Zambezia, coming soon.....

On the edge of a majestic waterfall, in the heart of Africa, lies the amazing bird city of Zambezia, led by wise and battle-tested Sekhuru (Leonard Nimoy). Our young falcon hero Kai (Jeremy Suarez) leaves his remote outpost against his father (Samuel L. Jackson) whishes join the prestigious Hurricane defense flyers fiercely trained by Ajax (Jeff Goldblum) to patrol the skies keeping Zambezia safe. Kai’s father goes after him but is captured as the scheming iguana lizard Budzo (Jim Cummings) conspires to attack the sanctuary. Kai and soul mate Zoe (Abigail Breslin) will need to gather all their flying skills along with a big dose of diplomacy to save the city from Budzo’s deadly plot. 

From Captive Cinema!  Zambezia is beautifully animated fun-filled adventure the whole family will enjoy!

Versatile teenage star Saoirse Ronan talks vampires, romance and having to turn down The Hobbit

She is only 19, but the gifted young actress Saoirse Ronan is a veteran of film and television, having begun her career at the age of nine in the Irish TV medical drama The Clinic.

Her big break came when she was 12 in Atonement, earning an Oscar nomination. Saoirse’s (pronounced Seer-sher) latest film is vampire thriller Byzantium – out today.

She plays Eleanor, the daughter of a 200-year-old mother played by Gemma Arterton.

Isn’t Gemma Arterton a bit young to be playing your mother?

Yes, she’s only eight years older than me but she’s very much a woman and very maternal. At least, she was with me. And she’s such a terrific actress.

You’ve been dealing with creatures from other worlds lately. Do you think there are such things living around us?

I find it hard to believe there’s no one but us. There are still so many things that are lost out there that we don’t have a clue about. I’m sure there are many other beings that are different to us living somewhere else, with crazy eyes.

You’ve been in a few scary movies. What scares you the most in real life?

I’m not afraid of spiders but I had this dream once that I was sleeping in my house, in the spare bedroom for some reason, and I woke up and thought I saw this massive spider just looking at me and I really freaked out. I was really scared and I ran out of the room. It was just an illusion but it really scared me.

You’re always referred to as an Irish actress but weren’t you actually born in America?

Yes, I was born in New York, but my parents are Irish and we went back to Ireland when I was three. I was raised in County Carlow but I have dual citizenship.

Your dad, Paul, is an actor, too, isn’t he?

Yes, I remember going on films sets with him when he was working on such films as The Devil’s Own and Veronica Guerin. We’re very close.

How do you enjoy the kissing scenes in your films?

They’re uncomfortable and awkward at first but you have to kind of get over it.

What is your favourite love story?

Romeo and Juliet is the classic love story. When two lovers are separated and  trying to get back to one another, that’s fiercely romantic and something you become glued to.

Are you romantic?

Yes, to a certain extent, but I’m not soppy, if you know what I mean. But I do appreciate romance.

Who were the actors who influenced you most in your career?

I love a lot of comedy actors and actresses like Kristen Wiig and Tina Fey and all those women who are really brilliant and funny. And Meryl Streep.

There are a lot of people I’ve worked with who I really admire because I’m on the set with them every day and I see how they work and I know them as people.

You do a lot of running in your movies. Are you interested in sports?

I was a sprinter when I was young and I was quite fast. I loved doing the 100 metre sprints and getting it all out in something like 18 seconds or whatever. And somehow I always end up doing it in films and it’s really great. It keeps your energy up, especially when you’re doing fight choreography, and it gives you something to focus on.

Gemma Artenton from Hansel and Gretel witch hunter to a sexed-up vampire in ‘Byzantium’

British-born Gemma Arterton has quickly been rising through the ranks since breaking out in St Trinian’s six years ago. Her latest role, as a sexed-up vampire in Neil Jordan’s Byzantium, sees her try something completely different.

Byzantium centers on two mysterious women, Clara (Arterton) and Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan), who seek refuge in a run-down coastal resort. However, when Eleanor reveals their secret, that they’re 200 year-old vampires, to Frank (Caleb Landry Jones), it’s not long before their past catches up on them with deadly consequences.

You’ve done period drama, action adventure and Bond. What was it about Moira

Buffini’s script that made you decide it was a vampire film you wanted to do next?

Well, the original script I read was much more about the mother and daughter relationship between Clara and Eleanor and only hinted at the vampire stuff. But when Neil [Jordan] came aboard, he wanted to make it more of a genre piece. For me, it was never just, “Oh, it’s a vampire movie”, it was much more about the characters at its core, what it was like to be a trapped, ageless mother having to care for her daughter. And the genre elements sort of fed into that. It’s probably the first film I’ve done that’s more in line with what I like to watch, which is anything supernatural and fairytale-like.

Are you much of a horror fan yourself, then?

I wouldn’t say I go to see horror films for the sake of seeing a horror film, but I’ve always been fascinating by the genre because it always makes you feel something. But I wouldn’t go to see a horror film because it’s got a lot of gore in it. I’m much more interested in the stuff underneath the surface. I think it’s such a broad term, horror, and even this film is more art-house horror.

What research was involved to play Clara?

I had to learn to lap dance, that way the first thing. I made up a whole pole dance because I wasn’t sure how much I would need. I watched a lot of documentaries on brothels and what it was like for people to live that way, the day to day. That was what I was least familiar with, so I wanted to make sure I was able to portray that side of Clara as accurately as possible. And then there was a lot of physical preparation. I had to do a lot of training because vampires are obviously incredibly strong, so I needed to be able to have a convincing creature-like presence. We also did a lot of work on the script together, Saoirse and I, for a couple of months before filming started to get that relationship are strong as possible.

It sounds as though you had a lot of time to develop a relationship with Saoirse.

Yeah, yeah. We had a rehearsal in London two months before production began and that was the first time I met Saoirse. Our relationship was very natural, very touchy feely, plating her hair and playing with her face. But we didn’t have any bonding sessions, no shopping or bowling trips.

What was it like to work with Neil? He’s quite experienced in the horror genre. Did you feel intimidated at all?

Yeah. I think when you work with someone who you’ve admired for so long, it’s only natural to feel nervous. But once I’d gotten over those initial nerves, it became such a joy to work with him. And I think we’re going to work together again, which is very flattering. It was a great relationship that we had. He’s very interested in actors. He loves the process and has a huge amount of respect for the profession, which again made the working relationship easier. He’s constantly pushing the boundaries and very vibrant with his direction, which makes you want to work harder and to figure out how you can take what you’re doing to the next level. It was a magical experience, a very playful environment.

“Byzantium” is released and distributed by Captive Cinema