BIGGA THAN BEN
Ben Barnes (Westworld) and Andrei Chadov (Russkoye) cause mayhem in BIGGA THAN BEN, which follows the wild exploits of two freewheeling draft-dodgers as they forge work permits, shoplift and turn mobile phones into crack, while slowly getting dragged into the seedy underworld of the multi cultural melting pot that is London.
WINNER Best Comedy Film at Los Angeles DIYFF, nominated for Best Narrative Feature at Austin FF, Best of the Fest at Edinburgh and Times Top 100 Films 2008.
****The Sunday Times – Times Top 100 Films
Dark, funny, charming, fast, immoral, decadent and delightful, the writer and director Suzie Halewood’s film is a fresh blast of foul air.
****Time Out
Makes Dirty Pretty Things look like a government advisory documentary – streetsmart, non-PC and very funny.
**** London Lite
Halewood gives Barnes the sardonic narrative voice, which contributes to the film’s cohesive, documentary quality and ensures the pair remain a curiously likeable, if seldom respectable, force. Gruelling, ebony dark…wonderfully funny.
*** Evening Standard
You don’t know whether to laugh or cry as they forge work permits, steal mobile phones, filch from stores and smoke first dope and then crack. You laugh because Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Andrei Chadov (a star in Russia) have enough charm to get away with being indolent rascals. It speaks the truth…entertaining and thought-provoking.
DIVISION 19
DIVISION 19 is a science-fiction thriller which looks at what happens when all anonymity is lost.
Starring Clarke Peters (Da 5 Bloods, The Wire), Jamie Draven (Giri/Haji, Billy Elliot), Linus Roache (Vikings, Mandy) and Alison Doody (Indiana Jones) and shot in Detroit, Los Angeles, New York and London, DIVISION 19 won at Boston 43rd FF and FANTASPORTO and was the closing night film at Sci-Fi London.
DIVISION 19 is well-crafted, powerfully acted, and hums with contemporary resonance. It asks a lot of its audience, but then that’s the film’s point. What are we and where are we heading, if we don’t think for ourselves - Brian Viner, Daily Mail
With the rise in fascism and far-right governments wanting access to all our personal data and monitoring our every move, Division 19 isn’t a question of if but when - Morning Star
With its fast-paced editing and frenetic action sequences, Division 19 should hold the attention of sci-fi fans with its thought-provoking look into a world on the brink of implosion - Josh Hancock, Morbidly Beautiful
Halewood shows a remarkably steady hand, creating a cohesive vision of the future and shooting it with style to spare - Oscar Goff, Boston Hassle
Wearing its influences on its sleeves, this film is a welcome foray into the dark side of the electronic age, a topic that becomes more relevant every day - Kyle Jonathan, Movie Sleuth
Division 19 is like a combination of the Truman Show, Hunger Games, and the Purge all mixed into one. What it does well is present a case of urgency for something that’s a problem now - Robert Mendoza, Geekisphere
Full of action, spirit and style, this is a film which has the makings of a cult classic. Like Blomkamp’s District 9, Halewood proves that you don’t need a big budget to create a great, compelling and thought-provoking film – Bianca Garner
Division 19 is a film about the downtrodden, the effects big business has on the middle to lower class and what it looks like when we resist. Beautifully written, it perfectly captures the pulse of current society with a futuristic twist - Wesley Collins, Red Carpet Crash
SHORTS & DOCUMENTARIES
Einstein (Sean Hughes) has ten minutes to explain special relativity to the public.
Nominated for the Tele Piu Prize at Venice Biennale International Film Festival.
ROCKET MAN
TWO MINUTE WARNING
WINNER of the Portobello Short Film Award, Two Minute Warning serves as a reminder to all those who make noise at cinemas just exactly what is at stake.
'This film should be shown in every cinema in the land for a whole year - by law if necessary - Phillip French, Observer
THE TRIBE
A look at LA gangs and how they make money and survive.
Ongoing documentary.
NOMINATED
Tele-Piu Prize
VENICE Biennale
BEST SHORT FILM
Golden Boot
Portobelle FF