Alison Thompson (Focus Features) - Chair

Alison Thompson is co-president of Focus Features International. FFI is the international arm of US based Focus Features, a worldwide filmmaking studio and one of the world’s leading international sales agents. Ms. Thompson oversees all international operations.

A producer of original and daring films from around the globe, with an outstanding track record of global commercial success, FFI actively cultivates a diverse range of movies from a wealth of sources whilst having the unique ability to tailor international distribution to suit each film, whether licensing distribution rights to independent companies or distribution through Universal Pictures International. FFI distributes up to 10 titles annually, approximately half of which are produced and financed by Focus and half of which come from partners across the globe.

The current roster includes a number of British films – Mike Leigh’s ANOTHER YEAR and the upcoming THE EAGLE directed by Kevin Macdonald, HANNA directed by Joe Wright, Cary Fukunaga’s JANE EYRE and Lone Scherfig’s ONE DAY, adapted by David Nicholls from his best-selling novel. Also on the current slate are Robert Redford’s THE CONSPIRATOR and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s BIUTIFUL.

Past successes include FFI’s all-time top-grosser, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, Zhang Yimou’s HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and his Oscar-nominated HERO, Sofia Coppola’s 2003 film LOST IN TRANSLATION and her Golden Lion Winner of 2010 SOMEWHERE, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s 21 GRAMS, Michel Gondry’s ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, Jim Jarmusch’s BROKEN FLOWERS and Fernando Meirelles’s THE CONSTANT GARDENER. Also on the past slate are numerous films from celebrated filmmakers Pedro Almódovar – BAD EDUCATION, TALK TO HER, VOLVER and BROKEN EMBRACES, Ang Lee’s 2007 Golden Lion Winner LUST CAUTION and most recent TAKING WOODSTOCK; and from Joel and Ethan Coen, BURN AFTER READING and A SERIOUS MAN.

Ms. Thompson came to FFI in September 2005, directly from the U.K.-based Pathé Pictures International, which was Pathé U.K.’s international sales and marketing division. Among the many films that Pathé handled since its formation in December 2000 was Walter Salles’s THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES and GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING directed by Peter Webber.

Prior to joining Pathé, she was chief executive of The Sales Company, one of the U.K.’s top sales agencies through the 1990s. During her 14 years there, Ms. Thompson represented more than 100 films from the world’s most celebrated directors. She began her career with the Rank Organisation and Channel Four.

Marc is widely recognised as a creative producer who has been responsible for producing innovative initiatives across digital art forms, particularly film and new media. He is also founder and Creative Director of B3 Media, a London based award winning digital arts network, which has been responsible for a number of innovative cross-platform projects which have included Tate: Remixed, an online spoken word and film collaboration between B3 Media and the Tate and PowerLab, a multimedia development lab in collaboration with Film4, Southbank, Tate and the Young Vic for the Arts Council England.  

He also produced the acclaimed feature film BULLET BOY, directed by Saul Dibb.  Currently, he is producing B3’s feature slate with Film4 as part of FeatureLab, a collaboration between Film4, Binger Filmlab and Skillset, and is currently developing cross-platform storytelling projects: LONDON TALES with leading spoken word artist/writer Francesca Beard, and ELDERS, a community history project that uses photography, digital media and social networks to document the first generation of West Indians who settled in Britain.

He is also Executive Producer on the award-winning UK-wide digital short programme BLANK SLATE (supported by the UK Film Council and the Arts Council England) which has become a successful platform for the next wave of emerging multi-ethnic filmmaking talent.

Previously, Marc worked as a Senior Executive at the UK Film Council, the Bank of England, Hoskyns Group a leading information systems management company and specialist film marketing consultant designing word of mouth campaigns for Disney, Universal, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. BFI, MTV Films, Chris Blackwell’s Palm Pictures to name a few. He is also the recipient of a NESTA Fellowship award (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts).  

Over the last decade, Gillies MacKinnon has assembled one of the most impressive bodies of work in recent British cinema. His films include TROJAN EDDIE, SMALL FACES, HIDEOUS KINKY, REGENERATION AND THE ESCAPIST. Geoff Andrew of the BFI describes his work: “There's nothing flashy about his films, and he never allows plot to overwhelm character, mood or meaning. His work is marked by its subtlety and integrity by a desire to take a story or situation and get it right, regardless of convention or commercial cliche.

An almost impressionistic approach to narrative aligns him more closely with Europe film-making than with Hollywood or the British mainstream. Often, his films are as much about a particular time and place as they are about events'; he's acutely aware of texture and tone, and astute in expressing emotional, psychological and social nuance. Not that he preaches: his approach is humanist, horn of a fascination with people in all their flawed, glorious variety. Moreover, he finds humour in almost any subject, so that his work, at once serious and witty, is invariably marked by a light touch.

MacKinnon is a fine visual stylist who always conceives meaning in terms of imagery: the camera is consistently in the right position to draw our gaze to some small, significant detail; his careful framing and camera movement' are unobtrusively eloquent. And he's expert with actors: while he's elicited superb from Albert Finney, Stephen Rea, Richard Harris and Jonathan Pryce, he's also worked fruitfully with (at the time) lesser known talents like Ewen Bremner, Mark Rylance, Robin Wright, Brendan Gleeson and Jonny Lee Miller. It's not so surprising, then, that Kate Winslet chose to follow Titanic with Hideous Kinky rather than some blockbuster, for MacKinnon makes films that satisfy the eyes, the heart, and the mind.”

Dan MacRae is Head of Development at Optimum Releasing, the UK distribution company owned by Studio Canal. The company has just released the first film from its production slate, a version of Graham Greene’s BRIGHTON ROCK, written and directed by Rowan Joffe and starring Sam Riley, Andrea Riseborough and Helen Mirren. Optimum’s second production, ATTACK THE BLOCK (written and directed by Joe Cornish) is a sci-fi action comedy and will be released in the Spring. Two additional productions are in post - THE AWAKENING, an Edwardian ghost story starring Rebecca Hall (from director Nick Murphy) and RAFTA, RAFTA (working title) from director Nigel Cole. Prior to joining Optimum, Dan was a Development Executive at Working Title Films working on titles such as ATONEMENT and HOT FUZZ and previously he was the Deputy Head of the Development Fund at the UK Film Council. In the dim and distant past he worked across a range of film activities in Scotland, running a range of short film production schemes and running a host of training events for screenwriters and producers.

Nadine is a founding director of Greenacre Films, which is currently in production with a feature documentary and has a number of projects in development with the UK Film Council and the BBC. Previously Nadine was at Leopard films, where she Executive Produced THE GREY MAN and co-developed AN ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK, which continues the story of QUENTIN CRISP THE NAKED CIVIL SERVANT. Before that she spent several years at BBC Scotland, where she oversaw the development and production of over forty hours of prime time drama including: SEA OF SOULS, 200 ACRES OF SKY and TINSEL TOWN. Nadine has also worked in South Africa, where she co-produced the film HIJAK STORIES and Exec Produced the South African series of SHORT AND CURLIES for Channel Four. Nadine produced the feature films BHAJI ON THE BEACH and YOUNG SOUL REBELS as well as numerous award winning short films. Nadine is passionate in her promotion of the UK film and television industry and has been associated with various organizations - she is currently a board member of Film London and was recently the consultant for Breakout, which was a year long training scheme for experienced BAME writers.

In 1987, Shawn Slovo’s first screenplay and first film, A WORLD APART, directed by Chris Menges, won the Jury Prize, and the Ecumenical and Best Actress Awards at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, and the 1988 BAFTA Best Original Screenplay Award.  Her adaptation for Working Title/Universal of CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN was directed by John Madden in 2000. CATCH A FIRE, an original screenplay for Working Title Films, directed by Phillip Noyce, was released by Focus Features in 2007.  She is currently adapting BOBBY FISCHER GOES TO WAR, for Working Title Films/Company Pictures, with director Kevin Macdonald, and THE DANGEROUS HUSBAND, for Working Title Films, with director John Crowley.

David Thompson, former head of BBC Films, has been the recipient of multiple awards, including three BAFTAs, two Golden Globes, and three Emmys. He has produced/executive produced over 100 films. His feature credits include BILLY ELLIOT, IRIS, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS, NOTES ON A SCANDAL, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, FISH TANK, EASTERN PROMISES, IN THE LOOP, MY SUMMER OF LOVE, AN EDUCATION, BRIGHT STAR and MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS.

He now runs independent production company Origin Pictures. On the film side, this year they will be releasing THE AWAKENING, a supernatural thriller starring Rebecca Hall and Dominic West and THE FIRST GRADER, the true story of an 84 year old Kenyan mans battle to go to primary school. For television, they have a four part adaptation of Michel Faber's novel THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE coming out on BBC2 and are in production on a four part political conspiracy thriller from Ronan Bennett for BBC1.

Over his career, Thompson made a special contribution to introducing the work of new directors such as Pawel Pawlikowski, Lynne Ramsay, Andrea Arnold, Saul Dibb, Dominic Savage, Sarah Gavron, Francesca Joseph, Justin Chadwick and Nick Murphy. His TV credits as producer include several Alan Clarke films such as THE FIRM and ROAD, as well as the first SHADOWLANDS and numerous award winning television dramas which he executive produced/produced such as INTO THE STORM, THE GATHERING STORM, CONSPIRACY, THE LOST PRINCE and EINSTEIN & EDDINGTON.

The Guiding Lights management team and Steering Committee are advised by Bertie Ross of BHR Consulting & Associates