EXCLUSIVE: Luke Arnold, Bella Heathcote and Jay Ryan are set to lead Scrublands, a TV adaptation of Chris Hammer’s novel for Australian streamer Stan.
08.02.2023 - 13:05 / deadline.com
Editor’s note: Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series debuts and celebrates the scripts of films factoring in this year’s movie awards races.
For her debut feature, filmmaker Georgia Oakley returns to 1980s Britain as Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government has introduced Section 28, a clause of the Local Government Act that seeks to prohibit “the promotion of homosexuality” by local authorities across the United Kingdom.
At the time, protests were rife, but many gay women and men felt compelled to keep their sexuality a secret.
Blue Jean, written and directed by Oakley, follows Jean, a school gym teacher who keeps her sexuality a secret from her colleagues. The threat is immediate and real: if exposed, her love life could cost her her job. However, Jean finds little sympathy from her girlfriend, Viv. Out and proud, Viv is part of a cooperative of similarly assertive lesbian women. Viv regards secrecy as a capitulation to an increasingly oppressive system. As pressure mounts from all sides, the arrival of a new girl at school catalyzes a crisis that will challenge Jean to her core.
Blue Jean debuted at Venice Days, where it won the People’s Choice Award, and went on to play London, Rotterdam, and Zurich. The film has also picked up four gongs at the BIFAs, including Best Debut Screenwriter, and is nominated for the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer BAFTA.
“My motivation for telling Jean’s story stems from a personal understanding of internalized homophobia, as well as a desire to give voice to those forgotten teachers who battled stigma and defamation under Section 28,” Oakley has said of the film. “I’m fed up with everyone saying how far we’ve come when insidious, homophobic laws like
EXCLUSIVE: Luke Arnold, Bella Heathcote and Jay Ryan are set to lead Scrublands, a TV adaptation of Chris Hammer’s novel for Australian streamer Stan.
Vernon Kay will replace Ken Bruce on his BBC Radio 2 mid-morning weekday show, the BBC has confirmed.The TV presenter, 48, will take over in May following the announcement last month that Scottish broadcasting veteran Ken, 72, would be stepping down from presenting his mid-morning show on the station after 31 years. Ken will present his final show on 3 March, the BBC confirmed on Friday.
In a typical household, over half of the energy bills are spent on heating and hot water, but an inefficient boiler means not only will you be spending more than you need on energy costs, you could also end up with lukewarm radiators and a heating system that never quite works properly.
While reflecting back on his time as Mike Hannigan in TV's "Friends," Paul Rudd admited feeling he "shouldn't be" in the final episode. "It was really fun and they were great," Rudd said of the "Friends" cast while appearing on the "Heart Breakfast" show with JK and Kelly Brook. "The whole thing was a bit surreal … to be a part of that." "I never knew that I was going to be in as many [episodes] that I was," Rudd explained.
76th annual EE British Academy Film Awards were announced live during a ceremony hosted by Richard E. Grant and Alison Hammond at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Cate Blanchett is looking as gorgeous as ever on the red carpet at the 2023 EE British Academy Film Awards on Sunday (February 19) at Royal Albert Hall in London, England.
*WINNER.BEST FILM“All Quiet on the Western Front,” Malte Grunert“The Banshees of Inisherin,” Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh“Elvis,” Gail Berman, Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Patrick McCormick, Schuyler Weiss“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Jonathan Wang“Tár,” Todd Field, Scott Lambert, Alexandra MilchanOUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM“Aftersun,” Charlotte Wells, Producer(s) TBC“The Banshees of Inisherin” Martin McDonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin“Brian and Charles,” Jim Archer, Rupert Majendie, David Earl, Chris Hayward“Empire of Light,” Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande,” Sophie Hyde, Debbie Gray, Adrian Politowski, Katy Brand“Living,” Oliver Hermanus, Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley, Kazuo Ishiguro“Roald Dalh’s Matilda the Musical,” Matthew Warchus, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn, Luke Kelly, Dennis Kelly“See How They Run,” Tom George, Gina Carter, Damian Jones, Mark Chappell“The Swimmers,” Sally El Hosaini, Producer(s) TBC, Jack Thorne“The Wonder,” Sebastián Lelio, Ed Guiney, Juliette Howell, Andrew Lowe, Tessa Ross, Alice Birch, Emma DonoghueOUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER“Aftersun,” Charlotte Wells (Writer/Director)“Blue Jean,” Georgia Oakley (Writer/Director), Hélène Sifre (Producer)“Electric Malady,” Marie Lidén (Director)“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” Katy Brand (Writer)“Rebellion,” Maia Kenworthy (Director)FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE“All Quiet on the Western Front” Edward Berger, Malte Grunert *WINNER“Argentina, 1985,” Santiago Mitre, Producer(s) TBC“Corsage,” Marie Kreutzer“Decision to Leave,” Park Chan-wook, Ko Dae-seok“The Quiet Girl,” Colm Bairéad, Cleona Ní ChrualaoíDOCUMENTARY“All That Breathes,”
It’s officially awards season - famously Schitt’s Creek’s Moira Rose’s favourite time of the year. While the biggest ones in music (the Grammys and the Brits) have been and gone, it’s almost time for the BAFTAS, which celebrates the best of British television and film. While the nominees battle it out for the likes of Best British Film, Best Actress/Actor and Best Documentary, etc.
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Rita Ora’s red carpet looks are just as stellar as her lyrics.
Paul Rudd got an unexpected phone call as he was promoting Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on BBC Radio 1 this morning.
Jason Alexander will make his Broadway directing debut this summer with Sandy Rustin’s comedy The Cottage. Starring will be Eric McCormack, Laura Bell Bundy and Lilli Cooper.
A new poll conducted by YouGov for StepChange Debt Charity, has revealed that 43 per cent of the UK population, including 48 per cent of Scottish adults, equivalent to more than two million people, have found it difficult to keep up with household bills and credit payments in the last few months.
Bella Thorne is giving love a chance! The Hollywood star is celebrating Valentine’s Day with her new boyfriend and she looks happier than ever. Her new romance with Mark Emms, who is known for being a film producer, comes three months after calling off her engagement to Benjamin Mascolo.
Ruth Langsford wasted no time in outing Coleen Nolan's off-air remarks as they both appeared on Loose Women. The pair were back on the ITV lunchtime show's panel on Tuesday (February 14) alongside Denise Welch and Janet Street-Porter.
Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International BAFTA’s new CEO Jane Millichip is preparing to welcome the largest group of nominees to ever turn up at this weekend’s film awards. It’s exciting, says the executive, both from a red carpet perspective, but also as a testament to the growing appeal of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. “It’s the real mandate of BAFTA that people are flying from all corners of the world to come to our ceremony. I’m really proud of that, to be honest,” says Millichip. Guests confirmed to attend as presenters include Brian Cox, Catherine-Zeta-Jones, Cynthia Erivo, Diego Luna, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jamie Dornan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jodie Turner-Smith, Julianne Moore, Lily James, Martin Freeman, Matthew Modine, Rami Malek, Regé Jean Page, Rita Wilson, Sir Patrick Stewart, Taron Egerton, Toheeb Jimoh and Troy Kotsur.
Five episodes in and the HBO series The Last Of Us has already become one of the most talked about shows of 2023. The third episode of the series, which featured a gay storyline with Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman playing a gay couple, won critical acclaim.Murray Bartlett (right) and Nick Offerman play a gay couple in the HBO series ‘The Last of Us’.Ramsey plays the role of teenager Ellie in the series, who is travelling with Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, across America, after a mutated Cordyceps fungus outbreak. The Last of Us is based on a very successful video game and in Part II of the original game, Ellie falls in love with another woman Dina and also introduces a trans character Lev. Ramsey, who is non-binary, told British GQ in an interview that she was not concerned with the reaction of homophobes. Ramsey revealed that she had worn a chest binder for most of the shooting of Season 1 and had “honest” conversations around gender and sexuality with Pascal, who has a trans sister. “And they weren’t always deep: they could be funny and humorous, the whole spectrum. We were just very honest and open with each other,” Ramsey told GQ. Blair Durkee, the associate director of gaming for GLAAD, told that for “many LGBTQ people, to see characters like yourself represented in the games you play can be critical.
Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, the heirs to the UK throne, will attend the upcoming BAFTA for the first time in three years, Kensington Palace has announced. William, who has been the president of BAFTA since 2010, and Kate will watch the ceremony being held at the Royal Festival Hall on 19 February before meeting the winners and Rising Star Award nominees.The royal couple last attended the event in person in 2020 with the prince last year recording a video message in his place, in which he congratulated those nominated and praised the work of BAFTAs programmes.
Good Morning Britain viewers have questioned the changes to the show's hosting line-up as Susanna Reid was replaced by Ranvir Singh. Viewers of the ITV news programme are used to seeing Susanna at the helm of the show at the start of the week alongside the likes of Richard Madeley and Ed Balls.
EXCLUSIVE: 12 Years A Slave and Brokeback Mountain outfit River Road Entertainment has joined Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd’s feature Unicorns as producer and financier.