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Tom Hanks Is ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ For The BFI London Film Festival Closing

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Completing his opening and closing dominance of the BFI London Film Festival, Tom Hanks starring SAVING MR. BANKS will close the festival on October 20th when its European Premiere takes place at the Odeon Leicester Square.

Directed by John Lee Hancock (THE BLIND SIDE), and co-starring Emma Thompson (REMAINS OF THE DAY) SAVING MR. BANKS tells the story of how one of cinemas most beloved tales MARY POPPINS found its way to the big-screen. Hanks stars as ‘Uncle’ Walt Disney whilst Thompson plays author P.L. Travers. Also signed up are Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti and Ruth Wilson with Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith on writing duties.

Speaking with excitement Clare Stewart, BFI Head of Exhibition and Festival Director says:

“There is only one word that gives full expression to the inventiveness and creativity of the film that will be our Closing Night Gala for the 57th BFI London Film Festival – SAVING MR. BANKS is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Positively overflowing with its ebullient love of storytelling and the filmmaking process, SAVING MR. BANKS is also a magical ode to the brilliance and volatility of the two very different creative forces behind the making of Mary Poppins, with Emma Thompson superb as the protective author P.L. Travers and Tom Hanks in charming form as Walt Disney.”

 

Whilst, Producer Alison Owen adds:

“SAVING MR. BANKS is very much about British manners versus American values, as Pamela Travers and Walt Disney battle over the rights to Mary Poppins, so it feels absolutely fitting that the LFF Closing Night should be our European Premiere, and we feel very honoured. We hope Pamela Travers would approve wholeheartedly. We filmed the London sequences in the street where Pamela lived, and London was both the start of the journey for Mary Poppins and for our movie, so we feel like we’re beginning in the right place.”

THN will be covering the festival in full as it runs from 9th to 20th October so keep your eyes on the site

Sam is a bloody lovely lad born and raised in Bristol (he’s still there and can’t escape). Favourite films include THE LOST BOYS, DRIVE, FIGHT CLUB and COMMANDO, well pretty much any 1980s Arnie film you can throw his way…even RED SONJA. Sam once cancelled a Total Film subscription after they slagged off Teen Wolf. He resubscribed 2 days later.

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