15th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival to Showcase Exclusive Screenings of British Cinema

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - April 22, 2014 - PRLog -- On Friday, April 25th, 2014 the 15th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival will present its UK Celebration, an evening of curated British cinema and fashion. The event will feature the regional Premieres of three highly anticipated films, Belle, God Help the Girl and Jadoo,followed by a festive UK Gala. The Gala is a signature event of BritWeek – OC and is hosted by Jaguar Land Rover Newport Beach and Ted Baker London.

Belle, directed by Amma Asante, is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of Admiral Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode).  Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Belle’s lineage affords her certain privileges, yet her status prevents her from the traditions of noble social standing.

In God Help the Girl, writer/director Stuart Murdoch (Belle and Sebastian) creates a coming-of-age story that doubles as an indie-pop musical. Set in Glasgow, Scotland, the film follows a girl called Eve (Emily Browning) who is in the hospital dealing with emotional problems and starts writing songs as a way healing. Songwriting becomes her way forward, leading her to the City where she meets James (Olly Alexander) and Cassie (Hannah Murray), two musicians each at crossroads of their own. What follows is a story of renaissance over the course of a long, dream-like summer.

         Jadoo, written and directed by filmmaker Amit Gupta, tells the story of two brothers, Raja (Harish Patel) and Jagi (Kulvinder Ghir) both wonderful chefs, who fall out catastrophically. At the climax of their dispute they rip the family recipe book in half – one brother gets the starters and the other gets the main courses. They set up rival restaurants, on opposite sides of the same road, and spend the next twenty years trying to outdo each other. Neither brother will admit it but they both

know they are not entirely successful in the ‘other half’ of the menu. It takes a daughter – a successful London lawyer, Shalini (Amara Karan), marrying a man from a different ethnic background – to reunite them.

“The Newport Beach Film Festival is extremely proud to showcase the very best in contemporary UK cinema.We are thrilled to partner with Ted Baker London and BritWeek and celebrate UK films and filmmakers,” stated Gregg Schwenk, CEO of the Newport Beach Film Festival.

         The UK Showcase films will screen on Friday, April 25th, 2014 at the Starlight Triangle Theaters (1870 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA 92627). The post-screening UK Gala celebration will take place at Jaguar Land Rover Newport Beach (1540 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach, CA 92660). Attendees can select one of the three Showcase films and attend the gala event.

Newport Beach Film Festival - Friday, April 25, 2014 - UK Celebration Film Screenings

Starlight Triangle Theaters

Belle (UK, 2013, 104 minutes) 7:30pm

God Help the Girl(UK, 2013, 86 minutes) 8:15pm

Jadoo (UK, 2013, 111 minutes) 8:00pm

The Gala will include a hosted bar by Tito’s Vodka and Stella Artois Beer, several top Orange County restaurants serving signature tastings, multiple DJs and a fashion show.

The Newport Beach Film Festival UK Celebration is supported by Jaguar Land Rover Newport Beach, British American Business Council – Orange County, BritWeek, Ted Baker London and Screen International.

Admission to a UK Celebration film and Gala is $45.00.

For ticket information and updates visit www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com