Battling with the stars for film award

May 9 2008 by Liz Hands, The Journal

A TEENAGE student is going up against Hollywood A-listers in an international film festival.

Annie Townsend is lining up with stars Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Matthew Rhys for a prestigious award at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival for her role in the film Helen.

The 19-year-old will compete for Best Performance in a British Feature Film for her performance in the psychological drama.

Annie, a sports science student at Newcastle College, said: “I still feel surprised it has actually happened. The filming went by so quickly.

“It was so much fun that you didn’t realise how much hard work it was too.

Everyone in the team was brilliant and they made me feel comfortable and gave me so much confidence.

“And now I can’t believe I am up for an award – but I have to finish off my assignments for college so I can’t think about it too much at the moment.”

The film is also up for the Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film.

The Tyneside Cinema and culture10 at NewcastleGateshead Initiative are two of the organisations that co-commissioned the film, which will have its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June – but an invited audience will see a preview screening next week in the magnificent refurbished Tyneside Cinema as part of its opening programme.

Annie, from Elswick, Newcastle, is the eponymous star of Helen, a film partly shot in Newcastle and Gateshead, and produced by award-winning artists and filmmakers Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor, and their company Desperate Optimists.

It is a psychological drama charting the coming of age of a 17-year old girl.

Stella Hall, creative director at NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting the much-anticipated reopening one of our most important cultural assets and hope that the special screening of Helen will be a hit with some of the first to sample the new Tyneside Cinema experience.

“Having co-commissioned this film in partnership with other cultural cities, it was a real coup that the actress chosen for the lead role is from Newcastle and we wish Annie the best of luck at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.”

Helen is one of a number of new film commissions the Tyneside Cinema has made to mark its reopening.

Chief executive Mark Dobson is enthusiastic: “Helen is an example of all that is exciting about the future of film.

“We are seeing artists emerging from the world of galleries into cinemas and young performers like Annie given their opportunity to star on the big screen.

“We are trying to create the balance between celebrating our heritage as the last surviving purpose-built newsreel theatre in the country, while securing our future into the digital age.

“As well as screening films, we will be able to develop our role as a cultural hub and a home for filmmakers of tomorrow.”

Tyneside’s Cinema’s programme of special reopening events is part of NewcastleGateshead’s 2008 programme.

Helen was commissioned in partnership by the Tyneside Cinema and NewcastleGateshead Initiative, together with the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, Liverpool Culture Company and Birmingham City Council.