Choice Brits - Script Factory

Iain Softley hails The Mother's first rate Brit Talent

On Monday, Iain Softley joined us at the Screen on the Hill to introduce the CHOICE BRITS screening of The Mother. He sang the praises of the truly all-star British production team - from the screenwriter to the director, and from the production designer to the cinematographer (an honourary Brit!).

CHIOICE BRITS: IAIN SOFTLEY INTRODUCES THE MOTHER
Monday 10 November, 2003, The Screen on the Hill, London, NW3
 
“I just wanted to turn up really and add my support to what I think is a fantastic scheme: the initiative Choice Brits. For those of you that are about to vote - at this time of year, you are usually so bombarded with advertisements from everybody, particularly from the distributors that have the budgets to put their films forward (who tend to be the Hollywood majors). I think that this [Choice Brits] is a chance for myself and a lot of other filmmakers just to show our support for this scheme, and remind people that there are other films that might have had less attention, as you’re preparing to vote.
 
I think that as well as the importance of rewarding people in the British film industry for their efforts, it benefits filmmakers and audiences alike to give these films the profile that they deserve.
The awards season and the awards themselves are actually a very useful tool in the food chain of the way films get made; often if there are independent films or non-studio films that are given awards or award attention, then the filmmakers - and in particular the actors - are often then able to help to get other interesting independent films financed. So it’s not just a question of rewarding the people that made the film, it’s also important to give the audiences the chance to see a broader range of films.
 
I think that this film tonight, The Mother is just such a film. It’s directed by an old friend of mine, Roger Michell, and it shows the characteristic care to the script and the casting that Roger has in all of his films, and indeed his theatre work. It’s an old maxim that ninety percent of the director’s job is to get the script and the cast right, and it’s something that Roger really does in this film.
The script, as you know, was written by Hanif Kureishi, and is a typically challenging and elegant piece of writing, and it really adds to his previous cannon of work - his highly personal and distinctive films about London life.
 
It’s headed by a really talented cast: Daniel Craig, Stephen Mackintosh, Anne Reid and Anna Wilson, and throughout the film and the production team there is really remarkable talent: Alwin Küchler (who went to the National Film School) is an Austrian but has become an honorary Brit because of his work with people like Michael Winterbottom and Lynne Ramsay. He’s photographed this film in a completely unshowy way that’s appropriate for the story, and the work of him and the other collaborators behind the camera - costume designer and design and composition - often get overlooked in films like this because of their unshowy nature. But I think the skill used in Jeremy Sams as the composer, Natalie Ward as costume designer, Mark Tildesely as designer is really terrific. These are people that are working a lot in the industry and deserve to be noticed.
 
But finally what I love about this film is that it’s a reflection of real life and I think that that is very, very important. I don’t mean to imply that older women are seducing young men all over the place but I think that the themes in the film will be universally recognisable and I hope that you enjoy the screening tonight.
Thank you for coming."
 
Read more about The Mother.
Find out more about Iain Softley.