23/02/2005

David Mackenzie’s Asylum [+see also:
trailer
film profile] has won the Prize of the Guild of German Art-house Cinemasat the last Berlin Film Festival. The award - given to a film in official competition - was handed out by Adrian Kutter, Thomas Engel and Michael Spiegel, members of the Guild and art-house exhibitors in Germany. Their comment of the film was the following: “The psycho-drama of a woman who falls victim to the societal pressures of England in the 1950s, the balance of power between the sexes, her unstoppable passion and the image of illness held by the people around her. This melodrama is convincing through its themes, its outstanding camera work and the excellent dramatic performances”.
Asylum is the second feature film by the young Scottish director David Mackenzie who made a stunning debut with Young Adam. Starring Sir Ian McKellen and Natasha Richardson, Asylum was produced by one of Ireland’s leading independent production companies, Samson Films , in co-production with Seven Arts Films for Paramount Classics.