Coup for Aberdeen as world-renowned filmmaker makes Director’s Cut debut

One of the world’s most celebrated directors will appear in the Granite City later this month as part of a new film series at the University of Aberdeen.

Nicolas Roeg will become the latest high profile film-maker to visit the North-east when he makes his Director's Cut debut on Tuesday, April 29 at King's College Conference Centre.

The series has already attracted prolific Chilean director Raul Ruiz, Scottish screen-writer Allan Shiach and John Akomfrah – one of the leading figures of black British cinema.

Now Roeg will join their ranks with an In Conversation event with Allan Shiach, who wrote the screenplay for Don't Look Now – Roeg's influential '70s thriller starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie.

One of the UK's most celebrated post-war directors, Roeg's credits include Performance (1970) starring Mick Jagger; The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) with David Bowie; and Bad Timing (1980) featuring his former wife Theresa Russell, Harvey Keitel and Art Garfunkel.

His 20-plus movies also include the Roald Dahl adaptation, The Witches (1990), while his latest film Puffball (2007) saw Roeg reunited with Donald Sutherland, who named one of his children after the English director.

Alan Marcus, Reader in Film and Visual Culture at the University's Film Studies department said: "It's a fabulous coup for the University to be able to offer such a wonderful free event to the public here on campus. Allan Shiach wrote the screenplays for four of Nicolas Roeg's films so it's tremendous to have them both together under the same roof.

"Nicolas is a huge name in post-war cinema and has produced some truly seminal offerings in his long and successful career. He has directed many of the greats of modern cinema, while his body of work and innovative style continue to resonate and influence each new generation of filmmakers. We're absolutely thrilled to welcome him to Aberdeen."  

Nicolas Roeg's Director's Cut event with Allan Shiach takes place on Tuesday, April 29 at 6pm at King's College Conference Centre. To book tickets contact the Director's Cut team on 01224 273874 or email href="mailto:events@abdn.ac.uk"><strong>events@abdn.ac.uk</strong></a></p>

Special screenings of Don't Look Now will also take place at the Belmont Cinema on April 27 and 28 as a prelude to the Director's Cut.

Working under the pen name Allan Scott, Allan Shiach has written over twenty screenplays, including the classic Don’t Look Now (1973), directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland. The Scottish writer/Producer’s films include a number of Hollywood hits, such as Castaway (1986) and The Preacher’s Wife (1996) featuring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston, and more recently the critically acclaimed Regeneration (1997)