Southampton students win UK premiere of Gemma Arterton's latest film for their local cinema
The Disappearance of Alice Creed to screen at University of Southampton's local cinema
London, 13 April 2010
Union Films at The University of Southampton have won the opportunity to host the UK premiere of The Disappearance of Alice Creed – British sensation Gemma Arterton's latest film – after a popular vote by UK cinema-goers.
Fans logged onto Facebook and installed an application that allowed them to vote for their favourite cinema. Union Films at The University of Southampton triumphed after a tightly fought campaign that saw the Hampshire venue vying for votes with eager cinemagoers in Bury. Users were rewarded for encouraging friends to take part and vote. The University of Southampton mobilized students by offering the most active application users Season Passes to the cinema, and enticing them with the possibility of seeing rising star, Gemma Arterton, on campus.
Jacob Deane of Union Films says of their win: "We are extremely excited that the UK premiere of The Disappearance of Alice Creed is coming to our cinema. It is an amazing opportunity for us, especially as we are a film society run entirely by volunteers. The Union Films team put on a great campaign, including our website, posters, emails and taking over a sizeable chunk of the Student's Union homepage. It is a testament to the enthusiasm and support of our members and the Southampton University Student's Union that we were able to gain enough momentum to take the top spot. We would like to thank Vue Bury for their stiff competition, at one point it really did look like we weren't going to make it."
Southampton took 43% of the vote whilst runner-up Bury registered 22%. There were over 7,000 active users across the duration of the campaign in 181 different cinemas across the UK, indicating that the demand to take premieres outside of London is high across the country.
CinemaNX's campaign has received funding from the UK Film Council's Distribution in Innovation strand, which supports the use of online tools for marketing films and developing audiences over a longer lead time.
Gemma Arterton, Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston lead a talented British cast in The Disappearance of Alice Creed written and directed by British film maker J Blakeson, co-writer of 'The Descent: Part 2'.
On a suburban street, two masked men seize a young woman. They bind and gag her and take her to an abandoned, soundproofed apartment. She is Alice Creed, daughter of a millionaire. Her kidnappers, the coldly efficient Vic and his younger accomplice Danny, have worked out a meticulous plan. But Alice is not going to play the perfect victim – she's not giving in without a fight. In a tense power-play of greed, duplicity and survival we discover that sometimes disappearances can be deceptive...
Gemma Arterton (Quantum Of Solace, St. Trinians, Clash of the Titans and soon to be released The Prince of Persia) stars in the title role as the kidnapped Alice, Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes, V for Vendetta, Vera Drake), plays the fearsome Vic and rising star Martin Compston (The Damned United, Red Road) also stars as nervy kidnapper Danny.
Release date: April 30
Certificate: 18
Running time: 100 minutes
Images and trailer:http://www.cineserve.com/transfer1/alice-creed/
Website: www.alicecreed.com
For further information please contact:
Donna Mills / Sophie Glover / Daniel MacNamara
Tel: + 44 20 7292 8330
firstname.surname@premierpr.com
www.premierpr.com
About CinemaNX
CinemaNX is one of the UK's leading film finance, production and distribution companies. Formed three years ago with backing from the Isle of Man Government, CinemaNX has an exciting slate of films in production and distribution and continues to expand operations by way of strategic partnerships and investment in media assets.
About Brandmovers
Brandmovers specialise in digital promotions for agencies and brands, and have offices in the UK and US. Our expertise includes: online competitions, viral marketing, Flash games, social media, web design, sales promotions and loyalty programmes.
Our team has much experience devising and delivering high-impact campaigns for entertainment clients - including TV, DVD and theatrical releases - for titles including The Grudge, Let the Right One In and Withnail & I and clients ranging from the BBC, MTV, E1 Entertainment and Associated Press.
About the UK Film Council
The UK Film Council is the Government-backed lead agency for film in the UK, supporting the UK film industry, celebrating UK film culture and nurturing UK film talent at home and abroad. Since its creation in 2000 the UK Film Council has backed more than 900 films, shorts and features, which have won over 300 awards and entertained more than 200 million people around the world. Its support develops new filmmakers, funds exciting new British films and gets a wider choice of films to audiences throughout the UK. It also invests in training British talent, promoting Britain as an international filmmaking location and raising the profile of British films abroad. In addition, it funds the British Film Institute.
The Digital Innovation in Distribution strand is part of the UK Film Council's Prints and Advertising Fund which allocates £2 million a year to helps distributors gain broader exposure for films that might otherwise have a limited distribution, thereby giving audiences greater opportunity to see a wider range of films.
About Union Films, Southampton
The cinema is completely run by students, from the front of house staff who sell tickets and refreshments to the projectionists who show the films on their 35mm projector. They show a large variety of films including British, European and art house as well as the latest Hollywood blockbusters.
