23/12/2005

As usual, UK distributors will have a real break over Christmas and New Year after a hectic October/November, and the whole UK film industry will be able to look positively at this year gone by as total admissions for 2005 should be around the 2003/2004 level of 167 to 170 million thanks to a very strong fourth quarter of the year.

Films currently on UK screens such as the French Merry Christmas [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christian Carion
interview: Christophe Rossignon
film profile], the Irish/US family film Lassie or the Belgian/French Ultranova [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bouli Lanners
film profile] will have time to build on their audience as only six new films will open between now and the end of the year. Two US productions Cheaper By The Dozen 2 (Fox) and The Producers (Sony) will be released on Boxing Day, and four other titles on the 30th including Ang Lee’s festival and crowds pleaser Brokeback Mountain released by Entertainment Film Distributors, and the only ‘European’ film of this end of year Va, vis et deviens [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Denis Carot
interview: Didar Domehri
interview: Radu Mihaileanu
film profile] by Romanian director Radu Mihaileanu released by The Works under the title Live And Become
. The French/Belgian/Italian/Israeli co-production will be released by the Works in one London cinema and several key cities across the UK. The film described by Mihaileanu as "an Ethiopian version of E.T." will be a perfect end of year offering with its humanistic message and moving portrayal of a young Ethiopian pushed by his mother to leave his homeland for Israel, the ‘Promised Land’ to find a better life and salvation (see Cineuropa’s Focus).

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