Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger

BAFTA and Academy award winning director and acclaimed cineaste Martin Scorsese will narrates a new feature documentary on prolific and influential British filmmaking duo, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Directed by two-time BAFTA and Emmy winning David Hinton, this is Scorsese’s personal and moving look at two of British cinemas greatest filmmakers.

Producing, writing, and directing, Powell and Pressburger created some of great classics of the British golden age including THE RED SHOES, BLACK NARCISSUS, A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH and THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP.  In the words of Scorsese their films were, “grand, poetic, wise, adventurous, headstrong, enraptured by beauty, deeply romantic, and completely uncompromising”.  The yet to be titled film will be an unparalleled exploration of their genius.

Scorsese will take the audience on a very personal journey as we hear how, from a young age he was captivated by their films, how they helped shape his own filmmaking and how a later friendship with Michael Powell left an indelible mark on his own life.

Brought to life with a treasure trove of rare archival material from the personal collections of Powell, Pressburger and Scorsese the story will be told using diaries, audio recordings, home movies, personal snapshots and of course the films themselves.

We will hear from Powell and Pressburger and those who worked with them how this unique working relationship created a body of work that audiences still marvel at today.

The film is produced by Nick Varley for Ten Thousand 86 and Matt Wells for Ice Cream Films.
Martin Scorsese will Executive Produce.
The film is financed by BBC Film, and the National Lottery and Scottish Government through Screen Scotland.
International Sales and UK Distribution : Altitude Film Sales