24/04/2013 - The Selfish Giant and For Those In Peril also make Cannes cut

In what has not been a great year for selections from British and Irish cinema on the Croisette, there has been unfettered delight at Irish director Ruairí Robinson’s Last Days On Mars being chosen for Directors’ Fortnight. The film that stars Liev Schrieber and Romola Garai tells the story of a group of astronaut explorers who succumb one by one to a mysterious and terrifying force while collecting specimens on Mars. Produced by Fantastic Films and Qwerty Films, the film had financing from the Irish Film Board (IFB), the British Film Institute (BFI) Film Fund and Prescience, with international sales being handled by Focus Features.

Robinson said, “Having my film selected for Directors' Fortnight is very exciting and a wonderful endorsement of the creative talents of my cast and crew. My head just exploded.”

The Directors’ Fortnight will also host the world premiere of Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Clio Barnard
interview: Clio Barnard
film profile] while Scottish writer/director Paul Wright’s debut feature, For Those In Peril [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: George Mackay
film profile], will appear in Cannes’ International Critics’ Week. These films too received production funding from the BFI Film Fund.

Ben Roberts, Director of the BFI Film Fund, said, “Well done to Clio, Paul and Ruairi. It’s gratifying to see three such distinctive and personal talents in the spotlight at the world’s biggest film festival, and to see them in the same sections that helped launch the careers of filmmakers like Ken Loach, Stephen Frears and Martin Scorsese. We’re very proud to be involved with each of the films and wish them ‘bon courage’ for the festival.”