IFC FILMS NABS U.S. RIGHTS TO 1930’S-SET THRILLER “SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT” STARRING EDDIE IZZARD AND JUDI DENCH DIRECTED BY ANDY GODDARD

JIM BROADBENT, CARLA JURI, JAMES D’ARCY AND CELYN JONES ROUND OUT CAST

NEW YORK, NY (February 20, 2020) — IFC Films announced today that it is acquiring U.S rights to SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT, starring Emmy Award® winner Eddie Izzard (Victoria & Abdul, Hannibal) and Academy Award® winner Dame Judi Dench (Victoria & Abdul, Skyfall, Shakespeare in Love). Directed by Andy Goddard (Downton Abbey, Set Fire to the Stars) and written by Celyn Jones (The Vanishing, Set Fire to the Stars), Izzard and Goddard, SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT also stars Academy Award® winner Jim Broadbent (Paddington, The Sense of an Ending, Iris), Carla Juri (Blade Runner 2049, Someone Like Me), James D’Arcy (Dunkirk, Cloud Atlas) and Jones (Submergence, Set Fire to the Stars), with additional cast members Maria Dragus (Graduation, the upcoming Mary Queen of Scots,), Tijan Marei (Ellas Baby, 4 Blocks) and Franziska Brandmeier (Am Tag die Sterne, the forthcoming Das Parfüm). The film will be released in the Fall of 2020.

Based on true events from 1939, the film follows teacher Thomas Miller (Izzard) who has taken a last minute and controversial role teaching English to the daughters of high-ranking Nazis at the Augusta-Victoria College, Bexhill-on-Sea – a finishing school on the south coast of England. Under the watchful eye of their headmistress Miss Rocholl (Dench), and her devout assistant Ilse Keller (Juri), the girls practice their English and learn how to represent the ideal of German womanhood.

When the body of a former teacher is discovered, it triggers a sequence of deadly events and leaves Thomas running from the police with the threat of being hanged for murder.

Financed by Motion Picture Capital, the Welsh Government, Ffilm Cymru Wales and West Madison Entertainment, SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT is produced by Sean Marley, Andy Evans and Ade Shannon of Mad as Birds, with Sarah Townsend producing for Ella Communications and Laure Vaysse for REP6. Eddie Izzard, Celyn Jones and Trevor Beattie serve as Executive Producers alongside Deepak Nayar of REP6, Pauline Burt and Adam Partridge from Ffilm Cymru Wales, Helen Lee-Kim, Zygi Kamasa, and Emma Berkofsky from Lionsgate, Richard Payten, Andrew Mackie from Transmission Films and Christina Papagjika and Matthew Salloway of West Madison Entertainment.

Arianna Bocco EVP of Acquisitions and Productions of IFC Films said, “SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT is an astonishing real-life tale with a legendary cast that truly brings this story to life, and we’re thrilled to bring this film to audiences across the country.”

Director, Andy Goddard added, “SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT sees the very best in British screen craft allied with the brightest young acting talent from Europe. This dynamic cuts to the heart of our story, the need to hold hands across borders is as relevant today as it was in 1939”

The deal for the film was negotiated by IFC Films with CAA and Lionsgate International on behalf of the filmmakers. Lionsgate is distributing in the UK and handling International sales.

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ABOUT IFC FILMS

Established in 2000 and based in New York City, IFC Films is a leading U.S. distributor of independent film. Its unique distribution model makes independent films available to a national audience by releasing them in theaters as well as on cable’s Video On Demand (VOD) platform, reaching nearly 50 million homes. Current and upcoming releases include SWALLOW by Carlo Mirabella-Davis, THE TRUTH by Hirokazu Kore-eda, and THE PAINTED BIRD by Václav Marhoul.

 Some of the company’s successes over the years have included BOYHOOD, THE DEATH OF STALIN, FRANCES HA, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, THE BABADOOK, TOUCHING THE VOID, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, CHE, SUMMER HOURS, ANTICHRIST, IN THE LOOP, JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK, TINY FURNITURE, and CARLOS. IFC Films has worked with established and breakout filmmakers, including Steven Soderbergh, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Miranda July, Lars Von Trier, Gaspar Noé, Todd Solondz, Cristian Mungiu, Susanne Bier, Olivier Assayas, Jim McKay, Larry Fessenden, Paul Dano, Gregg Araki, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, Abdellatif Kechiche, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Abbas Kiarostami, Alfonso Cuaron, Noah Baumbach, Lena Dunham, Ethan Hawke and many more. IFC Films is a sister label to IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.

ABOUT MAD AS BIRDS

Mad As Birds is a UK independent film & TV production company based in the North West of England and North Wales. Their debut feature was the critically acclaimed and award winning Set Fire To The Stars, (Elijah Wood, Celyn Jones) directed by Andy Goddard. The second feature was the BAFTA/BIFA nominated thriller The Vanishing, (Gerard Butler, Peter Mullan) released by Saban and Lionsgate. POMS, a feel good comedy (Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver) had a wide release in the US with STX. In May 2020, The period thriller Six Minutes To Midnight (Judi Dench, Eddie Izzard, Jim Broadbent) is set for wide release across the UK. Pre-production is underway on emotional drama The Almond And The Seahorse and noir Western, The Corrupt.

ABOUT FFILM CYMRU WALES  

Ffilm Cymru Wales is dedicated to developing and sustaining a strong film industry for Wales; one that we can all be proud to call our own. We do this by providing funding and training to those involved in all aspects of the film industry, encouraging people to see more Welsh films in more venues, and promoting the use of film in education and community regeneration. Credits include Rungano Nyoni’s BAFTA award-winning I Am Not A Witch; Submarine, starring Craig Roberts, followed by his debut and sophomore features as writer-director, Just Jim and the upcoming Eternal Beauty starring Sally Hawkins; animated feature Ethel & Ernest; Billie Piper’s directorial debut Rare Beasts; and Euros Lyn’s forthcoming Dream Horse starring Toni Collette and Damian Lewis.

ABOUT RELIANCE ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTIONS 6 LTD

Reliance Entertainment Productions 6 (REP6) is an EIS company funded through Motion Picture Capital’s Fund. The film adds to REP6’s growing slate which includes rom-com story Hampstead, starring Diane Keaton (Book Club) and  Brendan Gleeson (The Guard, In Bruges) also released last summer by IFC Films. Other films on the upcoming slate include The Silk Road Rally!, an animated film written and directed by Ross Venokur produced by Deepak Nayar.