Riding a wave of critical acclaim as Oscar season ramps up, The Weinstein Company’s Lion, starring Dev Patel and directed by Garth Davis, received the Award for “Best International Film” at the London Evening Standard British film awards. On hand to accept the award on behalf of Davis and producers Iain Canning and Emile Sherman was executive producer Harvey Weinstein. Oscar winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black presented the award alongside his fiancé, Olympic diver Tom Daley.
Adapted from the best selling autobiography A Long Way Home, Lion tells the true story of Saroo Brierley, born in India but raised by an Australian family after getting lost and becoming separated by his mother and siblings by thousands of miles. Growing up in Tasmania, as an adult Brierley returned to India to find his birth family and come to terms with his past. Dev Patel stars as the adult Saroo with newcomer Sunny Pawar portraying him as a child. Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, David Wenham, Abhishek Bharate, Priyanka Bose, and Divian Ladwa costar.
Lion also picked up the ‘Best Positive Film’ award at the 9th annual Positive Planet awards ceremony last night in Paris the night before. it was released in U.S. theaters November 25, and will see release in the UK January 20.
