Sony Pictures Classics’ biopic Mr. Turner captures the explosion of color, light and movement so splendidly realized in the paintings of J.M.W. Turner, the British landscape artist whose revolutionary style set the stage for French Impressionism. Whether you liked the movie or not — some thought it was boring — his…

British director Mike Leigh (Mr. Turner) will be presented with a BAFTA Fellowship during the annual BAFTA film awards to be held February 8 at London’s Royal Opera House. The Fellowship is BAFTA’s highest accolade in recognition of outstanding and exceptional contribution to film, TV and games. Previous recipients…

Sony Pictures Classics hit an all-time company record this morning, collecting 18 Oscar nominations, outstripping their 2010 high when the label counted 13 nods.  Unlike some other arthouse distributors that have either fallen in love with day-and-date VOD strategies or took their niche titles too wide (only to watch…

In something of a surprise this morning, Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel emerged with the most BAFTA nominations at a total of 11. The movie had its world premiere in Berlin last year, meaning that on BAFTA night February 8, it will be one year and two days since its debut. It was released in Britain in March…

Some motion pictures somehow manage to be still-life wonders. Freeze-frame from just about any Kubrick film (or most Coen brothers movies, for that matter), and you're likely going to have a still image worthy of mounting on a wall. In that brushstroke vein comes Mr. Turner, the story of mercurial artist J.M.W…

Sony Classics’ Mr. Turner had a near masterpiece of a theatrical debut in limited release, creating director Mike Leigh‘s highest per-theater average for any of his titles opening on multiple screens. But holdovers Inherent Vice from Warner Bros and TWC’s The Imitation Game took the highest and second-highest averages…

Sony Classics is charging ahead despite the insane turmoil at its parent company, opening its Awards-contender Mr. Turner in NYC and L.A. SPC is maintaining its expansion plans as well for fellow awards-hopefuls Foxcatcher and Whiplash into the New Year, according to the company’s co-president Michael Barker. Mr. Turne…

Mike Leigh’s biopic Mr Turner earned seven London Critics’ Circle Film Awards nominations this afternoon to lead the pack of a mix of UK, U.S. and foreign language titles. Mr Turner picked up nods for Film of the Year and British Film of the Year, as well as gaining recognition in the acting, directing and technical…

Mr. Turner writer-director Mike Leigh, who has been nominated for Oscars five times, knew exactly who he wanted to play the lead role in his new biopic about the revered and irascible English Romantic painter J.M.W. Turner. That was, as he tells Deadline’s Pete Hammond in this video clip from our recent Oscar showcase…

Media financier Ingenious Investments CEO James Clayton has left the company to join Simon Fuller’s management and production company XIX Entertainment as president. During him time with Ingenious, Clayton had been instrumental in overseeing the financier’s equity relationship with Fox Searchlight as well as Pathe…

Timothy Spall says he often looks at his copy of "Snow Storm" by J.M.W. Turner, which hangs at his home, and thinks, "How on earth did I ever do that?" Enter Tim Wright, the London-based portrait artist and lecturer who gave Spall a two-year crash course in fine art, and turned the actor into not only a competent…

In Mr. Turner, Mike Leigh’s biopic of the British painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851), the artist finds true love late in life in Sophia Booth, the no nonsense landlady of his seaside retreat in Margate. Leigh also found love later in life with Marion Bailey, 63, the veteran actress who portrays Mrs. Booth. Timothy…