Fiaf Awards 2005
Premio Fiaf – Mike Leigh
Gotham Awards 2004
Lifetime Achievement Award – Mike Leigh
Taormina International Film Festival 2002
Taormina Arte Award – Mike Leigh
London Critics Circle Film Awards 2000
Dilys Powell Award – Mike Leigh
Camerimage 1999
Special Award Best Duo: Director – Cinematographer Mike Leigh / Dick Pope
BAFTA 1996
Michael Balcon Award – Mike Leigh
Empire Awards 1996
Lifetime Achievement Award – Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh and Simon Channing Williams first met back in 1980, when Simon was First Assistant Director on Mike’s BBC film Grown-Ups, starring Brenda Blethyn.
They hooked up again a few years later, when Simon co-produced The Short and Curlies (1987) and High Hopes (1988), both for Portman Productions.
Having by now forged a close personal and working relationship, it seemed natural for them to form their own company. And so Thin Man Films was born.
Thin Man has made eight successful feature films, Life is Sweet (1990), Naked (1993), Secrets & Lies (1996), Career Girls (1997), Topsy-Turvy (1999), All Or Nothing (2002), Vera Drake (2004) and Happy-Go-Lucky (2008).
Secrets & Lies and Topsy-Turvy had nine Oscar nominations between them, Topsy-Turvy winning two. In 1994, Naked won Best Director and Best Actor at Cannes, where two years later Secrets & Lies won the Palme d’Or and Best Actress. I won The Golden Lion and the Best Actress at Venice in 2004, as well as six BIFA’s, 3 BAFTA’s including Best Director, and three Oscar nominations
Thin Man is responsible for the forthcoming ten-disc DVD Mike Leigh Box Set, comprising seven of the Thin Man features, plus Bleak Moments (1971), Meantime, (1984) and, High Hopes. Details of the box set will be seen here first, so check back for more information soon.
Writer-director Mike Leigh was born in 1943 in Salford, Lancashire. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, at Camberwell and Central Art Schools in London, and at the London Film School, of which he has been Chairman of the Governors since 2000.
His first feature film was Bleak Moments (1971); this was followed by the full-length television films, Hard Labour (1973), Nuts in May (1975), The Kiss of Death (1976), Who’s Who (1978), Grown-Ups (1980), Home Sweet Home (1982), Meantime (1983), and Four Days In July (1984), which was shot entirely on location in Belfast.
His later feature films are High Hopes (1988), Life Is Sweet (1990), Naked (1992), Secrets and Lies (1996), Career Girls (1997), Topsy-Turvy (1999), All Or Nothing (2002), Vera Drake (2004), and most recently Happy-Go-Lucky (2008).
Mike Leigh has written and directed over twenty stage plays, the best known of which is Abigail’s Party (1977), which he also directed for television. His other plays include Bleak Moments (1970), Wholesome Glory (1973), Babies Grow Old (1974), Ecstasy (1979), Goose-Pimples (1981), Smelling A Rat (1988), Greek Tragedy (1989), It’s A Great Big Shame! (1993) and Two Thousand Years, which Mike created for the National Theatre in London in 2005.
Producer Simon Channing Williams’ career started at the BBC where he worked with many directors, including Stephen Frears, James MacTaggart, Mike Newell, Michael Apted and Mike Leigh.
Outside his relationship with Mike Leigh and Thin Man Films, Simon Channing Williams has produced a number of other films, including Puccini for director Tony Palmer, When the Whales Came directed by Clive Rees, and Jack and Sarah, directed by Tim Sullivan, which was an enormous hit at the UK box-office, as well as Nick Love’s debut feature Goodbye Charlie Bright.
In 2000 he formed the independent production company Potboiler Productions with Gail Egan. Together they have produced seven feature films including an adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby directed by Douglas McGrath, the rock epic Brothers of the Head directed by Keith Fulton & Lou Pepe, and the Oscar winning The Constant Gardener directed by Fernando Meirelles. Potboiler has acquired the rights to the latest John le Carre novel The Mission Song, and Simon and Gail are joint executive producers on Fernando Meirelles’ current film Blindness.
As a result of filming The Constant Gardener Simon was instrumental in setting up The Constant Gardener Trust which is building a secondary school in the desert town of Loiyangalani some 600 km north of Nairobi. The Trust is also building showers and lavatories in the Nairobi slum of Kibera as well as installing 10,000 litre water towers (www.constantgardenertrust.org)
He was given the honour of being made an elder of Loiyangalani and was awarded the Order of the Grand Warrior in recognition of both his work with The Constant Gardener film and The Constant Gardener Trust.
Gail was executive producer on Vera Drake and Happy-Go-Lucky. She acts as Thin Man’s legal brains and as our fund-raising superwoman. She’s a qualified barrister, and practised commercial law at Lincoln’s Inn before joining Price Waterhouse Corporate Finance. She has also worked for the international media group Carlton Communications. And of course she and Simon Channing Williams head up Potboiler Productions (See notes on Simon).
Mike, Simon & Gail and the offices of Thin Man Films are supported by Abbie, Bek, Edie and Tess.
Simon and Mike feel as they’re as perfect a producer/director team as you could find. This is partly because they share both a sense of purpose and a sense of humour, but mostly because Simon has no pretensions to be a director or an ideas man, and Mike has no desire to be his own producer!
“Simon is brilliant at raising money, putting all the elements in place, and overseeing and guiding the whole operation. He sees his job as being to create the safe space for me to make my films freely and without interference. Of course, he’s always there with helpful, sympathetic advice when I need it, but he’s never intrusive. He’s just fantastically supportive.” [Mike Leigh]
Simon loves Mike’s work, and totally respects his approach. And over the years they have built up around them a talented and loyal team of fellow workers.
(Of course, Simon develops and produces many other films that have nothing to do with Mike Leigh. All such projects are through his other company, Potboiler Productions, which you can find on www.potboiler.co.uk)
Academy Awards 2005
Nominated: Best Achievement in Directing – Mike Leigh
Nominated: Best Original Screenplay – Mike Leigh
Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role – Imelda Staunton
Bangkok International Film Festival 2006
Nominated: Golden Kinnaree Award Best Film – Mike Leigh
BAFTA Awards 2005
Won: David Lean Award for Direction – Mike Leigh
Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role – Imelda Staunton
Won: Best Costume Design – Jacqueline Durran
Nominated: Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film - Mike Leigh / Simon Channing Williams / Alain Sarde
Nominated: Best Film – Simon Channing Williams / Alain Sarde
Nominated: Best Original Screenplay – Mike Leigh
Nominated: Best Production Design – Eve Stewart
Nominated: Best Make Up/Hair – Christine Blundell
British Independent Film Awards 2004
Won: Best British Independent Film
Won: Best Director – Mike Leigh
Won: Best Actress – Imelda Staunton
Won: Best Performance by a Supporting Actor or Actress – Eddie Marsan
Won: Best Performance by an Actor – Phil Davis
Won: Best Performance by an Actress – Imelda Staunton
Won: Best Achievement In Production
Nominated: Best Screenplay – Mike Leigh
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2005
Nominated: Critics Choice Award Best Actress – Imelda Staunton
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2004
Won: CFCA Award Best Actress – Imelda Staunton
Chlotrudis Awards 2005
Won: Best Actress – Imelda Staunton
Nominated: Best Original Screenplay – Mike Leigh
David di Donatello Awards 2005
Nominated: Best European Film (Miglior Film dell’Unione Europea) – Mike Leigh
Directors Guild of Great Britain 2005
Nominated: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in British Film – Mike Leigh
Empire Awards 2005
Nominated: Best British Actress – Imelda Staunton
European Film Awards 2004
Won: Best Actress – Imelda Staunton
Nominated: Best Film – Simon Channing Williams
Evening Standard British Film Awards 2005
Won: Best Film – Mike Leigh
Won: Best Actress – Imelda Staunton
Golden Globes 2005
Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama – Imelda Staunton
London Critics Circle Film Awards 2005
Won: British Film of the Year
Won: British Director of the Year – Mike Leigh
Won: British Screenwriter of the Year – Mike Leigh
Won: Actress of the Year – Imelda Staunton
Won: British Supporting Actor of the Year – Phil Davis
Robert Festival 2006
Nominated: Best Non-American Film (Årets ikke-amerikanske film) – Mike Leigh
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards 2006
Won: Best Picture
Won: Best Original Screenplay – Mike Leigh
Satellite Awards 2005
Nominated: Best Motion Picture, Drama
Venice Film Festival 2004
Won: Golden Lion – Mike Leigh
Won: Volpi Cup Best Actress – Imelda Staunton
British Independent Film Awards 2002
Nominated: Best Actor – Timothy Spall
Cannes Film Festival 2002
In competition for Palme D’Or – Mike Leigh
European Film Awards 2002
Nominated: Audience Award Best Director – Mike Leigh
Nominated: Best Director – Mike Leigh
Nominated: Best Actor – Timothy Spall
Evening Standard British Film Awards 2003
Won: Best Technical/Artistic Achievement – Eve Stewart
London Critics Circle Awards 2003
Won: British Film of the Year
Won: Best Actress – Lesley Manville
Nominated: Best Supporting Actress – Ruth Sheen
Satellite Awards 2003
Nominated: Best Motion Picture Foreign Language
Nominated: Best Original Screenplay – Mike Leigh
Academy Awards 2000
Won: Best Costume Design – Lindy Hemming
Won: Best Makeup – Christine Blundell / Trefor Proud
Nominated: Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen – Mike Leigh
Nominated: Best Art Direction/Set Decoration – Eve Stewart (art director)/John Bush (set decorator)
BAFTA Awards 2000
Won: Best Make Up/Hair – Christine Blundell
Nominated: Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film – Simon Channing Williams/Mike Leigh
Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Jim Broadbent
Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Timothy Spall
Nominated: Best Original Screenplay – Mike Leigh
British Independent Film Awards 2000
Won: Best Achievement in Production
Nominated: Best Director – Mike Leigh
Nominated: Best Actor – Jim Broadbent
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2000
Nominated: Best Screenplay – Mike Leigh
Nominated: Best Actor – Jim Broadbent
Empire Awards 2001
Nominated: Best British Film
Evening Standard British Film Awards 2001
Won: Best Film – Mike Leigh
Won: Best Actor – Jim Broadbent
Independent Spirit Awards 2000
Nominated: Best Foreign Film – Mike Leigh
London Critics Circle Film Awards 2001
Won: British Actor of the Year – Jim Broadbent
Nominated: British Director of the Year – Mike Leigh
Nominated: British Screenwriter of the Year – Mike Leigh
Nominated: British Film of the Year
Nominated: British Producer of the Year – Simon Channing Williams
Nominated: British Supporting Actor of the Year – Timothy Spall
Nominated: British Supporting Actress of the Year – Shirley Henderson
Nominated: British Supporting Actress of the Year – Lesley Manville
Motion Picture Sound Editors 2000
Nominated: Golden Reel Award Best Sound Editing: Musical Feature – Michael Connell / (music/scoring editor) / Denise Connell (music editor)
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA 2001
Won: Best Director – Mike Leigh
Won: Best Film (Tied with Being John Malkovich)
New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2001
Won: Best Director – Mike Leigh
Won: Best Film
Sarajevo Film Festival 2000
Won: Panorama Jury Prize (Tied with Yi Yi)
Venice Film Festival 1999
Won: Volpi Cup Best Actor – Jim Broadbent
Nominated: Golden Lion – Mike Leigh
