edge of his own sanity. He carries a brown leather holdall that contains a gruesome spider like puppet with an adult doll’s face. He spends a lot of the film trying to get rid of it, but like the book in THE BABADOOK, it inexplicably comes back. When he’s not coping with his own dissociative unreality he’s being taunted and teased by unhinged stepfather Maurice – a minimalist Fagin character who Alun Armstrong twists and turns for his own morbid fascination and ours.
H IS FOR HARRY is in selected UK Cinemas from 7th March 2019.
Directed By Edward Owles & Jaime Taylor
Genre: Documentary
Synopsis: What does it take to change a child’s life? H IS FOR HARRY is a coming of age story about Harry, a charismatic 11-year old boy, who arrives at secondary school in suburban London unable to read or write. With the help of Sophie, his extremely dedicated teacher, can he overcome the illiteracy ingrained across generations of his family? Against the backdrop of a Britain riven with
debates around class, identity and social mobility, the film follows Harry over two years as he
fights not only to improve academically but also to believe in a different future for himself.
For screening info visit www.hisforharry.com/watch
MAIDEN is in UK Cinemas 8th March 2019.
Directed By Alex Holmes
Genre: Documentary
Maiden is the inspirational story of how Tracy Edwards, a 24-year-old cook on charter boats, became the skipper of the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989.
Tracy’s dream was opposed on all sides: her male competitors thought an all-women crew would never make it, the chauvinistic yachting press took bets on her failure, and potential sponsors rejected her, fearing they would die at sea and generate bad publicity. But Tracy refused to give up: she re-mortgaged her home and bought a second-hand boat, putting everything on the line to ensure the team made it to the start line.
Although blessed with tremendous self-belief Tracy was also beset by crippling doubts and was only able to make it through with the support of her remarkable crew. With their help she went on to shock the sport and prove that women are the equal of men.
RAY & LIZ is in UK Cinemas 8th march 2019.
Directed By Richard Billingham
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: Renowned photographer Richard Billingham makes his feature-film debut with this intricate family portrait, inspired by his own memories of growing up in the West Midlands in the late 70s and early 80s, and then his father and mother in the late 90’s.
Billingham revisits the figures of his earlier photographs — his alcoholic father Ray; his mother Liz; and his younger brother Jason — with a series of family vignettes where life, lived on the margins of society and societal taboos, can spiral out of control.
SCOTCH: THE GOLDEN DRAM is in UK Cinemas 8th March 2019.
Genre: Documentary
Synopsis: SCOTCH: THE GOLDEN DRAM, a revealing feature documentary on how Scotch whisky became the premier spirit of choice around the globe, will be released in UK and Irish cinemas on March 8 by Parkland Entertainment and Munro Films. This follows the film’s European premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival on March 1 and Irish premiere at the Dublin International Film Festival on March 2. The film journeys to the stunning Scottish countryside to uncover the history of the craft and to meet some of the biggest names in the industry.
For a full list of Cinema screenings visit:
PETERLOO is released on DVD & Blu-Ray 11th March 2019.
Directed By Mike Leigh
Genre: Historical Drama
Synopsis: From acclaimed director Mike Leigh, Peterloo is an epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter's Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to demand political reform and protest against rising levels of poverty. Many protesters were killed and hundreds more injured, sparking a nationwide outcry but also further government suppression. The Peterloo Massacre was a defining moment in British democracy which also played a significant role in the founding of The Guardian newspaper.
BENJAMIN is in UK Cinemas 15th March 2019, courtesy of Verve Pictures.
Directed By Simon Amstel
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: BENJAMIN is the feature debut from the comedian, actor, writer and director Simon Amstell. The bittersweet comedy tells the story of Benjamin (Colin Morgan) a rising star filmmaker, who is thrown into emotional turmoil on the brink of premiering his second film, when Billie, his hard partying publicist, introduces him to a mesmeric French musician called Noah.
Set among the back streets of North London and East London, BENJAMIN features original music from James Righton of the Klaxons and stars Colin Morgan, Phénix Brossard, Joel Fry, Jack Rowan, Jessica Raine & Anna Chancellor.
FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS is in UK Cinemas 15 March 2019.
Directed By Chris Foggin
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Musical
Synopsis: A fast-living, cynical London music executive (Danny Mays) heads to a remote Cornish village on a stag weekend where he’s pranked by his boss (Noel Clarke) into trying to sign a group of shanty singing fishermen (led by James Purefoy). He becomes the ultimate ‘fish out of water’ as he struggles to gain the respect or enthusiasm of the unlikely boy band and their families (including Tuppence Middleton) who value friendship and community over fame and fortune. As he’s drawn deeper into the traditional way of life he’s forced to re-evaluate his own integrity and ultimately question what success really means.
THE FIGHT in UK Cinemas 15 March 2019.
Directed By JESSICA HYNES
Genre: Boxing Drama
Synopsis: Tina Bell (Jessica Hynes) lives in a quiet seaside town, but her life is anything but quiet – her mother is threatening to leave her father, her daughter is being bullied and she and her husband Mick (Shaun Parkes) are juggling full time jobs and three children. Determined to ditch the dysfunction and beat her inner demons, Tina puts on her fighting gloves, literally – stepping into the boxing ring to sweat out her anxieties and punch up her self-worth. But does she have what it takes to get her family off the ropes and emerge victorious?
THE DEVIL'S DOORWAY is released on DVD & Blu-Ray 18th March 2019.
Directed By Aislinn Clarke
Genre: Horror
Review: Father Thomas has been investigating miracles on behalf of the Catholic Church for 25 years. He became a priest because he wanted to be a good man and get closer to God. But that didn't happen he explains to Father John, his camera operator, filming their investigation into reports that a statue of the Virgin Mary is bleeding from the eyes at a Magdalene Sisters home. What they find through witnessing the nun’s inhumane practices is that this is clearly no place of God.
Early on it's the same old script for Riley. He’s convinced it’s the work of a faker – it always is - and all he has to do is find the pregnant woman with Type O Negative blood living and it's case closed. His explosive confrontations with the wicked Mother Superior don't help, but they spur him on. She tells him that she’s doing the Church’s dirty work to help clean up the society's mess and ills. She asks him how many fathers are fathers to babies born here in one particular tongue-lashing.
Shot on 16mm Aislinn Clarke's 1960 set period film is found footage, but feels closer to watching a lost documentary archive than it is the headache inducing choppy editing that has blighted so much of this horror sub-genre. As a result THE DEVIL’S DOORWAY is a measured piece of cinema you can engage with through what Clarke chooses to share with the audience. She soundly critiques the real world horrors of the Catholic Church malpractices while simultaneously telling a dramatic and scary tale. The revelations of Riley’s own orphaned past bring to a head a fatal sense that what he is unearthing at this moment in his life is a meeting with his own destiny - putting to rest all his self-doubt and disappointments to date. He finds himself mentally, and literally lost in a web of deceit and cruel secrets locked behind the doors of the Magdalene Sister’s home. On the day the Pope is visiting Ireland it felt apt to be watching a horror film at Frightfest that attacks and undermines who and what he stands for in such a clever and exacting way.
Director Aislinn Clarke talks to Stuart Wright on the BritFlicks Podcast
View THE DEVILS DOORWAY on Amazon
Stuart Wright
@LeytonRocks
90 MINUTES is in selected UK Cinemas
Directed By Simon Baker
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: Action unfolds both on, and off the pitch at London’s iconic Hackney Marshes, as Lea Valley Rangers prepare for a must-win match against Forest Road Athletic – their first chance to win the league in living memory. Whilst one drama plays out in plain sight however, many others simmer under the surface.
After a chance meeting with fellow troubled teen, Naima, 17-year-old Jack realises the pivotal match may provide an opportunity to change his relationship with his estranged father, footballer Dave, forever. Long suffering club manager, Nick, struggles to keep his head above water; trying to both save his failing marriage and keep an eye on their rebellious daughter Kara, whilst attempting to guide his team to victory.
There’s the club secretary that has embezzled the end of season fund, the referee who is trying to deal with a parent suffering with dementia, the unexpected arrival of professional team scouts… As the match moves towards its volatile conclusion, emotions flare, secrets are laid-bared and relationships are left hanging in the balance, all in the space of one fateful 90 minute game. Clearly, it’s not always such a beautiful game.
90 MINUTES is must-see for fans of British film, football and anyone who has had the privilege of playing/watching football at the nostalgic Hackney Marshes.
ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE is released on Digital 22nd March 2019.
Directed By John McPhail
Genre: Horror/Zombies/Musical
Review: ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE is a what you say… A horror? Okay, it is Frightfest. A comedy. Yes, there’s a rich history of splicing those two … And a musical? And a Christmas film? Surely that’s too much… Right?
The ambitious idea is born out of the award winning short ZOMBIE MUSICAL written and directed by Ryan McHenry. Sadly he died from cancer in 2015, but before he passed he okayed the continued development of the feature film version.
It stars Ella Hunt in the titular role. If you saw her play Sheridan Smith’s daughter in THE MORE YOU IGNORE ME, earlier this year, you’re aware she is an acting talent on the up and in this role she is equally as impressive. Her ambitions of leaving the sleepy town of Little Haven and seeing the world are cut short when she wakes up one morning to a zombie outbreak. She teams up with her friends to make the all-action, blood soaked journey through the walking dead hordes and be reunited with her father. He is holed up with the tyrannical headmaster – Mr Savage. Every disaster film requires a selfish individual to work against the group and Paul Kaye’s cartoon villain is it.
SINK is released on Digital 25th March 2019.
Directed By Mark Gillis
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: SINK tells the story of Micky Mason, a working class man struggling on a part time/zero hours contract, whilst his dad’s got dementia, and his son is struggling to keep clean when living on an estate where drugs are passed around like candy.
When Micky is sacked from his job and the council want to move his dad to an awful care-home, Micky decides to bring his dad back home to live with him in his run down bedsit. As usual Micky hopes for the best, but slowly he’s sinking into a world of despair and hopelessness, until he finally snaps.
SINK writer/director Mark Gillis talks with Stuart Wright on the BritFlicks Podcast
EATEN BY LIONS is released in UK Cinemas 29th March 2019.
Directed By Jason Wingard
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: EATEN BY LIONS tells the heart-warming story of half-brothers Omar (Antonio Aakeel) and Pete (Jack Carroll), who were raised by their Grandma after their parents were tragically killed by lions in a bizarre accident. When their beloved Gran passes away, they embark on a life-changing journey to find Omar's birth father. What follows is a funny and touching journey of self-discovery for both boys...in Blackpool. The Choudray family represent a truly contemporary example of modern multicultural Britain, but what will the brothers make of their eccentric newfound family?
https://twitter.com/EatenbyLionsUK/
https://www.facebook.com/EatenByLions/
https://www.instagram.com/eatenbylionsuk/
WINTERLONG in UK Cinemas 29th March 2019.
Directed By David Jackson
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: Francis leads his life resolutely on the margins, an existence that is by turns solitary, feral and lawless. When his estranged teenage son, Julian, turns up on his doorstep one day, the two of them are forced into an uneasy relationship together.
Then Francis’ sometime girlfriend Carole appears on the scene. Her presence is a bulwark against his fiery temper and slowly, tentatively, she draws out of him a faith in the world again as the three of them strike up an unlikely rapport.
Carole is called away to continue a tour of Belgium with her band and father and son revert to youthful reverie, wandering freely in the Sussex hinterlands. But this gives way to something darker when Julian reaks a promise by taking a friend into the woods. An accident occurs that puts father and son under the authorities’ spotlight in a blink and they are forced to make a decision which will change their lives forever.
THE VANISHING is in UK Cinemas 29th March 2019.
Directed By Kristoffer Nyholm
Genre: Drama/Mystery/Thriller
Synopsis: THE VANISHING is a psychological thriller inspired by a true, unsolved legend – the Flannan Isle mystery. Set on an uninhabited island 20 miles from the rugged Scottish coast, THE VANISHING tells the story of three lighthouse keepers who stumble on something that isn’t theirs to keep. What follows is an isolation and paranoia-fed battle for survival as the men venture down a path of destruction.
STANLEY A MAN OF VARIETY is released on DVD 29th March 2019.
Directed By Stephen Cookson
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: Passionately convinced of his innocence, Stanley a forgotten and irrelevant nobody approaches his fifteenth year incarcerated in a Victorian psychiatric prison. Once a high risk facility, now in its last days before closure, Stanley seemingly the lone inmate of this now ‘security relaxed' facility, cleans and polishes the grim gothic interior as he has done as a trustee for many years. The routine and metronomic drudgery of this task has always been underpinned with the ever increasing and painful desire to honour a solemn promise he made to himself to visit the grave of his dear departed only daughter on the 15th anniversary of her death.
As this deadline approaches he finds his situation more and more unbearable. The one thing that assuages his grim situation is the ‘trustee inmates’ privilege of being allowed to watch and re-watch the video film section of his prized collection of show business memorabilia on an old television set in his cell. He accesses this via a token system granted to him each day by unseen guards which he feeds into a meter. This eclectic gallery of heart warming and eccentric performers has always acted as cherished friends even surrogate family to this lonely damaged Ignored Man. When this privilege is inexplicably withdrawn, he is so distressed it induces a physical and mental seizure and sets him off on a bizarre unsettling nightmarish journey through his life forcing him to face up to his unusual and damaging upbringing and denied culpability in his own guilt. His mental fragility and grasp on reality is thrown into kaleidoscopic chaos as the adored televisual companions begin to appear as a metamorphosed mixture of both them and him, Displaying there sinister and unsettling side, as well as the benign comical one, they take him on a journey to the unbearable truth and beyond.
