19/12/2007

The UK Film Council’s Prints & Advertising fund has announced a raft of distribution disbursements for festival winners like Lust, Caution and 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Oleg Mutu
film profile], and classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, in the latest round of awards.

Universal Pictures get £200,000 for Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution, which won the Golden Lion at Venice 2007 and was the Mayor’s Gala film at the BFI London Film Festival. The award has increased bookings to 80 sites ahead of the film’s January 2008 release.

Park Circus received £24,839 for Frank Capra’s evergreen Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life. The award has helped fund a national media advertising campaign and the film’s December 14 release has widened from 12 to a whopping 90 digital screens. Park Circus also received £5,000 towards the All About Eve re-release.

Artificial Eye received £5,000 for Cristian Mungiu’s Cannes Palme d’Or winning abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days. Thanks to the award, the film secured bookings at 24 sites in the first three months of its box office run.

Tartan received a brace of £5,000 awards for Cannes 2007 winners. Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which won the 60th Anniversary Prize, and its Boxing Day release will be upped to 30 screens on the Digital Screen Network. In addition, Carlos Reygadas’ Cannes Jury Prize winner Silent Light [+see also:
trailer
film profile] has seen its release expanded to 21 screens.

The Works received £100,000 for British screen legend Richard Attenborough’s latest effort, Closing the Ring. The award has boosted the film’s media campaign and seen bookings increase to 60 screens using 35mm and digital prints.

The Fund supports the broader release of films that audiences might not otherwise get the chance to see and as a result increases choice and entertainment for UK audiences.