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Africa Lives On The ±«Óãtv
The Girl in the Café
- Saturday 25 June, ±«Óãtv ONE, 9.15pm
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Introduction
The Girl in the Cafe
is a tenderly funny and poignant love story for ±«Óãtv ONE, commissioned
as part of a range of programmes the ±«Óãtv is making to celebrate Africa
in 2005.
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Award-winning screenwriter Richard Curtis
combines his unique comedic touch with a powerful humanitarian message
in his first film since Love Actually.
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The 90-minute film stars Bill Nighy
(Love Actually, State Of Play) and Kelly MacDonald (Gosford
Park, Trainspotting, State Of Play) and follows the story of a hard-working,
shy civil servant, Lawrence, and his life-changing relationship with a
mysterious girl whom he meets in a café opposite Downing Street.
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He takes her on a romantic mini-break - to the G8 Summit.
Set against the backdrop of a G8 Summit Meeting, in Reykjavik, Iceland
- where Lawrence is one of the British delegation - their gentle love
story develops as world leaders compete for media and political advantage.
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While the politicians argue, the Millennium Development
Goals are sidelined.
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The film follows both the growing love story between
two shy outsiders and the progress of the summit, until the two become
dramatically, comically and inevitably entwined.
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Richard Curtis is co-founder and vice-chairman
of Comic Relief, and a member of the Make Poverty History campaign. He
is also the writer of some of the most successful romantic comedies ever
made (Four Weddings And A Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary,
Love Actually).
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For him, this is a passion project, which he describes
as: "My first effort to bring the two halves of my life together. When
I start talking about the G8, people either doze off, or think I'm talking
about a vegetable drink.
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"I wanted to write a film that would give people
a chance to understand what it is, and how this year the G8 could change
the face of extreme poverty forever.
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"After working with Bill Nighy on Love Actually,
I was passionate to put Bill at the centre of a romantic film - this film
is my stab at that."
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The Girl in the Cafe is directed by David Yates
(State Of Play, Sex Traffic) who is to direct the fifth
Harry Potter film later in the year.
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It is made by Tightrope Pictures - the new independent production
company of Hilary Bevan Jones (Dad, State Of Play) and Paul Abbott (writer
of State Of Play and Shameless) - in association with HBO Films.
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It is produced by Hilary and executive produced by Paul,
Julie Gardner (±«Óãtv) and Richard Curtis.
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The Girl in the Cafe faces perhaps the most important
issue of 2005: will this be the year when world powers seriously
address the issue of world poverty - once and for all?
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The Girl in the Cafe is a passionate plea to everyman
- wrapped in a love story, a comedy and a unique drama.
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