In Academy Award-winning director James Marsh’s new film ‘Shadow Dancer’, the story of a young mother torn between family loyalties and personal freedom places Northern Ireland’s troubled past in a quietly personal and intimate setting. Featuring a diverse cast of British and Irish actors, and shot on location in Dublin, ‘Shadow Dancer’ is one of the most fascinating representations of the troubled period which defined Northern Ireland in recent decades.

The film begins in Belfast in 1973 with a young girl, Colette McVeigh, sending her younger brother on an errand her father had asked her to do, only to see her brother carried into their home minutes later with a gun shot to the chest. Consumed with guilt and fear, the film flashes forward twenty years to London, where an older Colette is seen planting a bomb on the London Underground and then fleeing from the scene. Quickly caught by the police, the plot takes a surprising turn when it is immediately revealed that Colette never set the timer on the bomb. From here, director Marsh calmly sets up the main drive of the film: Colette, eager to escape from her involvement with the IRA (Irish Republican Army) can either agree to work for the British police as an informant on her family’s terrorist activities or she will lose her son and be sent to jail for twenty five years.

The strength of ‘Shadow Dancer’ rests in Marsh’s ability to mine gold out of a relatively-sparse screenplay. Moments of dialogue are few and far between, and in a Q&A session following a screening at the Belfast Film Festival, Marsh revealed that this led to the significance of costume and color in scenes where characters needed to make their presences known without any verbal introduction. Colette’s red coat in particular drew attention from audience members, with one person at the Belfast Film Festival screening linking it to Marsh’s previous work on the ‘Red Riding’ series for Channel 4.

As for the cast, there is not a flaw to be found. Andrea Riseborough is captivating as Colette, a woman whose domestic struggle (staying with the ignorant way of thinking exemplified by her brothers or leaving with her son who signifies the innocence of a new generation uncorrupted by sectarian bigotry) drives the narrative. Clive Owen is equally solid as Mac, the MI5 member who takes a personal interest in ensuring her safety. Strong supporting performances come from Gillian Anderson, Brid Brennan and Martin McCann, whose quiet turns in the film respect the tone and assist in making ‘Shadow Dancer’ a successful depiction of life and hardships for the contemplative individual in the midst of ongoing political strife and painful national division.

‘Shadow Dancer’ will be released in UK cinemas on August 25.

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London Film and Comic Con (LFCC) will take place in the Olympia Grand Hall on Friday July 6 until Sunday July 8, and this year’s global gathering of fans and stars is set to be the biggest yet.

The weekend convention has been an annual event since 2004 and celebrates the best in “films, cult television, gaming, anime and comics,” with fans being given the opportunity to meet their favourite stars, attend special talks, pay for professional photo shoots, and engage with other fans from all across the world.

This year, major stars set to attend include: Gillian Anderson (The X Files), Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Merlin), Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), Laura Vandervoort (Smallville, V), Holly Marie Combs (Charmed), and Robert Maschio (Scrubs), along with dozens of others from the world of film, TV, and beyond.

High-profile guests from previous years include: Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), William Shatner (Star Trek), Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings) and Alex Kingston (ER, Doctor Who), while many more are expected to be announced for this year’s convention in the coming months.

LFCC is organised by Showmasters, who are also involved with the planning of such events as Eternal Twilight, Hallowhedon, Mike Tyson Experience, and London Comic Mart. Their convention season has become a cornerstone of London’s tourism scene, with an event like LFCC offering European fans an alternative to the San Diego ComicCon International, which attracts thousands and thousands of attendees every year.

Now with the long-running success of LFCC and the other aforementioned conventions, Britain has successfully established itself as a major international draw for American television and film stars.

The Showmasters Twitter feed has over 3,000 followers, while its online message board has over 15,000 registered users, demonstrating the strength of the organisation’s online presence. Guest announcements are frequently made first on the Twitter feed, however, news of Gillian Anderson’s appearance at LFCC caused the website to crash for a brief period while site members attempted to post their responses.

Considering that many of LFCC’s biggest guests have Twitter accounts also, such as Holly Marie Combs, Hayden Panettiere, and the just-announced Robert Maschio, the organisers are in a fortunate position of being able to effectively utilise the full power of social media in order to spread news about LFCC and the rest of Showmasters’ upcoming events for 2012.

It is important to note that the organisers have moved LFCC 2012 from Earls Court, its previous home since 2005, to the Olympia Hall in Hammersmith in order to make room for the Olympic Games, set to take place in London this July and August.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/entropy1138/

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