LFF - Time Out Platform event reviewed

A look back at TO's conversation with Mike Leigh, Stephen Woolley and Sue Hayes of Film London

Oct 25 2005

Mike Leigh, Stephen Woolley and Sue Hayes of Film London joined Time Out's film editor Dave Calhoun at the NFT last night for a discussion on filmmaking in London.

Leigh, the director of films including 'Naked' (which came top in Time Out's recent celebration of 50 great London films), led the discussion. He explained how the city has inspired most of his feature films since 'Bleak Moments' in 1971.

He also remembered the excitement of moving down to London from Manchester in the early 1960s and explained how this outsider's passion for the city has in many ways helped to define his career ever since.

Woolley, the producer of films from 'Scandal' to 'The End of the Affair' and now director of 'Stoned', explained how growing up in Islington sparked a passion for London that has never dimmed and influenced all his work.

Hayes, the film commissioner of Film London, detailed how her job is now to make London an attractive city for foreign film productions and an accessible city for domestic crews.

The discussion was the first of four Time Out Platform events at the London Film Festival. The next, at 8.30pm on Thursday at the National Film Theatre, will discuss the differences between British and French cinema. The event is free to those who bring along a copy of Time Out or a ticket from one of the day's festival screenings.

A further two events will discuss artists who make feature films (Monday 31 October) and film realism (Wednesday 2 November).