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逝去的摯愛
化身眼前的10歲小孩
情迷意亂的她
何以與他同往未知的將來？

《越世驚情》

1月13日驚動心靈

內容簡介

10年前，一個男人突然暴斃身亡
與此同時，一個男孩來到世上
一個生命的終結等於另一個生命的開始嗎？

安娜 (妮歌潔曼飾) 自10年前丈夫尚恩突然離世後，經過多年的時間洗禮，才能沖淡心中的悲痛，在她決定接受追求者祖斯求婚的時候，一個自稱是她前夫輪迴轉世的男孩突然出現，他剛好10 歲，亦名叫尚恩 (金馬倫布賴特飾)。男孩堅稱自己深愛安娜，並要求她千萬不要下嫁祖斯，最令人匪夷所思的是這個素未謀面的小男孩竟熟知安娜和前夫的過去，甚至兩人之間的親密行徑，亦瞭如指掌…

男孩的出現令安娜深感不安，但同時卻從他的眼神中，再次感受到前夫對她的那種熾熱愛火-─那種她嘗試忘懷，卻又一直渴望重溫的感覺，她開始覺得男孩就是前夫的化身…情迷意亂的她作出了一個驚人的決定。

但男孩真的是安娜前夫的輪迴再世嗎？當中究竟?藏了甚麼秘密？而兩人之間的關係又會導致怎樣的結局？

故事醞釀多年，集三位編劇功力

「一個年輕寡婦，遇到一個自稱是亡夫再世的男孩時，她會如何自處、抉擇？」原來《越世驚情》這個故事已在導演祖納芬基里沙的腦海中醞釀多年，後來他將這個構思告訴曾監製《毒太陽》的尚路易皮奧，尚路易皮奧提議他可請教法國作家尚哥羅特加利爾，尚哥羅特加利爾對輪迴轉世這個題材有極深入的認識，曾與達賴喇嘛合著過兩本書。二人於2001年開始劇本的創作，經過18個月的討論才著手撰寫，期間祖納芬基里沙經常親往尚哥羅特加利爾於巴黎的寓所，和他一起研究劇情。後來他們又邀請曾編寫《孽愛傷痕》的米路亞迪加一起參與編劇工作，因為電影以紐約為背景，而來自紐約的米路亞迪加正好可以為兩位歐洲同行提供寶貴的意見，他更在戲中扮演大廈管理員一角。《越世驚情》可以說是集合了三位編劇的經驗、智慧和專業知識。

題材敏感極具爭議性

《越世驚情》註定是一齣備受爭議的電影，首先輪迴轉世已是一個極難處理的題材，當中涉及宗教和迷信等的辯論，再加上故事講述的是一個年輕寡婦和10歲小男孩之間的關係，引起各方討論在所難免，所以於今屆威尼斯電影節首映時，立即成為當時的話題作，尤其是二人之間的親密鏡頭，更是焦點所在，亦惹來衛道人士的抨擊。但導演強調他最終想表達的只是愛和信這個主題，電影背後的深層意思才是觀眾應注意的地方。

妮歌潔曼全新造型演繹再次問鼎金球獎

在導演和監製的心目中，妮歌潔曼是飾演年輕寡婦安娜的不二之選，所以當妮歌答應接拍此戲時，他們覺得如獲幸運之神眷顧。其實妮歌初次閱畢劇本後，已被劇情深深吸引，對於有機會飾演一個如此具挑戰性的角色，她亦深覺興奮和榮幸。為了配合戲中大都會職業女性的形象，妮歌一改以往長髮女性化外型，換上一頭貼服短髮，突出她鮮明好看的輪廓，再配上簡潔高貴的衣著，整體造型予人耳目一新的感覺。

妮歌更憑這齣電影第六度榮獲金球獎最佳女主角提名，演技得到一致的讚賞。她將女主角那種敏感又脆弱的特質掌握得恰到好處，特別是演繹女主角內心的困惑和掙扎時的面部表情，令人不禁由衷地為她的精湛演出而喝彩。

天才童星金馬倫布賴特驚人成熟表現

戲中男孩的角色可說是靈魂人物之一，他既要具備像成年人般嚴肅的舉止，又要擁有懾人的力量，要找到合適的小演員擔當此要角並非易事。導演一行人走遍美國及加拿大，探訪過不少演藝學校、青少年中心，見過上千名男孩子，最後終於找到拍攝時剛滿10歲的金馬倫布賴特。監製之一力基摩李斯這樣形容他：「當你看著他的一雙眼睛，你會發現眼前的是一個男人，我們立刻知道就是他了。」金馬倫布賴特早已有不少演出經驗，今次的表現更是非常出色,，舉手投足均帶有一種有異於常人的神秘感。

導演及演員資料

祖納芬基里沙

導演祖納芬基里沙在2000年執導的第一部電影《性感野獸》（Sexy Beast），即於英國獨立電影頒獎禮中勇奪四項殊榮，包括最佳英國獨立電影、最佳男主角、最佳電影劇本、最佳導演，且得到英國電影電視藝術學院獎最佳英國電影、獨立精神獎最佳外語片等提名。《性感野獸》成功為他在影壇打響名堂，亦為戲中男星賓京士利 (Ben Kingsley) 奪得奧斯卡及金球獎最佳男配角提名。

祖納芬基里沙在進軍大銀幕之前，早已享譽廣告界。他是英國首屈一指的廣告及MTV製作公司Academy合夥人之一，曾替Massive Attack、Blur、Radiohead等歌星的宣傳影帶操刀，並摘下無數MTV獎項，在 1997年當選為本年度MTV導演大獎。此外，他亦為著名品牌，例如Nike、Levis、Guinness等拍下不少受歡迎又有創意的電視廣告。

妮歌潔曼

妮歌潔曼14歲已首次參與電影演出，後與湯告魯斯合演賽車電影《雷霆壯志》而嶄露頭角。1995年憑黑色喜劇《不惜一切》首度榮膺金球獎喜劇/音樂劇組別最佳女主角，2001年推出的兩部電影《情陷紅磨坊》及《不速之嚇》均大獲好評，把妮歌的演藝事業推向高峰，《情》片更讓她首獲奧斯卡影后提名，並第二度獲金球獎喜劇/音樂劇組別最佳女主角殊榮。翌年終憑《此時．此刻》中扮演患有精神病的著名作家吳爾芙，成為奧斯卡、柏林影展、英國電影大獎及金球獎四料影后，風頭一時無倆。

妮歌近年來更嘗試接拍不同種類的電影，擴闊自己的戲路。《越世驚情》為她再次贏得金球獎影后提名，証明她的演技已達爐火純青的境界，甚麼角色也難不倒她。

金馬倫布賴特

加拿大籍的金馬倫布賴特，年紀小小卻已擁有不少演出經驗。由電視廣告開始，繼而拍電視劇，作品見於多個著名的電視頻道，如霍士家庭頻道、CBS、HBO等。初登大銀幕之作為《連鎖諜變》，其後憑和羅拔狄尼路合演的《複製兒魂》而廣為人注意，至今片約不斷。

《越世驚情》

1月13日驚動心靈

演員：妮歌潔曼 (Nicole Kidman)《不速之嚇》、
金馬倫布賴特 (Cameron Bright)《複製兒魂》、
丹尼侯斯頓 (Danny Huston)《21克生命可以有多重》、
蘿蓮柏歌 (Lauren Bacall)《人間狗鎮》

導演：祖納芬基里沙 (Jonathan Glazer)《性感野獸》

監製：尚路易皮奧 (Jean-Louis Piel)《毒太陽》、
力基摩李斯 (Nick Morris)、
列斯高亞 (Lizie Gower)

編劇：祖納芬基里沙 (Jonathan Glazer)《性感野獸》、
米路亞迪加 (Milo Addica)《孽愛傷痕》、
尚哥羅特加利爾 (Jean-Claude Carriere)

剪接：哥拿斯域李殊 (Claus Wehlisch)《大開眼戒》、
森史尼狄 (Sam Sneade)

攝影總監：夏維斯沙維特 (Harris Savides, ASC) 《大象》

製作設計：奇凡湯馬士 (Kevin Thomas)

服裝設計：約翰登(John Dunn) 《賭城風雲》、《紐約故事》

音樂：亞歷山迪士比 (Alexandre Desplat)《畫意思情》

發行： Lark Films Distribution Ltd.

級別：待定

片長： 100分鐘

Opens 13/January in Hong Kong

Distributed by Lark Films Distribution Ltd.

Running Time: 100 minutes

PRODUCTION NOTES

SYNOPSIS

On a wintry day, a young man collapses and dies while jogging in the park. That same moment, a baby is born.

Does one man's end have any connection to another's beginning?

Maverick filmmaker Jonathan Glazer affirms the promise of his brilliant debut, SEXY BEAST, with his new film BIRTH, teaming with Academy AwardR winner Nicole Kidman for a metaphysical love story that explores the space between what we know and what we feel. Kidman stars as Anna, a delicate young widow who is on the verge of a new life when a solemn little boy appears, claiming to be the reincarnation of her dead husband. As Anna, Kidman achieves a breathtaking emotional transparency to portray an intelligent woman who discovers another side of herself in the face of a bizarre, yet tantalizing possibility. The actress is beautifully paired with Canadian child actor Cameron Bright, who portrays the boy interloper with a haunting stillness and conviction. Bringing an assured sense of style and form to a decidedly unconventional narrative, Glazer creates a world that is at once strange and familiar, like a fairy tale. Like many fairy tales, BIRTH is part romance, part mystery, and part family drama - woven into a magical whole about love, mortality and the unknown.

In creating a film that speaks to timeless themes, Glazer has sought the collaboration of talents from across the spectrum of American and international cinema. The superb ensemble cast includes Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall (DOGVILLE, TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT); Danny Huston (21 GRAMS, IVANSXTC), the son of great director John Huston; Anne Heche (Broadway's "Proof"); Arliss Howard (BIG BAD LOVE); British actress Cara Seymour (ADAPTATION); Ted Levine (THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE); Swedish actor Peter Stormare (FARGO); Alison Elliot (WINGS OF THE DOVE); and, in a rare film appearance, Tony Award-winning Australian actress Zoe Caldwell ("Medea"). Further underscoring the film's appealing international sensibility are Glazer's collaborators behind the camera, who include celebrated French writer Jean-Claude Carrière (BELLE DE JOUR, THE TIN DRUM), and award-winning director of photography Harris Savides (ELEPHANT).

Ten years after the sudden death of her beloved husband Sean, Anna (Nicole Kidman) is finally ready to emerge from the shadow of grief and begin a new chapter in her life. She has agreed to marry Joseph (Danny Huston), a good-humored, cultured man who has patiently courted the lovely young widow for three years. Anna's decision pleases her mother Eleanor (Lauren Bacall), an elegant and commanding woman who has welcomed Joseph into the family's spacious apartment on New York's aristocratic Upper East Side. The apartment has been Anna's home since Sean's death, and it is also the present residence of her pregnant sister Laura (Alison Elliot) and Laura's husband Bob (Arliss Howard), who are having their own home remodeled. And it is there that friends and relatives gather one night for Anna and Joseph's engagement party.

Those guests include Clifford (Peter Stormare), who was Sean's best friend, and Clifford's wife Clara (Anne Heche). The couple is not entirely at ease in these privileged environs; as the elevator arrives, Clara decides their gift is not properly wrapped and sends Clifford up to the party alone. As Clara pauses in the building's marble lobby to ponder her options, her gaze lights on a young boy (Cameron Bright), sitting by himself in an anteroom. Clara soon leaves the building for Central Park, unaware that the boy is following her. When she returns to the apartment building a while later, the boy is back in his place.

Following close on the heels of the engagement party is Eleanor's birthday celebration, an intimate event attended by close family friend Mrs. Hill (Zoe Caldwell). But before the cake can be cut, an uninvited guest appears as if out of nowhere. It is the same young boy, and he wants to speak privately with Anna. Indulging what seems to be a whim, Anna accompanies the child to the kitchen. There, he declares that he is her dead husband Sean and warns her not to marry Joseph. A stunned and angry Anna takes the boy downstairs, instructing Jimmy the doorman (Milo Addica) to send him home. Jimmy confirms that he knows the child. His name is Sean.

But Sean will not be dissuaded, and begins to write to Anna. The boy regularly visits Anna's building with his father Mr. Conte (Ted Levine), a tutor who has clients there. Joseph, curious about this 10-year-old who has been writing to his fiancée, decides to speak to Sean at the apartment where his father is working. The three adults - Joseph, Anna and his father - order him to leave Anna alone, but Sean staunchly, calmly refuses. When the child collapses at the end of the confrontation, Anna cannot help but feel pained.

Sean's surreal intrusion on Anna's life is met with varying reactions in Anna's family. At the boy's own suggestion, Bob quizzes him about details of the dead Sean's life, and the child's knowledge is uncanny. More unnerving still is the intensity and certainty of his love for Anna. Mrs. Conte (Cara Seymour), who is estranged from Sean's father, allows the boy to see Anna, in the hope that he can be persuaded to abandon his belief that he is her husband.

Instead, it is Anna's belief that is strengthened. Though she cannot deny the strangeness of it all, she is increasingly drawn to the little boy and willing to flout the wishes of her fiancé and family to see him. Could this child truly be Anna's husband, returned to her? How can she refuse the chance to experience again the love she felt for him?

BIRTH is directed by Jonathan Glazer, written by Jean-Claude Carrière, Milo Addica and Jonathan Glazer, and produced by Jean-Louis Piel, Nick Morris and Lizie Gower. Executive producers are Kenny Orent, Mark Ordesky and Xavier Marchand, the director of photography is Harris Savides, ASC, and the production designer Kevin Thompson. The editors are Sam Sneade and Claus Wehlisch, the casting director is Avy Kaufman, the costume designer John Dunn, and the music is by Alexandre Desplat. BIRTH stars Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Danny Huston, Anne Heche, Cameron Bright, Arliss Howard, Peter Stormare, Ted Levine, Cara Seymour, Alison Elliot, and Zoe Caldwell.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Even before internationally acclaimed commercial and music video director Jonathan Glazer made his mark in feature films with his debut SEXY BEAST, which earned Ben Kingsley an Academy AwardR nomination, the director had the idea for a film which was to become BIRTH. Glazer discussed his idea for the story, about a young boy who claims to be the reincarnation of a woman's dead husband, with noted producer Jean-Louis Piel, the producer of the Academy AwardR winning BURNT BY THE SUN and a keen admirer of Glazer's work.

To develop the story, Piel suggested that Glazer meet with distinguished French writer Jean-Claude Carrière, a long-time collaborator with Luis Bunuel in film and Peter Brook in theater. Carrière had also collaborated with the Dalai Lama on two books, including The Power of Buddhism, and was quite knowledgeable on the subject of reincarnation. He was intrigued by Glazer's unique idea, and the two met in early 2001 to talk about the story. Thus began a dialogue that would continue for some eighteen months, as the two men puzzled out the story and eventually began work on a screenplay.

Says Glazer, "We tried to create a context for the story. It a very exciting period for me and I learned a lot from him." Glazer traveled frequently to the elder writer's Paris home to work. "I found in Jonathan a very receptive collaborator," remembers Carrière. "He was extremely eager, getting up early in the morning to work all day long."

The two developed a narrative in which a ten year-old boy named Sean appears in the life of Anna, a 35 year-old woman who had been widowed ten years earlier. The child claims to be Anna's dead husband, who was also named Sean, and knows details about Anna that only her late husband would know. Having this young stranger enter their lives is very unsettling for Anna, her family, and her fiancé, Joseph, whom she plans to marry soon.

Glazer and Carrière felt the story would best be served by a setting that was free of associations with reincarnation. "We didn't want to write a film about the paranormal. We didn't want to set it in a place where this kind of story was part of the cultural philosophy or religion," Glazer explains. "We liked the idea of setting it in a metropolis where there's a certain anonymity. We also talked about the idea of a kingdom and the idea of the boy coming into a court. A place where there would be very definite lines between the different worlds the boy and the woman occupied." New York City, they decided, suited both criteria.

The decision to set the film in New York - a city that speaks to imaginations around the globe - also fit with Glazer's perception of BIRTH as a fairy tale. BIRTH contains a fairy tale's classic elements: the stranger who upsets the routines of a dignified court, the lovely and isolated princess, an established family threatened by change, a love that seems impossible. New York, with its aura of history and power, could certainly be seen as a kingdom, a place of mystery and secrets. It had well-tended enclaves of wealth and privilege, which stood in marked contrast to the noisier neighborhoods of ordinary families and businesses. And in Central Park, it had a big swath of unpredictable nature that echoed the enchanted forests of so many storybooks. In giving the story the self-containment of a fable, Glazer found that he was able to crystallize its themes of love and belief.

Producers Lizie Gower and Nick Morris, who have worked with Glazer for over a decade at the English production company Academy, came aboard to produce BIRTH with Piel. After establishing itself as England's leading producer of commercials and music videos, Academy had set up a features division not long before. BIRTH became the company's first feature.

Given that neither Glazer nor Carrière were New Yorkers, it was agreed that an American writer should be brought on to ensure the authenticity of the film's New York setting. The Academy partners had been deeply impressed by the script for MONSTER'S BALL, co-written by New York native Milo Addica, which they'd read well before that film was made. In fact, Addica had already begun working with Glazer on a separate project, and everyone felt he was the ideal collaborator to bring the screenplay to its final stage.

Addica was intrigued by the many questions that the script raised, including the possibility of a person dying and being reborn in another body. "Intellectually and logically, people are saying 'how?' While it makes no sense, it makes complete sense in the heart," Addica comments.

He adds, "BIRTH is about the power of belief. And about the strength of what we believe and where it takes us." Addica, who began his career as an actor, ultimately took a part in the film, portraying Jimmy the doorman.

Under the care of Carrière, Addica and Glazer, BIRTH came to occupy its own realm, at once contemporary and mythic. "I think we arrived at a point where all three voices became one voice," Glazer remarks. "We were all very keen on constructing a love story between a boy and a woman. I think in the end, that's what we did."

For the central role of Anna, the filmmakers felt incredibly fortunate when film's most acclaimed actress, Nicole Kidman, expressed interest in the script. At the time, Kidman had already been nominated for an Academy AwardR for MOULIN ROUGE; she would go on to a second nomination, and a win, for THE HOURS.

Glazer was struck by Kidman's grasp of the story at their first meeting. "She talked about the script so eloquently," he remembers. "She really understood what the role was, and understood what I was reaching for."

As Kidman describes it, "The combination of Jonathan Glazer with this material was really fascinating. It's obviously so much a part of him." The actress found the role of Anna exciting from creative standpoint, and is happy to have arrived at a point where such a part was accessible to her. "To be in the position to say, 'gosh, I can go and explore the psyche of this woman and help breath life into her' - that's where I feel incredibly fortunate."

Respected casting director Avy Kaufman came on to cast BIRTH, a meticulous process that grew more layered with each addition to the ensemble. Each character is presented with an economy of detail; thus, the actors had to be able to carry their characters' history as individuals and in their interactions with one another.

At the head of the film's figurative court is Eleanor, Anna's mother. From the very first draft of the script, the filmmakers saw one actress as the regal matriarch: screen icon Lauren Bacall. "Lauren Bacall was the only one, in my mind, to play Eleanor," Glazer asserts. "She has got so much charisma. She's so powerful on the screen."

Bacall committed to the project quickly and enthusiastically. "What always attracts me about being in any movie is the director and the script. And good directors almost always have good scripts. In this case, of course, Jonathan was also one of the writers, which is a marvelous combination." The actress was also delighted at the prospect of reuniting with Kidman, with whom she had worked on Lars von Trier's DOGVILLE. "Nicole and I were together in Sweden for two and a half months, so we became friends there. She's wonderful, a total professional. I'm very, very fond of her."

Recalls producer Lizie Gower, "We had a wall at Avy Kaufman's office, and we'd cut out the pictures and grow Anna's family tree. Lauren was right up at the top as the head of the family, and Nicole was on one side. And it was amazing; Nicole and Lauren looked so similar, they could definitely be mother and daughter."

The casting of Danny Huston as Anna's fiancé Joseph added new layers of association, in terms of both familial and Hollywood history. As the son of legendary writer/director John Huston and the grandson of actor Walter Huston, he represents a third generation of movie royalty. Though he began his film career as a director, Huston has forged an acclaimed acting career in recent years, starring in such films as IVANSXTC and 21 GRAMS.

Lauren Bacall had starred in Danny Huston's feature directorial debut, MR. NORTH, in 1988 - forty years after she starred in John Huston's KEY LARGO, with her husband Humphrey Bogart. She has known Danny Huston all his life. "John Huston was a great, great friend of Bogey's and of mine," the actress affirms. Eleanor's fondness for Joseph echoes Bacall's own feelings for Huston. "Danny is wonderful - charm just oozes out of him, and wit. And he's suddenly become an actor, and he's terrific."

"Danny came to our attention through IVANSXTC, in which he plays a Hollywood agent who's dying. He's fantastic in it, and we thought he was perfect for the role of Joseph," says producer Nick Morris. "Joseph is from a privileged background, and is kind of easygoing and effortlessly charming. We knew Danny would bring those qualities to the part of Joseph, and he did."

Huston was intrigued by the way the young boy, Sean, provokes very different reactions from the film's adult characters. "In the Hindu religion, a god will put on a mask and represent himself in a manner that an ordinary person can understand. In a way, this little boy is a vehicle for the spirit of Anna's husband, so that all these people can experience this man again in their own different dimensions."

Finding the right child to portray that little boy proved to be the most difficult casting challenge. Sean may be 10 years old, but he also possesses an adult gravitas that leads Anna to reconsider her course in life. "The whole idea of this love story is that the boy is a pre-man," notes Morris. "And yet there has to be a manly quality in this little boy, and a kind of power and an assured way of conducting himself, which is not usual to find in a nine or ten year-old little boy."

In searching for Sean, New York casting director Kaufman and the filmmakers looked at over a thousand boys in the U.S. and Canada, actors and non-actors, in drama schools, Little Leagues, and YMCAs. Finally they found Cameron Bright, a young actor from Canada who turned ten in January, 2003.

"You just looked into those two eyes and you saw a man," recalls Morris. "We all immediately recognized this for what it was, a major find."

Completing the cast are a company of highly acclaimed actors, whose work encompasses American and international filmmaking as well as theatre. To play Clara and Clifford, a married couple who had been good friends with Anna's late husband, the filmmakers cast Anne Heche, a recent Tony nominee for her Broadway performance in "Twentieth Century," and Peter Stormare, who appeared in the Coen brothers' FARGO and Spielberg's MINORITY REPORT. Though Clara and Clifford come from very different environs than Anna, they are the people who knew the dead man best, and Anna turns to them for help with the young Sean.

Arliss Howard (BIG BAD LOVE, FULL METAL JACKET) portrays Anna's brother-in-law, Bob, a doctor who is frankly curious about the strange young boy in love with Anna. The versatile Allison Eliot (WINGS OF THE DOVE, THE SPITFIRE GRILL) plays Anna's sister Laura, who is noticeably on edge as she awaits the imminent birth of her first child with Bob. To portray Mr. and Mrs. Conte, the estranged parents of the young Sean, the filmmakers cast Ted Levine (TV's "Monk," THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE) and Cara Seymour (ADAPTATION, GANGS OF NEW YORK). Finally, in a rare film appearance, theater legend Zoe Caldwell portrays Mrs. Hill, whose long friendship with Eleanor has made her a virtual member of the family. The filmmakers sought out Caldwell at the suggestion of Lauren Bacall, the actress's close friend in real life. Caldwell ranks among the finest stage actresses ever, renowned for her towering performances in "Medea," "Othello" and countless other plays.

The cast of BIRTH has a distinctly international profile: Kidman and Caldwell are Australian; Bacall, Huston, Howard, Heche, Levine and Elliot are American; Bright is Canadian; Seymour is English; and Stormare is Swedish.

The filmmakers' careful choices resulted in an ensemble that suited the story in all its psychological depth and mystery. "We have this very, very special cast that Jonathan handpicked and deliberated over. Each choice was for specific reasons and you can absolutely feel the detail in his choices," comments Kidman. "It was just a dream to be around that cast."

Production on BIRTH began on location in New York City in February, 2003. "It was important to shoot in winter because visually that's how I saw the film," remarks Glazer. "And we got very lucky because we had the coldest winter in, I think, one hundred years!"

Glazer sought to create a cohesive look for BIRTH, which would encompass everything from cinematography and production design to costumes and hair. To that end, the filmmakers sought out the finest talents in the New York film community, including director of photography Harris Savides, production designer Kevin Thompson and costume designer John Dunn. Savides ranks among the world's finest and most innovative cinematographers, having created expressive atmospheres for such films as Gus Van Sant's Palme d'Or winner ELEPHANT.

Savides adopted an unusual technique in order to create BIRTH's distinctive visual style. "We worked on the toe, or edge, of the film to give it a look that's de-saturated," he explains. "It definitely imparts a look and a character to the film that we think evokes the story. Always, the mandate is to serve the story."

Production designer Kevin Thompson stressed understatement in designing the sets for the Upper East Side apartment where Anna lives with her mother. Thompson, who had been an architect in a previous career, used residential buildings on Fifth and Park Avenues from the 1920s and 1930 as a model for the interiors. In that period, lavish spaces were built to lure the rich out of townhouses and into larger apartment buildings.

With its formal furniture, wallpapered bedrooms, and spacious rooms, Eleanor's apartment is a model of quiet, confident wealth. The filmmakers wanted the home to be tasteful, but somewhat airless. "It's very man-made inside the house," Thompson remarks. "It's very controlled."

In contrast to Anna's patrician home on the Upper East Side, young Sean lives with his mother in a small apartment in a working-class area. But while Sean's neighborhood had to be very different than Anna's, the story demanded that it too exist in its own type of bubble. Thompson suggested Brooklyn's blue collar Greenpoint neighborhood. Though right across the East River from the Upper East Side, Greenpoint does not have a direct subway linking it to Manhattan and therefore has retained much of its working-class character over the years.

"I liked Greenpoint because it's a nice neighborhood; it's low-density commercial and it's mixed. It has schools, churches, residential, and a main street all in one tight little area," Thompson explains. "It's not rough or on the edge. We didn't want Sean to be growing up fast. We wanted him to remain innocent."

Costume designer John Dunn contributed to the film's timeless feel with a wardrobe of beautiful but simple clothing, especially for Kidman's Anna. "For me it was a matter of giving Anna a sort of neutral space, and allowing the character to shine through without drawing too much attention to the clothing," he reflects.

Keeping Kidman's clean, unadorned silhouette extended to her hair as well, with the acclaimed actress undergoing another dramatic physical transformation for a film role. Glazer notes that he and Kidman were in agreement about giving Anna a close-cropped, face-baring hairstyle. "I wanted to start fresh with Nicole, and she wanted to, as well," the director recalls. "I wanted to present the character with anonymity. It's hard to do that with such a famous star, but Nicole's such a great character actress that she could just completely immerse herself in the role."

Kidman was also keenly attuned to the needs of her young co-star, Cameron Bright. As producer Morris describes it, "Nicole embraced her relationship with Cameron, and she put as much effort into working with him as doing her own lines. Cameron had many master class lessons from Nicole Kidman in acting, and she was brilliant at it."

Kidman notes that the role of Sean is would be a challenge for an actor of any age. "It's difficult for a 10-year-old boy to come in and carry a role with this sort of weight and depth. So you try to support him and help him," she says. "But Cameron's got such a special quality, and a beautiful quality that I hope feeds into the character."

Comments Glazer, "There's a chemistry there, between Nicole and Cameron, which was critical. It's such an emotional piece and it relies on this strange interaction between a boy and a woman. As an actor, you've got to dig really deep to make it feel real." The filmmaker praises Kidman for making that leap. "It was exciting to have someone so committed to the story and the role, and wanting to push it as far as it could be pushed."

The film's cast praises Glazer as a receptive and generous collaborator. Says Cara Seymour, who portrays Sean's mother, "Jonathan's fantastic to work with because his vision is so deep and so rich. He asks so many great questions, and there are so many levels at which he sees the world working."

Adds Anne Heche, "I am always thrilled to work with incredible directors and actors and be a part of a company that's doing something that will shake people up a bit. Something that will take people on a journey and evoke an emotional response. If you can be a part of that, you're one lucky actress."

For all the story's emotional intensity, the cast nonetheless managed to enjoy themselves on set. Reports Alison Elliot, "We did a lot of laughing in between takes. I think maybe that had to do not only with our individual energies, and being in a room with intelligent and experienced people; but also with the nature of the story being so surprising and definitely uncomfortable. So in between takes, there was a little bit of an explosion of the energy that was bubbling under the surface. When the cameras were off, we had a really nice time, relating to each other and swapping stories."

Principal photography for BIRTH wrapped on May 12, 2003. For Kidman, the film holds a unique place among the stories she has helped tell onscreen. "It's a deeply personal movie for me," the actress reflects. "And I'm very happy to have formed the working relationship and friendship with Jonathan, and to have been a part of his vision. It's been such an honor for me."

ABOUT THE CAST

Nicole Kidman (Anna)

Nicole Kidman won 2003 Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Virginia Woolf in THE HOURS. Kidman's riveting performance also earned her the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress and the Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear Award for Best Actress.

Born in Hawaii and raised in Australia, Kidman studied ballet as a young child and enrolled in drama school at the age of 10. She made her professional debut in the Australian film BUSH CHRISTMAS at the age of 14, but it was her role three years later in the mini-series "Vietnam" that made her a virtual overnight star in Australia. Her subsequent portrayal of a terrorized wife in the 1989 psychological thriller, DEAD CALM, directed by Phil Noyce, brought her international critical acclaim.

Kidman's range and versatility have won her a reputation for daring performances including, in one year, her role in MOULIN ROUGE for director Baz Luhrman and in THE OTHERS for Alejandro Amenabar. Among other honors, these earned her dual 2002 Golden Globe Nominations as Best Actress in a Musical and Best Actress in a Drama. She won the Golden Globe for her performance in MOULIN ROUGE.

Kidman's true breakout role was 'Suzanne Stone,' a woman obsessed with becoming a TV personality, in Gus Van Sant's widely acclaimed black comedy TO DIE FOR, for which she won her first Golden Globe as Best Actress in 1995. In 1996, Kidman starred in Jane Campion's adaptation of Henry James' PORTRAIT OF A LADY, and in 2003 she teamed creatively with Campion, this time as a producer on IN THE CUT, which starred Meg Ryan.

Kidman has given notable performances in such films as Stanley Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT, Jez Butterworth's black comedy BIRTHDAY GIRL, and director Robert Benton's screen adaptation of Philip Roth's THE HUMAN STAIN. Other credits include THE PEACEMAKER, PRACTICAL MAGIC, DAYS OF THUNDER, BILLY BATHGATE, MALICE, MY LIFE, FAR AND AWAY and BATMAN FOREVER.

Kidman made a highly lauded London stage debut in 1998, starring in David Hare's "The Blue Room," and moved to New York with the production for a sold-out five-month run on Broadway.

A recipient of the 2003 American Cinematheque Award for excellence in film, Kidman was recently seen in Lars von Trier's DOGVILLE, and co-starred with Jude Law and Renée Zellweger in Anthony Minghella's COLD MOUNTAIN, for which she received both a Golden Globe and Critic's Choice nomination as Best Actress. Kidman recently completed filming THE INTERPRETER for director/producer Sydney Pollack.

Lauren Bacall (Eleanor)

Lauren Bacall has been a star of international acclaim since her screen debut in Howard Hawks' TO HVE AND HAVE NOT, opposite Humphrey Bogart.

Having begun her pursuit of acting while in high school, she attended Saturday classes at the N.Y. School of Theater and the Dramatic Arts. Following graduation, at the age of 17, she appeared on Broadway and worked as a model in the garment center, where she was spotted by Diana Vreeland and subsequently photographed for Harper's Bazaar. That in turn led to her being brought to Hollywood for a screen test to be directed by Howard Hawks. Hawks himself cast her in her first screen role in TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT, opposite Humphrey Bogart. Bacall and Bogart were married in 1945 and continued to work together in Howard Hawks' THE BIG SLEEP, as well as DARK PASSAGE, directed by Delmer Daves, and KEY LARGO, directed by John Huston.

Lauren Bacall's career includes over thirty films, including HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE with Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe; YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN with Kirk Douglas; BRIGHT LEAF with Gary Cooper; DESIGNING WOMEN with Gregory Peck; SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL with Natalie Wood, Tony Curtis and Henry Fonda; HARPER with Paul Newman; MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS with Albert Finney; BLOOD ALLEY and THE SHOOTIST with John Wayne; APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH with Peter Ustinov; THE FAN with James Garner; MR. NORTH with Robert Mitchum and directed by Danny Huston; MISERY with Kathy Bates; Robert Altman's READY TO WEAR and HEALTH with Glenda Jackson and Carol Burnett; and MY FELLOW AMERICANS with James Garner and Jack Lemmon.

More recently, Bacall appeared Lars von Trier's DOGVILLE with Nicole Kidman; THE LIMIT with Claire Forlani; THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES, for which she received an Academy Award nomination, the Golden Globe Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance; and DIAMONDS with Kirk Douglas. Upcoming for Bacall is von Trier's MANDERLAY, the prequel to DOGVILLE.

Bacall has been honored with many achievement awards for her film work, including the Career Achievement Award from the National Board of Review, and was named one of the American Film Institute's Top 25 Film Legends of the Century. She is a recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor, and most recently received the DIVA Award for her contributions to world cinema. She has also received the French Cesar for Lifetime Achievement and was named a Commander of the Arts and Letters by France.

Bacall finally realized her childhood ambition to be on stage when she received rave reviews for her starring role in Broadway's "Cactus Flower," in which she played for two years. She received her first Tony Award in her first musical "Applause," an adaptation of ALL ABOUT EVE. After a year and a half on Broadway, which was followed by a year in London at Her Majesty's Theater, she appeared in the national tour and the television adaptation, for which she received an Emmy nomination, and won the London Evening Standard Award. Bacall received her second Tony for her role in the Kander and Ebb musical "Woman of the Year." Several years later, she appeared in a very successful production of Tennessee Williams' "Sweet Bird of Youth," directed by Harold Pinter.

On television, Bacall stared in THE PETRIFIED FOREST with her husband Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda, followed by Noel Coward's BLITH SPIRIT in which she appeared with the playwright and Claudette Colbert. Other major television productions include DINNER AT EIGHT; A FOREIGN FIELD; FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER; and TOO RICH: THE SECRET OF DORIS DUKE.

In 1980, Bacall received the National Book Award for her autobiography "By Myself." Her second book "Now," published in 1994, was also a bestseller.

Lauren Bacall is the proud mother of Stephen and Leslie Bogart, and Sam Robards.

Danny Huston (Joseph)

Danny Huston has followed in the family tradition of pursuing a varied creative career. He began as a painter, but gravitated early to film directing and has helmed numerous television and film projects. With a desire to learn more about the acting process so he could have better understanding of the craft as a filmmaker, he began to take small parts in movies. Ultimately, this led to a new passion and his breakthrough role in the independent film IVANSXTC. The Bernard Rose directed feature was nominated for several Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Male Performance for Huston's portrayal of Hollywood talent agent Ivan Beckman. Huston has worked nonstop as an actor ever since.

Huston most recently finished filming the next Fernando Meirelles project THE CONSTANT GARDNER opposite Ralph Fiennes. He is currently filming the British independent feature ALPHA MALE and will travel to Australia this fall to star in THE PROPOSITION opposite Guy Pearce.

In 2003 Huston worked on the Martin Scorsese project THE AVIATOR alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Alec Baldwin. He also appears in 21 GRAMS, Alejandro Inarritu's third feature-length film, opposite Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. He has collaborated several times with directors Mike Figgis and Bernard Rose. Next up for release in 2004 is John Sayles' project SILVER CITY in which Huston stars opposite Chris Cooper and Daryl Hannah.

Born in Rome, Huston was raised in Ireland and London with stops in Mexico and the United States. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Katie and daughter, Stella.

Anne Heche (Clara)

In 2004, Anne Heche triumphantly returned to Broadway in the Roundabout Theater stage production of "Twentieth Century." Heche's critically acclaimed performance, opposite Alec Baldwin, earned her a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play. In 2002, Heche made her Broadway debut in the critically acclaimed production of the Tony Award-winning "Proof." She garnered rave reviews across the board from theatre critics and the show was extended, making it one of the longest running non-musical plays in recent history.

On the small screen, Heche recently earned her first primetime Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of a drug-addicted mother in the Lifetime Television original movie GRACIE'S CHOICE alongside Diane Ladd.

Heche won The National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress for Barry Levinson's WAG THE DOG, in which she starred with Robert DeNiro and Dustin Hoffman. She starred with Tommy Lee Jones in VOLCANO and achieved critical acclaim for her role in DONNIE BRASCO. She co-starred in Gus Van Sant's update of PSYCHO with Vince Vaughn and Julianne Moore and AUGGIE ROSE, alongside Jeff Goldblum, which was screened at the Montreal Film Festival. Last year, Heche co-starred in the Denzel Washington drama, JOHN Q and opposite Christina Ricci in PROZAC NATION.

Other film credits include Agnieska Holland's THE THIRD MIRACLE opposite Ed Harris; THE JUROR with Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin; WALKING AND TALKING; THE WILD SIDE; TWIST OF FATE; PIE IN THE SKY; MILK MONEY with Melanie Griffith; THE INVESTIGATOR; and I'LL DO ANYTHING.

She made her television debut in the daytime drama "Another World," for which she garnered a Daytime Emmy Award. Heche appeared in a multi-episode story arc on Fox's "Ally McBeal" as well as in a segment of HBO's telefilm, IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK, directed by Cher.

She wrote and directed a short feature, REACHING NORMAL, for Showtime's "First Director Series," as well as the second installment of "If These Walls Could Talk II," starring Sharon Stone and Ellen Degeneres.

In September 2001, Simon & Schuster published Anne's autobiographical "Call Me Crazy," which appeared on The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times bestseller lists. Heche and her family reside in Los Angeles.

Cameron Bright (Young Sean)

Ten year-old Cameron Bright already has a substantial resume, including recent starring roles in the upcoming thriller GODSEND, with Robert DeNiro and Greg Kinnear and BUTTERFLY EFFECT, co-starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart.

Bright started his acting career appearing in several major commercials. He quickly moved to a number of TV series, including "Dark Angel," "Night Visions," and Fox Family Channel's "Higher Ground." His other television credits include the telefilms THE CHRISTMAS SECRET on CBS with Richard Thomas and Beau Bridges; HBO's LONE HERO with Lou Diamond Phillips and Sean Patrick Flannery; and USA Network's MY BROTHER'S KEEPER, directed by John Badham, with Jeanne Tripplehorn.

Bright will be seen next in ULTRAVIOLET, co-starring Milla Jovovich, filmed in Hong Kong and Shanghai earlier this year, and RUNNING SCARED, starring opposite Paul Walker, which is currently shooting in Prague.

Arliss Howard (Bob)

Versatile actor Arliss Howard has appeared in films by many renowned directors, including Steven Spielberg, in AMISTAD and JURASSIC PARK: THE LOST WORLD; Stanley Kubrick, in FULL METAL JACKET; and Oliver Stone, in NATURAL BORN KILLERS.

Among Howard's other film credits are TEQUILA SUNRISE with Mel Gibson; MEN DON'T LEAVE, as Jessica Lange's love interest; WILDER NAPALM, with Dennis Quaid; and TO WONG FOO, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, JULIE NEWMAR, with Wesley Snipes and Stockard Channing.

More recently, Howard co-starred in A MAP OF THE WORLD with Sigourney Weaver and Julianne Moore; JOHNS with David Arquette and Lukas Haas; THE LESSER EVIL with David Paymer and Tony Goldwyn; and will be seen in the upcoming DANDELION with Mare Winningham. The actor also starred, with Debra Winger, in BIG BAD LOVE, which Howard also directed.

Howard first became known to American audiences with a role in the high-profile ABC-TV movie THE DAY AFTER, about the aftermath of a nuclear disaster. Also for the small screen, Howard has appeared in NBC's HANDS OF A STRANGER and the network's miniseries "I Know My First Name Is Steven." He won a CableACE Award for his supporting turn in the HBO film SOMEBODY HAS TO SHOOT THE PICTURE.

More recently, Howard co-starred with Alison Elliott and Maximilian Schell in Willa Cather's THE SONG OF THE LARK for PBS, co-starred with Sissy Spacek in Showtime's BEYOND THE CALL, and portrayed an Israeli Mossad agent who became THE MAN WHO CAPTURED EICHMANN on TNT. Howard earned widespread critical praise for his role as a convict who befriends a pregnant woman played by Jeanne Tripplehorn in William Faulkner's OLD MAN for TBS.

Among Howard's extensive theater credits are roles in the Signature Theatre Company's productions of "The Late Henry Moss" and "Killer's Head," as well as "In the Jungle of Cities," "How I Learned To Drive" and "Ivanov," for the American Repertory Theater. He also starred in "The Monogamist" at Playwrights Horizons, "The Geography of Luck" at the LA Theater Center, "Lie of the Mind" at the Mark Taper Forum, and "Fool For Love" at the Alley Theater.

Peter Stormare (Clifford)

Swedish-born actor/director Peter Stormare has an international flare that sets him apart from other performers. Working non-stop as of late, Stormare will be seen in 2005 opposite Matt Damon in THE BROTHERS GRIMM and in CONSTANTINE with Keanu Reeves. In 2003, he re-teamed with director Michael Bay in BAD BOYS II and was seen in the CBS miniseries, "Hitler: The Rise of Evil."

Stormare has consistently worked with exceptional directors throughout his career. He appeared in Penny Marshall's AWAKENINGS, Steven Spielberg's MINORITY REPORT and THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK, the Coen brothers' FARGO and THE BIG LEBOWSKI, Joel Schumacher's 8MM and again with Bay for ARMAGEDDON. Other work includes Lars von Trier's DANCER IN THE DARK, Lasse Hallstom's CHOCOLAT, and Wim Wenders' MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL.

Stormare began his acting career in his native land at the Royal National Theater of Sweden under the direction of the legendary Ingmar Bergman where he performed leading roles in "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "Miss Julie," "King Lear" and "Hamlet." It was while performing "Hamlet" in New York that Stormare was embraced by American audiences and was sought out for his first American feature role. He sustained his work in theater appearing in productions at the Actors Studio and the Public Theater and he became the associate director of the Globe Theater in Tokyo, all while continuing his film work.

Inspired by his passion for music-specifically The Beatles, The Clash and Nirvana-Stormare formed a band called Blond From Fargo, in homage to his breakout role. The five-member rock and roll band includes the guitarist from Roxette, the drummer from Alanis Morissette and the bass player from Slash's Snakepit. With such a variety of musicians, Blond From Fargo has a wide range and eclectic sound. Stormare writes all of the band's music and plays guitar.

Ted Levine (Mr. Conte)

Best known for his role as the serial killer Buffalo Bill in Jonathan Demme's classic thriller SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, Ted Levine recently co-starred in the director's recent release THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE, with Mark Wahlberg and Thandie Newton, and WONDERLAND, directed by James Cox, in which he co-starred opposite Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, and Josh Lucas. Ted Levine can currently be seen in Jonathan Demme's THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, co-starring Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber and Meryl Streep.

Levine has been seen in numerous films, including IRONWEED, with Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep; BETRAYED, with Debra Winger and Tom Berenger; HEAT, with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro; GEORGIA with Jennifer Jason Leigh and Mare Winningham; BULLET, with Mickey Rourke; WILD, WILD WEST, with Will Smith and Kevin Kline; Ivan Reitman's EVOLUTION, with David Duchovny and Julianne Moore; and THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, with Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez.

For television, Levine stars as Captain Leland Stottlemeyer in the original series "Monk," now in its third season on USA Network. His other television credits include the USA Network mini-series "Moby Dick," Tom Hanks' "From The Earth To The Moon" for HBO, and the telefilms HARLAN COUNTY WAR, THE LAST OUTLAW, BROKEN PROMISES, DEATH TRAIN, DEAD AND ALIVE, OUT OF SEASON, THE FULFILLMENT OF MARY GRAY and TWO FATHER'S JUSTICE. Levine also starred in the critically acclaimed ABC television series "Wonderland."

Also an accomplished stage actor, Levine has appeared in numerous productions, including Sam Shepard's "Buried Child," for Broadway; "Your Home in the West," "El Salvador and Killers," at the Steppenwolf Theatre Co.; "Life and Limb," for the Wisdon Bridge Theatre; and "70 Scenes of Halloween," "Time of Your Life," "A Class D Trial" in Yokohama and "The Tooth of the Game," for the Remains Theatre.

Cara Seymour (Mrs. Conte)

After establishing herself on the stage in both England and the United States, British-born actress Cara Seymour was recently seen in two highly acclaimed films, GANGS OF NEW YORK and ADAPTATION, both honored with multiple Academy AwardR nominations. In Martin Scorsese's GANGS OF NEW YORK, Seymour portrays Hell-Cat Maggie, while she received rave reviews for her portrayal of Amelia, Nicolas Cage's love interest, in Charlie Kaufman's and Spike Jonze's ADAPTATION.

Seymour's film credits also include Nora Ephron's YOU'VE GOT MAIL, with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan; Mary Harron's AMERICAN PSYCHO, with Christian Bale; A GOOD BABY, with Seymour's GANGS co-star Henry Thomas; the Irish film SILENT GRACE, with Patrick Bergin; and Lars von Trier's DANCER IN THE DARK, alongside Bjork, Catherine Deneuve, and Peter Stormare.

Seymour's theater work includes the London production of "Now And At The Hour Of Our Death," for which she received a Time Out award. At Edinburgh she won the Fringe First Award for her role in "Present Continuous."

In New York, Seymour received the Obie Award for her work in Mike Leigh's "Ecstasy," and a Drama Desk nomination for her role in the production of "Goose Pimples." Other Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include "Present Laughter," "The Skriker," "The Monogamist," and "Essex Girls."

Cara can next be seen in Terry George's HOTEL RWANDA, with Don Cheadle, Joaquin Phoenix and Nick Nolte; the independent EVERGREEN, and reunited with director Mary Harron for THE BALLAD OF BETTY PAIGE, all due for release later this year.

Alison Elliot (Laura)

Alison Elliott has created complex characters throughout an acting career marked by a discerning choice of roles. In 1995 she starred as a disgruntled wife turned femme fatale in Steven Soderbergh's highly stylized THE UNDERNEATH. That was soon followed by Elliott's breakout performance as a melancholy Appalachian ex-convict in THE SPITFIRE GRILL, which won the Audience Award in the dramatic competition at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival.

Elliott continued to demonstrate her range with the role of Millie Theale in THE WINGS OF THE DOVE, which was acclaimed at the Venice Film Festival and received four Academy Award nominations. For her part as the eccentric American heiress with failing health, Elliott was nominated for a Screen Actor's Guild Award. A double role in independent filmmaker Michael Almereyda's THE ETERNAL followed. Elliott was then cast as the heroine Thea Kronborg, an aspiring pianist turned opera star in THE SONG OF THE LARK, by Willa Cather, which initiated PBS's American Masterpiece Theater series. Elliott will soon be seen starring in the independent film Red Betsy, in which she plays a war widow in a close-knit Midwestern family who struggles with loss, change, and social progress during the 1940s.

Other notable performances include the title role of THE MIRACLE WORKER, Annie Sullivan, for The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC-TV, and the network's A WRINKLE IN TIME with Alfre Woodard and Kate Nelligan. For HBO Elliott starred as accused pre-school teacher Peggy Ann Buckey in the Emmy Award-winning INDICTMENT: THE MCMARTIN TRIAL. She also portrayed the status-hungry Virginia St. George in Edith Wharton's THE BUCCANEERS, produced by the BBC and aired as the opening presentation of PBS's 25th Anniversary celebration of Masterpiece Theater. Among her earlier film credits are Lawrence Kasden's WYATT EARP, in which Elliott co-starred with Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, and Gene Hackman.

Currently residing in Los Angeles and New York, the San Francisco native lived in Tokyo as a child and traveled extensively through Asia with her family. Upon returning to the U.S., she attended Catholic school, followed by a progressive hippy high school, where she discovered acting. She moved to Los Angeles at age 18 to pursue a career.

Zoe Caldwell (Mrs. Hill)

Zoe Caldwell began acting professionally at age nine in her native Australia, where she performed with the Union Repertory Company and the Elizabethan Theatre Trust. In 1958 she earned a scholarship to Stratford-On-Avon in England, where she won raves for playing Bianca to Paul Robeson's "Othello" and Cordelia to Charles Laughton's "King Lear." Her international reputation began to grow when she joined Canada's Stratford Festival Theatre, performing in "Love's Labour Lost," "Richard III," and "Cleopatra" opposite Christopher Plummer. She became the first non-American to join Sir Tyrone Guthrie's theatre in Minneapolis, where she played Ophelia in "Hamlet."

Caldwell scored first on Broadway in Tennessee Williams' "Slapstick Tragedy," winning her first Tony Award in 1966 for her portrayal of Polly. Two years later she returned as a full-fledged star in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," winning a second Tony. In 1970 she was awarded the Order of the British Empire by HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

Since 1971, Caldwell's New York stage credits include Arthur Miller's "Creation of the World and Other Business"; Mary in Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night" opposite Jason Robards; and Lillian Hellman in the one-woman play, "Lillian." In 1982, she won her third Tony Award for "Medea," which was directed by her late husband Robert Whitehead. She returned to Australia to play "Medea" with an Australian company in 1983. Other recent credits include Terrence McNally's "A Perfect Ganesh" and "Master Class," which won her a fourth Tony for her portrayal of Maria Callas. This past summer she performed in the Los Angeles Opera's production of Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music."

Caldwell's television credits include MACBETH, THE APPLE CART and THE LADY'S NOT FOR BURNING for the CBC; and THE SEAGULL for the BBC. Film highlights include Woody Allen's PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO and the animated film LILO AND STITCH.

In 1977, she launched a directing career with "An Almost Perfect Person," starring Colleen Dewhurst and George Hearn, followed by "Richard II" in Stratford, Ontario. Off-Broadway she directed "These Men"; "Othello" with Christopher Plummer and James Earl Jones; and "Vita and Virginia" with Vanessa Redgrave and Eileen Atkins. On Broadway, she directed Israel Horovitz's play "Park Your Car in Harvard Yard" starring Jason Robards and Judith Ivey. She has directed "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Hamlet" for the American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, CT.

Caldwell is the 1998 recipient of the John Gielgud Award, presented by the Shakespeare Guild in conjunction with the Folger Shakespeare Library; the 1998 recipient of the Linda Wilson Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in the Theatre from the University of Florida; the 1999 recipient of the Bernard B. Jacobs Excellence in the Theatre Award as presented by the U.J.A./Federation of New York, and the 1999 Barnard College Medal of Distinction. She held the Eminent Scholar Chair at Florida State University, where she taught.

Caldwell is the author of the book "I Will Be Cleopatra - An Actress's Journey," published by W.W. Norton & Company.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Jonathan Glazer (Director/Screenwriter)

Jonathan Glazer made his feature film debut with the critically acclaimed SEXY BEAST, starring Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley. SEXY BEAST, set in the world of the British gangster, featured Kingsley in a role that earned him Academy AwardR and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor. The film was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best British Film, the Best Foreign Film Award from the Independent Spirit Awards, and won Best British Independent Film, Best Actor (Ben Kingsley), Best Screenplay, and Best Director for Glazer at the British Independent Film Awards.

After completing a BA Honors degree in theater design and direction, the British-born Glazer began his career directing theater, editing film trailers, and making award-winning program ID's for the BBC.

In 1993 Glazer teamed up with producer Nick Morris at Academy Commercials, where he wrote and directed three short films, entitled Mad, Pool, and Commission, before moving on to direct music videos and commercials. His work in the music video field includes promos for Massive Attack, Blur, Nick Cave, and the multi-award winning films for Radiohead and Jamiroquai. In 1997 Glazer was named Director of the Year at the MTV Video Awards and Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity" was nominated for ten MTV awards. His video for UNKLE "Rabbit in Your Headlights" picked up a Silver for Outstanding Direction at Design & Art Direction (D & AD) Awards as well as an MVPA award for Best Foreign Video.

Glazer has been responsible for some of the most acclaimed and innovative commercials of the nineties, which have been recognized with international awards. These include Nike's Parklife, "Levis" Odyssey, and two Guinness commercials "Swimblack" and "Surfer". In the Channel 4 television program The 100 Greatest TV Ads, sponsored by London's Sunday Times, Surfer was voted the best advertisement ever by members of the British public. At the 2000 D & AD Awards, Guinness Surfer was awarded two Gold Awards for the Most Outstanding TV Commercial over 60 seconds. The coveted Gold Awards are very rarely awarded in any category and never in the entire history of D & AD has a commercial been awarded two.

Jean-Claude Carrière was born in a small village in the South of France in 1931. The son of a farmer, Carrière began his studies at a religious college, and then in Paris, where he arrived in 1945, one month before the end of the war. He graduated with degrees in literature and history and published his first novel at the age of twenty-four.

Carrière met filmmaker Jacques Tati in 1957 and started working in film with Pierre Etaix, Tati's assistant. Their second short, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, won the Academy AwardR in 1962. Their first feature film, THE SUITOR, won the French Prix Delluc in 1963. Carrière went on to work with director Luis Bunuel, with whom he collaborated for nineteen years. Carrière wrote the screenplays for Bunuel's DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID, BELLE DE JOUR (winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival), THE MILKY WAY, THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE (Academy AwardR winner for Best Foreign Film), THE PHANTOM OF LIBERTY, and THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE, for which Carrière's screenplay received an OscarR nomination.

Carrière's other credits include Volker Schlondorff's THE TIN DRUM (Golden Palm winner at the Cannes Film Festival and Academy AwardR winner for Best Foreign Film) and THE OGRE; Daniel Vigne's THE RETURN OF MARTIN GUERRE; Milos Forman's TAKING OFF and VALMONT; Louis Malle's MAY FOOLS; Philip Kaufman's THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING; Andrej Wajda's DANTON (winner of the French Louis Delluc prize); Jean-Luc Godard's SAUVE QUI PEUT (LA VIE); Jean-Paul Rappeneau's CYRANO DE BERGERAC (winner of the French César); and Wayne Wang's CHINESE BOX. With Jean-Louis Barrault, Carrière also co-wrote the screenplay for a French television adaptation of Colin Higgins' HAROLD AND MAUDE.

As a playwright, Carrière has worked in Paris for twenty-four years with director Peter Brook. Their collaborations include "The Conference of the Birds," "The Tragedy of Carmen," "The Man Who," and "The Mahabharata," which was also a film and a television series.

Carrière's other plays include "L'Aide-mémoire," "La Terrasse," and "The Controversy of Valladolid" (also a French TV film winner of the Prix Italia). Carrière also writes novels, essays, and songs. With the Dalai Lama, Carrière co-wrote "La Force du Buddhism," published in 1995. He recently published "Le vin bourru," a book about his childhood in the South of France, and the "Dictionanaire amoureux de L'inde," meditations on India, a country to which he has often traveled.

In 2000, Carrière was honored by the Writers Guild of America with the Laurel Award, and was the first non-American recipient of the honor. Carrière lives in Paris and in the South of France.

Milo Addica (Screenwriter/Jimmy the Doorman)

Screenwriter Milo Addica was nominated for an Academy Award, Writers Guild Award and Independent Spirit Award for his first screenplay, MONSTER'S BALL, which he co-wrote and co-produced. He is currently living in Paris writing THE FRENCHMAN for producer Thomas Langmann, on which he will make his feature directorial debut in 2005.

Addica's additional projects include THE KING, starring Gael Garcia Bernal and William Hurt, which Addica will also produce and is to be directed by James Marsh; UNDER THE SKIN, co-written with Glazer, which Glazer plans to direct, and IRON CROSS for Imagine Entertainment and Universal Pictures.

Also an accomplished actor, he will play a key role in THE KING, and played the role of Tommy Roulaine, an execution team member, in MONSTERS BALL. Addica has also appeared in such television films as FAMILY OF SPIES, directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal, and THE FINAL DAYS, directed by Richard Pierce.

Raised in New York City, Addica began his career studying at Herbert Berghoff Acting Studio in Greenwich Village. Addica continued his theater studies at the University of Massachusetts, and then returned to New York to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse. He then attended Hunter College where he wrote his first play, "Under the Rug," which was chosen to be produced at the college's one-act play festival, receiving critical accolades.

Nick Morris (Producer)

Nick Morris started work in London in the late 1970s as an advertising executive. After several successful years, he made the leap into production and was soon a partner in a major commercial production company.

By the mid-1980s, Morris had set up his own company, Nash Morris, which he ran for the next five years. When his two partners retired in 1990, Morris then partnered with Lizie Gower at her fledgling company, Academy. There, Morris concentrated on developing new directorial talent. One young director he began to work with was Jonathan Glazer.

Within ten years, Academy became one of the world's top commercial and music video production companies, co-owned equally by Morris, Gower, and Glazer. They have produced some of the world's most acclaimed commercials and music videos of the last decade. They have also represented and produced commercials for some of the world's leading directors, including Jonathan Glazer, Peter Cattaneo (THE FULL MONTY), Spike Jonze (ADAPTATION), and Simon West (CON AIR).

Two years ago, Academy started a small features division to develop projects with the company's fourteen in-house directors. BIRTH is their first feature.

Lizie Gower (Producer)

Lizie Gower opened her own commercial production company in 1985.

Today Academy is probably the biggest company in its field in the United Kingdom. It was voted Production Company of the Year in 1999 by the UK trade magazine Campaign and for the last five years has been listed as the number one production company in the UK in the annual poll of Televisual, another UK trade magazine. It was also listed sixth in a world ranking published recently in the Gun Report, an extensive survey of the worldwide industry.

In 1996 Gower opened a music video department at Academy, which has won enormous recognition in the industry. Academy's videos have won MTV's Video of the Year awards twice in New York and twice in Europe.

Two years ago, Academy started a feature films department to develop projects with the company's fourteen in-house directors. BIRTH is their first feature. Their second film, POBBY AND DINGAN, directed by Peter Cattaneo (THE FULL MONTY) and produced by Gower and Morris, is currently in production in Australia.

Harris Savides, ASC (Director of Photography)

Harris Savides won the 2003 New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematographer for his work on ELEPHANT and GERRY, both directed by Gus Van Sant. Savides was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography for ELEPHANT, which won the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. Savides had previously been nominated for a 2002 Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography for GERRY, with Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. Savides also served as cinematographer on Van Sant's FINDING FORRESTER, starring Sean Connery.

Savides also served as cinematographer on James Gray's THE YARDS, starring Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix; John Turturro's ILLUMINATA, starring Turturro and Susan Sarandon; David Fincher's THE GAME, with Michael Douglas and Sean Penn; Phil Joanou's HEAVEN'S PRISONERS, starring Alec Baldwin and Kelly Lynch. Other recent credits include Wong Kar Wei's HIRE: THE FOLLOW; part of the innovative BMW short film series, starring Clive Owen.

Kevin Thompson (Production Designer)

Kevin Thompson began his career as an architect and went on to design sets for many acclaimed features, short films, commercials, theater productions, and music videos. He recently served as production designer on Marc Forster's upcoming STAY, starring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling. His feature credits include the sleeper hit IGBY GOES DOWN, with Kieran Culkin and Claire Danes; THE YARDS, starring Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix; and WORLD TRAVELER, starring Billy Crudup and Julianne Moore; 54, starring Ryan Phillippe and Salma Hayek; DOWN TO YOU, starring Julia Stiles and Freddie Prinze, Jr.; KICKED IN THE HEAD, with Kevin Corrigan and Linda Fiorentino; TWO GIRLS AND A GUY, for director James Toback, starring Heather Graham and Robert Downey, Jr.; artist Cindy Sherman's directorial debut OFFICE KILLER, with Carol Kane; THE PROPRIETOR, with Jeanne Moreau, and directed by Ismail Merchant; David O. Russell's FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, with Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette and Téa Leoni; Larry Clark's controversial film KIDS, with Chloe Sevigny; LITTLE ODESSA, with Tim Roth and Vanessa Redgrave; and PARTY GIRL, starring Parker Posey.

Thompson's short film credits include Spike Jonze's DOG BOY, Tom Kalin's

URBAN LEGENDS, and Tamara Jenkins' FAMILY REMAINS. His commercial credits include on-air television spots for Target, Bounty, Virgin Mobile, Nyquil, Oil of Olay, Miller Light, Old Navy Clothing, Fresca, The New York Times, and an AVON commercial directed by Wes Anderson. His theater credits include "Yes, I've Been To All These Places" and "Minnesota Dance Theater Fall Concert."

Thompson designed the sets for various music videos including Cheap Trick's "Cold Turkey," Jimmie Dale Gilmore's "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," and David Sanborn's "Bang Bang."

Thompson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's architecture school. In 1988, he won the New York Landmarks Conservancy's Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Facade Restoration.

Sam Sneade (Editor)

Sam Sneade has edited commercials and films for the past twenty years. Recently he served as editor on Jonathan Glazer's acclaimed feature debut SEXY BEAST and since 1988 has received accolades for his editing of commercials for the likes of Tony Kaye, Frank Budgen and Glazer, among others.

In 1995 Sneade launched Sam Sneade Editing Ltd., a company that now encompasses four cutting rooms. For the past four years Sneade has been voted Best Editor by Televisual, a top UK advertising trade publication, while Campaign, another leading UK trade, voted him one of the top three editors worldwide.

At the beginning of 2003, Sam Sneade Editing moved to larger premises and changed its name to Speade Ltd. Sneade has received numerous nominations for editing, and won Best Editor at Creative Circle and a Clio award for his work on Guinness' Surfer as well as the British Television Awards' Best Editing prize for Stella Artois's HERO'S RETURN. Sneade also served as editor on the British film FINAL CUT, starring Jude Law, Ray Winstone, and Sadie Frost. He is currently signed up for Stephen Woolley's directorial debut, THE WILD AND WYCKED WORLD OF BRIAN JONES.

Claus Wehlisch (Editor)

Claus Wehlisch began his career in TV and commercials after moving to London from Berlin in 1994. In 1996 he moved into feature films, spending two years working for Stanley Kubrick on EYES WIDE SHUT as assistant editor and digital post-production coordinator. He has gone on to work with many acclaimed editors, including Michael Kahn, A.C.E. and Peter Zinner, A.C.E.

Wehlisch also works as a composer for UK television and commercials.

Avy Kaufman, CSA (Casting)

Among Avy Kaufman's casting credits are THE ICE STORM, THE SIXTH SENSE, DANCER IN THE DARK, A.I., IN AMERICA, DOGVILLE, THE HULK, and the upcoming LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. She is featured in Helena Lumme's book "Great Women of Film." Kaufman lives in New York City with her husband and is the proud mother of two boys.

John Dunn (Costume Designer)

New York-based John Dunn began designing costumes for films in 1988. Among his recent credits as designer are Jim Jarmusch's segment of TEN MINUTES OLDER: THE TRUMPET starring Chloe Sevigny, Jarmusch's GHOST DOG with Forest Whitaker, and Todd Solondz's STORYTELLING with Selma Blair. His work will next be seen in Mary Harron's upcoming THE BALLAD OF BETTIE PAGE starring Gretchen Mol and Lili Taylor, and Kevin Bacon's LOVERBOY, starring Sandra Bullock, Kyra Sedgwick, Campbell Scott and Marisa Tomei. He is currently working on a new Jim Jarmusch film starring Bill Murray.

Dunn served as costume designer on Julian Schnabel's BASQUIAT starring David Bowie and Dennis Hopper; Nicholas Hytner's THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION with Jennifer Aniston; Anthony Minghella's MR. WONDERFUL with Matt Dillon; Irwin Winkler's AT FIRST SIGHT with Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino; James Melkonian's THE JERKY BOYS; Christopher Crowe's WHISPERS IN THE DARK with Annabella Sciorra; John Duigan's LAWN DOGS with Kathleen Quinlan; Daniel Taplitz's COMMANDMENTS with Aidan Quinn and Courteney Cox; Jan Egleson's A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM with Michael Caine; and Martin Scorsese's segment of NEW YORK STORIES/LIFE LESSONS with Nick Nolte and Rosanna Arquette. He also co-designed, with Rita Ryack, the costumes for Scorsese's CASINO, starring Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone.

Dunn's early credits include work on films such as Jonathan Demme's MARRIED TO THE MOB, Peter Yates' THE HOUSE ON CARROLL STREET, Daniel Petrie's ROCKET GIBRALTAR, Susan Seidelman's DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN, Michael Mann's MANHUNTER, Martin Scorsese's AFTER HOURS, and Woody Allen's ZELIG. For television Dunn was costume designer on TNT's RISING SUN with Brian Dennehy, THE PROSECUTORS with Stockard Channing, HBO's WOMEN AND MEN 2 with Matt Dillon and Kyra Sedgwick, and LAKOTA WOMAN starring Peter Weller, for TNT.

For the theater, Dunn has designed costumes for the national tour of Michael Frayn's "Noises Off," as well as the Broadway production of "Benefactors" with Glenn Close and Sam Waterston. Dunn also served as associate costume designer for "M. Butterfly," with John Lithgow and B.D. Wong, on Broadway.

Alexandre Desplat (Music)

Alexandre Desplat has scored more than 50 films, as well as projects for TV and theatre, over the last 15 years. Born in Paris, he began playing piano at age 5, trumpet at age 8, and flute at age 10. He studied with Claude Ballif at the Paris Conservatory and with Jack Hayes in Los Angeles for orchestration. His score for Peter Webber's GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING earned him a 2004 Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score. In addition, he has received two French César nominations for his scores for Jacques Audiard's READ MY LIPS (SUR MES LÈVRES) and A SELF MADE HERO (UN HÉROS TRÈS DISCRET). Other credits include Marleen Gorris' THE LUZHIN DEFENSE; Leslie Megahey's THE ADVOCATE; Patrick Dewolf's INNOCENT LIES; and Malcom Mowbray's THE REVENGERS' COMEDIES. Desplat also wrote the title music for the multi-part feature 11'09"01 - SEPTEMBER 11, with contributions from directors including Sean Penn, Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, Danis Tanovic, Ken Loach and Shohei Imamura. Desplat has conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic and the Munich Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has written songs for Kate Beckinsale, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Michael Gambon, Catherine Ringer and Nadia Fares. He lectures on film scoring at the Royal College of Music in London and at La Sorbonne in Paris.

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