ONE LIFE
Section: Special Presentations
Director: James Hawes
Screenwriter: Lucinda Coxon, Nick Drake
Logline: One Life tells the story of Sir Nicholas Winton (Anthony Hopkins), a British stockbroker who visited Prague in 1939 was shocked by the country’s desperate situation. Determined to do something about it, he evacuated several hundred children ahead of the Nazi invasion — a feat of heroism he kept secret for many years.
International Sales: FilmNation
Panelists: James Hawes (director), Iain Canning, Joanna Laurie (producer), Guy Heeley (producer)
First Screening: Sept. 9, 2023.
Key Quote: “In 2010, my business partner Emile Sherman and I went to meet Nicholas Winton. We said, ‘We would really love to option your life rights and to make a film about you,’ and he said, ‘Everyone who needs to know about me already knows, so thank you very much. I don’t need a film made about me.’ We were sort of shocked, but we wanted to respect this incredibly humble, amazing human being. So we didn’t [take it any further], and we left him alone. He lived to be 106, had the most incredible life, and his daughter, who had written a book about him with his permission, remembered our meeting. She called us up and asked, would we be interested in making film about him?” – Iain Canning.
Click above to watch the panel video.
