Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes CBE (born 1 August 1965) is an English film and stage director, producer and screenwriter. In theatre, he is known for his dark re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret (1994), Oliver! (1994), Company (1995), and Gypsy (2003). He directed an original West End stage musical for the first time with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013).
For directing the play The Ferryman, Mendes was awarded the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play in 2019.
Sam Mendes’ ‘Empire of Light’ Sets BFI London Film Festival Gala Screening With Olivia Colman, Colin Firth
thewrap.com“Empire of Light,” the latest feature film from Oscar winner Sam Mendes, has locked its European premiere with a gala screening at the 66th annual BFI London Film Festival.
Starring Olivia Colman, Michael Ward, Colin Firth, Toby Jones and others, the 1980s–set film “is a powerful and poignant story about human connection and the magic of cinema,” distributor Searchlight Pictures said in a statement.
The film’s stars – including Colman, Firth, and on-the-rise BAFTA winner Ward – are expected to be in attendance at the festival’s American Express Gala screening on Oct.
12. Additional talent in attendance will cast mates Tanya Moodie, Tom Brooke and Crystal Clarke. “I’m absolutely delighted to be included in this year’s BFI London Film Festival as the AMEX Gala screening,” Mendes said in a statement. “‘Empire of Light’ is a very personal movie for me, and I can’t wait to show it in my home town.”BFI London Film Festival Director Tricia Tuttle added: “When I read that Sam Mendes’ next project was centred around a cinema, I was so excited about the possibility of being able to present it in the BFI London Film Festival.
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