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Posts Tagged ‘Steve Oram’

Far Out Magazine: Aaaaaaaah!

January 25th, 2024

Far Out Magazine has just published a new article on the 2015 film, Aaaaaaaah!, in which Toyah had a lead role.

‘Aaaaaaaah!’: The surreal British comedy that sees everyone pretend to be monkeys

British cinema has long championed experimental and offbeat ideas, funding arthouse and non-commercially viable films that have gone on to become cult classics. The work of Derek Jarman, beginning in the 1970s, helped to establish the prominence of art cinema in Britain. His transgressive films, establishing him as one of the most important filmmakers in the queer cinema canon, came to inspire many other budding artists.

Of course, Jarman wasn’t the only experimental filmmaker active when the genre began to gain traction. Other notable avant-garde works of art include Jane Arden’s The Other Side of the Underneath and Laura Mulvey and Peter Wollen’s Riddles of the Sphinx, inspiring generations of British filmmakers to lose all sense of cinematic abandon. Britain has since gained a reputation for producing unique, unconventional films, continuing into the 21st century.

In 2015, actor Steve Oram, known for starring in countless British films and television shows, from The Mighty Boosh to Paddington, released his feature directorial debut, Aaaaaaaah! The movie is perhaps one of the most courageously subversive works of cinema released in the past decade, throwing all sense of convention to the wind. The movie, which stars Oram alongside some well-known British faces – Toyah Wilcox, Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Alice Lowe and more – features no dialogue. Instead, the characters all communicate through movement, animalistic noises and facial expressions.

• Continue reading at Far Out Magazine. Browse our comprehensive Aaaaaaaah! news archive.

Aaaaaaaah!: London Podcast Festival 2021

September 7th, 2021

Aaaaaaaah!, the film by Steve Oram, is being screened at the London Podcast Festival 2021 this weekend – Saturday 11th September. (Photo © Toyah Willcox)

90 Minutes Or Less Film Fest: Robin Ince on Aaaaaaaah!

Special guest Robin Ince presents Steve Oram’s 79 minute opus Aaaaaaaah!

London Podcast Festival 2021
The podcast that celebrates films under 90 minutes long returns to Kings Place with a brand new live show! Sam is curating a fictional film festival. He’ll accept almost anything, but the movie must not be longer than 90 minutes.

Each episode a special guest selects a length appropriate movie and discuss why it should be included in the festival’s line up.

For this live edition of the show, we will be joined by comedian, writer and fellow podcaster Robin Ince (The Infinite Monkey Cage, Book Shambles with Robin and Josie).

We will watch Robin’s chosen film, Aaaaaaaah!, together on the big screen and discuss the film with Robin during our live podcast recording straight after.

• Continue reading at Kings Place What’s On. Browse our Aaaaaaaargh! news archive.

Toyah on TV: Aaaaaaaah! on Film 4

July 7th, 2018

aaaaaaaah15vAaaaaaaah!: Film 4: Thursday 19th July: 2.25am
Writer-director-star Steve Oram’s experimental satire is set in a parallel present in which, despite wearing clothing and developing advanced technology, mankind never attained the power of speech. Instead, people communicate in gestures and non-verbal vocalisms, ranging from grunts to whistles and growls. And this isn’t the only similarity to our great ape cousins, as social and sexual behaviour is closer to that of gorillas or bonobos and is completely shorn of social niceties. The film opens with a grieving alpha male and his companion ritually urinating on a photo of the dominant male’s wife to mark her loss. They then move through woodland and into London’s sprawling suburbs, intent on staking out new territory for themselves…

Starring: Jade Alexander, Julian Barratt, Missa Blue, Holli Dempsey, Marcus Dempsey, Noel Fielding, Toyah Willcox.

Aaaaaaaah! @ Dreamscape: Browse all of our related news…

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Aaaaaaaah! on TV: Film 4

December 1st, 2017

aaaaaaaah15vAaaaaaaah! is airing again, mid-December, on Film4.

Check out our huuuuge Aaaaaaaah! news archive here or by clicking on the screenshots to the left.

Aaaaaaaah!: Film 4: Friday 15th December: 2.20am
Writer-director-star Steve Oram’s experimental satire is set in a parallel present in which, despite wearing clothing and developing advanced technology, mankind never attained the power of speech. Instead, people communicate in gestures and non-verbal vocalisms, ranging from grunts to whistles and growls. And this isn’t the only similarity to our great ape cousins, as social and sexual behaviour is closer to that of gorillas or bonobos and is completely shorn of social niceties. The film opens with a grieving alpha male and his companion ritually urinating on a photo of the dominant male’s wife to mark her loss. They then move through woodland and into London’s sprawling suburbs, intent on staking out new territory for themselves…

Starring: Jade Alexander, Julian Barratt, Missa Blue, Holli Dempsey, Marcus Dempsey, Noel Fielding, Toyah Willcox.

Aaaaaaaah! on TV: Filmfear Interview Special

November 28th, 2017

Filmfear Interview Special: Film 4: Friday 8th December: 2.50am
Features interviews with the talent behind FilmFear 2017′s British premieres: actor-director Alice Lowe talks about Prevenge; actor-director Steve Oram talks about Aaaaaaaah! and A Dark Song; director Gareth Tunley and star Tom Meeten talk about The Ghoul; director Liam Gavin talks about A Dark Song; and director Nick Gillespie talks about Tank 432.

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Aaaaaaaah! on TV: Film 4 Premiere

October 24th, 2017

aaaaaaaah15fAaaaaaaah! receives its UK television premiere this weekend on Film 4.

Check out our huuuuge Aaaaaaaah! news archive here or by clicking on the poster below. (Thanks to Darren)

Aaaaaaaah!: Film 4: Sunday 29th October: 00.30am
Writer-director-star Steve Oram’s experimental satire is set in a parallel present in which, despite wearing clothing and developing advanced technology, mankind never attained the power of speech. Instead, people communicate in gestures and non-verbal vocalisms, ranging from grunts to whistles and growls. And this isn’t the only similarity to our great ape cousins, as social and sexual behaviour is closer to that of gorillas or bonobos and is completely shorn of social niceties. The film opens with a grieving alpha male and his companion ritually urinating on a photo of the dominant male’s wife to mark her loss. They then move through woodland and into London’s sprawling suburbs, intent on staking out new territory for themselves…

Starring: Jade Alexander, Julian Barratt, Missa Blue, Holli Dempsey, Marcus Dempsey, Noel Fielding, Toyah Willcox.

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Aaaaaaaah! on TV: Filmfear Interview Special

October 24th, 2017

Filmfear Interview Special: Film 4: Tuesday 24th October: 11.20pm
Filmfear Interview Special: Film 4: Saturday 28th October: 8.55pm
Filmfear Interview Special: Film 4: Monday 30th October: 3am
Features interviews with the talent behind FilmFear 2017’s British premieres: actor-director Alice Lowe talks about Prevenge; actor-director Steve Oram talks about Aaaaaaaah! and A Dark Song; director Gareth Tunley and star Tom Meeten talk about The Ghoul; director Liam Gavin talks about A Dark Song; and director Nick Gillespie talks about Tank 432. (Photo © Film4 FrightFest)

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Visit Bristol: Aaaaaaaah! Screening/Q&A

February 17th, 2016

aaaaaaaah15qThere’s a new screening for Aaaaaaaah!, along with another Q&A session with Director/Actor Steve Oram, at the Club Haus Bar & Cafe in Bristol this Saturday.

Aaaaaaaah! We Are Not Men
Film Screening at Club Haus

Portable Pictures present Aaaaaaaah! We are not men, a film by Steve Oram. The screening begins at 8pm and will be followed by a Q&A session with Steve Oram. Tickets £5 in advance.

Steve tweeted earlier this week: “Aaaaaaaah! in Bristol next sat, can’t wait. I’ll be there talking ape nonsense and pissing in the corner, come down!

• Continue reading at Visit Bristol. There’s also more info at Portable Pictures. Browse our comprehensive Aaaaaaaah! news archive here.

Aaaaaaaah! on DVD/Blu-ray / Steve Oram Interview +

January 11th, 2016

aaaaaaaah16aAaaaaaaah!: Is released on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 18th January…

Front Row Reviews: Steve Oram chats Aaaaaaaah!

You’ve said the film is based on nature documentaries but there are a lot of filmic references in there as well, like the opening scene of 2001 in there, and the close ups of the eyes was like something from Sergio Leone’s film
Steve Oram: 2001 wasn’t consciously aped – excuse my pun – nor was Sergio Leone – it was all about the intensity of feeling. It mainly came from the idea of observing and being a voyeur – that was my main vibe with it and we worked really hard on that.

Toyah Willcox’s performance is amazing – did you write her part specially?
I didn’t write it for her, and in the casting process it was ‘can we find a 55 yr old woman who’s up for doing these ridiculous things…?’ and she came to mind – Continue reading at Front Row Reviews.

Win Aaaaaaaah! on DVD: at Entertainment Focus…

Aaaaaaaah! News: Browse Dreamscape’s Aaaaaaaah! news posts…

Categories: Blu-ray, DVD, Films Tags: ,

SciFiNow: Steve Oram on Aaaaaaaah!

October 23rd, 2015

scifinow15aSteve Oram on AAAAAAAAH!, monkey business and Battenberg

We talk to Steve Oram about his mad monkey movie Aaaaaaaah!

You’ve not seen anything quite like Steve Oram’s dark comedy Aaaaaaaah! Set in a dystopian world where everyone behaves like apes (complete with grunting, there’s no dialogue), it’s a viciously funny and totally odd piece of work that’s been building excellent word of mouth since its debut at FrightFest.

The film has been going round a few festivals, how have you found the reaction so far?
We’ve had various screenings all around the country, we had a little tour with Picturehouse Cinemas, so we’ve been going round with them and it’s been brilliant. We’ve been doing Q & As at most of these places and I’ve been blown away by the response, it seems people like no-dialogue films these days! FrightFest was a really good start for us, it was amazing. It really seems to be growing, which is great. We had a really good screening at Mayhem in Nottingham on Sunday, which went really well. Really great crowd there, very pleased.

Did you have actors in mind?
I did, I wrote most of the parts for the actors that ended up playing them. They’re gathered from the comedy world and most of them are good friends of mine, Tom Meeten who plays my beta male in it and Julian [Barratt] and Noel [Fielding] and Julian Rhind-Tutt, Holly Dempsey, they’re all really good friends, but Toyah [Willcox] was the one I didn’t know. I just sent her a script because I was a huge fan of her in Jubilee and Quadrophenia, her early work I think is just incredible. And she loved it and fit right in with all my mental friends! Which was really great, a really happy coincidence.

• Continue reading at SciFiNow.

North Leeds Life: Steve Oram/Aaaaaaaah! in Leeds

October 23rd, 2015

nllife15aActor & Comedian Steve Oram In Leeds to Hold Special Late Night Screening of His Debut Film, Aaaaaaaah!

Comedian, actor & writer Steve Oram is bringing his new debut feature film to the Hyde Park Picture House this Saturday, where it will show at a special late night screening, alongside a Q&A with the director. The film, entitled AAAAAAAAH! , is a hilarious, anarchic and touching look at the human condition, and stars many of Oram’s comedy contemporaries including Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Alice Lowe and Julian Rhind-Tutt.

Aaaaaaaah! plus live Q&A with director Steve Oram is at the Hyde Park Picture House on Saturday 24th October at 11pm.

• Continue reading at North Leeds Life.

FrightFest Presents: Aaaaaaaah!: On Demand!

October 19th, 2015

Aaaaaaaah! is available to download now, from all the usual online digital stores. Comedy set in a primate-like society, a roaming alpha male comes into a town, along with his beta friend, where he finds a feud happening in the local community. He decides to challenge the dominant male there in a bid to take over the tribe and restore order to the area. Click below to buy or rent, in SD or HD, from Amazon.

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Aaaaaaaah!: More Premieres/Screenings/Q&As

October 7th, 2015

Aaaaaaaah! has its Scottish premiere at the Cameo, Edinburgh this Friday… There’s a screening at the QFT, Belfast on Saturday 17th October… It’s also showing as part of the Mayhem Film Festival in Nottingham on Sunday 18th October (All of these include a Q&A with director Steve Oram)… There’s another screening this Friday at the Picturehouse, LondonAaaaaaaah! is released as a digital download by Frightfest Presents on Monday 19th October… Catch up on all our Aaaaaaaah! news by clicking – on the new promo image for the film – below.

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Birmingham Mail: Toyah Willcox On New Film Aaaaaaaah!

October 6th, 2015

bmail15aToyah Willcox on why she wasn’t terrified of the sex scenes in new film Aaaaaaaah!

Former teenage rebel stars in new film where the actors resort to grunting rather than words

Hell hath no fury like a woman with a frying pan in her hand when men are being stupid. But if you asked Toyah Willcox’s latest film character Barbara what she’s doing with it, you might not be able to understand her answer.

In the directorial debut of Sightseers’ actor and comedy star Steve Oram, the cast began with a script in English and then threw it away after breaking the words down into grunts. The result is Aaaaaaaah! – the year’s most original comedy horror, about a dysfunctional community who seem to be taking the human race backwards in south London. Although the actors look like humans and the film is a study of the human condition, the characters on screen behave and grunt like apes.

With Toyah playing a community leader called Barbara, the story is about men’s relationships with each other and the opposite sex while trying to reach for alpha-male status. While it’s a rare 18-certificate movie with no bad language, the 79-minute film is peppered with explicit and sometimes violent sexual scenes which include dismemberment.

• Continue reading at the Birmingham Mail.

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Aaaaaaaah! – The T-Shirt!!

October 2nd, 2015

Toyah, Steve Oram and the, hot off the presses, new Aaaaaaaah! t-shirt at The Electric Cinema, Birmingham last night, for the latest screening/Q&A for the film. (Photo © Toyah Willcox)

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Aaaaaaaah! & Toyah in Birmingham

October 1st, 2015

Aaaaaaaah! is screened in, Toyah’s home town, Birmingham tonight, at The Electric Cinema. Toyah, along with Director Steve Oram, will be in attendance for a Q&A post-screening. Due to demand more tickets have been released for this event. Further details by clicking below.

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Don’t forget a limited edition Aaaaaaaah! poster is also currently available from Rook Films.

The Velvet Onion: Steve Oram Says Aaaaaaaah!

September 9th, 2015

aaaaaaaah15vOnion Talking: Steve Oram Opens Wide & Says AAAAAAAAH!

With AAAAAAAAH!, are you trying to say something significant about modern society, or is the construct simply an idea that you liked?

It’s just something I found funny; I didn’t set out to make something that was a satire or a commentary. I just really enjoyed creating an intricate world, and creating the interactions and the characters – making them do silly, extreme things.

You’ve worked with many of the cast members multiple times before, but how did you decide on which new faces to bring on board, like Toyah and Julian Rhind-Tutt?

With Toyah, I loved her work in Jubilee and Quadrophenia – I’ve been a massive fan of hers for years. I was trying to cast a lady in her 50s who wouldn’t mind having to do embarrassing sex scenes and have blancmange thrown at her face. There’s not that many of them! I didn’t know her before, but I sent her the script and she loved it.

• Read the full interview at The Velvet Onion. Browse all of our Steve Oram news.

Huff Post: Aaaaaaaah! Steve Oram Is ‘Not a Control Freak’

September 8th, 2015

huffpost15aIt’s a busy Friday night in London’s West End, I escape the hustle and bustle in the new Picturehouse cinema bar; it’s vast and empty… the calm before the storm. The venue anticipates a celeb-studded screening of the new Steve Oram film “Aaaaaaaah!” and I am anticipating meeting Steve to talk about his new (crazy-amazing) film.

I attended the press screening of Aaaaaaaah! a couple of weeks ago & the film completely haunted me. Images and thoughts from the movie were triggered by day-to-day life. In that sense it is extremely powerful and well crafted, well acted. I’m not exactly sure what it was trying to say, but I think like a lot of good art, it says what you want it to say.

… Then who should appear in the cinema bar, but Toyah Willcox (one of the leading ladies in the film) she’s dressed in a beautiful orange dress, her hair coiffed but not overdone. She’s sprightly and bubbly and bounds up to our table chatting about how she still gigs 3 times a week. But who knew Toyah could act? Toyah’s acting is incredible in Aaaaaaaah! & she would like to do more acting, her range is pretty broad, she had just filmed an episode of Doctors (that daytime show on BBC), which couldn’t be further from her character in Aaaaaaaah! I asked Steve about how he came to cast Toyah in his movie, “I’ve always been a long time fan of Toyah’s acting, she’s brilliant in Quadrophenia. People forget Toyah can act, but they shouldn’t forget.”

Robert Fripp is Toyah’s other half, and the music in the film is by King Crimson Projekts, and it’s a perfect otherworldly, primal backdrop.

• Continue reading at The Huffington Post.

Aaaaaaaah!: Birmingham Screening at The Electric

September 8th, 2015

electric15aAnother screening and Q&A – including Toyah – has been announced for Aaaaaaaah!

This one, following last month’s premiere/Q&A at FrightFest 2015 and last Friday’s screening/Q&A at Picture House Central, will take place at The Electric Cinema in, Toyah’s home city, Birmingham on Thursday 1st October. The Electric is located on Station Street.

Shock & Gore presents Aaaaaaaah! + Steve Oram & Toyah Willcox Q&A
Thursday 1st October, 8pm: Screen 2
Director: Steve Oram. Starring: Noel Fielding, Julian Barratt, Toyah Willcox
UK 2015, 79mins

• Further details at The Electric Cinema and The Official Toyah website. Browse all of Dreamscape’s Aaaaaaaah! news…

Ricki and the Flash: Gala Screening Pics

September 4th, 2015

Toyah and, Aaaaaaaah!’s, Steve Oram at last night’s Gala Screening of Ricki and the Flash, which stars Meryl Streep. The screening took place at Ham Yard Hotel, London. (Photos © Getty Images)

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Aaaaaaaah!: Premieres At FrightFest 2015

August 29th, 2015

Browse a gallery of great photos, including a number of Toyah, from last night’s Aaaaaaaah! premiere at FrightFest 2015 at Contact Music. (Photos © Contact Music)

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