Opening in UK cinemas this week is the dark drama tale, Una. The film did the rounds at the fall film festivals around the world last year, including Toronto and then London, and finally debuts before a British audience on Friday, courtesy of Thunderbird Releasing. We caught up with the film’s director, renowned and respected theatre director Benedict Andrews, who currently has the West End adaptation of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof playing top packed audiences in London each and every night, to talk about his film debut. You can read our Benedict Andrews interview below.
Benedict Andrews Interview – Acclaimed theatre maestro on his film debut Una
In Una, an adaptation of the 2005 play ‘Blackbird’ by Scottish playwright David Harrower, who adapts his own work for the film version, a young woman confronts a man from her past, which threatens to derail his new life and her stability.
Related: The Hollywood News’ review of Una, Sydney Film Festival 2017
As with a lot of Andrews’ work, he has assembled quite the cast. Rooney Mara plays the titular character, a now twenty-something who arrives at Ray’s (Ben Mendelsohn) place of work to confront him over his leaving her following a sexual relationship when she was just thirteen years old.
It’s quite a dark subject matter, but Andrews has constructed a foreboding, tense film opening up from the source material, which had a structure more confined in the theatre. We address all of this in the interview, along with Andrews’ knack of pulling in A-list Hollywood talent both in this film and on the numerous platforms on which he has directed upon around the world.
Check out our Benedict Andrews interview for Una below. Una opens in UK cinemas from Friday 1st September, 2017. You can read our full review of the film at the end of the link above.
