We are excited to announce that Cleft Lip won Best Foreign Fiction Feature Film at the Lebanese Independent Film Festival 2018 and want to thank cast and crew for helping make a film that clearly has gone down well with Lebanese audiences and judges. Fantastic!
We’re excited to announce that Cleft Lip has been officially selected for the Amsterdam International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema to be held between the 13th and 18th August 2018. A festival focused on the international independent filmmaking community, Cleft Lip is up for Best Feature Film, Erik Knudsen and Janet Knudsen, Best Cinematography, Mark Duggan, Best Supporting Actor, Keith French, and Best Editing, Erik Knudsen. The film will be screening on Wednesday the 15th August 2018 and the awards ceremony held on Saturday the 18th August 2018.
We’re pleased to announce that Cleft Lip has been selected to compete in the Best Foreign Feature Film category of the Lebanese Independent Film Festival in Beirut between the 12th and 14th of July 2018. As soon as we have more details, including exact screening date, we shall let you know.
Keith French, Janet Knudsen, Erik Knudsen, Reece Douglas and Miranda Benjamin at the cast and crew preview screening of Cleft Lip at the Vue Cinema, Salford Quays.
On the 11th November 2017, we were able to show the completed feature film by Erik Knudsen, Cleft Lip, to cast, crew and a few friends. The film stars Reece Douglas, supported by Miranda Benjamin and Keith French. Sponsored by Leica Store Manchester, the screening took place at the Vue Cinema at Salford Quays, Manchester. We were so excited to have the members of the team watch the film for the first time and reactions were overwhelming. The film looked and sounded great on the big screen, and for many of the cast this was the first time they had seen themselves on a big cinema screen. The screening was followed by a wine reception.
The film is now being entered into prominent festivals around the world and we expect a host of screenings at some of these festivals during the first 7 or 8 months during 2018, before the film is then released later in the year. More news on this later.
We’re into the editing process for Cleft Lip and it’s interesting to look back briefly at the production process – which seems like such a long time ago. Robyn Keetley, a 2nd year student on the Creative Media Production course at Brooksby Melton College, was commissioned, as part of an assignment for her course, to make the next in our series of short production documentaries looking at the director, Erik Knudsen’s, perspective on the production process.
Erik Knudsen’s feature film, Cleft Lip, starring Reece Douglas, and co starring Miranda Benjamin and Keith French, has completed principal photography and is now in post production. Over 72 people made a direct contribution to the shooting over 27 days during December, January, February and March 2017. The footage looks great and we’re looking forward to bringing sound and image together into a cracking story. You’ll be able to see the film at selected worldwide festivals from the autumn of 2017. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with developments.
Principal photography of Erik Knudsen’s new feature film, Cleft Lip, starring Reece Douglas and co starring Miranda Benjamin and Keith French, started on the 13th January 2017.
Shooting is going very well and is on schedule. To keep up with developments, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.
L to R Karen Lauke (sound), Mark Duggan (Assistant Director/cinematography), Shemin B Nair (Production Assistant), Erik Knudsen (producer, writer and director), Miranda Benjamin (actress), Stuart Samuels (special effects), Reece Douglas (actor), Kane Rattray (Sales and Marketing), Keith French (actor), Richard Mulhearn (stills photographer), Janet Knudsen (producer) and Meriel Pym (Production Designer).
Erik Knudsen and Janet Knudsen were pleased to be able to host the first Cleft Lip production meeting. The stars of the film had an opportunity to meet the key production team and visa versa. It was a whole day’s meeting, which started with general introductions where people were able to share past experiences. Erik Knudsen then held a screening session where he showed clips of films from filmmakers who have influenced his approach to filmmaking. Inevitably, they included extracts from films by Ozu (Equinox Flower), Dreyer (Gertrud), Bresson (L’Argent) and Tarkovsky (Mirror). It is fair to say that the cast in particular were not familiar with these filmmakers and it offered Erik Knudsen a chance to contextualise and discuss intentions for Cleft Lip.
This section was then followed by a leisurely lunch where Kane Rattray led a discussion about how the project is using social media as a first stage of a distribution strategy. Cast and crew, of course, will be central to participating in the promotion of the project even before the film starts shooting. The team also discussed how the project will be documented as a creative process.
Actors left after lunch and the afternoon was devoted to a scene by scene discussion of key creative, technical and logistical challenges. A rough schedule was also put in place.
On the basis of this most productive day, everyone in the team now has a clear idea of what needs doing and by whom and we can now go away and start work in earnest on pre-production creative, technical and logistical preparations.
As Gagarin said: ‘let’s go!’
We’re very pleased to confirm that Keith French is to join the cast for Erik Knudsen’s forthcoming feature film, Cleft Lip. Keith has a wealth of experience as an actor in corporate and commercials, as well as considerable stage and entertainment experience, and is venturing into a first feature film. He joins Miranda Benjamin and Reece Douglas and a range of other actors. More on Keith and his involvement to follow.
We have been busy casting for Erik Knudsen’s latest feature film, Cleft Lip, which goes into principal photography in January 2017. Though the casting process for the 43 parts in the film is ongoing, we are pleased to announce that Reece Douglas and Miranda Benjamin will be starring in Cleft Lip.
Reece Douglas to play Campbell in Erik Knudsen’s film, Cleft Lip.
Reece Douglas is to play the leading role, Campbell. He is an actor based in Manchester, who is best known for his role as Denzil Kelly in the school drama, Waterloo Road, from 2009 until he was killed off in 2012. He has been acting and performing since the age of 12. Acting is his passion but in his free time, Reece enjoys a variety of sports.
Miranda benjamin to play Jaz in Erik Knudsen’s film, Cleft Lip.
Miranda Benjamin is to play the leading support role, Jaz. She is an accomplished actress, dancer and singer. She has numerous credits to her name for both stage and screen, including Til Death Do Us Part. Miranda trained at the Salford School of Music, Media and Performing Arts. She enjoys sports and cocktail flairing!
We’re excited to have Reece and Miranda onboard. Attaching the actual actors to the project starts to bring the screenplay alive and we look forward to the presence that both Miranda and Reece undoubtedly will bring to the story of Cleft Lip.