Film4 Productions

Ashley Walters has started production on his directorial debut, Film4-backed Animol, written by Nick Love, a searing portrayal of life within the confines of a Young Offenders’ Institution. Animol was developed by Film4 in collaboration with Joi Productions. Film4 is collaborating with Sky for the first time as co-financiers on the project, with the British Film Institute (BFI) (awarding National Lottery funding) also financing. Animol’s cast includes upcoming talent Tut Nyuot and Vladyslav Baliuk, plus Stephen Graham and Sharon Duncan-Brewster. Ollie Madden, Director of Film4 and Channel 4 Drama comments: “Ashley, Nick and team have been carefully developing this project with us for almost six years, and we couldn’t be happier that it’s finally ready to go into production. Ashley’s vision for the film is incredibly compelling and I’m confident his first feature as a director will be a knock-out. It’s also very exciting to be embarking on the first ever collaboration between Film4, BFI and Sky.” 📸: Anthony Dickenson

Last weekend we celebrated the World Premiere of Film4-backed The Thing With Feathers at the Eccles Centre in Park City at Sundance Film Festival. It was followed by an insightful Q&A with director Dylan Southern, author Max Porter and lead actor Benedict Cumberbatch.

SXSW here we come with The Secret of Me and Surviving Earth! ·      The Secret of Me, follows the search for truth after an extraordinary discovery for one young student, the film uncovers a radical psychology experiment leading to a global medical scandal. Directed by Grace Hughes-Hallett (producer of Three Identical Strangers) and our partners Rogan Productions, Dogwoof and Screen Scotland.. ·      Surviving Earth the debut film from writer and director Thea Gajic will have its World Premiere at the 2025 SXSW! The film is based on a captivating true story about a talented harmonica player as he rebuilds his life after fleeing the conflict in Yugoslavia in the 90s. We cannot wait for you to see this! #TheSecretOfMe #SurvivingEarth

Film4-backed The Thing with Feathers and Hot Milk are heading to Berlinale 🎉🎉 Marking its world premiere as the sole debut film in the Competition line-up is Hot Milk. Directed by Rebecca Lenkiewicz this film stars Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw, Vicky Krieps, and Vincent Perez. The Thing with Feathers directed by Dylan Southern’s starring Benedict Cumberbatch is part of the Berlinale Special Gala. This marks its European premiere.

Let’s hear it for the BAFTA Film Award nominees 👏   Film4 is delighted to have received nominations for Outstanding Debut, Leading Actress, and two for Outstanding British Film. Massive congratulations to all involved and we look forward to celebrating next month!   #HardTruths #LoveLiesBleeding #SisterMidnight 

Congratulations to Jesse Plemons who has been nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role — Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards for his role in Film4-backed Kinds of Kindness! 🏆   #KindsofKindness #GoldenGlobes

The Thing with Feathers by Dylan Southern, starring Oscar-nominee Benedict Cumberbatch, is making its World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival! 🌟 Produced by Andrea Cornwell’s Lobo Films alongside Film4, Sunnymarch and Los Angeles-based Align, with mK2 is handling sales, a young father, struggling to process the sudden and unexpected death of his wife, loses his hold on reality as a seemingly malign presence begins to stalk him from the shadowy recesses of the apartment he shares with his two young sons. A deeply moving yet wickedly funny adaptation of Max Porter’s acclaimed novel.

🎉New Writing North’s Film4-backed Genre Feature Lab has selected three debut feature projects for its inaugural edition: The Lost, written by Jackie Okwera; Scrum, written by Bethan Moore; and You Can Leave Whenever You Want, written by Emilie Robson. 🎬The Genre Feature Lab aims to identify and nurture writing talent from the North of England and it is the organisation’s latest collaboration with Film4’s parent organisation Channel 4, after the Northern Talent Network and Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards. 🎥“The genre lab gives us a focused approach to developing relationships with storytellers from the region.” - Amy O’Hara, development and production executive at Film4.

🏆The British Independent Film Award goes to…   Last night at the BIFAs Marianne Jean-Baptiste won Best Lead Performance for Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths and Thea Sharrock’s Wicked Little Letters was also awarded Best Ensemble Performance by the BIFA jury. This follows the craft award announcements which saw Ben Fordesman win Best Cinematography for Rose Glass’ Love Lies Bleeding. Congratulations! 🎉 🎉   “Congratulations to Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, Thea Sharrock’s Wicked Little Letters and Rose Glass’ Love Lives Bleeding. These films represent the broad range of bold, original, independent filmmaking coming out of the UK, and Film4 is thrilled to have backed them.    “Mike Leigh is one of the very best filmmakers working today, and it’s wonderful that the incomparable Marianne Jean-Baptiste has been recognised for her tour de force performance. Thea Sharrock’s smash hit comedy Wicked Little Letters captivated audiences with its winning ensemble cast, so it’s fabulous news the jury has chosen to reward these expert performances.” - Ollie Madden, Director of Film4 & Channel 4 Drama

Behind every great film is an even greater crew and we're thrilled to celebrate the hard work and expertise of Ben Fordesman, who has won the Best Cinematography BIFA for his work on Film4 production Love Lies Bleeding!