Star Trek Beyond Trailer Arrives With Star Wars

In an ironic twist of callous marketing, the first official trailer for Star Trek Beyond will debut before screenings of Star Wars The Force Awakens, the film director JJ Abrams abandoned the Star Trek Franchise to make.

While it’s unsurprising that the studios are looking to cash in on the potentially record breaking crowds turning out for Star Wars, time will tell if it’s ill advised to invite audiences to draw direct comparisons between Star Trek and the triumphantly resurgent Star Wars saga. Setting phasers to stun up against lightsabers  and a good blaster is always a risky strategy…

British Independent Film Awards 2015 Winners

Ex Machina was the big winner at the Moët British Independent Film Awards this evening. The film won four awards: Best British Independent Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay for Alex Garland and Outstanding Achievement in Craft for its Visual Effects, by Andrew Whitehurst.

The film will be screened in 74 cinemas across the country on Sunday 13 December as part of a landmark BIFA screening series supported by the BFI. Tickets can be booked at discover.bifa.film

Performance awards were spread across the board: Saoirse Ronan picked up Best Actress for Brooklyn and Tom Hardy won Best Actor for his dual role as Ronnie and Reggie Kray in Legend.

Olivia Colman won her third BIFA for her Best Supporting Actress performance in The Lobster. Brendan Gleeson made it two years in a row, winning Best Supporting Actor for Suffragette this year after taking away Best Actor for Calvary last year.

Colin Farrell presented the Most Promising Newcomer award to Abigail Hardingham for her breakthrough performance in Nina Forever.

The Special Jury Prize was presented to Chris Collins, the BFI executive who died late last year. Director of the BFI Lottery Film Fund Ben Roberts said, “This is a really wonderful tribute to Chris. He is greatly missed, but his contribution to so many films and filmmakers continues to burn brightly. A heartfelt thanks to the BIFA jury.”

In the closely-fought Best Documentary category, Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance won out over Amy, How to Change the World, Palio and A Syrian Love Story.

Room was named Best International Independent Film and Jacob Tremblay, the young star of the film, collected the award with the team.

The team behind Kajaki: The True Story took home Producer of the Year and Stephen Fingleton was named Best Debut Directorfor The Survivalist. The award is presented in honour of director Douglas Hickox.

Edmond won Best Short and The Discovery Award went to Orion: The Man Who Would Be King.

The 18th BIFA ceremony, which was hosted by Richard Ayoade, was held at Old Billingsgate in London and live streamed on www.bifa.film. Highlights are available on that website.

Laurence Green, chairman of the BIFA Board, said:

“As part of our mission to build the widest audience we can for British independent film, it is BIFA’s great honour to celebrate the cream of the crop once a year at the Moët British Independent Film Awards. This year’s winners speak volumes, not just for their excellence but also for the undimmed ambition and beautiful diversity of the stories they tell.”

As previously announced, the Variety Award, which recognises a director, actor, writer or producer who has made a global impact and helped to focus the international spotlight on the UK, was presented to Kate Winslet. The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film was presented to Chiwetel Ejiofor.

What’s On Stage Awards Nominations 2016

The WhatsOnStage Awards are the only major UK theatre awards in which the audience are the judges. Audiences have submitted their choices in the nominations process, and the five nominations with the most votes are put into the shortlist.

The public can now vote who they want to win in each category, as the voting is now open. Head to the WhatsOnStage Awards site to cast your vote.

The 16th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards nominees in full:

Best Actor in a Play sponsored by Radisson Blu Edwardian:

Benedict Cumberbatch, Hamlet

James McAvoy, The Ruling Class

Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man

Mark Rylance, Farinelli and the King

Alex Hassell, Henry V

Best Actress in a Play:

Nicole Kidman, Photograph 51

Denise Gough, People, Places and Things

Lia Williams, Oresteia

Rosalie Craig, As You Like It

Harriet Walter, Death of a Salesman

Best Actor in a Musical:

Killian Donnelly, Kinky Boots

Michael Ball, Mack and Mabel

Matt Henry, Kinky Boots

Sam Mackay, In the Heights

Ben Forster, Elf the Musical

Best Actress in a Musical sponsored by STAR:

Imelda Staunton, Gypsy

Beverley Knight, Cats

Kimberley Walsh, Elf the Musical

Lily Frazer, In the Heights

Katie Brayben, Beautiful

Best Supporting Actor in a Play:

Ciaran Hinds, Hamlet

Mark Gatiss, Three Days in the Country

Bertie Carvel, Bakkhai

Johnny Flynn, Hangmen

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Hamlet

Best Supporting Actress in a Play:

Sian Brooke, Hamlet

Anastasia Hille, Hamlet

Imogen Doel, The Importance of Being Earnest

Patsy Ferran, As You Like It

Judi Dench, The Winter’s Tale

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical:

Lucas Rush, American Idiot

Alexis Gerred, American Idiot

David Bedella, In The Heights

Jack Edwards, Mack and Mabel

Peter Davison, Gypsy

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical:

Lara Pulver, Gypsy

Jennie Dale, Elf the Musical

Amy Lennox, Kinky Boots

Lauren Samuels, Bend It Like Beckham

Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, In The Heights

Best New Play:

Hangmen

Oppenheimer

Photograph 51

People, Places and Things

Farinelli and the King

Best New Musical sponsored by Autograph:

Kinky Boots

Bend It Like Beckham

Elf the Musical

Beautiful

In The Heights

Best Play Revival:

Hamlet

Importance of Being Earnest

The Ruling Class

Death of a Salesman

Oresteia

Best Musical Revival sponsored by R&H Theatricals Europe:

Gypsy

Cats

High Society

Mack and Mabel

American Idiot

Best Direction sponsored by Managed Networks:

Hamlet, Lyndsey Turner

In The Heights, Luke Sheppard

American Idiot, Racky Plews

Kinky Boots, Jerry Mitchell

Gypsy, Jonathan Kent

Best Choreography sponsored by Capezio:

Kinky Boots, Jerry Mitchell

In The Heights, Drew McOnie

High Society, Nathan M Wright

Gypsy, Stephen Mear

American Idiot, Racky Plews

Best Set Design sponsored by Feast Creative:

Hamlet, Es Devlin

American Idiot, Sara Perks

Kinky Boots, David Rockwell

In The Heights, Takis

Gypsy, Anthony Ward

Best Lighting Design sponsored by White Light:

Hamlet, Jane Cox

In The Heights, Howard Hudson

American Idiot, Tim Deiling

Kinky Boots, Kenneth Posner

Gypsy, Mark Henderson

Best Off-West End Production:

Shock Treatment, King’s Head Theatre

Carrie, Southwark Playhouse

You Won’t Succeed on Broadway If You Don’t Have Any Jews, St James’s Theatre

Grand Hotel, Southwark Playhouse

Assassins, The Menier Chocolate Factory

Best Regional Production sponsored by Travelzoo:

Mack and Mabel, Chichester Festival Theatre and tour

Mary Poppins, tour

Anything Goes, Sheffield Crucible and tour

Hairspray, tour

Henry V, RSC

Best West End Show:

Wicked

Les Miserables

Kinky Boots

Miss Saigon

Matilda

The Huntsman Winter’s War Official Trailer

Snow White and The Huntsman follow up The Huntsman Winter’s War has a new official trailer and synopsis below. The trailer and detailed description from Universal Pictures finally confirms that this film will indeed be a sequel to Kristen Stewart staring original, as opposed to just a prequel.

The fantastical world of Snow White and the Huntsman expands to reveal how the fates of The Huntsman Eric and Queen Ravenna are deeply and dangerously intertwined. Chris Hemsworth and Oscar winner Charlize Theron return to their roles in The Huntsman Winter’s War, an epic action-adventure in which they are joined by Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain, as well as director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan. Producer Joe Roth (Maleficent, Alice in Wonderland) once again leads the team in a breathtaking new tale nested in the legendary saga.

Long before the evil Queen Ravenna (Theron) was thought vanquished by Snow White’s blade, she watched silently as her sister, Freya (Blunt), suffered a heartbreaking betrayal and fled their kingdom. With Freya’s ability to freeze any enemy, the young ice queen has spent decades in a remote wintry palace raising a legion of deadly huntsmen—including Eric (Hemsworth) and warrior Sara (Chastain)—only to find that her prized two defied her one demand: Forever harden your hearts to love.

When Freya learns of her sister’s demise, she summons her remaining soldiers to bring the Magic Mirror home to the only sorceress left who can harness its power. But once she discovers Ravenna can be resurrected from its golden depths, the wicked sisters threaten this enchanted land with twice the darkest force it’s ever seen. Now, their amassing army shall prove undefeatable…unless the banished huntsmen who broke their queen’s cardinal rule can fight their way back to one another.

Richard Ayoade Hosts British Independent Film Awards 2015

IT Crowd star Richard Ayoade will host this year’s British Independent Film Awards. Ayoade previously won the best screenplay BIFA award in 2011 for his directorial debut film Submarine.

Giving a typically hilarious and winsome response to the news Ayoade said:

I have come to accept that I am now contracted to host this year’s Moet British Independent Film Awards, following in the esteemed footsteps of whoever dropped out. I’ve been told it’s been an outstanding year for British film, but I remember people saying very similar things last year. Let’s celebrate regardless.