Scots director wins Golden Shell award

Peter Mullan's Neds wins film awards

Director Peter Mullan's film Neds, a coming of age drama set in 1970s Glasgow, has taken two top honours at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

Neds - short for non-educated delinquents - follows an intelligent boy struggling with gang warfare, an alcoholic father and class barriers.

Mullan, who also wrote the script and acts in the film, has described it as "personal but not autobiographical".

It picked up the best film award, while Conor McCarron was named best actor.

The Scottish newcomer has won glowing reviews for his performance as troubled teenager John McGill.

The film received its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month, where it was screened with subtitles.

It is the first film to be directed by Mullan, 50, since 2002's The Magdalene Sisters. That film won a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Mullan, who grew up in Glasgow, also won the best actor award at Cannes in 1998 for My Name is Joe.

He made his name acting in films including Shallow Grave, Trainspotting and Braveheart, and plays John McGill's menacing father in Neds. He will also be seen playing the Death Eater Yaxley in the last two Harry Potter films.

The Spanish film festival gave its best director trophy to Franco-Chilean film-maker Raoul Ruiz for his four-hour epic Misterios de Lisboa.

Spain's Nora Navas was named best actress for her role in Pa Negre, a drama about the country's civil war.


Have you ever seen any of the films mentioned above? What's your opinion of them? Give a summary of the film.


Comments

Natalia said…
I haven't seen any of those films but I heard good critics from "My name is Joe". I know that british directors are known for their political and claiming films, for example the famous Ken Loach or also the celebrated film "Billy Elliot" that, even if it's about a dancing boy it's also about strikes and labour class...
See you tomorrow!
Graham said…
I haven't seen any of those films but I HAVE HEARD good *REVIEWS ABOUT "My name is Joe". I know that *British directors are known for their political and *?? films, for example the famous Ken Loach or also the celebrated film "Billy Elliot" that, even if it's about a dancing boy it's also about strikes and THE WORKING CLASS...

* see the Confusing Words label - critic v review (27 May 2009)

* nationalities with a capital letter

* not sure what you mean here but "claiming" isn't the correct term. "hard-hitting", perhaps?



I think Loach's films are depressingly realistic. A film you must see is "Trainspotting".
Natalia said…
Oh yes!!! I've seen this one! When I was a teenager I used to have a Trainspotting poster on my wall! It is a really hard film but I love it. I don't remember which role he is playing in this movie or in "Braveheart" but I do remember him for his short role on "Children of men".
I did mean hard-hitting, yes!
See you later (and it is true, actually!)
Graham said…
What's "Children of men" like? I bet it isn't an uplifting story.

Peter Mullan had a small role in Trainspotting. He played the part of a dealer.

I can remember seeing him in Braveheart either; even if I've seen the film a dozen or so times.