Claire Keegan’s acclaimed Magdalene laundries novella reaches the big screen in director Tim Mielant’s atmospheric adaptation who conjures an 80s small-town Ireland that’s as hazardous as a haunted house The tale’s message of hardship and self-sacrifice won’t sit well with those who like their festive movies full of abundant good cheer Small Things Like These casts a powerful spell Fresh from his best actor Oscar win for Oppenheimer Cillian Murphy produces and stars as melancholic Bill Furlong but now has a home and a family and a job hauling truckloads of coal around town or at least an improvement on what went before Then one winter morning he discovers a young woman in the shed outside the local Magdalene laundry The past is not dead; it is still whispering in his ear Mielants and Walsh pace their Samaritan tale to perfection which is to say that Small Things Like These plays out as a halting study in human decency taking the high road in hesitant steps as it pits Murphy’s timid coal merchant against Emily Watson’s unblinking mother superior Bill’s not an obvious hero; he carries the faint air of defeat Yet he can’t look away and knows that the cost will be steep If his small act of kindness veers close to martyrdom it is all the more noble and precious for that Watch a trailer for Small Things Like These.This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Sign up for our weekly email newsletter to never miss a story Rooney Mara stars as Mary Magdalene in the Biblical drama JERUSALEM — On the shores of the Sea of Galilee in Israel a renewed interest in Mary Magdalene is changing her home town’s landscape by the serene lake– arid Israel’s major freshwater reservoir – the Legionnaires of Christ is developing a $100-million pilgrimage retreat with an emphasis on women and feminism Since, 2009, Fr. Juan María Solana of Mexico and Fr. Eanon Kelly of Ireland have been meticulously developing Magdala — The Crossroads of Jewish and Christian History the church and spiritual getaway includes archaeological remains of the town destroyed by the Romans where Mary Magdalene lived ‘Mary Magdalene’ biopic film releases in U.S the first woman in the Bible to see Jesus after his resurrection and not to be confused with Jesus’ mother Mary Magdalene shows the perspective of one of Jesus’s female followers in a sea of 12 male apostles in Jesus’s inner circle It also attempts to stamp out the popular fallacy that Mary was a prostitute prior to becoming a disciple of Jesus during the three years he travelled near Capernaum The biopic, starring Rooney Mara as Mary, Joaquin Phoenix as Jesus and directed by Lion’s Garth Davis lost its distributor in North America last year when sexual assault allegations and the ensuing Me Too movement bankrupted The Harvey Weinstein Company It was scheduled to premiere in the US in 2017 but then premiered in London instead in 2018 The film was released in much of Europe and Australia last year A pop culture fascination with Mary Magdalene can be tied most recently to the 2003 best-selling mystery thriller The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown which centered around a supposed secret family of Jesus and provoked a tsunami of speculation about the story of Miriam from Migdal better known as Mary Magdalene – a Jewish girl from a fisherman’s village on the Sea of Galilee who lived during the tumultuous Roman occupation of Judea 2,000 years ago Mary likely traveled with Jesus on some of his journeys across the Galilee and Golan and accompanied him during his Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem in c 34 CE that ended with her beloved teacher’s crucifixion – and according to Christians – resurrection So far the reviews have not been kind, though the movie probably goes beyond most reviewers’ Biblical literacy. Some Catholic reviews more substantially piece apart the film’s interpretation Magdala is Father Solana and Father Kelly’s second major project in the Holy Land In 2004, Pope John Paul II entrusted Jerusalem’s ruined Notre Dame de France to the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ for renovations and fundraising They aim to turn the Notre Dame center into a venue for interfaith dialogue At the northwest shore of Lake Kinneret (the local name for the Sea of Galilee) in 2009 Solana and Kelly set out to build a more modern version of Notre Dame They spent $16 million to assemble four privately owned plots near the town of Migdal and the destroyed Palestinian village of al-Majdal – both named for the ancient town of Magdala wiped out by Rome in 66 CE at the onset of the First Jewish-Roman War Solana’s intention was to demolish the 1960s-era holiday cabins of the old Hawaii Beach resort and erect in their stead a hotel for 300 guests a restaurant and a lakeside spiritual center the final step before construction could begin was to carry out a salvage dig on the site Neither the Vatican nor the archaeologists dispatched by the Israel Antiquities Authority expected to find anything significant But archaeologists from the IAA and two Mexican universities were stunned to find the vestiges of first-century Magdala where Jesus may have preached and Mary Magdalene once walked The extensive remains of the lost city included a synagogue A fisherman’s workshop for producing the salty cured fish for which Magdala was famous was also found attesting to the village's Greek name Tarichaea meaning “pickled fish,” or fish cannery in more modern parlance Nothing had been disturbed since the Romans sacked the city Artifacts were uncovered just below the surface The Magdala Stone at the Israel Antiquities Authority warehouse in Beit Shemesh one of seven such structures that were contemporaneous with Herod’s Second Temple — that the Roman Catholic priest describes as “providential.” The discovery brought to mind Matthew 4:23: “Jesus went all through Galilee preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God and curing the sicknesses and the ailments of the people.” Remains of the ancient synagogue in Magdala The ancient synagogue contained a limestone block relief with extensive carvings These include a seven-branched menorah flanked by a pair of two-handled jugs and a pair of columns Dina Avshalom-Gorni called the discovery “an exciting and unique find.” “This is the first time that a menorah decoration has been discovered from the days when the Second Temple [early Roman period] was still standing,” Avshalom-Gorni said “We can assume that the engraving that appears on the stone… was done by an artist who saw the seven-branched menorah with his own eyes in the Temple in Jerusalem.” The Magdala Stone may have served as a Torah reading table The priceless artifact is today kept at the Israel Antiquities Authority warehouse near Beit Shemesh Many of the 80,000 pilgrims and tourists who come to the area each year come to imagine Jesus and Mary Magdalene walking around the archaeological park and its synagogue A chapel at Magdala with a boat-shaped altar Mosaics were also found during the excavations and their designs were incorporated in the Duc in Altum chapel that opened near the archaeological garden in 2010. Duc in Altum meaning “Launch into the deep [waters],” was the instruction Jesus gave to his fishermen disciples (Luke 5:4) The chapel facing onto the lake contains an altar shaped like an ancient fishing boat while the domed antechamber leading to the ecumenical prayer hall honors Mary Magdalene “Jesus used to preach to the crowds from Peter’s boat so we tried to reproduce that idea here,” Solana said where a 2,000-year-old fishing boat contemporaneous to Jesus is on display a drought exposed vast stretches of the shoreline Wannabe archaeologists Moshe and Yuval Lufan, brothers living in the village set out to explore the muddy land that had previously been underwater They discovered the newly-exposed hulk of an ancient ship The water-soaked cedar wood was like cardboard A huge conservation effort was made by IAA experts and floated it to the chemical tank they specially created the waterlogged wood was treated until it was stabilized is on display at a museum at the kibbutz “floating on a wave of glass.” But fishing was a common profession in his time and he would have been familiar with this type of vessel and how fishermen used these boats The boat may have been destroyed in 66 CE in the same war that destroyed Migdal in a naval battle between Jewish rebels and the Romans that the historian Josephus said dyed the lake red with blood She too would have known these fishing boats For those seeking to appreciate the life and times of Mary and her master more insight may be found on the shores of Lake Kinneret than in Hollywood The Magdala complex has already been in limited use while still under construction. The center hosted an event on International Women’s Day Mar Magdala is celebrating the Feast of the Holy Site the Magdalena Institute is now accepting reservations for its 6th Annual Women’s Encounter: “Woman Religion Unplugged is part of The Media Project and a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News.EIN: 83-0461425Site design by Peter Freeby Privacy Policy By 2018-03-05T08:25:00+00:00 Garth Davis has never been afraid to face difficult conditions “I have a reputation for dragging my crew into really tough spots,” he smiles “Which means a lot of four-wheel drives and nervous producers.” Having shot his feature debut Lion in Kolkata and Tasmania the Brisbane-born director’s latest film — a humanist told from the perspective of Mary Magdalene (Rooney Mara) and shot in southern Italy and Sicily — required his cast to go hiking intrepidly in rugged mountains while wearing first-century-appropriate footwear and clothing: “You come to my shoots you’re going to be doing a lot of walking…” The challenge of tough location conditions is one Davis cheerily embraces “I love reminding audiences that we’re living creatures within a planet,” he says less than a year after production on Mary Magdalene wrapped in December 2016 Davis faced a very different kind of challenge on some far trickier territory The New York Times detailed numerous allegations of sexual harassment against Harvey Weinstein the continuing allegations fanned out into the industry-shaking #MeToo movement while the producer now decried as an abusive monster saw his career justifiably disintegrate And on its slate of movies set for release in the US sits Mary Magdalene “Right now my producers [Iain Canning and Emile Sherman of See-Saw Films and Liz Watts] are working very hard to find a way to release the movie over there,” Davis says when Screen meets the director in London the day after his film premiered at the National Portrait Gallery But I know they’re working night and day on it at the moment.” and not only because it’s left the film without US distribution. Starring Rooney Mara in the title role and Joaquin Phoenix as Jesus Mary Magdalene is a concerted effort by its makers to set the record straight about Mary who in the late sixth century was officially demoted by Pope Gregory I from the position of apostle to harlot – a misrepresentation that’s tainted her image ever since “What happened to Mary Magdalene and her identity over the centuries was a travesty Here was an opportunity to give a voice for someone who had been silenced for so long.” the notion of this patriarchal-dogma-defying story being connected to a man like Harvey Weinstein is a troubling one for Davis “Our film celebrates everything that is the antithesis of what’s happened It’s definitely something you can’t be associated with So my main focus is just to celebrate Mary and get her story out into the world Weinstein had no creative involvement in the film Mary Magdalene was produced by Canning and Sherman’s See-Saw with TWC handling US distribution on many of the UK-Australian outfit’s productions dating back to The King’s Speech “It wasn’t like I was working with Harvey directly But I hope people realise that just because you’re doing a project with a company like that it’s not a reflection on you and the people who were working on the film I’m sure people are intelligent enough to know that Though it’s not something I feel comfortable about.” has nothing to do with the fact that Mary Magdalene has been noticeably absent from the festival circuit — at least until its screening at the Audi Dublin International Film Festival which happened the day after Screen and Davis speak That was more to do with the fact that they simply weren’t ready soon enough and we finished it at a very awkward time,” Davis says “The issue I had is that I’d gone straight from Lion into this That was also one of the reasons why we had a relationship with the Weinsteins on Mary because it allowed us to manage the two projects as well I had to stop editing for a while to go and do the Oscars [Lion received six Academy nominations] So there were a lot of delays because of Lion.” Davis says he’s looking forward to “taking a breather” Though true-life Somali kidnap drama A House In The Sky has been touted as his next project he says “we’re still talking about that,” and there’s “nothing concrete at this point.” Davis remains open-minded as to whether his next step takes him further into the cinematic realm or back to TV drama like Jane Campion and Gerard Lee’s Top Of The Lake for which he directed four episodes in 2013 “It’s just got to be something I connect with one that has a world to recreate and an atmosphere and is something that looks at the human condition I’m open to anything if the material’s exciting.” Warner Bros’ A Minecraft Movie dominated the month with Gaumont’s Once Upon My Mother the top local film Golshifteh Farahani and Mélissa Boros star in Ducournau’s latest feature EXCLUSIVE: Film will release in cinemas this summer Read all the Rising Stars Ireland 2025 profiles Screen profiles all the films in the Cannes Film Festival’s Official Selection and parallel sections Screen International is the essential resource for the international film industry access to the Screen International archive and supplements including Stars of Tomorrow and World of Locations Site powered by Webvision Cloud You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience In the best sequence in the new biblical drama Mary Magdalene Jesus approaches a group of oppressed woman to deliver his message of forgiveness.  But one of the women tells Christ of her sister who was raped and murdered by her husband and other men after being accused of adultery “to hold on to that hatred in your heart?” “Those men were consumed by hatred as well.” Mary Magdalene is earnest and well-intentioned and for many may represent a familiar slog through well-tread biblical territory. One fellow journalist at a press screening at Prague’s Kino Atlas fell asleep ten minutes into the movie and lightly snored throughout the remainder Directed by Garth Davis (Lion) the film is ostensibly about the lead character a Jewish woman and follower of Christ who was present at both his crucifixion and his resurrection She was deemed a reformed prostitute by Pope Gregory I but more recently awarded the title “Apostle to the apostles” by the Roman Catholic Church she’s played with quiet intensity by Rooney Mara as a woman lost within her own religion and considered ‘disturbed’ by her own family But when a travelling healer approaches her with care and kindness she discovers newfound meaning in her life In any film that contains Jesus Christ as a featured supporting player the son of God usually commands some attention And tenderly played in what may be one of the all-time great portrayals of Jesus on film Joaquin Phoenix seizes control of the movie and doesn’t let go His soft-spoken turn as Christ is so lovingly rendered that it threatens to convert members of the cinema audience.  Also excellent here are Chiwetel Ejiofor (as Peter) and (especially) Tahar Rahim whose deranged portrayal of Judas represents one of Mary Magdalene’s more unconventional interpretations.  Mary Magdalene straddles a fine line between appealing to both a Christian community seeking a biblical account of these events and contemporary audiences after a more… realistic version are deftly handled to allow for multiple interpretations.  Despite the record box office numbers of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ we don’t get many mainstream biblical movies these days (and after the box office performances of Exodus and Noah that number may continue to dwindle).  But Mary Magdalene is a thoughtful tale more interested in the teachings of Christ – and differing interpretations of them – over big-screen spectacle This won’t be as controversial as Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ but it takes similar risks and generally succeeds.  Director Davis has put a lot of care into his depiction of Mary Magdalene and even if the title character sometimes feels lost inside her own story even-beautifully crafted depiction of Christ and his apostles that represents one of the most tender big screen versions of this story Mary Magdalene was shot in rural locations throughout Southern Italy including Matera all authentically captured by cinematographer Greig Fraser Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson provided the soft his final feature before his death earlier this year and website in this browser for the next time I comment About | Contact | Terms | Privacy The statue of San Francisco in Magdalena as it appeared until last year Notice the red flower placed in the statue's hand as an offering The standing statue to the left represents St Martin of Porres; the window depicts Xavier's missionary work in India Detail of the San Francisco statue in Magdalena showing ex-votos (requests and/or thank-offerings) pinned to his clothing Last year at this time I wrote about the huge pilgrimage and fiesta of San Francisco in Magdalena which is celebrated in the days leading up to October 4 let’s take a look at the reclining statue of San Francisco Xavier which provides the devotional focus for this event even though October 4 is the feast day of quite a different saint Legend tells us that the original statue was brought to Magdalena by Father Kino himself as far as we can tell; Kino’s personal patron was St the statue in Magdalena is surrounded by legends I wrote last year how the image itself chose the village it wanted to stay in when a militantly anticlerical state government attempted to eradicate Catholicism in Sonora and priests either left the state or went into hiding Groups of activists called los quemasantos (the saint-burners) entered churches and removed and destroyed many of their images the statue of San Francisco was taken to Hermosillo and burned in the furnaces of the Sonora Brewery Grim tales are told of what happened to the people who did this The man who drove the truck that carried the statue to its fate in Hermosillo was himself struck and killed in Magdalena… by a truck from Hermosillo Another man who dressed a burro in religious vestments and paraded it around inside the church was being driven to Hermosillo years later when his car ran into a group of burros fell through the roof of the car and killed the passenger there were some people who couldn’t believe that their beloved image had been taken and burned and I have been told that the priest smuggled the statue out of the church and gave it to faithful O’odham who carried it to one of their desert villages near the border I’ve also been told by O’odham that it rained while this journey took place both to confuse the pursuers and to bless the undertaking And it is true that a few years later a San Francisco statue appeared in a village near the border However it doesn’t look like the pictures of the original statue These and other stories are still alive in our desert land adding depth and color to our landscape and history I’m always eager to hear more; drop me an email Respond: Write a letter to the editor | Write a guest opinion Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community On my frequent drives along South Mission Road at this time of year women and even children walking towards the old … I have been told that the original statue of San Francisco in Magdalena Just now that stretch of road should be occupied by hundreds of pedes… Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Author's note: While I have seen the 2006 film adaptation I've never personally read Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code or its source book Holy Blood You have an enormous range of people out there in the secular world who are hostile to institutional Christianity in such a profound way that they are willing in some ways to swallow a version of events that is just demonstrably false they find that more appealing and in some ways more credible than the story that is being peddled by officialdom And therefore I think the kind of examination of conscience would have to go on within institutional Christian churches is It is from the 2006 documentary Secrets of the Code and is said by journalist John Allen Secrets of the Code is about the controversies provoked by Dan Brown's 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code which is based on the idea that the Catholic Church is covering up the true history of Jesus in order to preserve its own power and wealth The Da Vinci Code wasn't just a best-seller, it was a phenomenon and eventually sold over 80 million copies worldwide It was heavily influenced by the 1982 non-fiction best-seller The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (aka Holy Blood Its thesis is that the historical Jesus of Nazareth had at least one child with Mary Magdalene she fled to southern France with her child(ren) and was an ancestor of the Merovingian Dynasty (5th-8th centuries C.E.) would have been of the bloodline of Israel's King David Holy Blood itself, however, relied on forged documents and at least one of the Holy Blood authors knew it. Also, one of the forgers, Pierre Plantard, established the Priory of Sion in 1956 to re-establish the Dynasty while claiming it dates back to 1099 itself a con job or a hoax (which may have evolved into a delusion of Plantard) far-right-wing goal of establishing a theocratic monarchical reign over Europe But not even Plantard had thought up the Mary Magdalene theory; that was made up by the Holy Blood authors But is only some blood "holy?" Are we humans not created equal Even if the fabrications of Holy Blood and Da Vinci turn out to be true would even the descendants of Jesus have the Divine Right to rule over us Did not Jesus say "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant?" Did he not model that behaviour And if the Church falsified the Gospel stories of Jesus to emphasize love and service when the "real" Jesus was a claimant to earthly kingship then how do we even know he existed at all What sources or claims can we plausibly trust This brings us back to John Allen's quote above This was only a year after The Boston Globe began publishing its Pulitzer Prize-winning spotlight investigation of child sex abuse by Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Boston and just three months after the resignation of its archbishop The scandal went national and global as more priests in more dioceses were investigated The Da Vinci Code hit the market at the right time because it cast the Catholic Church as the villain when the public was already angry with it Even though the idea of royal bloodlines is ridiculous to the modern mind just about anything seemed more credible than "the story that is being peddled by" the Church." The sex abuse scandal pointed to internal corruption and if you believe an institution is corrupt And it's not as if child sex abuse is the first and only stain on the Church with its longstanding record of collusion with bloodthirsty tyrants and its own moralistic and spiritual authoritarianism that creates many a traumatized "recovering Catholic." The 2002 scandal just further exposed the hypocrisy of it all This is not to say the 80 million book buyers and millions more moviegoers actually agreed with the doubtful historical claims of Da Vinci What if the Catholic Church has been nothing but a racket the entire time Secrets of the Code is an interesting time capsule podcasting and social media were in their infancy Smart TVs were uncommon if they existed at all countless independent researchers have posted their content not just in blogs we must credit The Da Vinci Code for making us wonder have concluded that more than ancient wonders such as the Great Pyramid or Stonehenge the greatest mystery of the past is the Bible itself can we believe what we've been told about how it was put together Would scholars who suggest that Jesus never actually existed get blackballed I still find enrichment in the Bible as metaphor and allegory Who doesn't have their own Goliath to face I'll continue to learn from "fringe" researchers from those who believe Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible to those who claim the Bible is all about the Zodiac to those who claim "God" mentioned in Genesis 1:1 should really be translated as "the Shining Ones." They each help me learn new things even as they add to the mystery Your Ads Privacy ChoicesIMDb For more information about the MFA in Film program, visit www.stonybrook.edu/mfa/film or contact magdalene.brandeis@stonybrook.edu. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Abel Ferrara, whose gritty New York exploitation films of the 1980s and 1990s delved into the soulless evils of drug addiction pays homage to one of Italy’s best-known and most revered saints in his newest film That the film, which stars Shia LaBeouf and premieres at the Venice Film Festival next week, confirms a change of pace for the cult director is an understatement, one that Ferrara, 71, chalks up to a decade of sobriety and a new life in Italy “Once we kicked the drugs and the alcohol, we started to see a different way of life, of living in a different life,” the “Bad Lieutenant” director said in an interview in his new hometown of Rome. “I think it’s more just trying to get our game right.” The film chronicles a particular moment in the 20th century history of Italy and Padre Pio, the mystic Capuchin monk best known for having displayed the “stigmata” wounds of Christ: He bled from his hands, feet and sides. Padre Pio died in 1968 and was canonized in 2002 by St. John Paul II, going on to become one of the most popular saints in Italy, the U.S. and beyond. Ferrara’s treatment is no biopic, and frankly ignores some of the juiciest bits of the Padre Pio saga, which involved a dozen Vatican investigations into purported dalliances with women, alleged financial improprieties and doubts about the stigmatas. In their place, Ferrara weaves a parallel tale about the beginnings of fascism in Italy that is, unexpectedly, utterly relevant today. The film takes as its starting point Padre Pio’s arrival at a Capuchin monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo, a poverty-wracked town in southern Italy, at the time its soldiers were returning home from World War I. The town was almost feudal-like, with the Catholic Church and wealthy large landowners trying to hold onto power amid the first inklings of Italy’s post-war socialist movement that saw factory unrest and peasant strikes. “When Jan. 6 happens after you’ve been working on this film for five years, it’s like: Right, elections are great until you lose,” he said. The film is dedicated to the victims of the 1920 massacre as well as the people of Ukraine. Why? “What I’m looking at is a rerun of World War II. Seventy-five million people died 70 years ago. That’s like, yesterday. It’s happening right in front of our eyes,” he said. The context of the film, he said solemnly, is: “You’re looking at the end of the world.” Ferrara’s concern with Italian history, Catholicism and his fascination with Padre Pio are not new: The Bronx-born Ferrara was raised Catholic and introduced to both Italy and the saint by his grandfather, who was born in a town not far from Padre Pio’s hometown of Pietrelcina. Those interests have emerged in Ferrara’s more recent films, including “Pasolini” which paid tribute to the scandalous life and violent death of Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini and premiered at Venice in 2014; and “Mary,” about an actor (Juliette Binoche) playing Mary Magdalene in a film, which won the Grand Jury prize at Venice in 2005. Both “Pasolini” and “Padre Pio” relied heavily on the diaries, writings and documentation of their subjects, and Ferrara first made a documentary about the saint’s life before deciding to zero in on the particular period of his arrival in San Giovanni Rotondo, his doubts about his faith and the events surrounding the 1920 massacre. “I thought the confluence between the massacre and his stigmata both happening in the same place at the same time … I mean how could you not make a movie about that?” Ferrara said. But Ferrara is well aware that his early genre work — he has done pornography, rape-revenge, the 1993 cult classic about a corrupt, drug-addicted cop “Bad Lieutenant,” and his earlier “The Driller Killer,” about a New York artist who randomly kills people with a power drill — gave him something of a reputation. “Given the list of films I’d made you’d be wondering,” Ferrara admits. But he said church officials and the Capuchin friars who advised on set were entirely supportive of the project and its star, LaBeouf, who has admitted to alcoholism and has been accused by a former girlfriend of abuse. LaBeouf spent four months in a California monastery preparing for the role, Ferrara said, and has said the chance to play “Padre Pio” was a miracle for him personally. “It’s just that these cats have got that optimistic take,” Ferrara said admiringly of the church. “Don’t judge someone on their worst moment.” For more on the Venice Film Festival, visit: www.apnews.com/VeniceFilmFestival By 2018-05-14T05:20:00+01:00 Mary Magdalene screenwriter Philippa Goslett will adapt Himalaya for Pulse Films and Film4 chronicling the extraordinary journey by three 1950s housewives into the previously uncharted Zanskar mountain region The project is based on Antonia Deacock’s book No Purdah In Padam and the diaries of Eve Sims and Anne Davies – the three women who organised the 1958 Women’s Overland Himalayan Expedition that defied gender and political expectations Upon learning their husbands were planning the British-Pakistani Forces Himalayan Expedition the women plotted an adventure of their own travelling more than 16,000 miles from England through Europe When they reached India the adventurers obtained an audience with Prime Minister Nehru who arranged permission for them to trek 300 miles into the politically sensitive and uncharted Zanskar region of the Himalayas Lucas Ochoa and Moss Barclay will produce for the UK and Julia Oh will oversee development for Film4 Goslett’s screenwriting credits include Litle Ashes with Robert Pattinson and she co-wrote How To Talk To Girls At Parties with Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman “This is a very contemporary story by virtue of its unapologetically modern-minded characters,” Pulse Films said “We are thrilled to be working with Philippa and Film4 on such an inspiring story that captures the timeless spirit of adventure and celebrates these extraordinary women and the astonishing power of their collected endeavour.” Showtime recently acquired North American TV rights to Pulse Films’ Chelsea Manning documentary XY Chelsea Pulse recently announced its push into scripted TV led by Ochoa with Gangs Of London for Sky Atlantic Cinemax and HBO that Gareth Evans will direct and Atomic Bazaar to be directed by Gregory Burke EXCLUSIVE: Christopher Smith returns as director of ‘The Creep’ Head of IFC Entertainment Group Scott Shooman presides over Independent Film Company EXCLUSIVE: Scotland-set con artist comedy The Perfect Family stars Audrey Fleurot EXCLUSIVE: The modern love story is the second film by the rising German director Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time with an extra eight minutes of new and extended scenes Director Garth Davis says it will be a more expansive and meditative version that will be "a treat" for fans It will be launched with a round of Q&A screenings early next month "Now that we know that the film has been so loved some die-hard fans may want to go back and spend that extra eight minutes exploring different worlds," Davis says the drama about Saroo Brierley tracking down his birth mother in India using Google Earth has become a striking success in Australian cinemas Actors Dev Patel and Rooney Mara have impressed audiences worldwide with Lion it has become the fifth biggest local film at the box office – behind only Crocodile Dundee It was also nominated for six Academy Awards including best picture and supporting actor nominations for Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman who is editing new film Mary Magdalene in Melbourne says the decision to release an extended version came from the "love in the room" for Lion "We see it as a bit of a treat for the fans," he says "It's a slightly different experience It may go into a little bit more depth in areas and it has a slightly different rhythm There's a little bit more on [Saroo's] relationship with Lucy and a little bit more on the Indian back story as well." Describing the response to his first film as "totally insane" Davis says a producer's warning that he could expect "Beatlemania" when he returned to Australia from the Oscars has proven accurate which has become the fifth biggest local film at the Australian box office.Credit: Mark Rogers He has been overwhelmed by the response of people he knows including multiple requests from his children's school friends to interview him "It's just grabbing everybody," he says "Everyone's seen it at least twice I've done four charity screenings in the last month alone which is being released with an extra eight minutes of footage.Credit: Mark Rogers "It's a film that people are touched by and they want to use it as a way to segue into charity work conversations about how we can all live together in better ways." Lion has taken $US114 million ($150 million) at the worldwide box office including $US48 million in North America Davis believes its success in this country is largely down to the strength of the characters and their determination to never give up "There's a lot of hope in the film The film does traverse some tough material but through these everyday people we witness the miracles that they create." Lion's Rooney Mara also stars in Mary Magdalene very human" versions of the two characters it's immersive and captivating," he says "I just can't wait to get into the office every day and delve into that world." Director Garth Davis says it will be a more expansive and meditative version that will be \\\"a treat\\\" for fans \\\"Now that we know that the film has been so loved some die-hard fans may want to go back and spend that extra eight minutes exploring different worlds,\\\" Davis says it has become the fifth biggest local film at the box office \\u2013 behind only Crocodile Dundee says the decision to release an extended version came from the \\\"love in the room\\\" for Lion \\\"We see it as a bit of a treat for the fans,\\\" he says There's a little bit more on [Saroo's] relationship with Lucy and a little bit more on the Indian back story as well.\\\" Describing the response to his first film as \\\"totally insane\\\" Davis says a producer's warning that he could expect \\\"Beatlemania\\\" when he returned to Australia from the Oscars has proven accurate including multiple requests from his children's school friends to interview him \\\"It's just grabbing everybody,\\\" he says I've done four charity screenings in the last month alone \\\"It's a film that people are touched by and they want to use it as a way to segue into charity work conversations about how we can all live together in better ways.\\\" we witness the miracles that they create.\\\" Lion's Rooney Mara also stars in Mary Magdalene very human\\\" versions of the two characters it's immersive and captivating,\\\" he says \\\"I just can't wait to get into the office every day and delve into that world.\\\" Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker By 2016-02-02T14:33:00+00:00 EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-nominated Carol star Rooney Mara is in talks to play Mary Magdalene in The King’s Speech producer See-Saw’s anticipated project Universal Pictures International Productions is partnering with See-Saw Films on the biopic of the enigmatic spiritual figure who was a devoted follower of Jesus Christ Garth Davis will direct the film written by Helen Edmundson and Philippa Goslett Production is due to begin this summer on the project which is looking like a typically blue-ribbon affair from The King’s Speech and Top of The Lake team See-Saw See-Saw’s Iain Canning and Emile Sherman will produce Davis and See-Saw recently teamed on upcoming feature Lion as well as on hit TV series Top Of The Lake The film will be overseen at Universal by UPIP managing director of  Peter Kujawski and recently appointed co-managing director Robert Walak Universal will release the film in all international territories except Australia and New Zealand where it will be handled by See-Saw’s long time partners Transmission Films Director Davis said of Mara: “Rooney’s raw coupled with her deeply magnetic inner life holds all the dimensions needed to bring to life one of history’s most misunderstood women - Mary Magdalene I know she is a once in a life time talent.” The production is pursuing Mara at a time when her star couldn’t be higher having just received an Oscar nomination for her performance in Todd Haynes’ Carol Magdalene has been portrayed a number of times on screen Barbara Hershey played her in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation Of Christ and Monica Bellucci played her in Mel Gibson’s Passion Of The Christ Over time Mary Magdalene developed a reputation as being a repentant prostitute although none of the four Gospels support that description Production is set to commence in Los Angeles in October Marshall made a string of hits in the eighties and nineties Screen speaks to up-and-coming producers from Serbia View press coverage of the MFA in Film and TV Writing program HERE Read more on the film on Deadline To read her profile, check out Bold Journey For more information on LILLY, read about the premiere on the Hamptons Film Fest Guide For more on VIVA VERDI!, check out the Woodstock Film Festivals page To learn more about the project, read more on Variety To learn more about this film visit their social media @mulata.film.pr.  Watch the Trailer.  Killer Films had a huge night at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 25 where the producers of Past Lives won the coveted Best Feature Samy Burch also won Best First Screenplay for May December Both films tied each other for most nominations at the ceremony Read more on Stony Brook News.  Read more on Stony Brook News. Check-out Grant’s Caterkillar Indiegogo Campaign uate MFAs and Undergraduate Minors in Film or TV Writing, please contact us at MFAManhattan@stonybrook.edu Two films produced by MFA in Film faculty Shrihari Sathe — Stay Awake and The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future — are opening theatrically on May 19 Stay Awake stars Wyatt Oleff (IT, City on Fire), Fin Argus (Queer as Folk) and Chrissy Metz (This is Us). More information can be found at stayawakethefilm.com. Follow the film on Instagram SAVAGELAND_TRAILER from Campbell Dalglish on Vimeo Read the complete press release Read more about the Dust Bowl Faeries and the video at Rock and Roll Globe Read the full story in SBU News topped a field of more than 8,000 script submissions from over 97 countries Learn more about the Page Awards at the contest website Big Congratulations to third year student John H We couldn't be more excited to have one of our own featured has won Best Student Script at the 2020 Los Angeles Film & Script Festival Congrats on racking up so many nominations Chris