Exclusive: Cillian Murphy, fresh off of the massive global success of Oppenheimer — and as he gets ready to debut Small Things Like These (in which he stars and he produced) as the opening-night gala of the Berlin Film Festival next week — has set his next starring and producing gig with Steve.
This adaptation of Max Porter’s novel Shy also officially launches Murphy’s production company, Big Things Films, with longtime collaborator Alan Moloney. (See below for our discussion with the duo.)
Netflix has greenlighted Steve in collaboration with Big Things and will distribute globally. Production begins in the spring.
Steve is a reimagining of Porter’s Shy and traces a pivotal 24 hours in the life of its eponymous character, a headteacher (Murphy) of a last-chance reform school who struggles to keep his students in line, while also grappling with his spiraling mental health.
Moloney and Murphy are producers. Small Things Like These...
This adaptation of Max Porter’s novel Shy also officially launches Murphy’s production company, Big Things Films, with longtime collaborator Alan Moloney. (See below for our discussion with the duo.)
Netflix has greenlighted Steve in collaboration with Big Things and will distribute globally. Production begins in the spring.
Steve is a reimagining of Porter’s Shy and traces a pivotal 24 hours in the life of its eponymous character, a headteacher (Murphy) of a last-chance reform school who struggles to keep his students in line, while also grappling with his spiraling mental health.
Moloney and Murphy are producers. Small Things Like These...
- 2/8/2024
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: An exposé about institutionalized corruption in the Hare Krishna movement is being adapted into a feature doc by Sphere Media.
Sphere has acquired rights to non-fiction book Monkey on a Stick: Murder, Madness, which was a New York Times bestseller from 1988 that investigative journalists John Huber and Lindsey Gruson co-authored.
The adaptation will be for Canada’s Hollywood Suite for English-speaking Canada and directed by Jason Lapeyre. The book is billed as a “chilling exposé of institutionalised corruption.”
Telefilm Canada’s Theatrical Documentary Program has invested in the film, with assistance coming from the Roger’s Documentary Fund. UK-based Abacus Media Rights has distribution rights outside of Canada, with Hollywood Suite commissioning it for English-speaking Canada and a French-speaking Canadian deal very close to closing.
Lapeyre brought the doc to Canadian film and TV producer Sphere. It explores the Krishna Consciousness,...
Sphere has acquired rights to non-fiction book Monkey on a Stick: Murder, Madness, which was a New York Times bestseller from 1988 that investigative journalists John Huber and Lindsey Gruson co-authored.
The adaptation will be for Canada’s Hollywood Suite for English-speaking Canada and directed by Jason Lapeyre. The book is billed as a “chilling exposé of institutionalised corruption.”
Telefilm Canada’s Theatrical Documentary Program has invested in the film, with assistance coming from the Roger’s Documentary Fund. UK-based Abacus Media Rights has distribution rights outside of Canada, with Hollywood Suite commissioning it for English-speaking Canada and a French-speaking Canadian deal very close to closing.
Lapeyre brought the doc to Canadian film and TV producer Sphere. It explores the Krishna Consciousness,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Chris Messina (Birds of Prey), Cory Michael Smith, Aida Turturro (The Sopranos), Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country) and newcomer Grace Edwards have boarded Call Jane, which is now in production in Connecticut.
In the women’s rights drama, directed by Carol screenwriter Phyllis Nagy, they will star opposite previously announced cast members Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver and Kata Mara.
Emerging from a script by Hayley Schore & Roshan Sethi, with revisions by Nagy, that made The Black List, Call Jane is set during the summer of 1968, which sees protests rock the Democratic National Convention. Against this backdrop, we follow Joy Griffin (Banks), a housewife and mother who experiences a life-threatening pregnancy that no doctor will allow her to terminate. After finding herself out of options, with little time to lose, Joy discovers a network of women who facilitate safe abortions for women in need—no questions asked. The...
In the women’s rights drama, directed by Carol screenwriter Phyllis Nagy, they will star opposite previously announced cast members Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver and Kata Mara.
Emerging from a script by Hayley Schore & Roshan Sethi, with revisions by Nagy, that made The Black List, Call Jane is set during the summer of 1968, which sees protests rock the Democratic National Convention. Against this backdrop, we follow Joy Griffin (Banks), a housewife and mother who experiences a life-threatening pregnancy that no doctor will allow her to terminate. After finding herself out of options, with little time to lose, Joy discovers a network of women who facilitate safe abortions for women in need—no questions asked. The...
- 5/3/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
PBS’ American Masters documentary “How It Feels to Be Free” – which counts Alicia Keys among its roster of exec producers – salutes the careers of six Black female entertainers who used their celebrity to promote civil rights and challenge racists stereotypes.
The documentary – which premieres today on PBS and is set to become a market priority for its distributor Fremantle at NATPE this week – is directed by Yoruba Richen.
A Yap Films production in association with Itvs, Chicken & Egg pictures and Documentary Channel in Canada, it celebrates the careers of Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier.
While its premiere may seem timely in the wake of the Time’s Up and Black Lives Matters movements, PBS and Itvs first came on board five years ago – it just took years to raise the necessary finance, according to Richen.
It was only when two of the film...
The documentary – which premieres today on PBS and is set to become a market priority for its distributor Fremantle at NATPE this week – is directed by Yoruba Richen.
A Yap Films production in association with Itvs, Chicken & Egg pictures and Documentary Channel in Canada, it celebrates the careers of Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier.
While its premiere may seem timely in the wake of the Time’s Up and Black Lives Matters movements, PBS and Itvs first came on board five years ago – it just took years to raise the necessary finance, according to Richen.
It was only when two of the film...
- 1/18/2021
- by Ann-Marie Corvin
- Variety Film + TV
For a brief, terrible moment in “Sweetness in the Belly,” you fear that icky-cutesy title is about to be spoken out loud. Describing the lilting sensation of new love, a character alludes to “a feeling right here,” as he gently taps his stomach — only for the film to mercifully cut away before he says the words themselves. It’s a decision that encapsulates what’s at once restrained and sincerely cornball about Zeresenay Berhane Mehari’s polite melodrama, adapted from Camilla Gibbs’ 2006 novel about a white Muslim refugee of the Ethiopian Civil War, caught between the opposing cultures of her roots and her upbringing as she resettles in a London council estate. There’s a floridly sentimental heart fluttering beneath its tastefully solemn surface, but at times, you can’t help wishing the film would give in to its more expressive impulses.
If “Sweetness in the Belly” winds up feeling...
If “Sweetness in the Belly” winds up feeling...
- 5/7/2020
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
"I need to know you are somewhere safe." Gravitas Ventures has debuted an official trailer for Sweetness in the Belly, an adaption of the novel of the same name by Camilla Gibb. This premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year, and is debuting to watch on VOD this month. Sweetness in the Belly tells the moving story of Lilly, an English child abandoned in Africa. Lilly is forced to flee Ethiopia for England when civil war breaks out. She befriends Amina, an Ethiopian refugee who has fled the same war. Together they begin a mission to reunite people with their scattered families. Dakota Fanning co-stars with Wunmi Mosaku, joined by Kunal Nayyar, Gavin Drea, Peter Bankole, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. This looks like a sweet story of kindness and hope in places where there is little to be found. Might be worth a watch after all. Here's the official...
- 5/5/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Middle East distributor Front Row is pivoting its releases for May and June to digital while theaters continue to be closed due to the pandemic. As we reported earlier this month, the company already switched films including Resistance, Misbehaviour, and The Assistant to online across a variety of platforms including local and international services. Now, it has continued that endeavor with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon comedy The Trip To Greece, Dakota Fanning-starrer Sweetness In The Belly, and Sally Potter’s The Roads Not Taken, all of which will launch towards the end of May. The company also has two anime titles – City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes and Code Geass: Lelouch – which will launch digitally in June. “Part of our decision is because we need to keep supporting our exhibition partners and not burden them with a stack of unreleased titles. Let’s not forget, we are not the...
- 4/29/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has taken U.S. rights to 2019 Toronto premiere Sweetness In The Belly, which stars Dakota Fanning in the story of an English child abandoned in Africa.
The distributor will release the film digitally May 8, with theaters set to be closed beyond that date due to the coronavirus pandemic.
More from DeadlineGravitas To Release 'Braking For Whales'; Cinema Guild Sets Date For 'Liberté' - Film BriefsGravitas Ventures Picks Up North American Rights To Documentaries 'Gamemaster' & 'Find Your Groove'Vertical Entertainment Nabs U.S. Rights To 'Run With The Hunted'; Gravitas Lands 'End of Sentence' - Film Briefs
Based on the novel by Camilla Gibb, the film was directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari from a script by Laura Phillips. It follows Lilly, who is forced to flee Ethiopia for England when civil war breaks out. She befriends Amina (Wunmi Mosaku), an Ethiopian refugee who has fled the same war.
The distributor will release the film digitally May 8, with theaters set to be closed beyond that date due to the coronavirus pandemic.
More from DeadlineGravitas To Release 'Braking For Whales'; Cinema Guild Sets Date For 'Liberté' - Film BriefsGravitas Ventures Picks Up North American Rights To Documentaries 'Gamemaster' & 'Find Your Groove'Vertical Entertainment Nabs U.S. Rights To 'Run With The Hunted'; Gravitas Lands 'End of Sentence' - Film Briefs
Based on the novel by Camilla Gibb, the film was directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari from a script by Laura Phillips. It follows Lilly, who is forced to flee Ethiopia for England when civil war breaks out. She befriends Amina (Wunmi Mosaku), an Ethiopian refugee who has fled the same war.
- 4/17/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
For the past decade, Ethiopia has boasted the world’s fastest-growing economy, and its new reform-minded government seems determined to harness that growth to transform an already vibrant creative sector.
That was the takeaway from a presentation Sunday morning at the Berlinale Africa Hub, led by producer Mehret Mandefro (“Difret”) and director Abraham Gezahagne, who outlined the opportunities and challenges for the film and TV industry in Africa’s second-most populous nation.
Ethiopia’s production sector is booming, with roughly 175 films released in 2018 and fervid support from audiences hungry for local content. “A lot of our films don’t end up crossing over [into the international market], but it’s a really burgeoning scene,” said Mandefro.
The industry has begun to look outward in recent years, following the festival success of films like “Difret,” the 2014 Sundance audience award winner executive produced by Angelina Jolie and directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, and “Sweetness in the Belly,...
That was the takeaway from a presentation Sunday morning at the Berlinale Africa Hub, led by producer Mehret Mandefro (“Difret”) and director Abraham Gezahagne, who outlined the opportunities and challenges for the film and TV industry in Africa’s second-most populous nation.
Ethiopia’s production sector is booming, with roughly 175 films released in 2018 and fervid support from audiences hungry for local content. “A lot of our films don’t end up crossing over [into the international market], but it’s a really burgeoning scene,” said Mandefro.
The industry has begun to look outward in recent years, following the festival success of films like “Difret,” the 2014 Sundance audience award winner executive produced by Angelina Jolie and directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, and “Sweetness in the Belly,...
- 2/24/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Emerging African filmmakers triumph at project development event.
Ethiopian director Hiwot Admasu Getaneh’s Addis Ababa-set tale of self-discovery Sweet Annoyance scooped the top €10,000 development prize at the Marrakech International Film Festival’s second Atlas Workshops on Friday (Dec 6).
The four-day meeting drew some 270 international cinema professionals and presented 28 projects in development and post-production from Middle Eastern, North African and African filmmakers.
The jury for the 10 projects in the running for the Atlas Development Awards was composed of Moroccan director Laïla Marrakchi, Lebanese producer Georges Schoucair and Juliette Schrameck, managing director of Paris-based mk2 Films.
Set against the nightlife of the Ethiopian capital,...
Ethiopian director Hiwot Admasu Getaneh’s Addis Ababa-set tale of self-discovery Sweet Annoyance scooped the top €10,000 development prize at the Marrakech International Film Festival’s second Atlas Workshops on Friday (Dec 6).
The four-day meeting drew some 270 international cinema professionals and presented 28 projects in development and post-production from Middle Eastern, North African and African filmmakers.
The jury for the 10 projects in the running for the Atlas Development Awards was composed of Moroccan director Laïla Marrakchi, Lebanese producer Georges Schoucair and Juliette Schrameck, managing director of Paris-based mk2 Films.
Set against the nightlife of the Ethiopian capital,...
- 12/7/2019
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Djibouti’s “The Gravedigger,” Morocco’s “Zanka Contact” and Ethiopia’s “Sweet Annoyance” were among the major winners in the post-production and development categories of the second edition of the Marrakech Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops.
“The Gravedigger,” by Khadar Ahmed, and “Zanka Contact,” by Ismaël el Iraki, won the top awards – €20,000 and $11,000 respectively – in the post-production competition, and “The Gravedigger” also won the new $3,300 Naas prize for film circulation. Both pics are first features.
Ethiopia’s “Sweet Annoyance,” by Hiwot Admasu Getaneh, Morocco’s “The Original Lie,” by Asmae El Moudir, and Rwanda’s “Ikimanuka – Seasons of the Weary Kind,” by Samuel Ishimwe, were the winners in the development competition, and received $11,000, $5,500 and $5,500 respectively.
The new $6,660 Artekino prize attributed during the workshops was awarded to Morocco’s “Les Meutes” by Kamal Lazraq. This is the first time that French-German broadcaster Arte has attributed an award in an African film festival.
“The Gravedigger,” by Khadar Ahmed, and “Zanka Contact,” by Ismaël el Iraki, won the top awards – €20,000 and $11,000 respectively – in the post-production competition, and “The Gravedigger” also won the new $3,300 Naas prize for film circulation. Both pics are first features.
Ethiopia’s “Sweet Annoyance,” by Hiwot Admasu Getaneh, Morocco’s “The Original Lie,” by Asmae El Moudir, and Rwanda’s “Ikimanuka – Seasons of the Weary Kind,” by Samuel Ishimwe, were the winners in the development competition, and received $11,000, $5,500 and $5,500 respectively.
The new $6,660 Artekino prize attributed during the workshops was awarded to Morocco’s “Les Meutes” by Kamal Lazraq. This is the first time that French-German broadcaster Arte has attributed an award in an African film festival.
- 12/7/2019
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Elle Fanning and Dakota Fanning will unite for the first time on-screen to play sisters in the film adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s worldwide best-seller “The Nightingale” for TriStar Pictures, TheWrap has learned exclusively.
Mélanie Laurent (“Galveston”) will direct from a script by Dana Stevens. Elizabeth Cantillon is producing through her production company The Cantillon Company.
“The Nightingale” follows two sisters coming of age in France on the eve of World War II and tells the story or their struggle to survive the German occupation of France. The story is inspired by the courageous women of the French Resistance who helped downed Allied airmen escape Nazi-occupied territory and hid Jewish children.
Also Read: 'Teen Spirit' Film Review: Elle Fanning Sings - Boy, Does She Sing - in Indie Musical
Hannah’s book became a hit after it was published in 2015. It has since been published in 45 languages and...
Mélanie Laurent (“Galveston”) will direct from a script by Dana Stevens. Elizabeth Cantillon is producing through her production company The Cantillon Company.
“The Nightingale” follows two sisters coming of age in France on the eve of World War II and tells the story or their struggle to survive the German occupation of France. The story is inspired by the courageous women of the French Resistance who helped downed Allied airmen escape Nazi-occupied territory and hid Jewish children.
Also Read: 'Teen Spirit' Film Review: Elle Fanning Sings - Boy, Does She Sing - in Indie Musical
Hannah’s book became a hit after it was published in 2015. It has since been published in 45 languages and...
- 12/4/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
“Sweetness in the Belly” has been mired in controversy since the release of images showing Dakota Fanning portraying a “white Ethiopian Muslim” during filming. Concerned folks cooked up a social media storm, outraged at the idea of a white woman representing the contemporary African refugee experience. However, Ethiopian director Zeresenay Berhane Mehari (“Difret”) defends the romantic drama as having his homeland at its heart, calling the aforementioned description of the protagonist a mischaracterization and suggesting the story’s true nature was misunderstood.
Continue reading ‘Sweetness In The Belly’: Dakota Fanning Stars In A Contentious Refugee Drama [Tiff Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Sweetness In The Belly’: Dakota Fanning Stars In A Contentious Refugee Drama [Tiff Review] at The Playlist.
- 9/10/2019
- by Steven Allison
- The Playlist
Actress Dakota Fanning found herself in the crosshairs of social media backlash last week, after Twitter learned about her new film, “Sweetness in the Belly,” in which she purportedly plays a “white Ethiopian Muslim.”
‘Sweetness In The Belly’: First Clip Of Dakota Fanning As A White Ethiopian Muslim In Refugee Drama-Romance – Toronto https://t.co/L8ZPRnTIfu pic.twitter.com/8eFCBiv9IQ
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) September 4, 2019
Reactions to the clip and social media post included attacks against Fanning, a nebulous Hollywood machine behind the film, and the filmmaker, who many assumed is white.
Of course, in clickbait culture — where headlines alone drive the narrative around issues — few actually read the articles announcing the project. But even a cursory glance would have informed the average flamethrower regarding a number of key facts:
The film is based on a novel from Canadian author Camilla Gibb. The character Fanning plays is indeed...
‘Sweetness In The Belly’: First Clip Of Dakota Fanning As A White Ethiopian Muslim In Refugee Drama-Romance – Toronto https://t.co/L8ZPRnTIfu pic.twitter.com/8eFCBiv9IQ
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) September 4, 2019
Reactions to the clip and social media post included attacks against Fanning, a nebulous Hollywood machine behind the film, and the filmmaker, who many assumed is white.
Of course, in clickbait culture — where headlines alone drive the narrative around issues — few actually read the articles announcing the project. But even a cursory glance would have informed the average flamethrower regarding a number of key facts:
The film is based on a novel from Canadian author Camilla Gibb. The character Fanning plays is indeed...
- 9/7/2019
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Coming into this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, there have been quite a few films that have garnered headlines. Whether its “Hustlers,” “Knives Out,” “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” or “Lucy in the Sky,” there’s no shortage of A-list stars in high profile projects at Tiff. But in the early days of this year’s event, a lot of debate has surprisingly come from the drama “Sweetness in the Belly,” starring Dakota Fanning.
Continue reading Dakota Fanning Responds To ‘Sweetness’ Backlash After Her Character Is Described As A “White Ethiopian Muslim” at The Playlist.
Continue reading Dakota Fanning Responds To ‘Sweetness’ Backlash After Her Character Is Described As A “White Ethiopian Muslim” at The Playlist.
- 9/6/2019
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
Dakota Fanning is breaking her silence about her controversial new role in her upcoming film Sweetness in the Belly.
The actress, 25, shared a statement on her Instagram Stories on Wednesday to give insight into why she accepted the role of a Muslim woman in the drama. Her statement came on the heels of some users protesting her casting on Twitter believing she had taken the role from black Ethiopian actresses.
“Just to clarify. In the new film I’m a part of, Sweetness in the Belly, I do not play an Ethiopian woman,” Fanning wrote. “I play a British woman...
The actress, 25, shared a statement on her Instagram Stories on Wednesday to give insight into why she accepted the role of a Muslim woman in the drama. Her statement came on the heels of some users protesting her casting on Twitter believing she had taken the role from black Ethiopian actresses.
“Just to clarify. In the new film I’m a part of, Sweetness in the Belly, I do not play an Ethiopian woman,” Fanning wrote. “I play a British woman...
- 9/5/2019
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
Dakota Fanning is speaking out amid backlash over her new film, Sweetness in the Belly. The movie, which is based on Camilla Gibb's novel, sparked controversy earlier this week when a preview for the film was released. "First Clip Of Dakota Fanning As A White Ethiopian Muslim In Refugee Drama-Romance," Deadline tweeted Wednesday, along with a still from the movie. In response, many social media users questioned Fanning's casting in the film. Amid the whitewashing allegations, Fanning took to social media to share more details about her character. "Just to clarify. In the new film I'm part of, Sweetness in the Belly, I do not play an Ethiopian woman," the 25-year-old actress wrote...
- 9/5/2019
- E! Online
Dakota Fanning has responded to allegations of whitewashing over her latest role.
In Sweetness in the Belly, adapted from Camilla Gibb's 2005 novel and screening in Toronto, the actress — recently seen as a Manson girl in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood — plays a child refugee who is abandoned in Africa by her parents and raised in Ethiopia as Muslim.
The first clip from the film, directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, was released earlier this week, and fell foul of several online commentators, who complained on social media that Fanning's role — which ...
In Sweetness in the Belly, adapted from Camilla Gibb's 2005 novel and screening in Toronto, the actress — recently seen as a Manson girl in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood — plays a child refugee who is abandoned in Africa by her parents and raised in Ethiopia as Muslim.
The first clip from the film, directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, was released earlier this week, and fell foul of several online commentators, who complained on social media that Fanning's role — which ...
Dakota Fanning has responded to allegations of whitewashing over her latest role.
In Sweetness in the Belly, adapted from Camilla Gibb's 2005 novel and screening in Toronto, the actress — recently seen as a Manson girl in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood — plays a child refugee who is abandoned in Africa by her parents and raised in Ethiopia as Muslim.
The first clip from the film, directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, was released earlier this week, and fell foul of several online commentators, who complained on social media that Fanning's role — which ...
In Sweetness in the Belly, adapted from Camilla Gibb's 2005 novel and screening in Toronto, the actress — recently seen as a Manson girl in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood — plays a child refugee who is abandoned in Africa by her parents and raised in Ethiopia as Muslim.
The first clip from the film, directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, was released earlier this week, and fell foul of several online commentators, who complained on social media that Fanning's role — which ...
The Ethiopian filmmaker’s new movie is an adaptation of Camilla Gibb’s bestselling novel of the same name. Ethiopian filmmaker Zeresenay “Zee” Berhane Mehari is now working on his second feature, entitled Sweetness in the Belly, based on Camilla Gibb’s 2005 novel of the same name. The helmer’s debut film, entitled Difret, was executive-produced by Angelina Jolie and won the World Cinematic Dramatic Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival as well as the 16th Panorama Audience Award at the Berlinale. The story, adapted for the big screen by Laura Philips, explores an immigrant’s life from a unique perspective and revolves around Lilly Abdal (played by young American actress Dakota Fanning), who was orphaned in Africa as a child and escaped to England as a refugee, fleeing civil war. Once in Europe, Lilly embraces the immigrant community in London, attempting to reunite people with their scattered families.
London-based sales agency HanWay Films has released the first-look image of Zeresenay Berhane Mehari’s “Sweetness in the Belly,” which Variety has exclusively. The shot shows the film’s stars Dakota Fanning and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
The cast also features Wunmi Mosaku, best-known for British crime series “Luther,” and a BAFTA winner for “Damilola, Our Loved Boy,” and “The Big Bang Theory” star Kunal Nayyar.
Fanning plays Lilly Abdal, a woman caught between two worlds. Orphaned in Africa as a child, she escapes to England as a refugee, fleeing civil war.
“Lost in this cold new world, Lilly embraces the immigrant community in London, attempting to reunite people with their scattered families,” according to HanWay. “But as her friend Amina (Mosaku) discovers, Lilly’s mission isn’t purely selfless: A passionate lost love affair is revealed between Lilly and Aziz, an idealistic doctor. But can Lilly let go of the past?...
The cast also features Wunmi Mosaku, best-known for British crime series “Luther,” and a BAFTA winner for “Damilola, Our Loved Boy,” and “The Big Bang Theory” star Kunal Nayyar.
Fanning plays Lilly Abdal, a woman caught between two worlds. Orphaned in Africa as a child, she escapes to England as a refugee, fleeing civil war.
“Lost in this cold new world, Lilly embraces the immigrant community in London, attempting to reunite people with their scattered families,” according to HanWay. “But as her friend Amina (Mosaku) discovers, Lilly’s mission isn’t purely selfless: A passionate lost love affair is revealed between Lilly and Aziz, an idealistic doctor. But can Lilly let go of the past?...
- 2/7/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II didn’t always have his eyes set on being an actor. Long before he was starring in movies about circus oddities and underwater superheroes, he was utilizing his architecture degree from Uc Berkeley and working as a city planner in San Francisco. He left the city planning life behind and attended the Yale School of Drama and went on to appear in Baz Luhrmann’s The Get Down. He has since landed some sweet roles that are prepping him to be the leading man he is meant to be.
In the second episode of New Hollywood Podcast’s Aquaman series, we talked to Abdul-Mateen about his journey from city planner in San Francisco to an actor in Hollywood. Even before the James Wan-directed Aquaman, he starred in several A-list features including Baywatch with Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron as well as The Greatest Showman with Hugh Jackman.
In the second episode of New Hollywood Podcast’s Aquaman series, we talked to Abdul-Mateen about his journey from city planner in San Francisco to an actor in Hollywood. Even before the James Wan-directed Aquaman, he starred in several A-list features including Baywatch with Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron as well as The Greatest Showman with Hugh Jackman.
- 12/20/2018
- by Dino-Ray Ramos and Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is set to star opposite Dakota Fanning in the Zeresenay Berhane Mehari-directed Sweetness In The Belly based on the bestselling novel by Camilla Gibb.
Adapted for the screen by Laura Phillips, the film is a powerful love story that explores an immigrant’s life from a unique perspective. In a story that is relevant to today’s cultural landscape, Fanning stars Lilly Abdal (a role which Saoirse Ronan was originally attached), who was orphaned in Africa as a child and escaped to England as a refugee, fleeing civil war. Lost in this cold new world, Lilly embraces the immigrant community in London, attempting to reunite people with their scattered families. However, Lilly’s mission isn’t purely selfless: A passionate lost love affair is revealed between Lilly and Aziz (Abdul-Mateen II), an idealistic doctor. But can Lilly let go of the past?...
Adapted for the screen by Laura Phillips, the film is a powerful love story that explores an immigrant’s life from a unique perspective. In a story that is relevant to today’s cultural landscape, Fanning stars Lilly Abdal (a role which Saoirse Ronan was originally attached), who was orphaned in Africa as a child and escaped to England as a refugee, fleeing civil war. Lost in this cold new world, Lilly embraces the immigrant community in London, attempting to reunite people with their scattered families. However, Lilly’s mission isn’t purely selfless: A passionate lost love affair is revealed between Lilly and Aziz (Abdul-Mateen II), an idealistic doctor. But can Lilly let go of the past?...
- 11/2/2018
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Dakota Fanning is starring in the immigrant drama “Sweetness in the Belly,” which has begun shooting in Ireland and will continue in Ethiopia.
Zeresenay Berhane Mehari is directing from a script by Laura Phillips, adapted from Camilla Gibb’s bestselling novel that explores an immigrant’s life from the unique perspective of being orphaned in Africa as a child, escaping to England as a refugee, embracing the immigrant community in London, and attempting to reunite people with their scattered families — while dealing with a passionate lost love affair with a doctor.
Other cast members include Wunmi Mosaku and Kunal Nayyar (“The Big Bang Theory”). The project was unveiled at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival with Saoirse Ronan initially attached.
Berhane Mehari’s first feature film, “Difret,” was executive produced by Angelina Jolie and won the audience awards at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and in the panorama section of the Berlin Film Festival.
Zeresenay Berhane Mehari is directing from a script by Laura Phillips, adapted from Camilla Gibb’s bestselling novel that explores an immigrant’s life from the unique perspective of being orphaned in Africa as a child, escaping to England as a refugee, embracing the immigrant community in London, and attempting to reunite people with their scattered families — while dealing with a passionate lost love affair with a doctor.
Other cast members include Wunmi Mosaku and Kunal Nayyar (“The Big Bang Theory”). The project was unveiled at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival with Saoirse Ronan initially attached.
Berhane Mehari’s first feature film, “Difret,” was executive produced by Angelina Jolie and won the audience awards at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and in the panorama section of the Berlin Film Festival.
- 11/2/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Zeresenay Berhane Mehari directing project. Entertainment One takes Canada rights.
Dakota Fanning has signed up to play the lead in refugee story Sweetness In The Belly for director Zeresenay Berhane Mehari.
Principal photography gets underway this week in Dublin and will continue in Ethiopia including the Unesco world heritage site Harar Jugol. Further cast include Wunmi Mosaku and Kunal Nayyar.
The film will tell the story of a woman caught between two worlds. Orphaned in Africa as a child, and raised Muslim, Lilly Abdal (Fanning) escapes to England as a refugee, fleeing civil war. Lost in a cold new world,...
Dakota Fanning has signed up to play the lead in refugee story Sweetness In The Belly for director Zeresenay Berhane Mehari.
Principal photography gets underway this week in Dublin and will continue in Ethiopia including the Unesco world heritage site Harar Jugol. Further cast include Wunmi Mosaku and Kunal Nayyar.
The film will tell the story of a woman caught between two worlds. Orphaned in Africa as a child, and raised Muslim, Lilly Abdal (Fanning) escapes to England as a refugee, fleeing civil war. Lost in a cold new world,...
- 11/2/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
The Alienist actress Dakota Fanning has signed on to star in Sweetness in the Belly, an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Camilla Gibb, which Ethiopian filmmaker Zeresenay Berhane Mehari will direct.
Fanning will play Lilly, the child of English hippies who is orphaned when they are murdered and who is raised at a Sufi Islam shrine in Morocco. She embraces the Muslim faith but feels like an outsider in Africa and, fleeing a civil war, escapes to her parents' homeland in England, only to again confront the riddle of who she is and where she belongs. She embraces the immigrant ...
Fanning will play Lilly, the child of English hippies who is orphaned when they are murdered and who is raised at a Sufi Islam shrine in Morocco. She embraces the Muslim faith but feels like an outsider in Africa and, fleeing a civil war, escapes to her parents' homeland in England, only to again confront the riddle of who she is and where she belongs. She embraces the immigrant ...
- 11/2/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The Alienist actress Dakota Fanning has signed on to star in Sweetness in the Belly, an adaptation of the bestselling novel by Camilla Gibb, which Ethiopian filmmaker Zeresenay Berhane Mehari will direct.
Fanning will play Lilly, the child of English hippies who is orphaned when they are murdered and who is raised at a Sufi Islam shrine in Morocco. She embraces the Muslim faith but feels like an outsider in Africa and, fleeing a civil war, escapes to her parents homeland in England, only to again confront the riddle of who she is and where she belongs. She embraces the immigrant ...
Fanning will play Lilly, the child of English hippies who is orphaned when they are murdered and who is raised at a Sufi Islam shrine in Morocco. She embraces the Muslim faith but feels like an outsider in Africa and, fleeing a civil war, escapes to her parents homeland in England, only to again confront the riddle of who she is and where she belongs. She embraces the immigrant ...
- 11/2/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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