ABOUT STRONGER
A woman walks into a bar....
Stronger is the new short film from Golden Bear award-winning director Peter Mackie Burns, and starring Kate Dickie (Red Road, and Ridley Scott's upcoming Alien prequel, Prometheus) and Kathleen McDermott (Morvern Callar).
With Swedish culture currently experiencing a renaissance, in literature and film-making in particular, the time is ripe to turn to the father of modern playwriting, August Strindberg, on the centenary of his death this May.
Stronger is a modern interpretation of his short play The Stronger – which explores the inner world of the two central characters’ emotions, exploring a maelstrom of conflicts and passions that lie beneath the surface of a violently powerful, yet at times tender, encounter in a bar.
The film is solely crowdfunded, and we are looking for £3000 to complete production and submit to festivals worldwide.
The cast and crew have all donated their time and services for free – in support of homegrown talent and creative independent film-making, with all shooting having taken place on location in Glasgow, Scotland.
We don’t simply ask people to donate their hard-earned cash to fund the film without a bye or leave however, every donor receives a reward! For a minimum donation of £5, donors will be entered into a prize draw to win a £50 voucher to spend at the west end’s premier italian grill and bar, Nick’s http://www.nickswestend.com/. For £10 you also get to see your name in the credits of the film and your own copy of the DVD, for £25 attend the screening and mingle with cast and crew, and upwards to £500 a swanky lunch with the director and cast!
There is less than a month left to save the world….from the terrifying possibility of never getting to see this film finished! Please help if you can.
You can also follow the film’s progress on facebook here
http://www.facebook.com/strongerfilm
WHAT IS NEEDED
Whether you have a passion for independent film-making, or an interest in the work of Strindberg or Swedish culture more generally, we hope you will recognise the positive contribution that can be made by investing in our project.
Stronger will be all the stronger for your support!
Here's what the £3000 will help pay for:
• props • refreshments during the all-night shoot
• post production • travel expenses for cast and crew
• insurance • producing a DVD master and copies
• postage and applications funds for sending to film festivals worldwide over next 18 months (a small fortune!)
HOW WE’LL SAY THANK YOU
In addition to the overall sense of cultural well-being you will get from helping to make Stronger a reality, we would like to offer our sponsors something to show our gratitude.
For pledges of:
£5 over = entry into prize draw to win a £50 voucher for Nick’s Italian Bar and Grill
£10 over = entry into prize draw + credit + dvd copy of the film
£25 over = entry into prize draw + credit + dvd + invite to cast and crew screening
£50 over = entry into prize draw + credit + dvd + invite to premiere near you and drink (travel not included)
£100 over = as above + peter mackie burns dvd box set + copy of A3 poster
£250 over = the above + glasgae pub crawl with the director and producer (travel + accommodation excluded). The more you can give, the longer we can crawl!
£500 over = the above + exclusive lunch with director and principal cast
DIRECTOR’S VISION
Peter Mackie Burns’ 2012 film adaptation, Stronger, remains true to the original, but updates the dialogue and re-imagines the drama in a contemporary milieu. It combines subtle visual elements of melodrama and expressionism in the shooting style and mis en scene. The shoot will take place in Glasgow, where AUToNOMi, the production company are based. Through its strong use of colour, audiences will be encouraged to explore the inner world of the characters emotions highlighting internal conflicts and passions that lie beneath the surface. The characters, Mrs X and Miss Y, will be lit in “natural” light, and surrounded with bold, emotive use of saturated colour applied in the post-production colour-grading of the film. The background of the location, a small quiet bar will pulse through a range of colours from soft pink, to orange, to red, to purple, and then to a deep blue in sync with the diagetic music playing quietly on the juke box.
ABOUT THE STRONGER TEAM
'MRS X': KATE DICKIE
Kate Dickie is a Scottish actress from East Kilbride who has appeared in television series, stage plays and films. She started out working in theatre and has performed with some of Scotland's best companies.
Dickie is best known for her portrayal as the security camera operative Jackie in her starring debut Red Road, directed by Andrea Arnold, for which she gained Best Actress awards at the BAFTA Scotland Awards and the British Independent Film Awards in 2006. In 2008 she played Jane in Shane Meadows Somers Town.
Her recent roles include Lysa Arryn in American TV series Game of Thrones. She stars in Ridley Scott's new film Prometheus, which will be released later this year.
'MISS Y': KATHLEEN McDERMOTT
Kathleen McDermott is a Scottish, Glaswegian-born actress. She was working as a hairdresser when spotted by the casting director for Morvern Callar in which she appeared as Lanna. She is best known for her appearance as Shaz in Wedding Belles and Pippa in E4's 2008 series Dead Set. In 2009, she played Debbi in the Scottish Sitcom, Happy Hollidays. She appeared in the music video 'Books from Boxes' by Maximo Park.
She played the lead alongside Brenda Fricker in Peter Mackie Burns’ Milk, for which he was awarded Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival in 2005.
As well as being an experienced actress she has modeled extensively for a range of clients, and is an accomplished singer with a strong vocal range including pop, rock, and ballad.
WRITER & DIRECTOR: PETER MACKIE BURNS
Peter Mackie Burns is a multi award-winning Director whose work includes Milk starring Kathleen McDermot and Brenda Fricker that won numerous awards around the world including the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlin Film Festival in 2005. The film played has played at over seventy international film festivals and has been broadcast in many countries.
Peter went on to write and direct the short film Run for Scottish Screen and the BBC. Run was officially selected for the Telluride film festival in 2006. Peter then directed a Coming Up for Channel 4 called The Spastic King from a script by Jack Thorne.
Over the past two years Peter has been directing a non-fiction feature entitled Come Closer. The film eschews traditional film production techniques dispelling with a crew in favour of small cameras. Developed with stills photographers the film, a series of vignettes, focuses on the lives of a dozen people with quite startling intimacy.
The Come Closer trailer can be seen on Peter's vimeo channel.
Peter is also currently developing a number of fiction features and is represented by Sean Gascoine at United Agents.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: JENNIFER FRANCES SCAMMELL
Jennifer arrived at filmmaking via scholarly research, university teaching, and galley slaving aboard a ‘Clyde Puffer’. She was educated at the University of Glasgow, where she studied English Literature and Language, and holds a Masters degree and PhD. While a student she developed a special interest in Scottish film.
In 2010, she produced James Dean, as a participant in the ‘Starting Block’ training scheme for new filmmakers run by Diversity Films CIC. This short film was nominated by the BFI for the Iris Prize and has been screened at numerous film festivals worldwide. Her idea for a documentary was made into a Radio 4 feature, entitled 'Passion on Glasgow Cross', broadcast in the Lives in the Landscape series in 2011. She has also worked as a researcher on a number of other programmes for Radio 4, including ‘Dr Martens at 50’ and the ‘Jung v. Freud’ Archive Hour.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: MARIE OLESEN
Marie is an award-winning, multi-skilled Film & TV producer and factual journalist with a background in radio production. The lost viking worked as Head of Development with Northlight Productions but set up AUToNOMi in 2002 with Ian and Doug to focus on news, current affairs, drama and docs.
Marie has exec'ed a few projects for AUToNOMi, and producer credits include BAFTA Scotland nominated Kurdi, Wasted Nation and Golden Bear winner, Milk, Harrigan's Beat, Bedroom Radio, Some Distant Day, Gold Fever, As It Is, Streams and, most recently, Peter Mackie Burns' first feature Come Closer.
ABOUT AUToNOMi
Glasgow-based, award-winning production company AUToNOMi is fronted by a team with an international track-record of broadcast credits and filmmaking expertise. AUToNOMi output ranges from primetime observational documentary and innovative world cinema to drama.
Awards include: Golden Bear Best Short, Berlinale 2005 (Milk); Premier Plans, Best Live Action & Best Actress, Premier Plans 2005 (Milk), Best Film, Scottish Muslim Awards 2010 (Islamophobia). Nominations include: BAFTA Scotland, Best Feature Film (Kurdi) 2009; BAFTA Scotland, Best Current Affairs (Wasted Nation) 2008; Celtic Media Festival Best Current Affairs (Wasted Nation) 2008; Silver Wolf (Victim of Geography), IDFA 1999.
For full filmography, clips and further info, please visit:
http://www.autonomi.tv
http://vimeo.com/user3442043
http://www.youtube.com/user/Autonomixtv
http://www.facebook.com/officialAutonomifanpage
http://www.comecloserfilm.com
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