The Permian Basin is essential to U.S. energy security, economic growth and technological innovation. It’s estimated that the region has produced nearly 30 billion barrels of oil since the 1920s, supporting energy needs across the United States.
And for Scott Neal, getting the chance to work for Chevron in the region has been a career highlight.
“It’s a world-class basin that we’ve been exploring and developing for a long time,” said Neal, director of growth and portfolio for Chevron’s shale and tight business. “It’s very meaningful to see the impact of what we do and what it means to have such a strategic asset for the whole of the U.S.”
A visit to an expectant Anfield, where Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké will be out to impress on their Premier League debuts, represents a daunting start for a Bournemouth team that have lost three-quarters of last season’s backline to the pulling power of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool this summer. Defensive issues are not exclusive to Andoni Iraola before the Premier League opener, however. Arne Slot voiced concern over the champions’ pre-season vulnerability before and after the Community Shield against Crystal Palace, when the absence of Ryan Gravenberch for family reasons was keenly felt. “Three times we lost the ball very simple in our midfield and three times they could counterattack us,” reflected the Liverpool head coach. Gravenberch will be missing again on Friday due to suspension but Slot expects the team with the second-best defensive record in the Premier League last season to react as soon as the serious business begins. “Mixed teams, new players coming in, Virgil [van Dijk] being sick, Alisson not being there,” he listed as reasons for Liverpool’s recent difficulties on Thursday. “But all of this is not an excuse when we start the league. We will 100% be ready on Friday.” Andy Hunter
2
Ramsey sale a blow for the romantics
The absence of Alexander Isak will invariably dominate the discourse at Villa Park on Saturday lunchtime but Newcastle’s move for Jacob Ramsey means there is another intriguing subplot. Villa selling Ramsey, who joined their academy aged six, frees them to strengthen after a slow summer – and pocket £40m of profit. But it also serves as a reminder of the demoralising financial landscape in the era of profitability and sustainability regulations. PSR rules have also dictated deals for Newcastle, namely Elliot Anderson – a star in waiting for England – and Yankuba Minteh joining Nottingham Forest and Brighton respectively last year. Unai Emery is a big admirer of Ramsey, who would have been in line to start for Villa this weekend, but ultimately money talks. The 24-year-old lived his dream: playing for his boyhood club. There is always romanticism on the eve of a new season but Ramsey’s imminent sale is a reminder that football is a business. Ben Fisher
PSR rules mean homegrown talents like Jacob Ramsey are more likely to be sold on. Photograph: Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC/Getty Images
3
De Cuyper can sparkle on Brighton’s left
As usual, Brighton did their transfer business early this summer and it seems that Maxim De Cuyper has settled on the south coast already. The Belgium left-back, who joined from Club Brugge for £17.3m on a five-year deal, has been outstanding in pre-season as Fabian Hürzeler’s side have gone unbeaten. De Cuyper capped last week’s 2-1 win over Wolfsburg with a goal, and has immediately struck up an understanding with Kaoru Mitoma down the left flank. Hürzeler is hoping Brighton could have another gem on their hands as they prepare to welcome Fulham in their opening match on Saturday. “I’m very impressed, because he integrated as a person quite quickly, and that’s something I don’t see that often in the football business,” the Brighton head coach said. Ed Aarons
4
Wilson can spoil party at rejuvenated old rivals
Sunderland have sold their entire complement of 38,000 season tickets this summer and their 49,000-capacity Stadium of Light will be full when West Ham arrive on Saturday. After eight years away from the Premier League – including a stint in League One – they are back in the big time and have prepared themselves with 11 summer signings, five aged 21 or under, acquired for a collective sum in excess of £132m. If turning all those new faces into a functioning team will stretch Régis Le Bris’ undoubted coaching talents to the maximum, locals have reason to fear one particular visitor who recently arrived at West Ham on a free transfer. The former Newcastle and England striker Callum Wilson is now part of Graham Potter’s squad and would like little better than scoring the winning goal while eclipsing Enzo Le Fée, Granit Xhaka and the rest of Le Bris’s top-tier new boys. Louise Taylor
Sunderland fans will watch their team in the top flight for the first time since 2016-17. Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images
5
Yet another new era dawns at Spurs
Tottenham have had more eras than Taylor Swift but without quite the same success, so the start of yet another should barely register. However the sense persists that in Thomas Frank they have found the right manager at the right time, able to inspire individuals and the collective while being equally adept at finding tactical edges and solutions – he appears already to have inculcated set-piece prowess into his new charges. But just as they played well against Paris Saint-Germain then contrived to lose in a manner that could only be described as classic Spurs, so Burnley at home is precisely the kind of fixture they traditionally avoid winning. Nor will it be enough just to take the points: at the start of his tenure, Ange Postecoglou was extremely successful in their accumulation, but it was obvious the run couldn’t last, and it didn’t. Frank can buy himself time with good results, but over time, he must deliver a side that plays dominant football. Daniel Harris
6
Newcomer Trafford gets City chance
How different will Manchester City look at Molineux? Pep Guardiola’s side finished last season strong, barring defeat in the FA Cup final, but City sought signings after conceding they were not aggressive in the market last summer. They have added six new faces and it will be interesting if James Trafford is preferred to Ederson in goal. Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Aït-Nouri could also all feasibly start, the last of those against his former club. Cherki may be the most exciting of City’s new signings but Guardiola’s goalkeeping decision feels most significant. Trafford has been given the No 1 shirt but what if Ederson, such an instrumental player across six Premier League title triumphs, stays put? This week City stopped short of denying interest in Gianluigi Donnarumma as a potential replacement for the Brazilian, who is into the final 12 months of his contract. Trafford is expected to start at Wolves and a solid debut could provide Guardiola with his answer. BF
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James Trafford is back at Manchester City, having left for Burnley in 2023. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA
7
Chelsea’s new strikers to thrive without Jackson
Nicolas Jackson being unavailable would have presented Chelsea with a headache last season. They did not have suitable cover for the striker, who remains suspended after his red card against Newcastle in May, but depth in attack is no longer an issue. Liam Delap and João Pedro joined in the summer and are competing to lead the line when Crystal Palace visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Both forwards did well during Chelsea’s victorious Club World Cup campaign and impressed in last weekend’s friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and Milan. João Pedro scored in both warm-ups, Delap came off the bench to score against Milan and no one noticed the absence of Jackson, who was left out of the squad after indicating a desire to leave before the window shuts. Jacob Steinberg
8
Can overachieving Bees and Forest sustain progress?
This fixture at the City Ground features two sides whose seasons feel hard to predict. Nottingham Forest were superb last term, expressing Nuno Espírito Santo’s tactical ideas to the nth degree and adding some much needed variety to the league. Repeating the success, though, is a harder task: opposing players now have experience of facing them, and analysts have had time to identify their weaknesses. Forest still look well-placed to grow: retaining Morgan Gibbs-White is a coup and his midfield partnership with the excellent, still-improving Elliot Anderson is good enough to compete with any in the league. Brentford, meanwhile, have lost three stalwart players with perhaps another yet to depart, as well as the manager who was at the heart of everything. Chances are the club were prepared for Thomas Frank’s departure, their processes embedded so as not to be reliant on any individual. Yet replacing him is about more than that: Keith Andrews cannot just preside over a technocracy but must embody it with soul. DH
Keith Andrews faces a tough task in keeping Brentford stable after Thomas Frank’s departure. Photograph: Maja Smiejkowska/PA
9
New-look United and Arsenal stir memories of ‘89
These teams met on the opening day of 1989-90. Manchester United were useless and under new ownership, so had spent heavily (which sounds familiar to modern fans) while Arsenal were champions (less so). Just as Alex Ferguson told his board drastic measures were necessary, so too has Ruben Amorim, with three new attackers arriving at no little cost. Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha were bought as almost-sure things, Premier League-proven and hitting their peak, but more interesting is the purchase of Benjamin Sesko, a 22-year-old physical freak who looks as if he plays on fast forward. Arsenal were also interested, but their need to win immediately meant they plumped for Viktor Gyökeres, his ceiling lower and natural gifts fewer, but who is already the best version of himself. Which side got the better deal will not be evident after Sunday – in August 1989, United won 4-1, then finished 13th – but it will be fascinating to see how each acquisition integrates and fares. DH
10
Can Harrison and Calvert-Lewin steal Grealish spotlight?
It really will be a case of friends reunited when Leeds host Everton on Monday night. While Daniel Farke hopes to be able to include Dominic Calvert-Lewin in his matchday squad, the former Goodison Park centre-forward will not be the only familiar face to be greeted by the visiting manager, David Moyes. Leeds are returning to the Premier League after a two-year absence and their winger Jack Harrison has spent those two seasons on loan at Everton. This has not gone down well with many Elland Road regulars and Harrison has been audibly booed throughout pre-season. Can the 28-year-old win the West Yorkshire public over? Given that the last time Leeds were promoted, five years ago, Covid restrictions meant games were played at empty stadiums, there should be a party atmosphere but Moyes’s marquee summer signing, the Manchester City loanee Jack Grealish, will doubtless be determined to ruin it. All eyes will inevitably be on Grealish but this could also be a big night for Calvert-Lewin and Harrison. LT
BEIJING, Aug. 14 — The 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games kicked off on Thursday in Beijing, showcasing the cutting-edge achievements of humanoid robots in intelligent decision-making and collaborative movement.
The Games will see 280 teams from 16 countries, including the United States, Germany and Italy, compete from Friday to Sunday at the National Speed Skating Oval. Competitors will take part in 26 events, spanning athletic challenges such as running, long jump, free exercises and football, as well as skills-based tasks like moving materials, sorting drugs and cleaning across different scenarios.
According to Li Yechuan of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, the event draws on the formats of human competitive sports to put the latest advancements and application capabilities of humanoid robots through an “extreme test.”
“We hope to truly advance humanoid robots from the laboratory into real-world applications in factories, hospitals, homes and other scenarios. This is a crucial step toward achieving large-scale production,” said Li Zhiqi from the Beijing municipal government’s counsellors’ office.
The sports event follows the 2025 World Robot Conference, which opened on Aug. 8 under the theme of “Making Robots Smarter, Making Embodied Agents More Intelligent.”
Lizzo recorded a breakup anthem for Love Island USA season 6 alum JaNa Craig, following her recent split with co-star Kenny Rodriguez — and Craig absolutely loves it.
The Grammy-winning star took to TikTok on Tuesday to share her two cents on the matter, singing, “Hol’ on, walk with me/ When it come to my people, I don’t play, I don’t play/ Like why would Kenny play like that with JaNa?/ Type sh–, know what I’m sayin’, know what I’m sayin’.”
The couple broke up last month after almost a year of dating. In a July 29-dated Instagram Story, Craig wrote, “Discovering someone you loved isn’t who you thought they were and that the relationship you thought you were building hasn’t been genuine since day one has been truly devastating.” She called him out as a “manipulative liar” in a later IG Story following his own public statement about their split, in which he wrote, “Breakups are never easy, especially in the public eye. Sometimes, despite how deeply you care for someone, you come to the hard truth that the relationship was not something that could last long-term.”
While catching up with TMZ outside LAX on Wednesday, Craig said she thought the tune was too good to be true. “It’s so cute because I’m getting so much love, and for it to be from Lizzo, you know what I mean? I know a lot of people are supporting me, but when it’s your favorite celebrity supporting you…,” she said before divulging her plans to go back to her hotel and make a TikTok about the song.
And she did just that, captioning the clip, “No cause @lizzo we need to knowww …. And lmk if you need me for that music video #Lizzoiloveyou.” The “Truth Hurts” singer doubled down on her support by commenting, “Always team NayNay.”
Data centres, like this one Google is building in Hertfordshire, are becoming a more familiar sight across the UK.
The number of data centres in the UK is set to increase by almost a fifth, according to figures shared with BBC News.
Data centres are giant warehouses full of powerful computers used to run digital services from movie streaming to online banking – there are currently an estimated 477 of them in the UK.
Construction researchers Barbour have analysed planning documents and say that number is set to jump by almost 100, as the growth in artificial intelligence (AI) increases the need for processing power.
The majority are due to be built in the next five years.
However, there are concerns about the huge amount of energy and water the new data centres will consume.
Some experts have warned it could drive up prices paid by consumers.
More than half of the new data centres would be in London and neighbouring counties.
Many are privately funded by US tech giants such as Google and Microsoft and major investment firms.
A further nine are planned in Wales, one in Scotland, five in Greater Manchester and a handful in other parts of the UK, the data shows.
While the new data centres are mostly due for completion by 2030, the biggest single one planned would come later – a £10-billion AI data centre in Blyth, near Newcastle, for the American private investment and wealth management company Blackstone Group.
It would involve building 10 giant buildings covering 540,000 square meters – the size of several large shopping centres – on the site of a former Blyth Power Station.
Works are set to begin in 2031 and last for more than three years.
Microsoft is planning four new data centres in the UK at a total cost of £330 million, with an estimated completion between 2027 and 2029 – two in the Leeds area, one near Newport in Wales, and a five-storey site in Acton, north west London.
And Google is building two data centres, totalling £450m, spread over 400,000 sq m in north east London in the Lee Valley water system.
By some analyses, the UK is already the third-largest nation for data centres behind the US and Germany.
The government has made clear it believes data centres are central to the UK’s economic future – designating them critical national infrastructure.
But there are concerns about their impact, including the potential knock-on effect on people’s energy bills.
It is not known what the energy consumption of the new centres will be as this data is not included in the planning applications, but US data suggests they are can be considerably more powerful than older ones.
Dr Sasha Luccioni, AI and climate lead at machine learning firm Hugging Face, explains that in the US “average citizens in places like Ohio are seeing their monthly bills go up by $20 (£15) because of data centres”.
She said the timeline for the new data centres in the UK was “aggressive” and called for “mechanisms for companies to pay the price for extra energy to power data centres – not consumers”.
According to the National System Operator, NESO, the projected growth of data centres in Great Britain could “add up to 71 TWh of electricity demand” in the next 25 years, which it says redoubles the need for clean power – such as offshore wind.
‘Fixated with sustainability’
There are also growing concerns about the environmental impact of these enormous buildings.
Many existing data centre plants require large quantities of water to prevent them from overheating – and most current owners do not share data about their water consumption.
Stephen Hone, chief executive of industry body the Data Centre Alliance, says “ensuring there is enough water and electricity powering data centres isn’t something the industry can solve on its own”.
But he insisted “data centres are fixated with becoming as sustainable as possible”, such as through dry-cooling methods.
Such promises of future solutions have failed to appease some.
In Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, residents are objecting to the construction of a £3.8bn cloud and AI centre on greenbelt land, describing the area as the “lungs” of their home.
And in Dublin there is currently a moratorium on the building of any new data centres because of the strain existing ones have placed on Ireland’s national electricity provider.
In 2023 they accounted for one fifth of the country’s energy demand.
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Last month, Anglian Water objected to plans for a 435 acre data centre site in North Lincolnshire. The developer says it aims to deploy “closed loop” cooling systems which would not place a strain on the water supply.
The planning documents suggest that 28 of the new data centres would be likely to be serviced by troubled Thames Water, including 14 more in Slough, which has already been described as having Europe’s largest cluster of the buildings.
The BBC understands Thames Water was talking to the government earlier this year about the challenge of water demand in relation to data centres and how it can be mitigated.
Water UK, the trade body for all water firms, said it “desperately” wants to supply the centres but “planning hurdles” need to be cleared more quickly.
Ten new reservoirs are being built in Lincolnshire, the West Midlands and south-east England.
A spokesperson for the UK Government said data centres were “essential” and an AI Energy Council had been established to make sure supply can meet demand, alongside £104bn in water infrastructure investment.
Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev look ready to tear each other apart just days away from their middleweight title fight in the UFC 319 main event.
On Thursday, champion and challenger came face-to-face with UFC CEO Dana White doing his best to ensure the main event didn’t start two days early. While there was no pushing or shoving, du Plessis and Chimaev were staring holes through each other during a tense staredown following the UFC 319 pre-fight press conference.
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When White eventually got between them, du Plessis just continued staring back at Chimaev, who seemed to embrace the crowd before repeatedly chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is the greatest) before leaving the stage.
It was clear that the Chicago faithful in attendance were very pro-Chimaev as the entire place erupted whenever he got a chance to speak while du Plessis was showered with boos repeatedly. Chimaev got the biggest reaction when he vowed to destroy du Plessis and send him back home to South Africa without the UFC title around his waist.
“I’m just going to go and f*ck him up,” Chimaev said. “That’s it. Africa is never going to see the belt again.”
For his part, du Plessis seemed to embrace playing the villain and he actually invited the crowd to get even louder whenever he attempted to speak.
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While the fighters have remained respectful in the days leading up to the fight, du Plessis promised that he’s coming to take out Chimaev and leave UFC 319 as the middleweight champion.
“We all have our motivations,” du Plessis said. “The motivations differ, the outcome will be the same. I’m walking out there champion. He’s getting his money whether he wins or loses. It’s a good day at the office for him. I’ll only be satisfied when I walk out of there with my belt.”
The main event fighters are set to face off one more time on Friday during the official weigh-ins and then they’ll clash in the five-round main event at UFC 319 on Saturday.
Swedish movie Watch the Skies was dubbed into English using AI
Finding international films that might appeal to the US market is an important part of the work XYZ Films.
Maxime Cottray is the chief operating officer at the Los Angeles-based independent studio.
He says the US market has always been tough for foreign language films.
“It’s been limited to coastal New York viewers through art house films,” he says.
It’s partly a language problem.
“America is not a culture which has grown up with subtitles or dubbing like Europe has,” he points out.
But that language hurdle might be easier to clear with a new AI-driven dubbing system.
The audio and video of a recent film, Watch the Skies, a Swedish sci-fi film, was fed into a digital tool called DeepEditor.
It manipulates the video to make it look like actors are genuinely speaking the language the film is made into.
“The first time I saw the results of the tech two years ago I thought it was good, but having seen the latest cut, it’s amazing. I’m convinced that if the average person if saw it, they wouldn’t notice it – they’d assume they were speaking whatever language that is,” says Mr Cottray.
The English version of Watch The Skies was released in 110 AMC Theatres across the US in May.
“To contextualise this result, if the film were not dubbed into English, the film would never have made it into US cinemas in the first place,” says Mr Cottray.
“US audiences were able to see a Swedish independent film that otherwise only a very niche audience would have otherwise seen.”
He says that AMC plans to run more releases like this.
Flawless
DeepEditor can translate a performance into a different language
DeepEditor was developed by Flawless, which is headquartered in Soho, London.
Writer and director Scott Mann founded the company in 2020, having worked on films including Heist, The Tournament and Final Score.
He felt that traditional dubbing techniques for the international versions of his films didn’t quite match the emotional impact of the originals.
“When I worked on Heist in 2014, with a brilliant cast including Robert De Niro, and then I saw that movie translated to a different language, that’s when I first realised that no wonder the movies and TV don’t travel well, because the old world of dubbing really kind of changes everything about the film,” says Mr Mann, now based in Los Angeles.
“It’s all out of sync, and it’s performed differently. And from a purist filmmaking perspective, a very much lower grade product is being seen by the rest of the world.”
Flawless
Scott Mann founded Flawless in 2020
Flawless developed its own technology for identifying and modifying faces, based on a method first presented in a research paper in 2018.
“DeepEditor uses a combination of face detection, facial recognition, landmark detection [such as facial features] and 3D face tracking to understand the actor’s appearance, physical actions and emotional performance in every shot,” says Mr Mann.
The tech can preserve actors’ original performances across languages, without reshoots or re-recordings, reducing costs and time, he says.
According to him, Watch the Skies was the world’s first fully visually-dubbed feature film.
As well as giving an actor the appearance of speaking another language, DeepEditor can also transfer a better performance from one take into another, or swap a new line of dialogue, while keep the original performance with its emotional content intact.
Thanks to the explosion of streaming platforms such as Netflix and Apple, the global film dubbing market is set to increase from US$4bn (£3bn) in 2024 to $7.6bn by 2033, according to a report by Business Research Insights.
Mr Mann won’t say how much the tech costs but says it varies per project. “I’d say it works out at about a tenth of the cost of shooting it or changing it any other way.”
His customers include “pretty much all the really big streamers”.
Mr Mann believes the technology will enable films to be seen by a wider audience.
“There is an enormous amount of incredible kind of cinema and TV out there that is just never seen by English speaking folks, because many don’t want to watch it with dubbing and subtitles,” says Mr Mann.
The tech isn’t here to replace actors, says Mann, who says voice actors are used rather than being replaced with synthetic voices.
“What we found is that if you make the tools for the actual creatives and the artists themselves, that’s the right way of doing it… they get kind of the power tools to do their art and that can feed into the finished product. That’s the opposite of a lot of approaches that other tech companies have taken.”
Natan Dvir
Neta Alexander is concerned about a “monolingual” film culture
However, Neta Alexander, assistant professor of film and media at Yale University, says that while the promise of wider distribution is tempting, using AI to reconfigure performances for non-native markets risks eroding the specificity and texture of language, culture, and gesture.
“If all foreign films are adapted to look and sound English, the audience’s relationship with the foreign becomes increasingly mediated, synthetic, and sanitised,” she says.
“This could discourage cross-cultural literacy and disincentivise support for subtitled or original-language screenings.”
Meanwhile, she says, the displacement of subtitles, a key tool for language learners, immigrants, deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers and many others, raises concerns about accessibility.
“Closed captioning is not just a workaround; it’s a method of preserving the integrity of both visual and auditory storytelling for diverse audiences,” says Prof Alexander.
Replacing this with automated mimicry suggests a disturbing turn toward commodified and monolingual film culture, she says.
“Rather than ask how to make foreign films easier for English-speaking audiences, we might better ask how to build audiences that are willing to meet diverse cinema on its own terms.”
Paul Andrew Williams arrives at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival with a lot of gratitude.
“It launched my career,” the director-writer-producer says about EIFF. It was here, nearly two decades ago, he emerged as a fresh new voice on the British film scene, wowing audiences with the BAFTA-nominated neo-noir crime drama London to Brighton. Such was the success of the film in the Scottish capital that it earned Williams the fest’s prestigious New Director’s Award.
“It makes me feel a little bit emotional, actually, because such a lot has happened since [then],” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. Williams, known for psychological thriller Cherry Tree Lane and more recently, the Neil Maskell-starring Bull, comes to the 78th edition with the U.K. premiere of Dragonfly.
Andrea Riseborough stars as Colleen, neighbor of the elderly Elsie (Brenda Blethyn). The two become acquainted, and Colleen begins to care for Elsie in the place of agency care workers hired by her middle-aged son, John (Jason Watkins), who, overworked, weren’t doing a particularly good job. In Williams’ searing examination of loneliness among the most vulnerable in society, the audience comes to discover Colleen’s intentions might not be exactly what they seem.
“It’s a truthful film,” Williams says about what financiers saw that made them want to take a chance on the low-budget production. “Whatever you want to say about what genre it might or might not fit into, the characters are real and the situations are real, and I guess that’s what they fell in love with.”
Dragonfly first premiered at Tribeca, and is now set to get its British premiere in Edinburgh out of competition on Saturday, Aug. 16, before its U.K. theatrical run. EIFF director Paul Ridd described Williams’ work as “a wonderfully acted film” and “a tour de force from a major force of U.K. cinema.”
Below, Williams tells THR how Blethyn unknowingly saved the entire production, why Dragonfly is certainly not a horror film — though he is heading to a few horror festivals with it — and how his affinity for Edinburgh remains just as fervid as it was in 2006 with London to Brighton: “In that moment, your work is not just for your own DVD player. People might not like it, people might really like it, but people are reacting to you, and I think that’s a really important thing in life.”
Talk to me about Dragonfly, and where this film started.
We just shot Bull or we were about to shoot Bull. And it was COVID. I was like, “How are we ever going to film again?” I thought, I’m going to try and write something that I can shoot very small, very few actors. I tend to try and write stuff that I think won’t cost much money because it’s always so difficult to raise it. So the idea came about two people living next door [to each other] and I realized I started basing them on [real] people. Not like, “this is her” and “this is him” but there’s elements of my nan involved — Colleen has got lots of stuff that’s happened to her that I can relate to very clearly, even though, obviously, I’m not a female. Luckily, the guy who produced Bull read it and was like, “Okay, I really think it’s good, but now we’re going to get the money first.” And people weren’t really that keen on financing this low-budget film about two people on an estate in bungalow. Luckily, we found some very generous people who did, and then waited for actors to come available.
It is hard to get movies made these days, and you do have to get creative in terms of a budget. What do you think those financiers saw in this film that they thought made Dragonfly a worthy investment?
I always come from making stuff for nothing. Bull was £500,000 ($676,747). London to Brighton was £80,000 ($108,279. Cherry Tree Lane, which I made, was like £250,000 ($338,372). So I try to keep it in a relatively lowish budget. Obviously, I would rather [have] a bit more money. But in terms of the script, it was honest. It’s a truthful film. Whatever you want to say about what genre it might or might not fit into, the characters are real and the situations are real, and I guess that’s what they fell in love with.
Paul Andrew Williams at the 2021 London Film Festival with ‘Bull.’
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Had you wanted to write on social care and the elderly for a while?
I hadn’t gone out with that intention. I’m aware this sounds like [I’m] a complete wanker, right? But I do like writing about real people. I do like writing about stuff that I could relate to, and ordinary people dealing with ordinary stuff suddenly dealing with bigger-than-ordinary stuff. I’ve always liked that. It was never a mission to write something that was trying to say something — that wasn’t the mission. Although, by concentrating on people who live that kind of life, you naturally do say something.
If you’re writing a story about certain types of people who live a certain type of life, then just by doing that alone, you show the effects of society on that particular life. Carers coming in, admittedly, it’s not so personal. They’re not personal with Elsie, and I don’t blame them for that because they’re put in a horrific situation of having to work like that and to look after so many people in such a short space of time with no break. And for very, very, very little money. Obviously I think we should take care of our elderly a little bit, but I also think we should take care of our vulnerable. Loneliness is horrible and the world’s got so much shit in it. All of that stuff, I think, could be changed if there was less ignorance and ego. But then I’ve probably got ignorance and ego as well.
Has the reaction to the film surprised you?
The reaction has surprised me. A lot of people relate to it in terms of having elderly relatives and being aware of people who require care, and about loneliness and about judgment. And so people have talked to me about that, and the fact that [I’m] highlighting the elderly a little bit. But not like the elderly kicking their heels as they run down the street doing a dance, but the proper elderly, who are poor. It’s a small film and I’ll get told off, probably, for saying that. I do think it’s a good film. I’m very proud of it.
To get into a festival and [have] people go and watch your film… It’s just very, very fortunate. You have to thank your stars for that being the case.
With a stellar cast under your belt too — Andrea, Brenda and Jason — that feels like a testament to the director you are.
We were looking for an actress. We obviously had to find someone of a certain age, but also, because she’s a poor woman, we [didn’t want to] cast somebody who everyone’s going to think, “Hey, she’s fucking loaded.” We were two weeks away from shooting, and we had probably gone through everyone. We were literally at the point of working out how much me and the two producers, Dom [Tighe] and Marie-Elena [Dyche] wre going to have to pay people. We [thought], “we’re just going to quit.” Then my agency gave the script to Brenda’s agent, and I heard Brenda was reading it. I was feeling so low and shit about it and then suddenly got a call saying Brenda really likes it and wants to do it.
I was like, “What?!” This is two weeks before it started [shooting], and Brenda wasn’t aiming to do anything because she’d just done Vera. She was like, “I love this so much.” I went and met her, we had a laugh, she was fantastic. Jason I’ve worked with before — I know him and I like him, and he’s really good. So we were very lucky to get all these people involved. They said they liked the script, and I believe them. And working with all of them, they really were special, each of them is a genius.
Wow. Brenda really came and saved the day.
I mean, she would probably not think that because she wasn’t sure about just how much we needed someone at that point. She really is brilliant. In fact, every actor who’s in it, really, [is brilliant]. I love actors.
Do you think that’s unusual for a director to love their actors?
I used to be an actor — that’s how I first started. I went to drama school and being an actor. You can tell sometimes when a director doesn’t really know how to speak to you. So I first started wanting to direct, because I wanted to do that part — work with actors and create stuff and create roles. Because the thing is, you can have the best of everything in a film, but if the acting’s poor, then… [Shrugs.] The film is the sum of its parts. There are some things in a film you can forgive and still have a good film, but acting? No.
Is it fair to say being an actor has made you a better director?
You would have to ask other people, because if I was to say, “Yeah,” I think I would sound like a wally. But when I was an actor, I would always go with my instinct. The same thing [applies] as a director. [I’m] not necessarily technically-minded, although I have got better over the years, but it’s about how I feel about what I’m seeing.
How do you think Dragonfly compares to your previous work? Does it showcase your growth as a director?
I just don’t know. Because what I think I’ve learned, which may or may not show in the span of work I’ve done, is to know when to not do anything, or to not interfere, or to not need to say anything or offer an opinion on something, and to let people who know what they’re doing feel comfortable enough to do what they’re doing. So basically, you rely on everyone else. You try and be as inclusive as possible. And I then try and think of the script and the film as if I was watching it, and the details that I would want to see if I was watching it. So I might worry less about something small and precise, about something specific, if I think that the audience won’t pick up on it. It’s pointless.
I’ve seen comparisons drawn between your work and the work of Mike Leigh, which must be a huge honor.
If I’m absolutely honest, I’m neither a fan or not a fan of Mike Leigh. I would say I’ve not seen a lot of his films, and that’s not to say I’ve avoided his films! The thing is, being compared to someone positive — it’s what happened with London to Brighton as well, [people spoke of] Ken Loach — or someone who’s seen as a really quality director, that’s obviously great. That’s going to be a good [thing]. I’d like to think my films would be different, but how different can any film be from 50 others that have been made?
Let’s talk about where this film ends up, where some have said it leans almost into horror. Without spoilers, can you talk about the direction you headed in and why it lands there?
I like to think the end is horrific, but I don’t think it’s a horror. I also think I have played up to people’s preconceptions of the characters a little bit. And yes, there’s music and there’s moments and there is a particular scare — which, I promise you, I never saw it [like that]. A super jump [scare]. And it really does make people jump. When I first saw the editor who’d edited it, I was like, “My God.” And there was a choice of whether we actually kept it in. Because does that detract from the film?
But all the things that happen in the end are justified in terms of what the characters have been pushed to do. Do I think it’s horrific? Yeah, because I think there’s a lot of things in life are horrific. Do I think it’s horror? Not in the terms of making an out and out horror film. Which is great — I think we’re going to a couple of horror festivals. I’m preparing myself to be booed.
You’re taking Dragonfly to some horror festivals?
Yeah. We’ve been invited to a couple of which, in my past experience, have been the most amazing festivals of all time. People really, really want to fucking enjoy your movie. You have some very loyal film genre fans.
With the New Director’s Award for London to Brighton in 2006. I’m sure you have a real affinity for the Edinburgh fest.
I feel incredibly, incredibly grateful that they have put the film on. It makes me feel a little bit emotional, actually, because such a lot has happened since that film, London to Brighton, was put out there. I really didn’t expect anything when we were making it. It was the beginning of so many, so many things from Edinburgh. Sean Connery said he really liked it. The fact that [my work] has been picked again… I’m just very fortunate.
We made it for no money, and under the radar, no one knew who we were. The thing is, festivals do that. Festivals do give opportunities for you, to have people watch your work, and most of the time, show interest. In that moment, your work is not just for your own DVD player. People might not like it, people might really like it, but people are reacting to you, and I think that’s a really important thing in life.
Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025 runs Aug. 14-20.
England women’s rugby union side will become the first UK sports team to partner with Barbie – but the deal has been launched without any of the brand’s famous dolls.
Athlete Dina Asher-Smith and boxer Nicola Adams have previously been immortalised in plastic, but the Red Roses’ range is initially restricted to t-shirts, hoodies and replica balls.
“The collaboration aims to inspire the next generation of female rugby players through grassroots initiatives, funding, merchandise and powerful storytelling,” said the Rugby Football Union.
Toy maker Mattel, the company behind Barbie, will make a £20,000 donation to the RFU as part of the deal to increase girls’ access to clubs and coaching in England.
Mattel has recreated a host of sporting figures as Barbie dolls, including American Olympic champion gymnast Gabby Douglas, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, snowboarder Chloe Kim and golfer Lorena Ochoa.
London 2012 Olympic champion Adams, world champion sprinter Asher-Smith and skateboarder Sky Brown are among the Britons who have also been commemorated.
The partnership could yet expand, with England hot favourites for the Rugby World Cup on home soil. Their campaign begins on Friday, 22 August against the United States in Sunderland.
Barbie has previously been criticised for promoting unrealistic body types.
In her 2000 book Body Wars, psychologist Margo Maine wrote that, external if Barbie were scaled up to adult height, she would have a figure within the guidelines for diagnosing anorexia.
The brand introduced different body, hair and skin types to its range in 2016 and the 2023 movie Barbie, licensed by Mattel, confronted the gender norms and body image the doll had previously been associated with.
When her doll was released in 2020, Asher-Smith was pleased it accurately depicted her body.
“Most importantly for me there was the muscle tone, because I think it is really, really important the young girls see all aspects of femininity,” she said.
