Circus

Director: Rob Walker

Year: 2000

After Quentin Tarantino set the precedent, working in a video store is fast becoming an established alternative route into the film business. David Logan dreamed up the screenplay of darkly comic thriller Circus while he was toiling away behind the counter of his local shop. Director Rob Walker, who shared an agent with Logan, read the script and responded immediately. "The story is such a rich mosaic filled with sharp funny references," enthuses Walker. <br /> <br /> Producer Alan Latham, who came on board when Walker sent him the script, puts Logan's script squarely in Tarantino territory, describing it as "putting Miami into Brighton, giving it a European/US feel". But when Latham and producing partner James Gibb set out to find backers, they discovered this transatlantic slant was a double-edged sword. "Initially British companies said the story was too convoluted," says Gibb. "But the project soon generated heat with several US studios showing interest. In the end Columbia beat off the opposition."<br /> <br /> The script's distinctive style also helped bring on board John Hannah to star as the lead Leo, a conman who masterminds one last scam. "When I first read it," says Hannah, "I had no idea what was going on, but it was brilliant." His early commitment to the film helped get it off the ground. Leo's glamorous wife, Lily, is Famke Janssen, whose international career took off with GoldenEye. Other casting decisions were more offbeat, including British entertainer Brian Conley as a vicious gangster and comedian Eddie Izzard at a sadistic loan shark. <br /> <br /> Circus shot on location in Brighton and around London, and at Shepperton Studios in spring last year. It was released in the UK in May this year.

Director: Akporé Uzoh

Year: 2025

The aftermath of a sexual assault (rape). Exploring the deep-felt consequences for all involved. At its heart an epic story of a couple's fight for the survival of their love.

Director: Andy Campbell, Judi Alston

Year: 2023

In a future Northern England devasted by climate change, an environmental worker uncovers an abandoned library where books and technology have fused into the architecture and landscape to create new stories.<br /> <br /> 19-year-old CJ is working to salvage valuable resources from the flooded and haunting remains of a once-thriving coastal town. The world she inhabits leaves her feeling angry and displaced. She is living through the catastrophic consequences of previous generations’ mistakes.<br /> <br /> Taking shelter from an approaching storm, CJ ventures inside the old library, where she discovers a bizarre ‘living’ fusion of nature, language, and technology. At its heart is The Librarian, a malfunctioned AI that has been gathering data and archive film from its turbulent surroundings.<br /> <br /> Affected by years of extreme temperatures and abnormal weather conditions, The Librarian is forming its own unique work of literature: a story of connectedness and hope that needs a strong and resilient protagonist.