Jamie Sives Fans! Pre-Order Game of Thrones DVD

Season two on HBO's acclaimed hit series Game of Thrones begins filming today in Northern Ireland, featuring a number of Scottish cast. Some familiar names to be see in S2 (based on the Clash of Kings book by George RR Martin) include frequent Sigma star James Cosmo (Old Bear) and Kate Dickie (Lysa Arryn) Also returning of note will be Richie Madden as Robb Stark (who will have an EXCELLENT season trust me if you've not yet read the book, its a good one for Robb), along with an excellent Iain Glen as Ser Jorah, Ron Donachie, Rory McCann (so creepy great as the Hound) and I believe Natalia Tena (You Instead) is definitely doing more on her great turn as Osha-rock! Missing of course will be our beloved Jamie Sives as Jory -boooo. We loved you so much, such a great job as Jory!
Fear not however, as we will be able to relive that incredible first season as pre-orders for Game of Thrones DVD Season One are now available in the US via Amazon: DVD ($45.00 USD) Blu-Ray (55 USD)
UK pre-order can be found at the HBO shop, with more retailers to follow in short order. No release date is yet given (that will change soon to be certain). I also believe HBO is set to release their 2012 calendar which will feature many scenes from the series; will update this post once that becomes available online.
While I will greatly miss Jamie in this series, posts here on the show WILL CONTINUE given the great interest in the Scottish actors, including in those actors near and dear to Sigma film fans, stay tuned!
Game of Thrones will air next spring in the US on HBO and in the UK on Sky Atlantic

Photos from East End Film Festival Advance Party Films Screening at

Many thanks go to the fine people at the East End Film Festvial, who have uploaded a few photos from the Advance Party Films screenings held last week in London. Below we can see Donkeys director Morag McKinnon, the fabulous and gorgeous producer, Sigma's own Anna Duffield, along with the terrific cast: Martin Compston, Kate Dickie and the superb star James Cosmo.

Donkeys is the second film in the ground-breaking Advance Party series of films (quick descrip: take the same characters and set them in different premise over three films). The first film of course, was Andrea Arnolds award-winning Red Road which featured Kate Dickie in a remarkable fearless performance. In the photo below, Kate discusses her role in both films with the second films' director Morag McKinnon (along with Anna D)

"Red Road" to Screen in London Sunday, 1 May

Very cool news today from Sigma as their award-winning film "Red Road" will be seen in theatres again. For one day only in an event called "Advance Party Revisited" fans can catch Andrea Arnold's excellent film Red Road when it screens at The Aubin Cinema Shoreditch London on Sunday, 1 May. This special event will feature a very special Q & A session following the showing of the first in the three Advance Party series (ie a set of characters who are seen in three different films/storylines but are the same character). Due at the Q & A are Sigma's own super producer Anna Duffield, along with star Kate Dickie, plus in a very cool happening, director Morag McKinnon will be there to discuss the differences and similarities between film one (Red Road) and her film in the series, "Donkeys" AWESOME!
TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE HERE VIA THIS LINK. Go, enjoy!
Red Road stars the superb Kate Dickie, Tony Curran and Martin Compston. Trailer for this excellent series drama film can be seen below.

Stars from Sigma Films to Appear in "Game of Thrones"

Several of some of the best actors from Scotland will be appearing in the upcoming HBO series Game of Thrones which premieres in just a few days (and will be seen in the UK on Sky Atlantic on April 18-be sure to check their official site here) Based on the best-selling book by author George R. R. Martin, the series also has a few faces well know to fans of Sigma Films.



JAMES COSMO. Well known for his many diverse roles in huge blockbusters such as Braveheart, James Cosmo was the recent star in his critically-acclaimed turn in Sigma's Donkeys directed by Morag McKinnon (the second installment in the Advance Party series, be sure to check out the hilarious trailer here) In Game of Thrones you James will be appearing as a much more serious character named Old Bear (Jeor Mormont), commander of the Night Watch.

KATE DICKIE. Well known and most beloved to those of Sigma fans, this hugely talented Scottish actress was most recently seen alongside James in Donkeys, where she reprises of sorts her award winning turn in Red Road. HBO has now released in glorious high definition a new "making of" feature on the upcoming Game of Thrones that features new interview with Kate Dickie on her role as Lysa Arryn for the series (starts at around 19:00 mark). Enjoy!




JAMIE SIVES. Several years after his award-winning turn in the tile role for Sigma's Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, Jamie Sives also recently appeared in David Mackenzie's excellent Hallam Foe. Currently, Jamie can be seen portraying the role of Jory Cassel, right hand man to Lord Eddard Stark (Sean Bean). At this link, you can read my exclusive interview with Jamie on the part, as well as see many new shots of Jamie filming as Jory in the above "making of " feature for Game of Thrones.
Update: Brian from the Daily Record also very kindly let me know about his new interview with Jamie Sives on his role, where Jamie notes " "Even if you're not a huge fan of fantasy, you're going to like this. We had a great time making the series and, having seen the first few episodes, I was really delighted with the way it all turned out." Yes :))



Natalia Tena. Star of the newest film from Sigma YOU INSTEAD, Nat hangs up her guitar and takes on a decided and much wilder look in Game of Thrones where she appears as Osha.


Other Scottish actors of note also appearing in the ten part series include:
Ron Donachie (Taggert, Rebus)
as Lord Rodrik Cassel, uncle to Jamie Sives' Jory
TRIVIA: Jamie and Ron also appeared in the very same episode of Doctor Who..."Tooth and Claw"


Iain Glen (Sir Jorah Mormont).
very fine actor, def needs to be on our screens more.





Rory McCann (In Clash o T w/Jamie, Rockface and yes in Monarch w/Al in season one :)
Plays the Hound aka Sandor Clegane, keep an eye on this character.



Emun Elliot (Marillion)

Richard Madden (Hope Springs-filmed at FCM! :D) Richard, from the outskirts of Glasgow will be taking on the part of Robb Stark, eldest son of Ned. Already gaining much popularity with many fans for his good looks, you can read more about this young actor with a huge future here via the Herald and in the Telegraph.



THANKS SO MUCH TO SKY ATLANTIC FOR THE HIGH RES PHOTOS! MUCH APPRECIATED!

Comes a White Horse: Jamie Sives & Inside Game of Thrones Preview

Behold, the rider on a horse of white!




Jamie Sives as Jory, seen in the new "Inside the Game of Thrones" preview from HBO.
Now that I have proper power, sat. and internet again!!! oy (right in the middle of the thing too at the Mildred pierce commercial break gah couldnt believe it-how long till Spring?) here are some screencaps of the new preview I made last night before all went astray lol. Love the scar on Jamie and he looked great working with Sean Bean too!Video here at the making of site WHERE YOU CAN SEE AN ACTUAL CLIP OF JAMIE TALKING WITH SEAN BEAN or below, thanks to Movieweb :)



Be sure to check out Westeros who have very good screencaps of the whole thing including three HIGH RES ones of our Jamie (sooo great to see Joseph Mawle, Jamie's co-star in the Passion who is such a great actor). If you subscribe to the iTunes podcast as I do, dearly hoping the finer quality video of this will be up in a few days (or week), so hanging tight for that! Meanwhile, have to say am most impressed with this (Sean bean= excellent!), roll on April! :)

Finally, while a couple days old, sorry!, the ever wonderful Kate Dickie, gave a new interview to the Guardian, where she spoke of not only her role in the upcoming HBO series Game of Thrones, but also of her work on Sigma Films on Red Road and Donkeys.

Game of Thrones Preview in Entertainment Weekly!

It begins! Thanks so much to Entertainment Weekly, there are now ten new photos of HBO's most anticipated "Game of Thrones" series now online. Excellent photos have to say! These, a preview article and more are in the new issue due on newsstands tomorrow, woot!

FINGERS CROSSED we will see our first look at some of the fabulous Scottish actors part of this massive cast SOON, including long time friends of Sigma-the wonderful Jamie Sives (Jory Cassel), James Cosmo (Old Bear-Jeor) and Kate Dickie (Lysa Arran.) Unlikely they will be included this go around though, or maybe Jamie is in the background on one -high res please!- but we can always hope! Anyway BRING IT ALL ON!
THANKS SO MUCH to Entertainment Weekly for sending over the news! :)

No official airdate for GoT has been yet released, but UK viewers will see it for sure (Sky ) as well as the always fab HBO and more. I know that Amazon and more have a March 22 release date set for the re-issue of Game of Thrones w/the HBO cover , and the publishers note this book is due to be out in conjunction with the pilot episode, so roll on Spring 2011! :)

Updated w/Video Plus Photos of Kate Dickie, James Cosmo More at GFT!

Check it out! Here are a few snaps of the cast members at the special screening of Donkeys last Friday at the Glasgow Film Theatre. Pictured below are (l-r)
Kate Dickie, Brian Pettifer, James Cosmo and director Morag McKinnon (pls. writer Colin McLaren above)

There was quite the crowd for the event as you can see, just wonderful! :) Thanks so much to Sigma for those pics!
UPDATE: The Sunday Mail also has an interview with James Cosmo regarding his work on Donkeys, where he says : "It's a fantastic script which really intrigued me.It was fun to let loose and I was nervous because I'm not known particularly as a comedy actor, and that was a really interesting departure for me."

ALSO: Reel Scotland has a video interview with James, Kate and Brian Pettifer that is ...well, watch below!

"Donkeys" Stars Kate Dickie and Brian Pettifer to Attend Special Screenings, More!

Some great news for fans who will be attending the special screenings of Sigma's newest film Donkeys this Friday (8 October) at the Glasgow Film Theatre. Due to attend are two of the wonderful cast, including the superb actress KATE DICKIE and actor Brian Pettifer. They will be joined by director Morag McKinnon and screenwriter Colin McLaren, as well as producers Gillian Berrie and Anna Duffield. As noted previously, as a special bonus, award-winning short I Love Luci will be playing before the showings of Donkeys, and on Friday you can meet and speak with writer/director Colin Kennedy and Brian Coffey too! What a great night that will be!

The opportunity to hear from and meet these impressive people continues for the very next night (9 October), a one night only screening of Donkeys will take place at the Perth Playhouse (tickets available here) Attending this event will be:
director Morag McKinnon
writer Colin McLaren
producer Gillian Berrie
Stars: Brian Pettifer and Kate Dickie

I Love Luci will see Colin Kennedy and Brian Coffey there as well!

Finally, as noted before EDINBURGH will also have their chance to see this film when it screens at Filmhouse cinema (tickets available at this link), starting 1 November. At the special Q & A session, lucky fans will hear from Morag McKinnon, Colin McLaren, actor Brian Pettifer, and Sigma's own and the producing directing crew of Luci: Brian Coffey and Colin Kennedy.

MORE MAY BE ANNOUNCED SOON, STAY TUNED!
IF YOU ARE ATTENDING, PLEASE PLEASE send in your reports and photos and we will be glad to post or tweet and post on the Facebook pages :)

Bonus: The List magazine has a short preview of Donkeys online that you can read right here.

Jamie Sives as The Beard, Plus Scottish Cast Members in Game of Thrones

Just a quick note today to say how thrilled I am over the recent casting (noted on the author's blog, and WIC and Westeros) for the upcoming HBO series Game of Thrones, which will feature some wonderful Scottish actors and actresses, esp some familiar to Sigma Films: James Cosmo, star of Sigma's latest acclaimed "Donkeys" as well as the superb Kate Dickie (Red Road, Donkeys and be sure to check her out this upcoming weekend in the Starz cable mini series Pillars of the Earth), as well as many more (ie Emun Elliot etc) HUGE LIST HERE. As noted previously, Jamie Sives is of course also in this series AND IS DEFINITELY CONFIRMED TO BEGIN HIS WORK AS JORY CASSEL THIS WEEK in Belfast. THRILLED to pieces esp since Jamie and James have worked together before (One Last Chance), and I think he was supposed to work with Kate on a film a few years ago that never got off the ground.

Jamie is also due to appear in One Day which is filming on location in London and Scotland..and...did I mention that as WRITTEN IN THE BOOK "One Day" (now out in paperback in the US)......
Jamie plays a character who is known as THE BEARD
ajklajklh haahhahahahhh
I absolutely choked on my beer when I read that over the weekend; absolutely blissfully delirious though lol lol, given the errm previous discussion of Jamie and his beard :)))) (see the interview for more!)
NO word if it will be the big ole fluffy beard (aka Valhalla Rising, a moderate beard aka Clash o Titans, or a super sexy scruffy size aka Last Chance Harvey, but I will point out that the female character in One Day wonders if Phil (Jamie's character) is really good-looking underneath the beard...
HELL YES is my totally unbiased opinion- GREAT CASTING :))))

One Day is scheduled for release in theatres 3rd quarter (next fall) 2011, with last reports Game of Thrones due on the mega cable channel HBO next spring.

Attention UK Viewers: Watch "Donkeys" ONLINE Starting June 25

Calling all UK readers! Can't make it up to the Edinburgh International Film Festival this year and like me really want to see Sigma's newest film "Donkeys?" Well guess what? Starting June 25 on Projector. TV
DONKEYS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO VIEW AT THIS LINK

Please note that ALAS this option as of this posting is only available to those in the UK, but the site does say that it hopes to expand "to new territories" soon. ah. well. we'll see. I will definitely update should that actually happen, but still must emphasize what a good chance this is for many to see the newest film starring James Cosmo, Kate Dickie, Brian Pettifer and Martin Compston. Enjoy!

On a related note, today the Herald released a new interview with the superb Kate Dickie, where she spoke about returning (albeit in different form of sorts) to her award winning role as Jackie (Red Road) in Donkeys. Of interest: " “For me, as an actor, this was a completely new film and a completely new Jackie, so I put Red Road out of my head and tried not to think about it. I felt I owed it to Donkeys. This Jackie is a different person. She has a different history, different relationships.” Although it’s a black comedy where Red Road was gritty social drama, Donkeys retains the look and feel of its predecessor. Dickie, a still presence with her long dark hair and haunted look, anchors both films. So is she pencilled in for the third, due to be shot by Danish director Mikkel Norgaard? “I don’t know anything about it at all,” she says matter-of-factly."

The article also contains remarks about her role in "Outcast" with James Nesbitt that is also screening to mixed reviews at EIFF, as well as mention that Kate will be seen in the Pillars of the Earth series airing next month in the US and on Channel 4 in the UK this fall.

Reviews & Photos: "Donkeys" Premieres at Edinburgh Film Festival

At long last, I am thrilled to report that the the world premiere of Morag Mckinnon's "Donkeys," took place today at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. A photocall for the second installment in the original Advance Party trilogy from Sigma Films took place before the screening at the film festival tonight in Scotland featuring appearance from stars Kate Dickie and Martin Compston (who reprise their roles from Red Road of sorts); more photos are online here via official Edinburgh Film Fest Flickr.

Reviews of the film are also now online with excerpts as follows:

TVbomb: 4 out of 5 The script is strong and with the direction of Morag McKinnon, it’s ability to change mood and pace in a heartbeat is impressive. Seamlessly weaving light comedy with the most challenging moral scenes of death and dying. The characterisations are boldly defined, with a truly gritty performance from Kate Dickie and bang on the money comic timing from James Cosmo with some real killer lines delivered perfectly amongst these strained family relationships.

Flickfeast: "Donkeys deftly mixes the comedy and the drama into a perfect blend of small-scale movie magic. The comedy may be pitch black at times (e.g. a suicide attempt not going right that brings to mind Lone Scherfig’s Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself) but it’s still pretty bloody funny. The dialogue exchanges between Alfie and his mate are almost all priceless and the acting throughout is flawless. Director Morag McKinnon does a fine job, working from Colin McLaren’s script based on the characters created by Scherfig, and while the movie is little more than a character piece you have to give credit where credit is due; it’s such a great character piece, allowing the actors to have so much fun and do their job so brilliantly, that you never mind how ultimately inconsequential everything is."

Eye for Film : Advance Party is an experimental tool, not a formula in itself for success. Donkeys is an interesting experiment. But its script is patchy, and at times strands the excellent performances in a wasteland of poorly defined relevance. Its drift from comedy to edginess achieves only limited success. Its look at death is less poignant and much less entertaining, for instance, than writer Scherfig’s (Dogme) masterpiece, Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself. It has none of the seat-gripping qualities of Red Road, and counters the minimalism of its Dogme ancestry with unwanted music telling us how to feel, or an overload of dramatic devices (such as terrible illness and accidents) to propel the story forward. Yet seen as part of a determined effort to break new ground, it is a treasurable, if flawed, film. Artists must to be free to experiment if movies are to break free of hollow but bankable formulae, and that means there have to be a few eggs broken along the way.

Reel Scotland, who gave two well written and FIVE STAR reviews, please read them. Of note from John "Humour may be integral to the story, but it never dilutes the drama. Instead, as Alfred attempts to infiltrate his daughter’s world, uncovering secrets along the way, the darker moments are played with a lightness of touch that don’t feel forced and recalls John Byrne at his best: these are real people, with real emotions. The biggest tragedy of Donkeys, away from the script which has its own fair share, is that the film doesn’t yet have a distribution deal, meaning there’s little chance you’ll see it on the big screen any time soon. Sitting on a shelf for the last two years gathering dust, it seems that one of the most engaging pieces of cinema to have been made in Scotland in the last decade could be destined to remain in the vaults for a while to come. FROM ROSS: Performances are uniformly excellent from the grizzled Cosmo to Compston and to the almost sage-like 12 year old girl (which recalls Gregory’s Girl). The script absolutely shines with just enough barbed dialogue amongst the gentler moments. The pacing is perfect for the tale and the cinematography fantastically captures the spirit of the areas it depicts, with just enough arthouse edge to bring to mind that of Red Road.There’s still a week to go, but this has a real chance of being the film of the Festival. Emotional. Funny. Touching. Sad. Crude. Sensitive. This really does have it all

From THR, who automatically hate all things coming out of Scotland it seems bleh bleh "The idea is to feature actors playing the same characters but not necessarily with the same settings or back-stories. Whether anyone beyond keen film buffs will recall the first one except for Kate Dickie's outstanding performance as a CCTV operator is open to question...The players do their best but it's an uphill struggle to make anything lasting out of dull and forgettable characters."

Trailer NOW ONLINE, Tickets for World Premiere of "Donkeys" at EIFF This Weekend Sold Out!

HUZZAH!
Trailer for Donkeys is NOW ONLINE AT THIS LINK!
Also, quick reminder that the newest film from Sigma will have its world premiere this weekend, June 20 at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Morag McKinnon's "Donkeys," the second installment of the original Advance Party trilogy features many of the same great cast from the award winning Red Road, including Kate Dickie, Martin Compston, Tony Curran, Natalie Press as well as featuring the excellent James Cosmo and Brian Pettifer and more. It is important to note that now ALL TICKETS FOR BOTH SCREENINGS ARE NOW SOLD OUT.

For those of us who follow the I Love Luci blog will see that Colin has drawn up a new poster for the film, here.





While local press on this local made film starring local Scottish actors has been to date typically poor and sadly scant (save few cursory mentions and bless Ross over at ReelScotland for a mention as one of his picks), the Daily Record ran a piece a few days ago with Martin; quotage:

Filmed in Glasgow, it's about a man trying to make amends for his mis-spent life and also stars Scots veteran James Cosmo and acclaimed actress Kate Dickie. Martin said: "Donkeys is a kind of black comedy. James Cosmo is a force of nature and for my money Kate is the best actress in Scotland."

Let's say that again KATE IS THE BEST ACTRESS IN SCOTLAND.

Well... I agree :)) Kate got rave reviews for her turn in a recent BBC production, and her film OUTCAST with James Nesbitt is also screening at EIFF, with tickets for that long sold out. Kate and her Donkeys co-star Tony Curran will soon be seen on TV as the mega production of Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth is set to air on Starz cable channel July 23. More on that galore can be found at the official website.

It pains and disappoints me greatly I can not be in Edinburgh this year yet again :(((( anyone attending /meeting Kate or anyone from Sigma, please send in your pics reports etc and I will be happy to post.

Kate Continues: More Press on Donkeys, Outcast and More

As a follow to the post below, the Scotsman also has an interview with great Kate, who gives a bit more insight on her reprise as Jackie in Sigma Films upcoming Rounding Up Donkeys. The second of the original Advance Party Films trilogy, Kate gives us bit more insight on her revamped character of Jackie: "It was really nice to revisit the characters, but our lives are in a different dimension, we're in different jobs, some of our history is different, some is the same. We all have different relationships." She says she is still Jackie, but now works in a supermarket, and that the drama of the film focuses on another character."

Like the previous others, we also hear a bit on her turn in Outcast and the anticipated mini-series of Pillars of the Earth. Quotage:

With gentle encouragement, she does admit that Sergio Mimica-Gazzan, the Croatian director of big budget mini-series The Pillars of the Earth, adapted from the Ken Follett novel about cathedral builders and likely to be screened on television later this year, spotted both Dickie and co-star Tony Curran in Red Road and found suitable parts for both in the series.

Dickie spent about a month in Budapest where the series was made, on set with the likes of Ian McShane, Donald Sutherland and Rufus Sewell. "It was great fun, I loved that job. My character was very strong, not coarse but very real, very down to earth. She dies early on, but my death triggers a lot of what happens for the rest of the film. I loved Budapest so much. I felt at home there, they looked after us so well."

Last year she also made Outcast, a supernatural thriller directed by Colm McCarthy (Murphy's Law, Spooks) which will premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, in March. It marries old witchcraft with contemporary urban horror – the outdoor sequences were filmed in Edinburgh's Sighthill. She plays the mother of a teenage son, pursued by an unnamed fiend (James Nesbitt).

Dickie admits, laughing, that she tends to leave the room when a horror film comes on TV, and says her character is "very dark". "I realised after I finished doing it that I'd been in a really strange place. Sometimes you forget how involved you are in something. My character's quite violent, she looks like she's doing awful things sometimes but her intention is to protect her son and make everything okay.

"It was a really great time. Colm is a wonderful director, so clear about what he's looking for. We had a lot of laughs. My boyfriend thinks it's hilarious. I just need to hear the opening bars of scary music and I'm like 'Turn it off!' He says 'But you've been in a horror film!' It's pathetic, but it's different when you're in it."

Kate Dickie Talks Scottish Film, "Rounding Up Donkeys," More

Good tidings this fat Tuesday :D as we get to hear again from the ever fabulous actress Kate Dickie who is the subject of a second interview of late, today in the Herald. While the one from last week was theatrecentric, the subject of this article contains new thoughts from the ever fearless actress who thankfully is given the chance to weigh in on Scottish film, and notably the second installment in the Advance Party trilogy from Sigma Films, "Rounding Up Donkeys." Directed by Morag Mckinnon, actors play the same character as in the superb Red Road, only with a twist as has long been establish. Kate gives her thoughts on her return to the character of Jackie:

“That was fun,” Dickie says. “It’s the same characters, but with different relationships and a different set of circumstances. That really interested me, because it meant your character is making different choices. The film’s a very black comedy, and it meant that you’d be p****** yourself laughing at the same time something awful was happening. But I like having the rug pulled from under me like that, thinking things are going one way, then they end up going somewhere completely different.”

Also of note, the remainder of the piece contains her thoughts on the unfortunate labels often slapped on Scottish film ("I think it’s good to shake it up in front of people. I don’t understand why people always go on about all this grim stuff in Scotland. If you look at the stuff coming out of eastern Europe, it makes us look like Cinderella.”) There are also mentions of Colm McCarthy's Outcast starring Kate and James Cosmo and James Nesbitt, which was filmed (and covered here) last summer in Edinburgh as follows:

Dickie identifies a problem that film-makers including Arnold, McKinnon and Glenaan, plus others such as Lynne Ramsay, have all had to face. Schooled in a European arthouse tradition, at home they’re too easily dismissed as kitchen-sink sensationalists romanticising the local underclass. Even Outcast, the horror film that Dickie has just made alongside James Nesbitt, looks set to face such charges. Ostensibly a supernatural thriller, Dickie plays one of the Syph people, a type of Irish fairy isolated from their homeland. “We look human,” she says, “but we’re not.”

If this sounds like a metaphysical leap away from Dickie’s other work, think again. Outcast, as she describes it, is a modern urban horror, filmed on location in Edinburgh’s Sighthill district, and which is “Quite dark. Quite violent. Quite brutal, really.”

Not that Dickie is ever likely to see it when it’s released. As with most things, she’s scared of horror films, and can’t even watch them on TV. She’s more likely to be able to cope with The Pillars of the Earth, a major mini-series based on a Ken Follett novel and co-executive produced by Ridley and Tony Scott, which Dickie appears in two episodes of. Set in the 12th century, its epic tale of war, politics and religious strife sounds a long way from Red Road. Dickie is the first to admit, however, that it was the global exposure she received via Arnold’s film that opened the door to this other realm of city-size sets in Budapest and casts of thousands led by Ian McShane.

“I was terrified,” she says. “I’m used to doing small things, and suddenly I’m doing this. I die about 15 minutes in, but that sets off a lot of different things. But it was terrifying. Just being away from home. I’m a real home body and I hate change.”

Where, though, does all this fear come from? “I don’t know,” she admits. “I’ve thought about it a lot, but I’m quite shy, and I probably hide behind my characters a lot. I can do anything when I’m playing a character. I’ve always found it easier doing things when I’m not being myself. I can put on a good show of being brave, but inside is something else.”

"OutCast" with James Nesbitt, Kate Dickie World Premiere at SXSW in March

As a follow to the post below, Colm McCarthy's "OutCast" starring the great Kate Dickie and James Nesbitt will have its world premiere at the SXSW festival next month in Texas. While tickets for this screening are not yet available (or word on who might be attending) the film portion of the festival runs March 12-20th in Austin. Great news!Update: The Herald now has a piece online with quotes from the producer Eddie Dick who says they turned down a chance to screen at Tribeca in favor of the vaunted Texas festival. quotage: "

When asked to choose Tribeca or SXSW, Outcast producer Eddie Dick said: “Our sales agent said you must take SXSW because it is developing a reputation as the coolest film festival in the US.

“Tribeca is a great festival but for this kind of film and the attention we are wanting to get for it, the prize here has to be an attempt to get a release in North America. Getting the opening slot in the fantasy section is as good a shot as we’re going to get at that.”

I have been told we won't be seeing an official promo for another week or so yet, but be sure to check out my flickr for the earlier poster and some filming photos from last year. Stay tuned!

Bonus! While we dont know who will be attending and when exactly the film premiere will take place, Scottish great actress Katie Dickie is due to open with her new place "What We Know" at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. Previewing Feb 17, and running thru Feb 24th, you can learn more about the play and book tickets here at this link. GO KATE! :)


UPDATE! A great interview with the GREAT KATE DICKIE in the Times, where she discusses the above mentioned play. There are brief mentions of her forthcoming appearances in Rounding Up Donkeys, Pillars of the Earth and Outcast. Quotage:

"The television and film work that has kept her off the stage for the past two years is done in more family-friendly short bursts. She has finished Rounding Up Donkeys, which is a sequel, of sorts, to Red Road. It has the same characters and actors but shakes them all around into a completely different film. Alfred, who was Dickie’s father-in-law in Red Road, is now her father. He is also played by a different actor. No mention, at this point, of nudity and sex.

Back in the mainstream, Dickie pops up in a couple of episodes of The Pillars of the Earth, a mini-series starring Ian McShane and Matthew Macfadyen, a one-off drama, Dive, with Ewen Bremner, and a horror film, Outcast, starring James Nesbitt. Despite all this, Dickie can’t break the habit of worrying where the next job is coming from.

“I never feel safe with it — I’m always thinking all right, there’s going to be a long, quiet period ahead. I can’t help it."Unless the National Theatre of Scotland is taken over by Simon Cowell, that is never going to happen."

International Poster for James Nesbitt "OutCast"; Update on Kate Dickie

Check it out! Thanks so much to Bankside, we now have a gorgeous high quality edition of the brand new International poster for Colm McCarthy's Outcast, starring James Nesbitt and Kate Dickie. This is the second poster released, and you can also see a larger photo of a menacing James wielding a knife here, altho a slightly different version of it has been of course seen here before and has been on the Irish filmboard website and twitter.
Just as well document in Scotland, Irish film is good for the economy, as "ALMOST ONE fifth of tourists who visited Ireland in 2008 cited film as a reason for coming here, resulting in a tourist expenditure of €369 million, according to a new report on the Irish audiovisual industry,"with both Outcast, Triage and others surely playing a part Again it belies credibility that the film industry in both countries are facing significant funding cuts from the government in face of such clear proof of success and demonstration of a clear need for continued substantive support , but there you go.

On a happier related note, there are recent photos of the great Kate Dickie (Red Road, sigma's upcoming Donkeys) who was also at the Seville film festival with her movie "Wasted". Kate also has been super busy, and was also featured on the finale of "Garrow's Law" for those who were lucky enough to see it on BBC 1.

Quick Update on Outcast

A very brief update today on Outcast with the excellent James Nesbitt and Kate Dickie which was filmed in Edinburgh a few months ago. Last week, James has made brief remarks about the 'horror' film, and notes: "I did a horror film called Outcast - it's all the right things, gory and bloody, so it looks good actually."But the Irish actor added: "I'm not really a fan of horror - I'm the father of two girls so that's enough horror for me.""What makes me scared? Reporters, my mum, (Manchester) United losing and hangovers," he added, laughing.

Meanwhile, the first photo of what should be a fabulous adaptation to film of Ken Follett's award winning "Pillars of the Earth" featuring Kate Dickie is now online ----------->
Kate is also starring along side her Red Road co-star, Tony Curran in the huge epic, and is due for release on TV next year.

Outcast featuring James and Kate is still set for an early 2010 release.

Kate Dickie, James Nesbit Update: OutCast to Screen in New York Next March

Quick update today regarding the fabulous Kate Dickie, star of Sigma Films Red Road and the forthcoming Rounding Up Donkeys:

First: OutCast (btw NOT A SIGMA FILM lol), starring Kate and co-star James Nesbitt will be screening next March at the New York Irish Film Fleadh. The wonderful Digital Guerrillas have also done a 20 minute on set report, due out prob early next year, so stay tuned for that! Irish Central has an interview with the producer John McDonnall, who says of the film: “Accessing financing for new films in recession Ireland is a tough call. The challenge with Outcast is that although it was a horror-based script it was very based on Celtic mythology and its set between Ireland and Scotland. The Irish Film Board have been very supportive and our main focus was to attract Scottish financing,” said McDonnall.

Ireland has a great history of stories about the banshee and those kind of imaginary, mythic figures that exist within the natural world. This Irish spin was the inspiration that brought the script to life,“We just decided to work on those kind of themes based on the knowledge that there is an audience there who want to watch them. Our interest is in thrillers and that will be consistent going forward.

“We’re already in the postproduction stage with these two films and we’ve several projects in the pipeline already. The recession that we’re hearing about is a worldwide phenomena and its more difficult to raise money for any film than it was a couple of years ago but then it was harder a couple of years before that,” says McDonnall.“It’s getting increasingly difficult to raise money for films in Ireland but I think its down to the tenacity of the people involved to have faith in there project and keep going. "Wake Wood" and "Outcast" will represent two new important Irish supernatural thrillers and obviously we’ll be looking to the U.S. audience for releases later in the year.”

BRING IT ON here in the States woot! Also according to her agents Hunwick Hughes (Thanks for the great updates each month!), the wonderful Kate has been cast in Ridley Scott's adaptation of Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth WONDERFUL NEWS!

Finally, Kate has made new comments on her role in the acclaimed Advance Party Series as Jackie, in the second installment called Rounding Up Donkeys. While the movie appears to be in some sort of limbo for the moment I HAVE NO IDEA FOLKS SORRY, you can see scans of the comments here, here and here on my Flickr. (and yes totally I SUCK cause thats disorganized, blurgh will get it together one of these eons!)

Teaser Poster "Outcast" with James Nesbitt, New Interview with Kate Dickie

Hang on everyone, we have another great treat today!
First Look in glorious large res: Teaser Poster for "Outcast" James Nesbitt and Kate DickieOUTCAST is now in post-production and due for release in early 2010

Bonus: In a series of FABULOUS pieces, Scottish Screen has released their latest brochure, which includes this new interview with Eddie Dick, producer of OutCast, this from director Colm McCarthy on the new movie, as well as this with star Kate Dickie who addresses her lead role as Mary.

Summary of Outcast:

When Mary and her teenage son, Fergal, move to yet another new home, it soon becomes clear that they live their lives on the run, hiding from someone or something, terrified of being found. Trying to avoid making new friends or connections wherever they go, Fergal finds himself caught between the affections of his beautiful and feisty neighbour and his fiercely protective mother who will stop at nothing to protect her precious son. Mary has strict rules which govern Fergal’s life without which chaos and terror threaten to ensue. Their hunter is Cathal, a dangerous and terrifying man, intent on tracking down and killing Mary and Fergal. What’s more, he is using a dark form of magic to find them. Mary’s only defense is to use the same ancient form of magic in order to protect her son. But how long will it be before Cathal manages to outsmart her? When local residents begin to be brutally murdered by an unknown life force, the sense of fear escalates. Is Cathal the beast responsible for the killings? Or is it the beast that he is trying to destroy?

THANK YOU SO MUCH LAURE!!!

Keeping up with Kate

Time for a quick update regarding a fabulous actress, Kate Dickie, star of Sigma's Red Road and the upcoming Donkeys. Kate is a very busy actress, having filmed Outcast earlier this year, and other projects that are now making the news.

Kate will be making a new film for BBC 2 called "Dive," which will also feature Ewan Bremner (Hallam Foe). In the two part drama Kate will be playing a diving coach named Alison. The press release says this of the film:This coming-of-age drama offers a refreshing stance on the subject of teenage pregnancy and the pressures of growing up in the UK in the 21st century.

Kate Dickie can also be seen in films at the Edinburgh Film Festival (although not yet for Donkeys alas) She is appearing in a short film called "Believe" which was directed by Paul Wright. Mr. Wright is one of the directors taking part in Sigma's Advance Party II project, and Colin even noted earlier how good this short film was. The Press & Journal reports "Believe is the story of Lewis, a man recently widowed, who is unable to accept his wife’s death and the reality of life without her, prompting his behaviour to become increasingly distressed and eccentric.
Believe will screen at the Edinburgh Film Festival June 27; ticket info here.

Kate also has a part in a serious drama called "Wasted" that focuses on the life two teen runaways face on the streets. You can see the trailer for this film here. Wasted screens first on June 19

FINALLY HAVE YOU BOOKED YOUR TICKETS YET for David Mackenzie's Spread?
Click here, go now to get a ticket to this film starring the omni present Ashton Kutchers (i figure he will be there, tweets surely to follow ;p) JUNE 22 GO NOW, tickets are going fast!