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Press Releases
Stellar cast in Freefall for Savage drama from Origin Pictures for 91Èȱ¬ Two
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Update - 10 November 2008: this press release posted on 24 October 2008 has been updated to reflect new additions to the cast list.
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Shooting begins this week on BAFTA award-winning Dominic
Savage's latest film drama, Freefall.
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To be broadcast on 91Èȱ¬
Two next spring, the incredible line-up includes Aidan Gillen (The Wire, Queer As Folk), Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia, Sense
And Sensibility), Rosamund Pike (Love In A Cold Climate, Pride
And Prejudice), Anna Maxwell Martin (White Girl, Bleak House)
and Joseph Mawle (The Passion, Foyle's War). Girls Aloud's Sarah Harding will also star, alongside Alfie Allen (Atonement, Casualty 1907).
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Commissioned by Ben Stephenson, Controller, 91Èȱ¬ Drama Commissioning, and
Roly Keating, Controller, 91Èȱ¬ Two, with Lucy Richer as
Executive Producer for 91Èȱ¬, this will be the first production
from former head of 91Èȱ¬ Films, David Thompson's new company
Origin Pictures. He is co-producing alongside Yvonne Isimeme
Ibazebo.
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A hallmark of Savage's work is his ability to highlight a
burning and compelling social issue, bringing it to the
forefront with a striking mix of characters.
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In Freefall,
Savage's focus is on the now imploding world of finance and
its devastating impact on those at each end of the scale.
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As
an issue, it is destined to impact everyone in the UK in some
way, and no-one yet knows when or where it will end.
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Savage
explores the pinnacle moment when capitalist greed went into a
desperate tailspin and the excesses of more than a decade of
spending came to a startling climax.
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Dominic Savage comments: "This is a film essentially about
greed that in many ways had got out of control.
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"It is a film
that reflects our obsession with wanting more, wanting
everything, the desire in many of us to gain the world, but in
doing so, potentially lose our souls.
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"Freefall reflects those
complexities, needs and conflicts that I believe exist in us
all."
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His characters encompass all walks of life but, with Savage,
there is never a clear cut villain to the piece. All have
human failings; all have their own culpability.
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At its heart,
viewers will no doubt come to question their own understanding
of the current crisis and the way out.
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David Thompson, producer, comments: "Dominic has created an
extraordinary compelling scenario that throws a powerful
spotlight on our radically changing world.
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"With a range of
striking characters he has created a film that will challenge
many of our assumptions."
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Gus (Aidan Gillen) is a wealthy city worker without a
conscience. It appears that his sole motivation in life is the
creation of wealth for him and his company, with the goal of
clinching his next deal dominating his life.
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Dave (Dominic
Cooper) is the salesman at the other end of Gus's world. He
shamelessly hard-sells mortgages to those that can ill afford
them and, just like Gus, is purely motivated by the riches it
will bring him.
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Sam (Sarah Harding) plays the beautician girlfriend of Dave with ambitions of one day owning her own chain of beauty salons.
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Anna (Rosamund Pike) works at Gus's bank and
is in a relationship of sorts with him. Her conscience is
leading to growing contempt for the money-obsessed industry
she inhabits.
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Jim (Joseph Mawle) is an old school friend of
Dave's and married to Mandy (Anna Maxwell Martin). They are
lured by Dave's tempting vision of an entitlement to own their
own home. Ian (Alfie Allen) works with Dave.
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And Amelia (Olive Supple-Still) is Gus's teenage
daughter. With her parents divorced, she rarely sees her
father, but she's clued up and not impressed at all by his
job.
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The film also stars Riz Ahmed as Gus's colleague, Gary,
Emer Kenny as Dave's girlfriend, Kate, and Peter McNeil O'Connor playing Jim's boss.
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Ben Stephenson comments: "Dominic
Savage is a master in his field. With this film and the
extraordinary cast he has assembled, he continues 91Èȱ¬ Two's
tradition of commissioning cutting-edge drama from incredible
British talent."
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Savage's approach to film-making is characterised by his use
of improvisation with the cast.
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His vision for the piece is
translated by both himself and each actor and is constantly
evolving within each moment of filming.
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The result is gritty,
real, incomparable and unique.
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Freefall continues Dominic
Savage's fruitful relationship with 91Èȱ¬ Drama, all executive
produced by David Thompson.
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Previous commissions include Out
Of Control, When I Was 12, Nice Girl and Born Equal.
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Freefall is the latest 91Èȱ¬ Two drama commission for 2009 and
follows in the footsteps of Peter Bowker's Desperate Romantics which portrays the vagabond group of English painters, poets
and critics known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and Moses
Jones by award-winning writer Joe Penhall (Blue/Orange), a
vibrant, atmospheric crime thriller set in the beating heart
of London, starring Shaun Parkes.
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Notes to Editors
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 Production credits: Writer and Director, Dominic
Savage; Producers, David M Thompson and Yvonne Isimeme
Ibazebo; Director of Photography, Ben Smithard; Designer, Anna
Pritchard; 91Èȱ¬ Executive Producer, Lucy Richer.
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Dominic Savage has won the following awards:
Out Of
Control (91Èȱ¬ One) – Michael Powell Award for Best British
Feature Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival,
2002; RTS Television Award for Best Serials and Single Drama,
2003;
When I Was 12 (91Èȱ¬ Two) – BAFTA Award for Best Single
Drama, 2002; Nice Girl (91Èȱ¬ Two) – BAFTA Award for Best New
Director, 2001.
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Love And Hate (2006) won the Palm Springs
International Film Festival New Voices/New Visions Grand Jury
Prize and the Zlin International Film Festival Best European
Debut Film Award.
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His last film for the 91Èȱ¬ was the acclaimed
Born Equal starring Colin Firth and Robert Carlyle (91Èȱ¬ One,
2006). Ìý
David Thompson, former head of 91Èȱ¬ Films, has been the
recipient of multiple awards, including three BAFTAs, two Golden
Globes and three Emmys. He has produced/executive produced over
140 films, his feature credits include Billy Elliot, Iris,
Dirty Pretty Things, Notes On A Scandal, and The Duchess as well
as the forthcoming Revolutionary Road starring Leonardo
DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
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His television credits include The
Lost Prince, The Gathering Storm, Conspiracy, Shadowlands and
The Firm.
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Yvonne Isimeme Ibazebo's credits include 91Èȱ¬ Two's
controversial drama Shoot The Messenger.
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