Ur preview screening at the Olympic Studios, London

Beg Steal Borrow News, Screenings, Uncategorized, Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux

Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux enjoyed a preview screening at the prestigious Olympic Studios in Barnes, London, on 25 May 2014.

The film tells the story of six disaffected people who are on holiday in the south of France – and who do not realise that the zombie apocalypse is taking place all around them.

The preview screening garnered an enthusiastic crowd, who overcame technical difficulties to watch this first airing of Ur.

Leading zombie film scholar Stacey Abbott was on hand to lead a Q&A after the screening with stars Edward Chevasco, Dennis Chua and Laura Murray, cinematographer Tom Maine, assistant director Alexandra Brown (who was/is nine months pregnant!), and William Brown.

Rosie (played by Roseanna Frascona) says good bye to the world in Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tabeaux.

On Facebook, various of those in attendance commented on the film. One viewer described the film as an ‘excellent zombie apocalypse film yesterday – funny, engaging, astute and beautifully shot.’

Another commented on the ‘fine work’ from cast and crew.

And Stacey Abbott herself described Ur as ‘a most unusual and fascinating zombie (but not zombie) film.’

Many thanks should be given to Mairead Murray, Will Orpin and Rick Gould at the Olympic for all of their help.

It was particularly a thrill to have the preview at a cinema where Jean-Luc Godard shot the Rolling Stones for his 1968 film, Sympathy for the Devil. Godard was, of course, at the heart of the first Beg Steal Borrow film, En Attendant Godard.

Edward (Edward Chevasco) and Rosie (Roseanna Frascona) talk love in Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux.

Common Ground selected for American Online Film Awards Autumn Showcase

Beg Steal Borrow News, Common Ground, Festivals, Friends of Beg Steal Borrow, Screenings, Uncategorized

After a successful run at the American Online Film Awards (AOFA) Spring Showcase in May, Common Ground has been invited to take part in the AOFA’s follow-up Autumn Showcase.

Common Ground is a contemporary film noir set against the backdrop of the economic crisis and Occupy. It tells the story of Dennis (Dennis Chua), a Guatemalan in London who goes looking for his missing brother – only to discover that his brother owes money all over town. Common Ground was shot for a mere £500 (or US$750).

The Showcase runs from 1 October to 14 October 2014. It features numerous films from all over the world. So if you have not yet had a chance to see Common Ground, do be sure to log in and to watch it at/on the Showcase when it starts.

Meanwhile, Common Ground star Musa Okwonga has just completed a two-part radio documentary for the BBC on the forthcoming football World Cup in Brazil – investigating how football was adopted and adapted by Brazilians. It is available via the BBC World Service here. In Common Ground, Musa plays Dennis’ boss.

Furthermore, Common Ground‘s Charlie Partridge, who plays an outspoken tramp, has just completed a new music video, ‘Change The World, Change Your Status’, with his comedy group, the Slacktivists. You can see it below and here.

These are simply the latest exploits of the Common Ground gang. As mentioned in previous posts, star Alex Chevasco has recently been selected for the Sundance Lab in the USA, while co-star Laura Murray will be performing Macbeth in the grounds of Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford, England, over the summer.

Ur stars busy on stage and at Sundance

Beg Steal Borrow News, Uncategorized

Various of the stars of Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux are busy this summer with stage work – and at the Sundance Lab.

Rosie Frascona, who plays Rosie in Ur, is currently starring as Baby in the touring stage production of Dirty Dancing. She has been interviewed for the production in the Daily Star – and will be heading around the UK, Ireland and Belgium with the show between now and next year.

Rosie has also told us that she has plugged Ur several times during her radio interviews for the show.

If you’d like to catch Rosie on tour with Dirty Dancing, then click here for dates and venues.

Laura Murray, meanwhile, who plays Laura in Ur, has been cast as Lady Macbeth in a stage production of Shakespeare’s famous Scottish play, which will be held at an open air theatre venue in the grounds of Lady Margaret Hall, one of the University of Oxford’s prestigious colleges and halls.

Details of how to see Laura in Macbeth can be found here.

Finally, Alex Chevasco, who plays Alex in Ur, has been selected to take part in the Sundance Lab this year. The Sundance Lab has launched the careers of the likes of Paul Thomas Anderson. So this is exciting news indeed…

What great achievements by these Beg Steal Borrow collaborators. It is an honour for us to have worked with – and hopefully to continue working with – these wonderfully talented people.

We wish them luck over the summer and look forward to seeing them soon!

Ur Kickstarter campaign a success!

Beg Steal Borrow News, Uncategorized

Beg Steal Borrow’s Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the production and post-production of Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux has been a success.

Within a week of launching the campaign, and thanks to the wonderfully generous pledges of numerous benefactors, £1,391 has been raised for Ur in just seven days.

A full list of benefactors will follow when the Kickstarter campaign reaches its close – in 24 days on 19 July (just before production for Ur begins in Monpazier, France).

But just because we have reached our target of £1,000, this does not mean that we cannot put to good use any money that further kind souls wish to pledge. Any money will be useful for the production of the film and/or for post-production costs like festival submission.

So if you are interested in donating, please do by following the link to the Kickstarter site here.

Ur is a film about six characters in search of a zombie apocalypse, a kind of art house zombie film set in the south of France. It features Beg Steal Borrow regulars Dennis Chua, Laura Murray and Alex Chevasco, as well as newcomers Edward Chevasco and Rosie Frascona.

Roseanna Frascona joins Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux

Beg Steal Borrow News, Uncategorized, Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux

Talented young actress Roseanna Frascona has joined the cast for Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux.

Rosie, who graduates this summer from LAMDA, will play… Rosie, a young lady taking time off in France after the end of a torrid relationship.

Rosie has appeared in numerous plays, and is starring in a growing number of short films and features, although Ur lays claim to being her most substantial feature role yet.

Rosie joins Beg Steal Borrow regulars Alex Chevasco, Dennis Chua and Laura Murray in the cast for Ur, which features six principle characters.

The other cast members are William Brown and Alex Chevasco’s brother, Edward Chevasco, who will make his Beg Steal Borrow début.

The film will be lensed by Beg Steal Borrow stalwart Tom Maine, with Common Ground AD Julia Poliak also returning. Alexandra Brown will also be helping out on the film.

Make-up will be done by Ella Chevasco, in particular work on the all-important zombies. And there may even be cameo roles from Berry and Charles Chevasco, thus ensuring participation from the whole Chevasco family…!

Ur tells the story of the zombie apocalypse, but not as you’d expect to see it. This will be a minimalist, art house zombie flick, in which the end of civilization takes us back to the beginnings of cinema.

Here’s an image of Rosie: