Hayley Atwell

Actress

Hayley Atwell will soon be seen starring in CASSANDRA'S DREAM a satirical thriller directed by Woody Allen and co-starring Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor. In November, Hayley will be appearing in the comedy-drama HOW ABOUT YOU, based on a short story by Maeve Binchy. Directed by Anthony Byrne, Hayley stars alongside Vanessa Redgrave, Joss Ackland, Orla Brady and Joan O'Hara.

On television, Hayley won critical acclaim for her performance in the BBC's THE LINE OF BEAUTY, an adaptation of Alan Hollinghurst's Booker Prize-winning novel. This spring she was also seen in MANSFIELD PARK directed by Iain B MacDonald, where she played the role of Mary. Other television appearances include Ruby In The Smoke directed by Brian Percival and Fear of Fanny directed by Coky Giedroyc.

As well as television and film, Hayley has appeared on stage in roles such as MAN OF MODE directed by Nicholas Hynter, WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN, directed by Laurence Boswell, and PROMETHEUS BOUND, directed by James Kerr. Recently, she finished filming BRIDESHEAD REVISITED, directed by Julian Jarrold, in which she plays the lead female role of Julia Flyte.

Hayley is currently filming THE DUCHESS, directed by Saul Dibb (BULLET BOY) and based on the bestselling biography GEORGIANA: DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE by Amanda Foreman.Â

Peter Webber

Director

Peter is perhaps best known for his film directorial debut GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, the film adaptation of Tracey Chevalier's bestselling novel starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth. His most recent offering is the prequel to THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS saga HANNIBAL RISING released early 2007.

Starting his television career in the early nineties Peter directed THE ZEBRA MAN starring Minnie Driver and Duncan Bell. Following this success he also directed THE DOUBLE LIFE OF FRANZ SCHUBERT and UNDERGROUND. Peter's 2001 TV drama MEN ONLY gained him the prestigious Royal Television Society Award for best cinematography. Peter went on to direct the BBC drama THE STRETFORD WIVES starring Fay Ripley before moving on in 2004 to his work on the HBO drama SIX FEET UNDER.

Peter has explored the world of classical music through a number of his documentaries and television dramas. His documentary for Channel 4 AN A TO Z OF WAGNER was a critical success winning the best documentary award at the Lyon Operascreen Film Festival and being selected as a finalist for the Best Arts Documentary in the Royal Television Society Awards. Other documentary credits include Naked Classics: THE MAESTRO, APOCALYPSE WHEN?, THE DEEP: CREATURES OF THE ABYSS and FIELDS OF GOLD as well as a number of programmes for the Equinox series for Channel 4.Â

Kathy Burke

Actress / Director

Kathy Burke has worked extensively in theatre film and TV for the past 25 years. She is mainly known for her work with Harry Enfield and the sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme. Her film work includes ELIZABETH and NIL BY MOUTH. For the last six years she has focused on theatre directing which includes the plays BORN BAD by Debbie Tucker Green and THE GOD OF HELL by Sam Shepherd.

Will Clarke

CEO, Optimum Releasing

Will began his career in distribution by joining The Feature Film Company in early 1995 and overseeing the acquisition and release of over thirty-five films including Hanif Kureshi's MY SON THE FANATIC, Oscar-nominated ULEE'S GOLD and the reissues of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and WITHNAIL AND I. In May 1999, seeing a gap in the industry for an innovative and effective distribution infrastructure, Will launched Optimum Releasing with the aim of successfully releasing a variety of distinctive titles within the UK marketplace. Optimum has acquired independent and foreign language films that have achieved both commercial and critical success such as the Oscar-nominated Mexican film AMORES PERROS, WOLF CREEK, the Oscar-winning SPIRITED AWAY and PAN'S LABYRINTH and this year's critically acclaimed and award-winning THIS IS ENGLAND. In 2006, Will agreed a deal for StudioCanal, the film, production and sales distribution arm of French media group Canal+, to acquire Optimum Releasing. This has given Optimum the opportunity to exploit the French company's vast library of over 5,000 films, which includes the Ealing Comedies, the Carolco library and the Hammer library.

Will has supported a variety of filmmakers over the years, introducing Hayao Miyazaki to British audiences and has long standing relationships with directors such as Guillermo del Toro and Shane Meadows. He was also executive producer of Shane Meadows' DEAD MAN'S SHOESÂ and THIS IS ENGLAND. One of the founding board members of Film London, Will has also participated in a number of industry initiatives such as the Government's Film Policy Review Sub Committee on Distribution and has been a regular speaker at the National Film and Television School. He was recently invited to serve on the BAFTA film committee.Â

Tony Curran

Actor

Following the success of Andrea Arnold's debut feature, RED ROAD for which Tony won two Best Actor Awards - one from Bafta Scotland and one from the British Independent Film Awards - he has been back in the States working on leading roles in two independent features, SHUTTLE directed by Edward Anderson and THE HEAVEN PROJECT directed by John Glenn. Other resent film credits include THE GOOD GERMAN (Steven Soderbergh), MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN (Ryuhei Kitamura), MIAMI VICE (Michael Mann), UNDERWORLD 2 (Len Wiseman) and THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN (Stephen Norrington).  Most recently, Tony has been back in the UK and back on stage playing Pentheus in National Theatre of Scotland's critically acclaimed production of THE BACCHAE co-starring Alan Cumming.

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Actor

Chiwetel Ejiofor continues to demonstrates his versatility as an actor with a wide range of projects. He balances his film and television commitments with his theatre projects, and this month alone he can be seen in two films (TALK TO ME and AMERICAN GANGSTER) and on stage (OTHELLO at the Donmar Theatre).

Annie Griffin

Director

Annie Griffin is a writer/director based in Scotland. For television she has created two series of The Book Group for Channel 4.  Festival was her first feature film, for which she won the BIFA Douglas Hickox Award in 2005. She is currently preparing a drama series for the BBC.

Sandra Hebron

Artistic Director, London Film Festival

Sandra Hebron is the Artistic Director, bfi Film Festivals, responsible for The Times bfi London Film Festival and the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, two of Europe's leading public film festivals. She began her working life in academia, researching in the fields of sociology and cultural studies. She has worked in independent film exhibition for over fifteen years, and was Cinemas Director at Manchester's Cornerhouse before joining the bfi Festivals Department in 1997. She has made several short films, regularly writes and broadcasts about cinema, and is currently Chair of Lux, the London-based organisation specialising in distributing and promoting artists' films and videos.Â

Mark Herbert

Producer, Warp Films

Mark is the joint MD of Warp X which was officially launched in Spring 2006, and is a pioneering new digital film studio allied to Warp Films. Warp X is a low budget slate, which aims to introduce the next wave of cutting edge British filmmakers and seven feature films will be made over the next three years. The first three features, DONKEY PUNCH, COMPLETE HISTORY and HUSH are currently in post production.

Mark has most recently produced Warp Films' second feature THIS IS ENGLAND directed by Shane Meadows. This is England has scooped up various awards winning the Best Film Award at the British Independent Films Awards and Thomas Turgoose picked up Best Newcomer.

Warps first feature produced by Mark was DEAD MAN'S SHOES. The film opened to great reviews and has been nominated for 8 British Independent Film Awards, including Best Film and Best Achievement in Production.

Mark Herbert started to work with Warp Films in 2002. MY WRONGS, directed by Chris Morris and produced by Mark was their first production and it won Mark a BAFTA in 2003.

Prior to this Mark produced the critically acclaimed first series of Peter Kay's PHOENIX NIGHTS, the series was broadcast in 2001 and was nominated for Best Comedy at the RTS and Broadcast. Mark's freelance career started as a Location Manager with credits including LITTLE VOICE, BRASSED OFF, BLOW DRY and AMONG GIANTS.

Mark is currently Executive Producer on a DVD album by award winning director Chris Cunningham that includes his own musical compositions and new films. Also in development is a feature film project with Chris Cunningham, three films with Shane Meadows, Lynne Ramsey's next feature film and a feature written by Paul Fraser.

Menhaj Huda

Director

Menhaj Huda spent the first 5 years of his directing career in music and youth programming for Channel 4, at the same time directing music videos and commercials through his own company. His first short film JUMP BOY (1998) for Film Four launched his career in film and drama. After directing TUBE TALES (1999) for SKY Pictures, he went on to direct prime time TV Dramas for BBC, ITV and Channel 4, including QUEER AS FOLK 2, MURPHY'S LAW and BLUE MURDER while developing feature films. KIDULTHOOD (2006) was his first feature which he directed and co-produced through his company Stealth Films. He won The Douglas Hickox Award at the British Independent Film Awards 2006, for Best Debut Director.Â

Matthew Macfadyen

Actor

Matthew Macfadyen has just finished filming the feature FROST/NIXON, based on the award-winning play written by Peter Morgan which depicted the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon. Directed by Ron Howard, Matthew plays the character of John Birt, the producer of Frost's TV show. Also this year, Matthew has filmed INCENDIARY, adapted from the novel of the same name by Chris Cleave. A contemporary drama about the emotional aftermath of a suicide bombing in London, the film, from the producers of GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, also stars Michelle Williams and Ewan McGregor.

This month Matthew will be seen in the black comedy DEATH AT A FUNERAL, directed by Frank Oz and co-starring Rupert Graves, Ewen Bremner and Keeley Hawes. Earlier this year Matthew received exceptional reviews when he returned to the stage in THE PAIN AND THE ITCH at the Royal Court Theatre and on television, audiences last saw him in the Channel 4 drama, SECRET LIFE in which the drama received outstanding reviews.

In September 2005, Matthew won critical acclaim for the lead role of Mr Darcy in the adaptation of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE directed by BAFTA winner Joe Wright, co-starring Keira Knightley. Also in 2005, Matthew was nominated for Best Actor for his role in IN MY FATHER'S DEN at the British Independent Film Awards. Directed by Brad McGann, Matthew played the lead of Paul, a disillusioned war journalist. Matthew's other film credits include: MIDDLETOWN, THE RECKONING, ENIGMA and MAYBE BABY.

He is well known for his portrayal of Tom in the first three series of the BBC television drama SPOOKS, which won BAFTA & Royal Television Society awards. He also starred in THE PROJECT (BBC), THE WAY WE LIVE NOW (BBC), PERFECT STRANGERS (Talkback TV), BLOODLINE (BBC), WARRIORS (BBC) and WUTHERING HEIGHTS (LWT).

On stage Matthew has received critical acclaim in productions such as HENRY IV PARTS I & II (National Theatre) BATTLE ROYAL (National Theatre/RSC/Stratford), SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL (Barbican/Cheek by Jowl), MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (West End), DUCHESS OF MALFI (West End/New York) and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (RSC). 

Neil Marshall

Director

Born in Newcastle, Neil began making films at the age of 11 with his mum's Super 8 camera. Driven by a love of all things cinematic, Neil went on to film school at Newcastle Polytechnic in 1989, graduating in 2002. He was quickly spotted and employed by local director Bharat Nalluri (Tsunami, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day) as an editor, and continued to work for the next 8 years as a freelance editor in Newcastle. During that time, in 1995, Neil co-wrote and edited Bharat's first feature film KILLING TIME and continued to write and develop his own projects. Neil's debut feature DOG SOLDIERS (2002) was released by Pathe in cinemas across the UK to both positive reviews and healthy box office. This 'soldiers versus werewolves' horror/comedy has since gone to gain a strong and loyal cult following in both the UK and US. Â Neil's second feature, the critically acclaimed and award winning horror film THE DESCENT (2005), was released, again by Pathe, in 2005 in the UK and by Lionsgate (on over 2000 screens) in the US in 2006. THE DESCENT went on to win, among others, the SATURN award for best horror film, the BIFA awards for best director and editor, and the EMPIRE award for best horror film. Neil is currently in post-production on the apocalyptic action adventure epic DOOMSDAY for Rogue Pictures, to be released by Universal in early 2008.Â

Archie Panjabi

Actress

Archie made her film debut in the smash hit comedy EAST IS EAST in 1999. The film was the year's biggest home-grown hit. Archie went onto to appear in the hugely successfully British film BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, with Keira Knightley. Roles followed in Fernando Meirelles' The CONSTANT GARDENER, Simon Beaufoy's YASMIN, Michael Winterbottom's CODE 46 and Sarah Gavron's BIFA-winning THIS LITTLE LIFE. TV work has included WHITE TEETH and A VERY SOCIAL SECRETARY. More recently Michael Winterbottom cast Archie alongside Angelina Jolie in A MIGHTY HEART. Archie is currently filming THE TRAITOR starring opposite Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce. 

Nitin Sawhney

Musician / Composer

A gifted multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, DJ, and songwriter, Nitin Sawhney is regarded as one of the world's most innovative musical talents. He has released six studio albums, and has worked with artists as diverse as Paul McCartney, Cheb Mami, Sinead O'Connor, and Sting. In 2002, Sawhney produced the album 'Varekai' for Cirque du Soleil, and his work in 2004 will see him compose for the Britten Sinfonia, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and others. He has scored over 20 films, and has this year been nominated for the Ivor Novello Composer's Award for his score to Channel Four's two-part drama SECOND GENERATION. In 2000 he was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and received the prestigious South Bank Show Award for his critically-acclaimed forth album 'Beyond Skin', while in 2002 he garnered a MOBO Award and a Boundary Crossing BBC Radio 3 Music Award for his millennial epic 'Prophesy'.

Roger Pratt

Director of Photography

Among many others, Academy Award nominee Roger Pratt's feature credits include the forthcoming Ianin's Softley's INKHEART, Richard Attenborough's CLOSING THE RING; HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (2005; TROY (2004); HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (2002); IRIS (2001); CHOCOLAT (2000); and THE END OF THE AFFAIR (for which he received the Oscar nomination in 1999 for Best Cinematography).

Roger Pratt, who grew up in Leicester in the English midlands, is the son of a minister. He first developed an interest in filmmaking while sitting along side the projector, watching religious films, in his father's church. Pratt went on to the London Film School and was the camera assistant to the DOP Bahram Manocheri, a job turned down by a fellow student, on Mike Leigh's first feature film BLEAK MOMENTS.

Pratt was assisting on documentaries and commercials, having done a spell at Humphries Film Laboratories to get his Union ticket, when former LFS student Julian Doyle, then a producer on Monty Python's first feature MONTY PYTHON & THE HOLY GRAIL, got him as dogsbody on pre-production, and then as clapper loader on the film. On that film he met Terry Gilliam.

He collaborated with Gilliam on Brazil, THE FISHER KING, and TWELVE MONKEYS. Pratt has also worked with Tim Burton on BATMAN, Kenneth Branagh on MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN, Mike Leigh on HIGH HOPES and on Richard Attenborough's SHADOWLANDS.