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Actress Holly Weston portrays a ballet-dancer-turned-stripper in Madonna’s debut feature ”Filth and Wisdom.” Courtesy photo The eighth Festival of New British Cinema has prepared a number of surprise films to be shown on the big screen for the first time in Ukraine.

The first surprise is “Filth and Wisdom,” directed by Madonna and starring musician Eugene Hutz, an ex-Kyivan now in New York. He’s known as the frontman of the punk-cabaret band Gogol Bordello. Although it must have been easy for Madonna to find actors for her debut film, she chose Hutz for the role of a Ukrainian immigrant in London, a driven musician who indulges masochists for money to record a CD. Madonna confessed that she sees the heroes of the film as her alter ego.

But that is not all in store for moviegoers from the festival’s organizers, which include Arthouse Traffic company, Serhiy Tyhypko’s Tass Group and the British Council in Ukraine.

The next two surprises are movies describing a very relevant topic – the hardships of immigrants from Eastern Europe in Britain. One of them is the drama “It’s a Free World” by the classics of social cinema, Ken Loach, who won a Golden Palm for “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” in 2006. Some of the scenes were shot in Kyiv.

The other film is a black comedy – “Bigga Than Ben” by Suzie Halewood. It was called a guide for immigrants who strive to survive in an unknown big city. The film will be presented at the festival by the actor playing the lead, Russian film star Andriy Chadov, who was accidentally discovered by Halewood on the Internet.

The third surprise is a new film-puzzle by reputed art-house film director Peter Greenaway. His historical detective “Nightwatching” is an extravagant view of Dutch painter Rembrandt’s life and works.

And, of course, the festival couldn’t take place without significant representatives of the young generation. These include Michael Winterbottom, presenting the family drama “Genova,” starring Collin Firth, and “French Film” – the first full-length feature by former director of commercials Jackie Oudney. Despite the title, it is actually a sophisticated British romantic comedy, in which everyone talks about love and sex.

And, finally, the biggest surprise of New British Cinema will be drama “Flashbacks of a Fool,” starring no other than Daniel Craig himself, which will open the festival. Those who know Craig mostly from the role of Agent 007, will get an opportunity to see the actor in a different light. According to imdb.com, the film tells of an aging Hollywood star, Joe Scott (Craig), who lives a life of narcissistic hedonism. The death of his best childhood friend, Boots, takes the hero, and the movie, into an extended flashback to a sea-side town in 1970’s Britain. Joe is now a teenage boy in a tentative relationship with a school-girl named Ruth. Further, his mother’s friend, Evelyn, is attempting to seduce him. Engulfed by guilt at the unintended, tragic consequences of his subterfuge, he leaves home.

For more information go to www.britfilm.com.ua or www.kino-ukraina.com.ua.

UKRAINA (5 Horodetskoho, 279-6750, 279-8232). Starting Nov. 27