More than 2,000 figures from the UK’s arts and culture world have signed an open letter calling for the immediate cessation of Israel’s blockade and bombing of Gaza.
“We are witnessing a crime and a catastrophe. Israel has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, and cut off the supply of water, power, food and medicine to 2.3 million Palestinians,” reads the letter. “In the words of the Un’s undersecretary for humanitarian affairs, ‘the spectre of death’ is hanging over the territory.”
The signatories include acting stars Tilda Swinton, Charles Dance, Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes, Peter Mullan, Maxine Peake and Khalid Abdalla.
The Israeli action is in retaliation for a brutal terror attack out of Gaza by Hamas on October 7, which killed more than 1,400 people and resulted in the taking of 199 hostages.
More than 2,750 Palestinians are reported to have died in Israel’s subsequent bombing campaign, while electricity, food and...
“We are witnessing a crime and a catastrophe. Israel has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, and cut off the supply of water, power, food and medicine to 2.3 million Palestinians,” reads the letter. “In the words of the Un’s undersecretary for humanitarian affairs, ‘the spectre of death’ is hanging over the territory.”
The signatories include acting stars Tilda Swinton, Charles Dance, Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes, Peter Mullan, Maxine Peake and Khalid Abdalla.
The Israeli action is in retaliation for a brutal terror attack out of Gaza by Hamas on October 7, which killed more than 1,400 people and resulted in the taking of 199 hostages.
More than 2,750 Palestinians are reported to have died in Israel’s subsequent bombing campaign, while electricity, food and...
- 10/17/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Kingsley Ben-Adir is really jamming now.
This month, the first trailer was released for the new biopic “Bob Marley: One Love”, with Ben-Adir starring as the iconic reggae artist.
Playing Marley onscreen is just the latest big role for the 37-year-old actor, who is swiftly rising to prominence as one of the best, most interesting actors of his generation.
Read More: ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ Trailer: Biopic Of Reggae’s King Showcases His Inspiring Story Of Peace Amid Violence
But who is Kingsley Ben-Adir?
Ben-Adir, born February 26, 1986, is a British actor. The son of a Trinidadian mother and British Jewish father, the actor was raised in the Gospel Oak neighbourhood of Northwest London.
In 2011, he graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
How did his career get going?
Fresh out of school, Ben-Adir starred in a production of Gillian Slovo’s critically acclaimed play The Riots in 2011. He...
This month, the first trailer was released for the new biopic “Bob Marley: One Love”, with Ben-Adir starring as the iconic reggae artist.
Playing Marley onscreen is just the latest big role for the 37-year-old actor, who is swiftly rising to prominence as one of the best, most interesting actors of his generation.
Read More: ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ Trailer: Biopic Of Reggae’s King Showcases His Inspiring Story Of Peace Amid Violence
But who is Kingsley Ben-Adir?
Ben-Adir, born February 26, 1986, is a British actor. The son of a Trinidadian mother and British Jewish father, the actor was raised in the Gospel Oak neighbourhood of Northwest London.
In 2011, he graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
How did his career get going?
Fresh out of school, Ben-Adir starred in a production of Gillian Slovo’s critically acclaimed play The Riots in 2011. He...
- 7/6/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Kingsley Ben-Adir has just been announced in the role of Barack Obama in the upcoming miniseries A Higher Loyalty, which has been adapted from the James Comey bestseller. The British actor will be known to Us audiences for his role in The Oa. Here are ten other things that you may not know about him. 1. He Started His Career In The Theater When he first started acting he worked mainly in the theater. One of his first roles was in Gillian Slovo’s play The Riots which was performed at the Tricycle Theatre. This play was very well-received by critics
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Kingsley Ben-Adir...
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Kingsley Ben-Adir...
- 11/26/2019
- by Jennifer Borama
- TVovermind.com
Over 100 well-known names – including writers, actors, directors and musicians – have signed a pledge supporting Lorde's decision not to perform in Israel.
The statement was published in The Guardian following backlash over the Kiwi singer’s cancellation of her concert in Tel Aviv. It is a direct response to a full page ad published in the Washington Post on January 1 which called Lorde a bigot and also attacked her homeland of New Zealand.
“We deplore the bullying tactics being used to defend injustice against Palestinians and to suppress an artist’s freedom of conscience. We support Lorde’s right to take a stand,” reads the letter in The Guardian. "Shmuley Boteach, the author and promoter of the advert, supports Israel’s illegal settlements and wrote last month on Breitbart to thank Donald Trump for “electrifying the world” with his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in defiance of international law.
The statement was published in The Guardian following backlash over the Kiwi singer’s cancellation of her concert in Tel Aviv. It is a direct response to a full page ad published in the Washington Post on January 1 which called Lorde a bigot and also attacked her homeland of New Zealand.
“We deplore the bullying tactics being used to defend injustice against Palestinians and to suppress an artist’s freedom of conscience. We support Lorde’s right to take a stand,” reads the letter in The Guardian. "Shmuley Boteach, the author and promoter of the advert, supports Israel’s illegal settlements and wrote last month on Breitbart to thank Donald Trump for “electrifying the world” with his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in defiance of international law.
- 1/8/2018
- Look to the Stars
Young Vic; Gielgud, London
Theatre Uncut's visionary series of political plays appeal as much for the ideas as the drama. And Strangers on a Train runs out of steam
What began as a hand grenade has ended up as a cluster bomb. Three years ago Hannah Price conceived the idea of Theatre Uncut, a political new writing company and different version of protest theatre. It ingeniously brings new technology to bear on traditional agitprop, combining live performance and instantaneous multiplication.
The scheme, in which Price was joined as artistic director by Emma Callender, was to commission short plays that reacted to current politics and would be free for a month for anyone to download and perform anywhere. The original spur was the coalition's public spending cuts. In 2012 work came from Egypt and Iceland, Greece and Spain. This year, having consulted its rapidly growing audience – an audience which even by Young...
Theatre Uncut's visionary series of political plays appeal as much for the ideas as the drama. And Strangers on a Train runs out of steam
What began as a hand grenade has ended up as a cluster bomb. Three years ago Hannah Price conceived the idea of Theatre Uncut, a political new writing company and different version of protest theatre. It ingeniously brings new technology to bear on traditional agitprop, combining live performance and instantaneous multiplication.
The scheme, in which Price was joined as artistic director by Emma Callender, was to commission short plays that reacted to current politics and would be free for a month for anyone to download and perform anywhere. The original spur was the coalition's public spending cuts. In 2012 work came from Egypt and Iceland, Greece and Spain. This year, having consulted its rapidly growing audience – an audience which even by Young...
- 11/24/2013
- by Susannah Clapp
- The Guardian - Film News
This king of Kilburn is a sleek and stylish single-screen gem that attracts moviegoers from all over London
• Check out our Google map and Flickr group
• Tell us where to go next
On location: At the heart of Kilburn, on the border between London boroughs of Camden and Brent – two of the most ethnically diverse areas in the UK – the Tricycle is a multifaceted gem.
A small and old-fashioned entrance on Kilburn High Road – a major commercial street studded with cafes, pubs and discount stores – welcomes passers-by into the Tricycle. A second and bigger entrance on Buckley Street – complete with a modern, spacious foyer and abundant natural light – leads straight to the cinema.
The older, more ornate half of the building is home to the Tricycle Theatre. It presents plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the local community, often with politically charged content (such as its current production – Gillian Slovo...
• Check out our Google map and Flickr group
• Tell us where to go next
On location: At the heart of Kilburn, on the border between London boroughs of Camden and Brent – two of the most ethnically diverse areas in the UK – the Tricycle is a multifaceted gem.
A small and old-fashioned entrance on Kilburn High Road – a major commercial street studded with cafes, pubs and discount stores – welcomes passers-by into the Tricycle. A second and bigger entrance on Buckley Street – complete with a modern, spacious foyer and abundant natural light – leads straight to the cinema.
The older, more ornate half of the building is home to the Tricycle Theatre. It presents plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the local community, often with politically charged content (such as its current production – Gillian Slovo...
- 12/8/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- Both documentaries and feature films have dealt with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, South Africa's extraordinary tribunal that attempted to heal the wounds of apartheid through confession and amnesty rather than revenge and retribution.
On balance, the documentary approach has worked best. Fiction has a difficult time competing with the brutal reality of what happened in South Africa during the dark decades of repression, torture and murder. Furthermore, fiction demands third-act resolutions that fly in the face of South African reality: The hurt suffered under apartheid may be forgiven but never truly "resolved."
Red Dust, a feature made mostly by South Africans and starring Oscar-winner Hilary Swank, at least understands the problem and succeeds to some degree in having it both ways: It solves a murder mystery, but leaves open and raw the wounds suffered by its victims.
Swank's presence will make the movie accessible in North America, but its success in adult urban cinemas may be limited in that most viewers are unfamiliar with the reconciliation commission.
Adapting Gillian Slovo's novel, Troy Kennedy Martin's script tells the story of an amnesty application filed by a cop, Dirk Hendricks (Jamie Bartlett), for the torture of political activist Alex Mpondo, played by the talented Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dirty Pretty Things), who is now a Member of Parliament. So brutal was the beating that Alex cannot remember what happened to Steve Sizela, a friend arrested along with him, who was never seen again.
Swank plays Sarah Barcant, a South African-born attorney who fled that country years before to live in New York (which presumably explains her completely American accent). At the behest of her mentor, activist Ben Hoffman (Marius Weyers), she returns to her homeland to represent both Alex, who opposes the amnesty, and Steve's family.
Two questions hang over the hearing: Will Hendricks' testimony, which must be fully truthful for amnesty to be granted, implicate his unrepentant former superior, Piet Muller (Ian Roberts), in Steve's disappearance? And will Alex remember what role he may have played in Steve's fate?
British television director Tom Hooper, making his feature debut, maintains a lively pace, and the story contains enough twists and turns to sustain interest in what is, after all, a 14-year-old murder case. Unfortunately, the film focuses more on Sarah and her reaction to what she learns instead of the true protagonist, Alex, who risks his future life and career on the outcome.
This focus tips the balance of the movie into more of an intellectual experience than an emotional one. Whether the case will persuade Sarah to remain in South Africa to help rebuild the country is not nearly as compelling as Alex's desperate search for the truth about his friend and his possible involvement in his fate.
As it is, Swank's role is far too reactive to carry the film, a task that falls to Ejiofor, who delivers a complex and empathetic performance as a man willing to get torn apart by the truth.
Cinematographer Larry Smith and designer Mark Wilby take advantage of the awesome landscapes and rugged townships of a country we are still getting to know in movies to create a striking environment for the tragic tale to unfold.
The film goes a long way toward explaining the healing philosophy and methodology behind the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which could serve an example to all damaged peoples of how best to seek justice.
RED DUST
Distant Horizon & BBC Films in association with Videovision Entertainment and Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa
Credits:
Director: Tom Hooper
Writer: Troy Kennedy-Martin
Based on the novel by: Gillian Slovo
Producers: Ruth Caleb, David M. Thompson, Anant Singh, Helena Spring
Director of photography: Larry Smith
Production designer: Mark Wilby
Music: Rob Lane
Editor: Avril Beukes
Cast:
Sarah Barcant: Hilary Swank
Alex Mpondo: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Dirk Hendricks: Jamie Bartlett
Ben Hoffman: Marius Weyers
Piet Muller: Ian Roberts
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 110 minutes...
TORONTO -- Both documentaries and feature films have dealt with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, South Africa's extraordinary tribunal that attempted to heal the wounds of apartheid through confession and amnesty rather than revenge and retribution.
On balance, the documentary approach has worked best. Fiction has a difficult time competing with the brutal reality of what happened in South Africa during the dark decades of repression, torture and murder. Furthermore, fiction demands third-act resolutions that fly in the face of South African reality: The hurt suffered under apartheid may be forgiven but never truly "resolved."
Red Dust, a feature made mostly by South Africans and starring Oscar-winner Hilary Swank, at least understands the problem and succeeds to some degree in having it both ways: It solves a murder mystery, but leaves open and raw the wounds suffered by its victims.
Swank's presence will make the movie accessible in North America, but its success in adult urban cinemas may be limited in that most viewers are unfamiliar with the reconciliation commission.
Adapting Gillian Slovo's novel, Troy Kennedy Martin's script tells the story of an amnesty application filed by a cop, Dirk Hendricks (Jamie Bartlett), for the torture of political activist Alex Mpondo, played by the talented Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dirty Pretty Things), who is now a Member of Parliament. So brutal was the beating that Alex cannot remember what happened to Steve Sizela, a friend arrested along with him, who was never seen again.
Swank plays Sarah Barcant, a South African-born attorney who fled that country years before to live in New York (which presumably explains her completely American accent). At the behest of her mentor, activist Ben Hoffman (Marius Weyers), she returns to her homeland to represent both Alex, who opposes the amnesty, and Steve's family.
Two questions hang over the hearing: Will Hendricks' testimony, which must be fully truthful for amnesty to be granted, implicate his unrepentant former superior, Piet Muller (Ian Roberts), in Steve's disappearance? And will Alex remember what role he may have played in Steve's fate?
British television director Tom Hooper, making his feature debut, maintains a lively pace, and the story contains enough twists and turns to sustain interest in what is, after all, a 14-year-old murder case. Unfortunately, the film focuses more on Sarah and her reaction to what she learns instead of the true protagonist, Alex, who risks his future life and career on the outcome.
This focus tips the balance of the movie into more of an intellectual experience than an emotional one. Whether the case will persuade Sarah to remain in South Africa to help rebuild the country is not nearly as compelling as Alex's desperate search for the truth about his friend and his possible involvement in his fate.
As it is, Swank's role is far too reactive to carry the film, a task that falls to Ejiofor, who delivers a complex and empathetic performance as a man willing to get torn apart by the truth.
Cinematographer Larry Smith and designer Mark Wilby take advantage of the awesome landscapes and rugged townships of a country we are still getting to know in movies to create a striking environment for the tragic tale to unfold.
The film goes a long way toward explaining the healing philosophy and methodology behind the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which could serve an example to all damaged peoples of how best to seek justice.
RED DUST
Distant Horizon & BBC Films in association with Videovision Entertainment and Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa
Credits:
Director: Tom Hooper
Writer: Troy Kennedy-Martin
Based on the novel by: Gillian Slovo
Producers: Ruth Caleb, David M. Thompson, Anant Singh, Helena Spring
Director of photography: Larry Smith
Production designer: Mark Wilby
Music: Rob Lane
Editor: Avril Beukes
Cast:
Sarah Barcant: Hilary Swank
Alex Mpondo: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Dirk Hendricks: Jamie Bartlett
Ben Hoffman: Marius Weyers
Piet Muller: Ian Roberts
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 110 minutes...
- 9/15/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- Both documentaries and feature films have dealt with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, South Africa's extraordinary tribunal that attempted to heal the wounds of apartheid through confession and amnesty rather than revenge and retribution. On the balance, the documentary approach has worked best. Fiction has a difficult time competing with the brutal reality of what happened in South Africa during the dark decades of repression, torture and murder. Furthermore, fiction demands third-act resolutions that fly in the face of South African reality: The hurt suffered under apartheid may be forgiven but never truly "resolved."
Red Dust, a feature made mostly by South Africans and starring Oscar-winner Hilary Swank, at least understands the problem and succeeds to some degree in having it both ways: It solves a murder mystery, but leaves open and raw the wounds suffered by its victims.
Swan's presence will make the movie accessible in North America, but its success in adult urban cinemas may be limited in that most viewers are unfamiliar with the TRC.
Adopting Gillian Slovo's novel, Troy Kennedy Martin's script tells the story of an amnesty application filed by a cop, Dirk Hendricks (Jamie Bartlett), for the torture of political activist Alex Mpondo, played by the talented Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dirty Pretty Things), who is now a Member of Parliament. So brutal was the beating, Alex cannot remember what happened to Steve Sizela, a friend arrested along with him, who was never seen again.
Swank plays Sarah Barcant, a South African-born attorney who fled that country years before to live in New York (which presumably explains her completely American accent). At the behest of her mentor, activist Ben Hoffman (Marius Weyers), she returns to her homeland to represent both Alex, who opposes the amnesty, and Steve's family.
Two questions hang over the hearing: Will Henricks' testimony, which must be fully truthful for amnesty to be granted, implicate his unrepentant former superior, Piet Muller (Ian Roberts), in Steve's disappearance? And will Alex remember what role he played in Steve's fate?
British television director Tom Hooper, making his feature debut, maintains a lively pace, and the story contains enough twists and turns to sustain interest in what is, after all, a 14-year-old murder case. Unfortunately, the film focuses more on Sarah and her reaction to what she learns instead of the true protagonist, Alex, who risks his future life and career on the outcome.
This focus tips the balance of the movie into more of an intellectual experience than an emotional one. Whether the case will persuade Sarah to remain in South Africa to help rebuild the country is not nearly as compelling as Alex's desperate search for the truth about his friend and his possible involvement in his fate.
As it is, Swank's role is far too reactive to carry the film, a task that falls to Ejiofor, who delivers a complex and empathetic performance as a man willing to get torn apart by the truth.
Cinematographer Larry Smith and designer Mark Wilby take advantage of the awesome landscapes and rugged townships of a country we are still getting to know in movies to create a striking environment for the tragic tale to unfold.
The film goes a long way toward explaining the healing philosophy and methodology behind the TRC, which could serve an example to all damaged peoples of how best to seek justice.
RED DUST
Distant Horizon & BBC Films in association with Videovision Entertainment and Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa
Credits:
Director: Tom Hooper
Writer: Troy Kennedy-Martin
Based on the novel by: Gillian Slovo
Producers: Ruth Caleb, David M. Thompson, Anant Singh, Helena Spring
Director of photography: Larry Smith
Production designer: Mark Wilby
Music: Rob Lane
Editor: Avril Beukes.
Cast:
Sarah Barcant: Hilary Swank
Alex Mpondo: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Dirk Hendricks: Jamie Bartlett
Ben Hoffman: Marius Weyers
Piet Muller: Ian Roberts
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 110 minutes...
TORONTO -- Both documentaries and feature films have dealt with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, South Africa's extraordinary tribunal that attempted to heal the wounds of apartheid through confession and amnesty rather than revenge and retribution. On the balance, the documentary approach has worked best. Fiction has a difficult time competing with the brutal reality of what happened in South Africa during the dark decades of repression, torture and murder. Furthermore, fiction demands third-act resolutions that fly in the face of South African reality: The hurt suffered under apartheid may be forgiven but never truly "resolved."
Red Dust, a feature made mostly by South Africans and starring Oscar-winner Hilary Swank, at least understands the problem and succeeds to some degree in having it both ways: It solves a murder mystery, but leaves open and raw the wounds suffered by its victims.
Swan's presence will make the movie accessible in North America, but its success in adult urban cinemas may be limited in that most viewers are unfamiliar with the TRC.
Adopting Gillian Slovo's novel, Troy Kennedy Martin's script tells the story of an amnesty application filed by a cop, Dirk Hendricks (Jamie Bartlett), for the torture of political activist Alex Mpondo, played by the talented Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dirty Pretty Things), who is now a Member of Parliament. So brutal was the beating, Alex cannot remember what happened to Steve Sizela, a friend arrested along with him, who was never seen again.
Swank plays Sarah Barcant, a South African-born attorney who fled that country years before to live in New York (which presumably explains her completely American accent). At the behest of her mentor, activist Ben Hoffman (Marius Weyers), she returns to her homeland to represent both Alex, who opposes the amnesty, and Steve's family.
Two questions hang over the hearing: Will Henricks' testimony, which must be fully truthful for amnesty to be granted, implicate his unrepentant former superior, Piet Muller (Ian Roberts), in Steve's disappearance? And will Alex remember what role he played in Steve's fate?
British television director Tom Hooper, making his feature debut, maintains a lively pace, and the story contains enough twists and turns to sustain interest in what is, after all, a 14-year-old murder case. Unfortunately, the film focuses more on Sarah and her reaction to what she learns instead of the true protagonist, Alex, who risks his future life and career on the outcome.
This focus tips the balance of the movie into more of an intellectual experience than an emotional one. Whether the case will persuade Sarah to remain in South Africa to help rebuild the country is not nearly as compelling as Alex's desperate search for the truth about his friend and his possible involvement in his fate.
As it is, Swank's role is far too reactive to carry the film, a task that falls to Ejiofor, who delivers a complex and empathetic performance as a man willing to get torn apart by the truth.
Cinematographer Larry Smith and designer Mark Wilby take advantage of the awesome landscapes and rugged townships of a country we are still getting to know in movies to create a striking environment for the tragic tale to unfold.
The film goes a long way toward explaining the healing philosophy and methodology behind the TRC, which could serve an example to all damaged peoples of how best to seek justice.
RED DUST
Distant Horizon & BBC Films in association with Videovision Entertainment and Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa
Credits:
Director: Tom Hooper
Writer: Troy Kennedy-Martin
Based on the novel by: Gillian Slovo
Producers: Ruth Caleb, David M. Thompson, Anant Singh, Helena Spring
Director of photography: Larry Smith
Production designer: Mark Wilby
Music: Rob Lane
Editor: Avril Beukes.
Cast:
Sarah Barcant: Hilary Swank
Alex Mpondo: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Dirk Hendricks: Jamie Bartlett
Ben Hoffman: Marius Weyers
Piet Muller: Ian Roberts
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 110 minutes...
- 9/13/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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