Film4 backed feature Poor Things wins Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival

10 September 2023

Yorgos Lanthimos’ Film4 backed feature POOR THINGS has won the Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival.

POOR THINGS marks Film4’s fourth collaboration with director Yorgos Lanthimos after backing THE FAVOURITE, THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER and THE LOBSTER, each of which enjoyed impressive festival runs and awards successes. Film4 developed the screenplay for POOR THINGS with Lanthimos’ regular producers Element Pictures and co-financed the film with Searchlight Pictures, who also co-financed Lanthimos’ Bafta and Academy Award winning THE FAVOURITE with Film4.

The highly anticipated POOR THINGS tells the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.

Following its UK premiere next month at the London Film Festival on 14th October, POOR THINGS will be released in UK cinemas on 12 January 2024 by Searchlight Pictures.

 

ABOUT FILM4

Film4 is Channel 4 Television’s feature film division. Film4 develops and co-finances films and is known for working with the most distinctive and innovative talent in UK and international filmmaking, both new and established.

Film4 has developed and co-financed many of the most successful UK films of recent years, Academy Award®-winners such as Florian Zeller’s The Father, Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite, Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Lenny Abrahamson’s Room, Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, Asif Kapadia’s box office record breaking documentary Amy, Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave and Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, in addition to critically-acclaimed award-winners such as Sarah Gavron’s Rocks, Rose Glass’s Saint Maud, Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War, Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here, Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, Rungano Nyoni’s I Am Not a Witch, Chris Morris’s Four Lions, Shane Meadows’ This is England, Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin and Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years.

Film4’s recent releases include Martin McDonagh’s BAFTA winning The Banshees of Inisherin, Oliver Hermanus’ Living, Florian Zeller’s The Son, Mark Jenkin’s Enys Men, Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or-winning Titane, Jonathan Butterell’s Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Rebecca Hall’s Passing, Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho, Will Sharpe’s The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Aml Ameen’s Boxing Day, Eva Husson’s Mothering Sunday, Prano Bailey-Bond’s Censor, and Jim Archer’s Brian & Charles. Forthcoming titles include Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, Jonathan Glazer’s Cannes Grand Prix winner The Zone of Interest, Steve McQueen’s Occupied City, Molly Manning Walker’s Un Certain Regard prize-winning How to Have Sex, and Rose Glass’ Love Lies Bleeding.