Huge, the hotly anticipated debut from British comedian Ben Miller starring BAFTA-winner Noel Clarke and Thandie Newton, will now screen at this year’s London UK Film Focus (LUFF). Appearing in the Breakthrough strand, Miller and his producers will be hoping to secure a sales agent at this year’s event.

Premiere’s at this year’s LUFF will include Cherry Tree Lane, the latest from Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton), Martin Kemp’s feature debut Exposé, Intandem Films’ UK/Spanish co-production Ways to Live Forever starring Ben Chaplin and Cosi starring Richard E. Grant and Mía Maestro.

LUFF will welcome over 120 international film buyers and festival directors to London for the four day event taking place from Monday 28th June to Thursday 1st July.

LUFF is a unique export initiative which has historically supported new UK films and UK film companies. Now in its seventh year, the event has expanded to also include a small selection of British films represented by foreign sales agents and non-British films from UK sales agents. This is in direct response to feedback from the industry following an independent review of LUFF commissioned by Film London and the UK Film Council.

An important annual event in the film industry’s international calendar, LUFF attracts buyers representing all world territories who come to see around 50 titles. The event generates significant income for sales agents and last year resulted in approximately $4m worth of sales, up $1m from 2008.

The Breakthrough strand will build on the success of last year which saw premieres and subsequent bidding wars for successful films such as Sons of Cuba and She, A Chinese. With an open application process, Breakthrough offers an important platform for emerging British film-makers seeking sales representation, plus providing a chance for international buyers to monitor upcoming UK talent. Alongside Huge, other highlights this year are Honeymooner from Director Col Spector who picked up awards and rave reviews for his previous feature Someone Else and short starring Keira Knightley, New Year’s Eve and Treacle Junior starring Aidan Gillen from BIFA nominated Jamie Thraves.

Helena Mackenzie, Head of Inward Investment & Business Development at Film London, commented: “I am delighted that LUFF has expanded allowing a wider selection of film-makers and sales agents can enjoy the benefits of this unique event. The changes to LUFF this year reflect developments in the industry and I believe it is important the event evolves and adapts to these changes to ensure it remains as popular and as relevant as possible.”

From 4rfv

On Monday night, Thandie was photographed at the 2010 Costume Institute Gala in New York City. I have just added 19 HQ and MQ photos of her at the event – you can see them all by clicking on the previews below!

See larger image

Beyonce Knowles and Thandie Newton have raided their closets to donate items to a Haiti charity auction. The “Crazy In Love” hitmaker has donated a pair of gold shoes from her “I Am… Sasha Fierce” world tour, while Newton has offered up signed a jacket she wore in last year’s movie “2012 (2009)”.

Other lots include signed DVDs from “The Wire” star Idris Elba and tickets to the semi-final of Simon Cowell’s hit reality TV show “Britain’s Got Talent”. All proceeds from the eBay auction will go to Britain’s Disasters Emergency Committee to help fund rescue work in Haiti, which was hit by a massive earthquake in January this year.

More and more benefit events to help Haitian relief effort have been held this year. Next month, a concert dubbed “Virginia Stand Up! A Call to Action” will be held at Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center on date 15. It will features Chris Brown, Keri Hilson, Trey Songz, T-Pain, Ryan Leslie, Mario and Juelz Santana.

From Ace Showbiz

Thandie Newton admits she was a ”puppet on a stage” on the set of disaster movie ’2012′.

Thandie Newton felt her “life draining away” while filming ’2012′.

The British actress admits the disaster movie, which tells the tale of the end of the world, was fun to make but claims she did feel like a “puppet”.

She said: “There was a lot of blue-screen stuff, and a lot of scenes inside the pod-thing where we’d have a tidal wave coming towards us, which was real, and which would somehow magically disappear when they said ‘cut’, to be rolled out again for the next take.

“The mind boggles. I mean, I love 2012, and I always knew I was going to be a puppet on a stage. At times I felt my life draining away. But you know what? You learn something from every movie. That’s why you keep on doing it.”

However, she admits to having a more raucous experience on the set of 2000′s ‘Mission Impossible 2′, and highlights one intimate scene she thought Tom Cruise – who plays the lead character Ethan Hunt in the movie – was aroused.

She told the Daily Telegraph newpaper: “There was the love scene between Tom and I, where we were in bed all day. We laughed till we cried.

“As soon as he got into the bed, I thought he was really aroused. It was terrifying. He was wearing one of those modesty cups. And it was massive. It was almost more distracting than if he’d actually had an erection. Which I certainly didn’t expect him to have – I’ve never done a love scene where that’s even been a remote possibility. So hysteria seemed a perfectly logical response.”

From Contact Music

If you’re a budding filmmaker who’s never happier than when you’re out in the wilds of the British countryside creating mini cinematic masterpieces, prick up thine ears.

This week, with the help of glamorous judge Thandie Newton, Virgin Media Shorts has launched its third year of talent scouting, asking you – yes, you! – to send in your works of art for the chance to win big.

The annual competition is now open for submissions, and select entries will be screened in cinemas, on TV, on mobiles and online. The top prize is a whopping £30,000 worth of film funding, and the opportunity to collaborate with Virgin Media on a short film.

Jumping onto the judging panel along with directors Duncan Jones and Mike Newell, and critic James King, Newton has turned back time for a couple of snazzy shots that recreate classic images of film icon Theda Bara.

“The history of the short film and its early stars isn’t something that’s well known or documented,” says Newton. “So to kick off this year’s Virgin Media Shorts we wanted to do something that would commemorate one of the early legends like Theda Bara – she was a true, avant-garde screen heroine.”

One-time-Cleopatra Bara was famous for the kind of “spirit and passion” that Newton says she will be looking for in this year’s raft of film entries.

Last year’s filmic face-off attracted more than 2,000 entries from applicants who uploaded their films via the VMS website. The 2009 winner, Luke Snellin, was nominated for a BAFTA this year for his winning short Mixtape.

So if you’ve been itching to grab the camera, or just needed a goal like this to really kick things into gear, now’s the time to prove that you’re the next Danny Boyle or Terry Gilliam.

Deadline for entries is 28 June 2010, so jump over to the Virgin Media Shorts website for more information on how to enter. We look forward to seeing what you all rustle up.