Modern Films Announces The UK and Irish Release Details of YULI – The Carlos Acosta Story

Live Film Event from the Royal Opera House

Cinecast to UK and Irish cinemas 3 April

Theatrical Release from 12 April 2019

Based on the life story of ballet superstar Carlos Acosta, from Cuba to the UK

WINNER BEST SCREENPLAY

Directed by Icíar Bollaín and written by Paul Laverty

 “A flamboyantly affirmative true story that’s bound to have balletophiles and biopic fans reaching for their hankies” – Screen

YULI – THE CARLOS ACOSTA STORY is directed by Icíar Bollaín (Take My Eyes, Even the Rain), written by Paul Laverty (I, Daniel Blake) and produced by Andrea Calderwood (Potboiler Films) and Juan Gordon (Morena Films). The film will be released in the UK and Ireland on Friday 12 April 2019, with an exclusive Live Film Event from the Linbury Theater at the Royal Opera House on Wednesday 3 April. This special screening will include a Q&A with Carlos Acosta, Icíar Bollaín and Paul Laverty which will be cinecast to audiences nationwide.

The Royal Opera House has played a significant role in Carlos Acosta’s career, he was a Guest Principal dancer with The Royal Ballet for 17 years before retiring in 2015 from classical ballet.  Carlos is now Royal Ballet Guest Principal Répétiteur coaching the dancers and leading rehearsals as well as managing his own dance company Acosta Danza. He was recently appointed Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet commencing in January 2020.

YULI had its World Premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival, where it won the Best Screenplay Award. It has gone on to receive five nominations for the Spanish ‘Goya’ awards including Best New Actor for Carlos Acosta, Best Cinematography and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Based on Carlos Acosta’s autobiography NO WAY HOME – A CUBAN DANCER’S STORY, it is his own story about growing up in Cuba, becoming a dancer, moving to London and his relationship with his father, his family and his country.

The cast includes Carlos Acosta playing himself and introduces Edilson Manuel Olbera playing Carlos as a boy, Keyvin Martinez who plays Carlos as a young man and Santiago Alfonso as his father.

YULI is the nickname given to Carlos Acosta by his father Pedro. From a young age, Yuli fled any kind of discipline and education; the streets of a run-down neighbourhood in Havana was where he learned most of his schooling. But Pedro knows his son has natural talent and forces him to attend Cuba’s National Dance School. Against his will and despite his initial indiscipline, Yuli ends up being captivated by the world of dance, and from childhood he will begin to build his own legend, as one of the best dancers of his generation, often breaking boundaries and becoming the first black Principal dancer with The Royal Ballet in London, where he forged a legendary 17-year career.

Modern Films will release YULI in the UK on 12 April 2019.

#AcostaFilm

For further press information or materials please contact PREMIER:

Matty O’Riordan / Monique Reid

Tel: + 44 20 7292 8330 / Email: matty.oriordan@premiercomms.com

Royal Opera House Press Office

For further information please contact

Ashley Woodfield, Head of Ballet Press

Tel – 0207 212 9165

Ashley.Woodfield@roh.org.uk

Film Screening Event and Q&A with Carlos Acosta from the Linbury Theatre at the Royal Opera House

Wednesday 3 April 2019 screening from 7pm

Tickets £25                                                       

 Tickets will be available to purchase from the Royal Opera House Box Office from 30 January

www.roh.org.uk

+44 (0)20 7304 400

#AcostaFilm

Running time: 104 minutes

Certificate: TBC

About Modern Films:

Modern Films is a London-based, female-led film production, distribution and event cinema company. Established in 2017 with a mandate to work on content that addresses social issues head-on through film and media content, they launched with the Event Cinema release of Manifesto starring Cate Blanchett and with Executive Production on the BAFTA-winning I am Not a Witch. 

Their 2018 slate included such films as Skate Kitchen, 3 Days in Quiberon and Utøya-July 22, as well as documentaries The Rape of Recy Taylor, Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda and Ex Libris – The New York Public Library. Event Cinema releases include properties such as My Brilliant Friend (HBO/SKY series) and the CBeebies Christmas Show (BBC special) and partnerships with major institutions including Tate Modern, The British Library and UN Women.

Upcoming in 2019 includes CPH:DOX winner The Raft, Love Sonia featuring Freida Pinto and Demi Moore, Oscar® nominated Border (dir. Ali Abbasi) based on a story from the writer of Let the Right One In, Happy as Lazzaro (dir. Alice Rohrwacher) which won the Best Screenplay award in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Upcoming Event Cinema screenings include Yuli at the Royal Opera House, as well as a series of BBC Event Cinema screenings to be announced soon.

About Potboiler:
Founded in 2000 by Gail Egan and the late Simon Channing Williams, Potboiler Productions joined forces in 2009 with Andrea Calderwood’s Slate Films. Under this multi award-winning partnership, Potboiler Productions has brought diverse and inspiring stories to the screen, collaborating with some of the most acclaimed talent in the industry such as Kevin Macdonald, Fernando Meirelles, Anton Corbijn, Susanna White, Lenny Abrahamson and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

With Lionsgate UK taking a stake in the company’s television arm since 2017, Potboiler continues to work across both film and television, developing a range of exciting and truly international projects