Ethel & Ernest makes its Hong Kong premiere at the European Union Film Festival 2017

Thursday 26 January 2017

Adaptation of Raymond Briggs' classic graphic novel Ethel & Ernest makes its Hong Kong premiere at the European Union Film Festival 2017

Meeting Camilla Deakin, producer of Ethel and Ernest, and other children’s classics The Snowman and The Snowdog, and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

#Ethel&Ernest #EUFF2017 #BritishCouncilHK

26 January 2017 (HONG KONG) – The British Council is proud to present Ethel & Ernest, a hand-drawn animation adapted from British writer Raymond Briggs’ graphic novel at the European Union Film Festival (EUFF) in Hong Kong from 10-24 February 2017. Two screenings of Ethel & Ernest will be shown on 19 and 21 February. Camilla Deakin, producer of Ethel & Ernest, will meet the audience in Hong Kong and share the creative process and behind-the-scene stories of working with the legendary Raymond Briggs on adapting his favourite books into animated films including the all-time classic, The Snowman. A free screening of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, among an array of extended events, will be shown at the British Council on 21 February 2017.

Animation is a thriving and diverse part of the British television and film industry, with a global reputation for excellence. To continue demonstrating this excellent tradition, Ethel & Ernest presents a timeless story of love and devotion through Raymond Briggs’ parents Ethel and Ernest, and spans their lives through the Depression, post-war austerity and the swinging 1960s. A cross-generational team of top British talent gets behind the microphone to breathe life into Raymond Briggs’ distinctive characters, headed up by Oscar® winner Jim Broadbent and Oscar® nominee Brenda Blethyn in the title roles, joined by Luke Treadaway as Raymond, Olivier-award winner for the recent West-end hit Curious Incident Of The Dog in The Night-Time. Their portrayal of these characters is utterly entertaining, heart-warming and memorable.

From page to screen, Ethel & Ernest not only tells an honest story of a whole generation, but also bridges the crossover between traditional hand-drawn animation and the latest computer graphic technology in the UK. The British Council presents producer Camilla Deakin to meet with the audience at the post-screening artist talk at the AMC Pacific Place on 19 February, sharing her experiences in producing high quality films and television series for children and families. In addition, Camilla will give a public talk at the British Council on 20 February, sharing her behind-the-scene stories working with the legendary Raymond Briggs while excerpts of animated films will be shown.

Good news for parents and young children: the British Council will present a free screening of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, another classic animated film produced by Camilla Deakin, at the British Council on 21 February. This animation was Channel 4’s most-watched programme of 2016 in the UK, which is based on the best-selling illustrated children’s book by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. The book has been translated into 24 different languages and has been sold over 10 million copies worldwide so far. Registration in advance is required.

Visit https://www.britishcouncil.hk/programmes/arts/european-film-festival for the latest information about the public screenings of Ethel & Ernest and extended events presented by the British Council.

**Interview requests with producer Camilla Deakin of Ethel & Ernest are welcome. Please contact Mavis Ma or Daphne Ho for enquiries.

Media Contact:

Mavis Ma (Communications Manager) 2913 5260 / mavis.ma@britishcouncil.org.hk

Daphne Ho (Assistant Communications Manager) 2913 5266 / daphne.ho@britishcouncil.org.hk

Notes to Editor

(1) About the European Union Film Festival (EUFF)

European Union Film Festival (EUFF) is an annual cultural event that was presented by European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macao together with EU Member States and Switzerland in association with Broadway Cinematheque for the past eight years. EUFF aims to bring selected films from each country and give Hong Kong public an opportunity to discover the contemporary European cinema and the European film-making art.

(2) Biography of Camilla Deakin, Ethel & Ernest Producer, Joint Managing Director of Lupus Films

Camilla started her career as a freelance journalist and moved into TV production as a producer and director. In 2002, Camilla set up Lupus Films with colleague Ruth Fielding. Since then, Camilla has produced animation and live-action films as well as TV series for the BBC, Channel 4, Five, ITV, Disney and Cartoon Network. She also executive produced a number of short films for Channel 4 and the UK Film Council. Camilla produced Series One of the popular CG pre-school show The Hive for Disney Junior; The Snowman and The Snowdog, and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, an animated adaptation of the internationally best-selling children’s book. In 2013, Lupus Films received a prestigious BFI Vision Award. With the assistance of that award, Lupus Films produced the first feature film, Ethel & Ernest, a hand-drawn animated film that was based on the graphic novel by Raymond Briggs. The film features the voices of Oscar® winner Jim Broadbent and Golden Globe winner Brenda Blethyn.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. Using the UK’s cultural resources we make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications.

Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. The majority of our income is raised delivering a range of projects and contracts in English teaching and examinations, education and development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations. Eighteen per cent of our funding is received from the UK government.