A History of British Cinema - Questions

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One of the major developments in the UK film industry has been the increase in politically and socially progressive films, mainly coming into the centre stage during the Thatcher years, with directors such as Ken Loach and Mike Leigh at the forefront of this style of social realism. Even Four Weddings and a Funeral, which was less focused on the harsh qualities of the Thatcher era and more focused on the upper middle class of England, was certainly a film based on class and proved to be greatly successful here and in  the USA. One of the most radical and famous examples of the gritty form of British cinema that emerged in the 80s and 90s was Trainspotting, starring Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle and Ewen Bremner. Focusing on the acid house culture of 90s teen life in the UK, it had a strong and noticeable influence on many British films, inspiring such films as Human Traffic and Boston Kickout, which all starred now famous British actors. Often these films would have a mix of realism and surrealism, focusing on the UK drug culture and its highs and lows. Films like these challenged traditional views on youth, though youth culture was not the only aspect of British society which had new light shed on it by British films. Directors such as Shane Meadows began to explore English society outside London with films such as This is England (set in Nottingham). In general, British cinema had began to explore the lives of the 'underclass' which was emerging during the 90s, with films like Brassed Off and The Full Monty being prime examples of such films.

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Never let me go

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Momentum Pictures tend to distribute low to medium budget films, usually UK or foreign films. Recently, for example, they distributed Shame, a British film starring Michael Fassbender, and Valhalla Rising, by Danish director Nicholas Winding Refn. They distribute films of many different genres, from actioners such as Haywire to the Oscar winning drama The King's Speech, though there is a recurring trend for them to distribute more independent or arthouse films -  they have distributed and are distributing films for sophisticated, independent or arthouse directors such as Steven Soderbergh (for Haywire), John Hillcoat (for the upcoming Wettest County), Nicholas Winding Refn, David O. Russell (for The Fighter) and Gus Van Sant (for Milk). They have also frequently distributed films for Mike Leigh, the famous British social realist director.