Up There
Zam Salim’s highly-praised black comedy, Up There, has just received two further accolades, in the form of BAFTA Scotland nominations for Best Director and Best Film.
The award nominations will just add to the heat building on the bidding for location of the film’s People’s Premiere as fans seek to secure it for their cinema of choice and be the first to see it in the country.
On Friday (26 October), the location of the premiere of Zam Salim’s new award-winning feature film Up There will be decided and awarded to the most digitally connected film fan and area in the UK. The lucky film fan can get a chance to bring the ‘People’s Premiere’ to their hometown and host the party of the year for themselves and all of their friends.
Zam Salim, Director, Up There said: "It’s great to be recognised in Scotland and have further endorsement for the film. We’re very excited about the People’s Premiere, and can’t wait to see which location gets it.
"I’m very keen to get a real flavour of how people are reacting to the themes of the film and its content from Carlisle to Coventry and Aberdeen to Anglesey. This really is their chance to have the People’s Premiere and get involved in Up There’s release in a much more dynamic way."
Zam Salim’s award-winning Up There, adapted from his award-winning short, is a darkly comedic take on the afterlife, touching on a universal theme which unites friends and extended families across the UK.
Up There tells the story of the deceased Martin, played by Burn Gorman (Dark Knight Rises, Pacific Rim, Torchwood), who is stuck in a dead-end job, welcoming the newly departed into the afterlife.
All he dreams of is going 'Up There' but his plans are thrown into disarray when he has to team up with relentlessly chirpy Rash, played by Aymen Hamdouchi (My Brother the Devil, Green Zone) and together they lose a new arrival. The film was awarded the Best Independent Film award earlier this year at the Santa Barbara Film Festival in the US.
Annalise Davis, producer, Wilder Films said: "We are delighted with the BAFTA Scotland nominations and are sure that they will generate interest for the film and underline the film’s previous win at Santa Barbara.
"When Sam’s short film Laid Off became a massive You Tube hit with over 500,000 views, we quickly realised that his fans really connected with his work online.
"We have taken this a step further with Up There. This time we’ve put fans in control of deciding where the premiere will be. They will also be able to enjoy a full-on red carpet experience with their friends and the cast and crew of the film."
The film is written and directed by twice BAFTA nominated Zam Salim who has been making award-winning short films for the past decade, garnering steady support and recognition from financiers and festivals around the world.
Zam’s You Tube hit and short film Laid Off was nominated for the Best Short Film at the Scottish BAFTAs in 2006 and the Best Short Film at The European Independent Film Festival 2007. Zam was named as one of Screen International’s ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ 2007.
The feature film is released in the UK on November 16 2012 and will be screened in Merlin and Reel cinemas across the UK as well as theatres in Inverness, Glasgow, Welwyn Garden City, Ipswich, Bath, Nottingham and Aberyswyth. More cinemas are booking the film daily as fans are taking up the opportunity to ‘demand’ the film at their local cinema.
The UK cinema release of Up There is being supported by the BFI’s P&A Fund to help bring new films to audiences in inventive ways.