The Patrons

Adrian Lester shows himself to be one of the most versatile actors in the UK. Lester trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and soon became one of the most celebrated actors in the West End.  His extensive theatre experience has included major roles in SWEENY TODD, COMPANY, AS YOU LIKE IT, SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, A WINTER’S TALE, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and has garnered countless awards and nominations. Lester also received critical acclaim for an impressive portrayals of HENRY V at the National Theatre, directed by Nicholas Hytner, and HAMLET at the Bouffes Du Nord, directed by Peter Brook.
Lester’s international movie career was launched after director Mike Nichols offered him the lead role of Henry in the blockbuster PRIMARY COLORS, alongside John Travolta, Emma Thompson and Kathy Bates. Since then Lester has enjoyed a series of diverse and successful roles on the big screen including; MAYBE BABY, DAY AFTER TOMORROW, BORN ROMANIC, LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST, DUST, FINAL CURTAIN, SCENES OF A SEXUAL NATURE, AS YOU LIKE IT, DOOMSDAY, BEST and hard hitting award winning TV drama STORM DAMAGE. Amongst his latest projects are CASE 39 alongside Renee Zellwegger, STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING alongside Frank Langella.
After receiving critical acclaim for his work on stage and on the big screen, Lester became a household name playing Mickey ‘Bricks’ Stone in the hit con drama HUSTLE (BBC1) and has since guest starred in other series, GHOST SQUAD and EMPIRE’S CHILDREN both for Ch 4,  BONEKICKERS, BALLET SHOES and BEING HUMAN for the BBC, and SLEEP WITH ME a feature length production for ITV.  
 

Ewan McGregor is best known for his film roles in THE PILLOW BOOK, TRAINSPOTTING, EMMA, BRASSED OFF, NIGHTWATCH, A LIFE LESS ORDINARY, VELVET GOLDMINE, ROGUE TRADER, THE STAR WARS TRILOGY, MOULIN ROUGE, BLACK HAWK DOWN, YOUNG ADAM, DOWN WITH LOVE, BIG FISH, SCENES OF A SEXUAL NATURE, MISS POTTER, CASSANDRA’S DREAM, DECEPTION, INCENDIARY. He has also starred on the West End stage in Othello and in Guys and Dolls. Upcoming projects include ANGELS and DEMONS, I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS, AMELIA and MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS. In 2002 he received the Variety Award at the British Independent Film Awards and in 2003 was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in YOUNG ADAM.

Samantha Morton has been hailed as one of the foremost actresses of her generation. Her career to date has seen her work with some of the most respected directors in the world and the diverse and often difficult choices of role she has made are reflected in the list of accolades including her Golden Globe for the role of Myra Hindley in LONGFORD.
At thirteen Morton joined Central Television’s Junior Workshop where she was quickly spotted and cast in early TV roles including CRACKER and PEAK PRACTICE. Acclaimed theatre work followed with two award winning plays at London’s Royal Court Theatre and then a part in the award-winning TV drama ‘Band of Gold’. TV films EMMA and TOM JONES led to her playing the title role in Robert Young’s acclaimed TV film JANE EYRE.
Morton first came to the attention of International film audiences as Iris in Carine Adler’s harrowing UNDER THE SKIN. It was a role that earned her unanimous critical acclaim and the Boston Film Critics Award for Best Actress. Other critically acclaimed roles include the mute Hattie in Woody Allen’s SWEET AND LOWDOWN for which she received both Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations as Best Supporting Actress; Sarah in Jim Sheridan’s IN AMERICA for which she received her second Academy nomination for Best Actress; Claire in Roger Michell’s ENDURING LOVE for which she received a British Independent Film Award Best Actress nomination and Deborah Curtis in Anton Corbijn’s multi award-winning film CONTROL, earning a BAFTA nomination. She has also received a half–Lifetime achievement Award from Dennis Hopper’s ‘Cinevegas Film Festival’
Notable film credits include Alison Maclean’s JESUS’ SON, Julien Temple’s PANDEMONIUM, Eric Styles DREAMING OF JOSEPH LEES, Amos Gitai’s EDEN, Lynne Ramsay’s MORVERN CALLAR, Steven Spielberg’s MINORITY REPORT, Michael Winterbottom’s CODE 46, RIVER QUEEN, THE LIBERTINE, LASSIE, Harmony Korine’s MISTER LONELY, Charlie Kaufman’s SYNECDOCHE, THE DAISY CHAIN, EXPIRED and THE GOLDEN AGE.
Samantha is currently filming her directorial debut in a film she has written called THE UNLOVED which will transmit on Channel 4 in May.

Michael Sheen is best known for film roles in OTEHELLO, BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS, UNDERWORLD, THE DEAL, LAWS OF ATTRACTION, DIRTY FILTHY LOVE, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, THE QUEEN, BLOOD DIAMOND, FANTABULOSA, THE DAMNED UNITED and FROST/NIXON. Before his film career, Sheen made a name for himself on London’s West End where he performed for almost a decade in his leading role in Amadeus, as well as roles in Look Back in Anger and Caligula. Upcoming projects include a starring role in Stephanie Meyer’s film adaption of NEW MOON and sequel to THE QUEEN, SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP, reprising his role as Tony Blair. In 2007, he received two BAFTA nominations for his performance in THE QUEEN and FANTABULOSA and in 2008, The Variety Award at the 11th British Independent Film Awards. This year, Sheen was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.

Tilda Swinton was awarded The Richard Harris Award at the 2005 British Independent Film Awards. She also won an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for her performance in Tony Gilroy’s MICHAEL CLAYTON along side George Clooney. Ms. Swinton had earlier been a Golden Globe Award nominee for David Siegel and Scott McGehee’s THE DEEP END, which also brought her an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
A native of Scotland, Ms. Swinton started making films with the English director Derek Jarman in 1985, with CARAVAGGIO. They made several more films together, including THE LAST OF ENGLAND, THE GARDEN, WAR REQUIEM, EDWARD (for which she was named Best Actress at the 1991 Venice International Film Festival), and WITTGENSTEIN, before Mr. Jarman’s death in 1994.
She gained wider international recognition in 1992 with her portrayal of ORLANDO, under the direction of Sally Potter. Since then, her films have included Lynn Hershman-Leeson, CONCEIVING ADA AND TEKNOLUST (in four roles); Susan Streitfeld’s FEMALE PERVERSIONS; John Maybury’s LOVE IS THE DEVIL; Robert Lepage’s POSSIBLE WORLDS; Danny Boyle’s THE BEACH; Cameron Crowe’s VANILLA SKY; Spike Jonze’s Academy Award-winning ADAPTATION; David Mackenzie’s YOUNG ADAM (for which she was awarded Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film in 2003); Mike Mills’ THUMBSUCKER and Francis Lawrence’s CONSTANTINE; Béla Tarr’s THE MAN FROM LONDON; Andrew Adamson’s two blockbuster THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA tales; Erick Zonca’s JULIA; the Cohen Brothers’ BURN AFTER READING; David Fincher’s THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON; Jim Jarmusch’s THE LIMITS OF CONTROL and BROKEN FLOWERS and Luca Guadagnino’s IO SON AMORE, a love story shot entirely in Italian and Russian.
In 2008 Ms. Swinton launched the Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams film festival in her hometown of Nairn, Scotland, and is taking it to Beixing in March 2009.

 David Thewlis is undoubtedly one of the most versatile of British actors. He first shot to critical and public acclaim for his powerful performance in Mike Leigh’s NAKED. His other, most recent credits include, VERONIKA DECIDES TO DIE directed by Emily Young, Mark Herman’s THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS, David’s reprisal of the role of Professor Lupin in David Yate’s HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE and HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, Paul Auster’s THE INNER LIFE OF MARTIN FROST, John Moore’s THE OMEN, Jordan Scott’s ALL THE INVISIBLE CHILDREN, Terrence Malick’s THE NEW WORLD, Ridley Scott’s THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, Alfonso Cuaron’s HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, Richard Donner’s TIMELINE, Paul McGuigan’s GANGSTER NO. 1, Peter Hewitt’s WHATEVER HAPPENED TO HAROLD SMITH? Bernardo Bertolucci’s BESEIGED, the Cohen Brother’s THE BIG LEBOWSKI, Jean Jaques Annaud’s SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET and John Frankenheimer’s THE ISLAND OF DR MOREAU.
Other film credits include: Agnieszka Holland’s TOTAL ECLIPSE, Rob Cohen’s DRAGONHEART, Mike Hoffman’s RESTORATION, Caroline Thompson’s BLACK BEAUTY, David Jones’ THE TRIAL, Paul Greengrass’ RESURRECTED, Beeban Kidron’s VROOM, David Caffrey’s DIVORCIG JACK and SHORT AND CURLIES and LIFE IS SWEET, both for Mike Leigh.
Thewlis’ many television credits include: the roles of Joe and Harry in THE STREET
(for which he was nominated as Outstanding Actor TV Series Drama Category at the 2008 Monte Carlo TV Festival) DINOTOPIA, ENDGAME, DANDELION DEAD, the award-winning PRIME SUSPECT III, FRANK STUBBS, JOURNEY TO KNOCK, FILIPINO DREAMGIRLS, SKULDUGGERY, A BIT OF A DO, ROAD, ORANGES ARE NOT THE ONLY FRUIT and THE SINGING DETECTIVE opposite Michael Gambon.
In addition to his film and television work, Thewlis has also starred in Sam Mendes’ THE SEA at the Royal National Theatre, Max Stafford-Clark’s ICE CREAM at the Royal Court, BUDDY HOLLY AT THE REGAL in Greenwich, RUFFIAN ON THE STAIRS/THE WOOLLEY at Farnham and LADY AND THE CLARINET at the Kings Head.
Thewlis is also known for his work as a director; in 2007 his feature film CHEEKY, which he also wrote and starred in was released by Guerilla Pictures, and in 1996 his short film HELLO, HELLO, HELLO which he wrote and directed, was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Short Film.
David’s first novel “The Late Hector Kipling” was published in 2007 to great critical acclaim.