Digital Departures Film Gets Rave Reviews

ONE of Northwest Vision and Media’s three Digital Departures feature films, Of Time and the City, has received rave reviews from film critics attending the Cannes International Film Festival.

Made by renowned British director, Terence Davies, together with Merseyside-based Sol Papadopoulos and Roy Boulter of Hurricane Films, the documentary depicts Davies’ fascination with Liverpool, his home town.

As part of the Cannes’ Official Selection Of Time and the City will be given a Special Screening tonight (Tuesday May 20 at 10pm) at The Soixantième Theatre (60th Anniversary Cinema).

Writing in today’s Guardian newspaper, film critic Peter Bradshaw described Davies’ feature as “tender, lyrical, angry, shrewd and, above all, funny,” insisting the film deserved to win awards, and should be screened continually throughout the Festival. The Times newspaper similarly praised the film, describing it as a “gently melancholy visual poem” and adding that Davies’ voiceover “is a wry delight, packed with stinging asides and delivered with a lugubrious relish.”

Of Time and the City was made in Liverpool, after being selected as one of three winning features in the prestigeous Digital Departures filmmaking competition, devised by regional screen agency, Northwest Vision and Media, which works on behalf of the TV, film, radio and digital content industries in the Northwest.

Working with partners the Liverpool Culture Company, the BBC and UK Film Council, Vision and Media awarded each Digital Departures feature a budget of £250,000 to make their filmmaking dreams a reality.

Chris Moll, Executive Producer at Vision and Media and the originator of the Digital Departures initiative, welcomed the critics reviews in Cannes. “Seeing the Digital Departures initiative come to life with its unique blend of new and established talent has been one of my proudest moments. I’ve watched with growing admiration as each film has evolved and created its own unique ambience.

“It’s the character and mood of Terence’s film which shines through and I’m sure it will have a broad, international appeal,” says Chris.

Terence Davies has a long-standing relationship with the Cannes Film Festival, where he won the International Critics Award in 1988 for Distant Voices, Still Lives.