HIFF The Hamptons International Film Festival and BAFTA New York set to Honor Working Title Films with the Goldeb Starfish Award
East Hampton, NY (September 18, 2013) - The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts New York (BAFTA New York), announced today that they will present Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, co-chairs of British production powerhouse Working Title Films, with this year’s Golden Starfish Award for Lifetime Achievement on October 12th during the festival.
BAFTA and Academy® Award Winner Renée Zellweger will Introduce the Honorees and be joined by Richard Curtis, Joe Wright and Edgar Wright to toast the Producers.
Working Title Films has produced some of the most well known films from the UK including LES MISERABLES, ATONEMENT, FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL, ELIZABETH, and BILLY ELLIOT to name just a few. Richard Curtis (ABOUT TIME, LOVE ACTUALLY), Edgar Wright (THE WORLD'S END, SHAUN OF THE DEAD) and Joe Wright (ANNA KARENINA, ATONEMENT), three directors and longtime collaborators responsible for some of Working Title Films most acclaimed titles, will join Renee Zellweger, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner in conversation for an insider’s view of Working Title Films.
“The Hamptons International Film Festival is pleased to recognize Working Title Films and its incredible body of work,” said Anne Chaisson, Executive Director of The Hamptons International Film Festival. “Honoring outstanding international cinema is the central point of the Festival’s mission and Working Title has been a game changer on the international stage. It is a great privilege to partner with BAFTA New York to acknowledge Working Title and its standout achievements.”
"We are incredibly grateful to be receiving this recognition from the Hamptons International Film Festival," said Working Title Co-Chairs Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. "This Festival has always championed films and filmmakers that we admire, so to be included in such an illustrious group is indeed an honor."
The event will be the focal point of HIFF and BAFTA New York's second “Focus on UK Film” series a line-up that highlights new UK productions featuring notable British talent working in front of and behind the cameras. As part of the tribute, “Focus on UK Film” will also host a screening of Working Title Films new production ABOUT TIME directed by Richard Curtis, starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, and Bill Nighy. In addition, “Focus on UK Film” will also host the following screenings: the BBC AMERICA biopic BURTON AND TAYLOR directed by Richard Laxton and starring Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West; EFFIE GRAY also directed by Richard Laxton, and starring Dakota Fanning, Emma Thompson and Tom Sturridge; THE INVISIBLE WOMAN directed by Ralph Fiennes, starring Fiennes, Felicity Jones and Kristin Scott Thomas, and many more to be announced.
The 2013 sponsors of Focus on UK Film are BAFTA NEW YORK and the GREAT campaign.
Charles Tremayne, Chairman, BAFTA New York said: “BAFTA New York and HIFF share similar goals in our commitment to cinema as an art form and to the creative artists behind it. It is without dispute that Working Title is one of the leading production companies in the world. They have been instrumental in developing a new wave of British directors, writers, and actors that are not only household names, but their creative genius has also impacted the way the world and the industry views films. The ‘Focus on UK Film’ initiative is in keeping with BAFTA New York’s ongoing mission which is to support British film production and expand awareness of UK talent in the US.”
“I’m delighted that, through the GREAT campaign, we are again supporting the ‘Focus on UK Film’ at the Hamptons International Film Festival,” said Danny Lopez, British Consul General for New York. “It also gives me great pleasure this year that Britain’s Working Title Films is being recognised for its amazing contribution to world film. The UK has always been a fantastic breeding-ground for talent on both sides of the camera. The government’s tax credits demonstrate our continuing support for the film industry, and make the UK an ideal place for home-grown companies, like Working Title, and international companies to grow their business and take advantage of our highly skilled workforce.”
The Tribute to Working Title Films is produced by Luke Parker Bowles and Harlene Freezer. Both serve on the Hamptons International Film Festival’s Advisory Board and are Board Members of BAFTA New York.
About Working Title Films
Working Title Films, co-chaired by Bevan and Fellner since 1992, is one of the world’s leading film production companies. The company has made more than 100 productions, which have grossed nearly $6 billion worldwide and garnered more than 250 Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. Working Title Films has won 35 BAFTA Awards, and 10 Academy Awards. Working Title Films enjoys successful creative collaborations with filmmakers including: Joel and Ethan Coen, Stephen Daldry, and Paul Greengrass; and actors Rowan Atkinson, Cate Blanchett, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Renee Zellweger and Emma Thompson, among others. Its extensive and diverse productions have included Mike Newell’s Four Weddings and a Funeral; Richard Curtis’ Love Actually; Stephen Daldry’s Billy Elliot; Roger Michell’s Notting Hill; Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz; Paul and Chris Weitz’ About a Boy; Adam Brooks’ Definitely, Maybe; both Bridget Jones movies (directed by Sharon Maguire and Beeban Kidron, respectively); Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice and Atonement; Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables; Baltasar Kormákur’s Contraband, starring Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale; both Nanny McPhee movies (directed by Kirk Jones and Susanna White, respectively); both Johnny English movies (directed by Peter Howitt and Oliver Parker, respectively); Asif Kapadia’s Senna, the company’s first documentary feature, about legendary race car driver Ayrton Senna; Paul Greengrass’ United 93; and Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon and the upcoming Ron Howard film, Rush.
About The Hamptons International Film Festival
The Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to celebrate Independent film – long, short, fiction and documentary – and to introduce a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to our audiences. The festival is committed to exhibiting films that express fresh voices and differing global perspectives, with the hope that these programs will enlighten audiences, provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers and present inspired entertainment for all. The 21st Annual Hamptons International Film Festival will take place October 10-14, 2013.
For further information, visit www.hamptonsfilmfest.org
About BAFTA New York
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts represents 6500 industry professionals working in film, television and games worldwide. The organization supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public.
BAFTA New York (www.bafta.org/newyork/) is charged with carrying BAFTA’s mission forward in the New York community. This is accomplished through a vibrant society of senior level professionals based in the New York epicenter of international media production. BAFTA New York’s annual calendar includes a diverse line-up of programs and events, with over 70 pre-release film screenings, talkbacks with talent, and panels focusing on industry trends in television, film and multimedia. Educational Outreach is aimed at underserved youth in the NYC schools, and also includes The BAFTA New York Media Scholarship Program established to support students pursuing media studies at public institutions located within the New York City area.
About the GREAT campaign
The GREAT campaign is an international campaign to maximize the tourism and business opportunities from the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is showcasing the very best of the UK from business to sport to culture across the globe.
Media Contacts:
BAFTA New York Contact:
Marlea Willis - [email protected]/212-485-9810
Hamptons International Film Festival Press Contact:
FRANK PR | 646-861-0843
Lina Plath | [email protected]
Clare Anne Darragh | [email protected]
