BBC Films, Rook Films and Bankside Films Wrap Filming of Award winning writer-director Peter Strickland’s IN FABRIC

STARRING MARIANNE JEAN-BAPTISTE, HAYLEY SQUIRES, LEO BILL, JULIAN BARRATT, STEVE ORAM, FATMA MOHAMMED, JAYGANN AYEH, RICHARD BREMMER, BARRY ADAMSON with SIDSE BABETT KNUDSEN, CAROLINE CATZ AND GWENDOLINE CHRISTIE

Award winning writer-director Peter Strickland (THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY, BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO) has completed principal photography on his ghost story, IN FABRIC following a five-week shoot in the UK. The film was developed in association with Ian Benson at Blue Bear Film and Television and is produced by Andy Starke via his production company Rook Films. Bankside Films will handle worldwide sales.

Academy Award® and BAFTA nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste (BROADCHURCH, SECRETS & LIES) was joined by an exciting cast of home-grown and international talent including Hayley Squires (I, DANIEL BLAKE), Leo Bill (MR. TURNER), Julian Barratt (MINDHORN), Steve Oram (SIGHTSEERS), Fatma Mohamed (THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY) Jaygann Ayeh (LES MISERABLES), Richard Bremmer (CONTROL), with Sidse Babett Knudsen (THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY) and Gwendoline Christie (GAME OF THRONES).

Set during the January sales in a Thames Valley town, IN FABRIC follows the life of a cheap, cursed dress as it passes from person to person with devastating consequences.

The project is co-financed by the BFI with funding from the National Lottery, BBC Films and Head Gear Films. The film is executive produced by Lizzie Francke for BFI, Rose Garnett for BBC Films, Stephen Kelliher and Patrick Howson for Bankside Films, Phil Hunt and Compton Ross for Head Gear and Ian Benson for Blue Bear Film and Television.

Peter Strickland rose to international prominence with his feature film directorial debut, KATALIN VARGA which world premiered in competition at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival and won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution. His sophomore effort was the critically acclaimed BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO, for which he won Best Director at the British Independent Film Awards. His last film THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY, also produced by Starke, screened at festivals worldwide including Toronto and the BFI London Film Festival.

ABOUT ROOK FILMS
Producer Andy Starke and director Ben Wheatley formed Rook Films in 2008. Rook has made 5 films with Wheatley including his latest, FREE FIRE, which won the Midnight Madness Audience Award at its world premiere at TIFF 2016 and was the closing night gala at LFF 2016. Jim Hosking’s cult classic THE GREASY STRANGLER premiered at the Sundance Film festival and won BIFA and Empire awards for Best Comedy. Peter Strickland’s THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY was a critic’s favourite at TIFF 2015. Rook has a slate of movies and television in production and development with directors Ben Rivers, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Brandon Cronenberg, Kier-La Janisse, Richard Littler and Ashim Ahluwalia.

ABOUT BLUE BEAR FILM AND TELEVISION
Blue Bear Film and Television is a new production company based in Manchester whose shareholders are The Agency (London) Ltd, one of the UK's leading talent agencies, business affairs specialists Big Deal and Creative England. Blue Bear supports key creative talent using the wide-ranging experience and resources of its team. It is developing a slate of films and television projects with a number of leading writers and directors for the domestic and international market.

ABOUT THE BFI
The BFI Film Fund supports world-class UK filmmaking from talent and film development, through to production and audience development across exhibition, distribution and international sales. With over £50 million of National Lottery funding to invest each year, the BFI is the UK's largest public investor in film.

Highly anticipated films backed by the BFI include Lynne Ramsay’s YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE which won Best Screenplay for Ramsay and Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix at this year’s Cannes Film Festival; Andrew Haigh’s LEAN ON PETE which had its World Premiere in Competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival; Clio Barnard’s DARK RIVER, Saul Dibb’s JOURNEY’S END, Haifaa Al-Mansour’s MARY SHELLEY, Michael Pearce’s BEAST and Daniel Kokotajlo’s APOSTASY all of which World Premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival; Deborah Haywood’s PIN CUSHION which opened the Critics’ Week at Venice; Paddy Considine’s JOURNEYMAN; Sky Neal and Kate McLarnon’s EVEN WHEN I FALL; Nick Park’s EARLY MAN; Mercedes Grower’s BRAKES; Steve McLean’s POSTCARDS FROM LONDON and Matthew Jones’ THE MAN FROM MO’ WAX.

In prep and production are Tom Harper’s COUNTRY MUSIC; Joanna Hogg’s THE SOUVENIR; Annabel Jankel’s TELL IT TO THE BEES; Claire Denis’s HIGH LIFE; Mike Leigh’s PETERLOO; Idris Elba’s YARDIE; Tim Travers Hawkins’s XY CHELSEA; Brian Welsh’s BEATS; Wash Westmoreland’s COLETTE; Tinge Krishnan’s BEEN SO LONG; Pawel Pawlikowski’s COLD WAR; Jim Hosking’s AN EVENING WITH BEVERLY LUFF LINN and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND.

Successful releases include Ken Loach’s 2016 Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or and BAFTA winner I, DANIEL BLAKE; Andrea Arnold’s 2016 Cannes Jury Prize award-winning and BAFTA-nominated AMERICAN HONEY; Yorgos Lanthimos’s 2017 Oscar®-winning THE LOBSTER; Rungano Nyoni’s I AM NOT A WITCH which premiered in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2017; Francis Lee’s GOD’S OWN COUNTRY, winner of the Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic at Sundance 2017 and the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival; Andy Serkis’s BREATHE, which opened the BFI London Film Festival; Peter Mackie Burns’s DAPHNE which won the Best Performance in a British Feature Film for Emily Beecham at the Edinburgh International Film Festival; Lucy Cohen’s KINGDOM OF US which won the Grierson Award for the Best Documentary at the BFI London Film Festival; and Sophie Fiennes’s GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI.

The BFI is the lead organisation for film in the UK with the ambition to create a flourishing film environment in which innovation, opportunity and creativity can thrive by:

Connecting audiences to the widest choice of British and World cinema

Preserving and restoring the most significant film collection in the world for today and future generations

Championing emerging and world class film makers in the UK - investing in creative, distinctive and entertaining work

Promoting British film and talent to the world

Growing the next generation of film makers and audiences

ABOUT BBC FILMS
BBC Films is at the forefront of independent filmmaking in the UK, developing and co-producing around twelve films a year. In 2015 BBC Films was awarded the Michael Balcon BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Rose Garnett is the Director of BBC Films.

Recent releases include Andy Serkis’ directorial debut, BREATHE, starring Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, which opened the BFI London Film Festival, Stephen Frears' VICTORIA & ABDUL starring Judi Dench, Trafalgar Releasing's documentary GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI and LADY MACBETH, nominated for 15 British Independent Film Awards.

Upcoming releases include StudioCanal’s THE MERCY, directed by James Marsh and featuring Colin Firth and Rachel Weisz due for release in early 2018, Lionsgate's ON CHESIL BEACH starring Saoirse Ronan which made its world premiere in Toronto, Apostasy, directed by first time filmmaker Daniel Kokotajlo, to be released by Curzon following autumn festival debuts, eOne's THE CHILDREN ACT featuring Emma Thompson and Stanley Tucci and Lionsgate’s THE HAPPY PRINCE, written/directed by and starring Rupert Everett.

Currently in production are Chiwetel Ejiofor’s untitled directorial debut based on the novel THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND and Iciar Bollain’s YULI written by Paul Laverty.

Their films in post-production include Peter Strickland’s ghost story IN FABRIC starring Oscar nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste, OUT OF BLUE directed by Carol Morley and starring Patricia Clarkson, THE WHITE CROW directed by Ralph Fiennes, DENMARK starring Rafe Spall, YARDIE, Idris Elba’s directorial debut, Joanna Hogg’s THE SOUVENIR executive produced by Martin Scorsese, STAN & OLLIE starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly, THE AFTERMATH with Keira Knightley and Alexander Skarsgård and VS. starring Screen’s Star of Tomorrow, Connor Swindells.

Their pre-production slate includes GYPSY BOY with Benedict Cumberbatch, set to shoot in 2018.

Twitter @BBCFilms

ABOUT HEAD GEAR FILMS
Head Gear Films is widely recognised as one of the most prolific providers of production services and debt finance to independent media projects. A responsive and flexible partner, Head Gear often works with unusual situations, developing bespoke solutions to unique requirements. Headquartered in the UK, Head Gear operates internationally, and has developed significant expertise in lending against production incentives and rebates around the world.

Over the past three years, Head Gear has been involved in financing over 175 feature films, video games and television projects, including BLACK MASS, TRESPASS AGAINST US, WAR ON EVERYONE, FREEHELD, THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY, CARGO and A KID LIKE JAKE.

ABOUT BANKSIDE FILMS
Based in London, Bankside Films is leading international sales and production company which can also access production finance through its sister company Head Gear Films. The company seeks to produce, finance and distribute distinctive films of quality for release in all media. The company has worked on films such as Amma Asante’s BELLE, FREEHELD with Julianne Moore and Ellen Page, Peter Chelsom’s HECTOR & THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS, John Michael McDonagh’s WAR ON EVERYONE and Yolanda Ramke and Ben Howling’s CARGO which will be distributed worldwide by Netflix. Current projects include UNTITLED REED MORANO PROJECT to be directed by Reed Morano, starring Jeff Bridges and Diane Lane and A KID LIKE JAKE starring Claire Danes, Jim Parsons, Octavia Spencer and Priyanka Chopra, directed by Silas Howard.