29/11/2005

The creative team behind The Mother, UK filmmaker Roger Michell, scriptwriter Hanif Kureishi and producer Kevin Loader from Free Range Films are teaming up again on Venus, a new ambitious project starring Peter O’Toole and Vanessa Redgrave.

Currently filming in and around London and at Ealing Studios, Venus is a wry and affectionate coming of ‘very-old-age’ story about two old friends and veteran English actors who never hit the big game. Now in their seventies, Maurice (O’Toole) and Ian (Leslie Phillips) continue to work but spend much of their time discussing their ailments over breakfast in their favourite café. When Ian’s grand-niece Jessie (played by newcomer Jodie Whittaker) arrives from the province, Maurice is taken with the girl and proceeds to show her the cultural sights of the capital. In the process, he discovers how very little he actually knows now that his own life is drawing to a close.

Shooting for an eight weeks period, Venus is produced by Free Range Films for the UK Film Council’s Premiere Fund (which awarded the film £1m – € 1.45m), Film Four and Miramax Films. Other key credits include editor Nicolas Gaster and cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos who both worked with Roger Michell on Enduring Love [+see also:
trailer
film profile].
The film will be released in the UK by Buena Vista International, in the US by Miramax and international sales are handled by The Works .