Projects

Synopsis

Maya, a young Mexican, crosses the border to join her tough elder sister Rosa who works as a cleaner in a down town block, home to some of LA's most powerful corporate clients. The two sisters have a deep but fiery relationship which is further stretched by Sam, a talented and anarchistic American activist, who is part of a dynamic campaign opposed to older methods of trade union organising. They have a simple motto, 'No Justice, No Peace' and embark on a peaceful but highly imaginative guerrilla campaign for trade union recognition against cleaning companies and powerful corporate owners of the tower blocks. Ken Loach's first US-set film exposes a side of Los Angeles that to date has been swept under the corporate carpet. Written by Paul Laverty, Bread And Roses is set around the early 1990s Justice for Janitors strike which saw an army of exploited cleaners - the invisible Latino immigrants - take to the streets to protest for basic workers' rights. The film stars Pilar Padilla and Elpidia Carrillo as the two sisters involved in the struggle and Adrien Brody as a union activist who leads the campaign against their employers. For Loach, the appeal was that "the film was set in another world that existed side by side with the movie world. It's about organising immigrant workers, (who are) very vulnerable and easily exploited. Having worked on a film in Nicaragua (Carla's Song), this seemed another element in the same wider story, the relationship between the US and countries that are essentially its colonies, economically and culturally." The film was shot according to Loach's pared-down aesthetics, with a high shooting ratio that allowed the director to let the dialogue run on until he had what he needed. Making the film in the US with a significant number of extras meant the budget, at $5.5m, was higher than usual. It also meant Loach had to occasionally break the rules "which is always quite entertaining", he says.

Synopsis

Set on a floodlit tennis court, the film dives below the polite surface of a suburban middle-aged mixed doubles match.

Synopsis

Set on a floodlit tennis court, Break Point dives below the polite surface of a suburban middle aged mixed doubles match. With fierce play and minimal dialogue, petty jealousies and sexual tensions are served and volleyed, taking our central character to 'Break Point'.

Synopsis

A woman returns home. She is nervous, something is upsetting her. She begins to cry and then goes through an intense emotional transformation.

Synopsis

A tense psychological thriller, Breathtaking marks a return to the UK for British actress Joanne Whalley after several years in Hollywood working in films such as Willow and A Texas Funeral. In a strong, complex role, Whalley stars as Caroline Henshaw, an ambitious and arrogant doctor whose new job as lecturer in a mental unit unit leads her to Sandra, a suicidal prostitute - and stirs up hidden memories of Caroline's own painful past. She also comes into the orbit of Sandra's husband, a dangerous sadist who begins to stalk her, then goes a step too far. The supporting cast includes a cross-section of British talent. Lorraine Pilkington, recently seen in Human Traffic and The Boxer, plays the self-destructive Sandra; her violent husband is Jamie Foreman, who made a forceful impression in Nil By Mouth and can currently be seen in Sundance hit Saving Grace. UK film and TV regulars Neil Dudgeon and Cal Macaninch feature as the other men in Caroline's life. Director David Green, best known for his 1988 film Buster, is managing director of London-based production company September Films, which has previously made the critically well-received House Of America and Academy Award-nominated Solomon And Gaenor. Breathtaking is one of the first fruits of September's recent plans to develop and produce an expanded slate of feature films, and is the seventh feature from two-year-old co-producer Sky Pictures. It had its market premiere at Cannes this year.

Synopsis

An ironic look at BritArt. Luke is a painter of limited talent whose fortunes take an upward turn when his business-savvy girlfriend lures an art dealer to his studio.

Synopsis

Harry drives through the countryside trying to find his wife. He'd rather be anywhere else, but has promised his wife that he will visit her for a few days.

Synopsis

A gambler struggles to face up to the realities of his life and the expectations of his son. An eviction notice arrives and all faith is lost when he steals from his son.

Synopsis

A mysterious businessman returns to his small town roots to exact vicious retribution on the bully who terrorised him as a child.

Synopsis

When your fears come to visit, the least you can do is entertain them. And Mr Trubshaw does. What are his fears? They are what we want them to be.

Synopsis

'The moon inspires women to do terrible things'. It is night time. A full moon is out. Ray is a sympathetic alcoholic. He is sitting under a tree, telling whoever is listening, about the women in his life. Women are a mystery to him. He cannot understand his wife, his bald sister, his visionary mother or his daughter.

Synopsis

A ghost story that elegantly debates concept of death and concepts of heaven.