Director J.A. Bayona’s third feature, A Monster Calls (Focus Features)–from the novel and screenplay by Patrick Ness–is slated for release in select theaters on Dec. 23. The film centers on 12-year-old Conor (played by Lewis MacDougall) dealing not only with his mother’s (Felicity Jones) debilitating and life-threatening illness, but also a seemingly less than sympathetic grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) and bullying classmates. Conor finds an ally when a Monster appears at his bedroom window, a huge tree-like human character who guides the lad on a journey of courage, faith, discovery and truth. Liam Neeson stars in performance capture and voiceover as the Monster.
CreditsJ.A. Bayona, director; Patrick Ness, writer; Oscar Faura, cinematographer; Bernat Vilaplana, Jaume Marti, editors; Fernando Velazquez, composer; Felix Berges, VFX supervisor.
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More