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Brick Lane - On DVD 10th March
Synopsis
Adapted from Monica Ali's award-winning, best-selling novel of the same name, Brick Lane is the story of a beatutiful young Bangladeshi woman who arrives in 1980's London, leaving behind her beloved sister and home, for arranged marrage and a new life. Within the four walls of her flat in east London and in a loveless marriage to the middle aged Chanu, Nazneen struggles to accept her lot, but she is soon forced to confront life the day that the hotheaded young Karim comes knocking at the door.
A truly contemporary story of love, of cultural difference and ultimately, the strength of the human spirit.
Cast
Sarah Gavron / Director
Brick Lane is Sarah Gavron's eagerly anticipated debut feature. She began her career in documentaries and is a graduate of the NFTS. In 2003 Gavron directed her first full length drama, the Dennis Potter Award swinning This Little Life for BBC TV. The film also won Gavron two BAFTAs for Best Single Drama and Best New Director, the RTS and WIFTV Award for Best Newcomer and she was selected as one of Variety's ten directors to watch at the Sundance International Film Festival. Further to this, Gavron was nominated for the Douglas Hickox Best Directorial Debut Award.
Gavron has made many short films which have screened internationally and won major awards. Her films include The Girl in the Lay-by (2000), which won a BAFTA nomination and Losing Touch (2000), which won the Young Jury Award at the Clermont Ferrand Film Festival, Best Film Award at the London Royal Television Society Awards and Best International Short at the Foyle Film Festival.
Gavron is developing future feature projects with the UK Film Council and Film4.
Tannishtha Chatterjee / Nazneen
Tannishtha Chatterjee is emerging as one of India's leading art house actresses. Her film credits include Shadows of Time (2004) directed by Oscar winning German director Florian Gallenberger and Swaraj (2002), for which she gained a National Best Supporting Actress nomination. Other award winning features which have screened globally are: Let the Wind Blow (2004), an Indo-French venture; Bas Yun Hi (2003); Strings; Divorce: Not Between Husband and Wife (2005); and Kasturi. Tannishtha's latest principal role was in Bibar, based on the famous Bengali novel and has so far netted her the Best Actress awards at Osian's Cinefan and the Bengal Film Journalists Association Awards, 2006.
Short films include True Love, Sirf Filmi Hai and Sala Bandar. Tannishtha trained at the National School of Drama, New Delhi and has an additional degree in classical Indian vocals from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. She was also one of the lead singers in India's first all girl band Teer launched by B4U.
Satish Kaushik / Chanu
Satish Kaushik is one of India's finest comic actors and best loved film directors. He trained at the National School of Drama, New Delhi and the Film and Television Institute, Pune. He is best known for his performances in Hindi films such as Ram Lakhan (1989), Mr. India (1987), Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (2007), Jalwa (1987), Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), Hassena Maan Jaayegi (1999), Gharwali Baharwali (1998), Had Kardi Aapne (2000) and many more. He won the Filmfare award for Best Comedian for Ram Lakhan (1990) and again for Saajan Chale Sasural (1997). He has also received Bollywood awards for Saajan Charle Sasural (1996) and Hum Aapake Dil Mein Rehte Hain (1999).
Kaushik's career began in the theatre and his many lead roles include Brecht's Exception and the Rule, Eugene O'Neil's Long Days Journey into Night, Tom Stoppard's Enter a Free Man, Miller's Death of a Salesman and a View from the Bridge.
As a director Kaushik's many credits include Hindi films such as Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993), Prem (1995), Hum Aapke Dill Mein Rehte Hain (1999), Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai (2000), Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai (2001), Badhaai Ho Badhaai (2002), Tere Naam (2003), Vaada (2005), Shaadi Se Pehle (2006). His latest film Milenge Milenge (2007) stars Sahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor and will be released shortly. Kaushik is currently prepping a teen musical to be shot in 2007.
He has directed a number of big budget commercials in India. A man of many talents, Kaushik is also a screen writer; Chairman and Managing Director of Chitrayug Productions and Creative Director of Real Good Films.
Christopher Simpson / Karim
Christopher Simpson's film credits include Penny Woolcock's Mischief Night (2006), Martha Fiennes' Chromophobia (2005), Michael Winterbottom's Code 46 (2003) and Kayvan Mashayekh's The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam (2005). Major television roles include Second Generation, Zadie Smith's White Teeth and State of Play. Theatre credits include The Baccae of Baghdad at the Abbey, Dublin; Pericles for the Royal Shakespeare Company and Ramayana for the Royal National Theatre.
Naeema Begum / Shahana Ahmed
Brick Lane is fourteen-year old Naeema Begum's debut feature and she is thrilled, "That Allah has given me the chance to shine". Naeema attends Pimlico School in London and her favourite subjects are Drama and Sociology.
Lana Rahman / Bibi Ahmed
Ten-year old Lana Rahman has thoroughly enjoyed her first acting role in Brick Lane and is now torn between a future career as an actress or a doctor. Lana attends school in Blackheath and she enjoys dancing and Tai Kwon Do in her spare time.
Book Club
Explore the themes of the book and film further in your book club. To help you on your way, here are some notes for you to download courtesy of www.bookbrowse.com.
Music
Jocelyn Pook is an award-winning composer who wrote the original scores for Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (1999), for which she received a golden globe nomination, Laurent Cantet's Time Out (L'Emploi Du Temps) (2001) and Mihael Radford's The Merchant of Venice (2004), starring Al Pacino. Pool has composed music for several French features including Anne Fontaine's Comment J'ai Tue mon Pere (2001). Most recently Pook scored the re-make of Heidi (2005) directed by Paul Marcus, and Everest. Her music also featured in Martin Scorses's Gangs of New York (2002).