Stephen Frears

An amateur historian defies the stodgy academic establishment in her efforts to find King Richard III's remains, which were lost for over 500 years. (imdb)

Quiz tells the story of Charles Ingram, a former British army major, who caused a major scandal after being caught cheating his way to winning £1 million on the game show 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' (imdb)

State of the Union follows Louise and Tom who meet in a pub immediately before their weekly marital therapy session. Each episode pieces together how their lives were, what drew them together, and what has started to pull them apart. (imdb)

British politician Jeremy Thorpe is accused of conspiracy to murder his ex-lover and is forced to stand trial in 1979. (imdb)

Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim. (imdb)

The story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice. (imdb)

An Irish sports journalist becomes convinced that Lance Armstrong's performances during the Tour de France victories are fueled by banned substances. With this conviction, he starts hunting for evidence that will expose Armstrong. (imdb)

Director Stephen Frears (The Queen) teams with Judi Dench and Steve Coogan for this powerful true story of an unmarried Irish-Catholic woman who, decades after being forced by her community to give up her newborn son, embarks on a search to find him with the aid of a BBC reporter. (tiff.net)

Ali's biggest match, his fight with the US government. A film about the politics and hubris surrounding the Vietnam War and the revenge exacted on America's greatest sportsman of the 20th century because he refused to fight in that war. (imdb)

A dramedy centered on a thirtysomething woman who becomes involved with a group of geeky fiftyish men who have found a way to work the sportsbook system in Las Vegas to their advantage. (imdb)

A young newspaper writer returns to her hometown in the English countryside, where her childhood home is being prepped for sale.

A drama set in 1920s Paris, where the son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love.

The Queen takes audiences behind the scenes of one of the most shocking public events of recent times -- providing an illuminating, deeply affecting and dramatic glimpse into what happens in the corridors of power when a tragedy strikes. (Miramax)

Mrs. Laura Henderson (Dench) may be a widow but she is by no means going to spend the rest of her days playing bridge. The Windmill Theater becomes ger game and the infamous showman Vivian Van Dam (Hoskins) becomes her partner and fiercest opponent. The Germans are bombing London but the roar of the Windmill is all that can be heard as Laura convinces Lord Cromer (Guest) to allow her actresses to be the one thing no one could ever imagine: Nude. Brought to its knees by war, what Mrs. Henderson Presents brings a nation to its feet in applause. (The Weinstein Company)

This political drama chronicles the early career of Tony Blair, when, as a Member of Parliament, he supposedly struck a deal with Gordon Brown to obtain leadership of the Labour party.

A thriller set in London's secret underworld, where everything is for sale. A young man (Ejiofor) and a Turkish chambermaid (Tautou) both work at the same West London hotel -- a breeding ground for illegal activity. They are put to the test when the man makes a shocking discovery late one night. (Miramax Films)

In this biting romantic comedy, Rob Gordon (Cusack) is the owner of a semi-failing record store in Chicago, where he sells music the old-fashioned way -- on vinyl. His needle, however, skips the love groove when his long-time girlfriend, Laura (Hjejle), walks out on him. As he examines his failed attempts at romance and happiness, the process finds him being dragged, kicking and screaming, into adulthood. (Touchstone Pictures)

A poignant portrait of a family's free-fall into poverty seen through the eyes of an innocent child, personifying the dream of a brighter future. (Lions Gate Films)

America launches a nuclear attack on Russia due to an electrical malfuntion.

An intimate story of the enduring bond of friendship between two hard-living men, set against a sweeping backdrop: the American West, post-World War II, in its twilight. Pete and Big Boy are masters of the prairie, but ultimately face trickier terrain: the human heart. (imdb)

A housemaid falls in love with Dr. Jekyll and his darkly mysterious counterpart, Mr. Hyde. (imdb)

The third installment of Irish author Roddy Doyle's 'Barrytown Trilogy' depicts the hilarious yet poignant adventures of Bimbo. Upon being fired from his job at the bakery, Bimbo and his best mate go into business for themselves and purchase a chipper (a fish and chips van); but will the pressures of financial success sour their friendship forever? (imdb)

Stephen Frears and a quartet of film industry notables - representing different cinematic periods - drink tea and discuss ups and downs of British cinema. (bfi.org)

A not-so-nice man rescues passengers from a crashed airliner, only to see someone else take credit. (imdb)

When small-time cheat Roy Dillon (Cusack) winds up in the hospital following an unsuccessful scam, it sets up a confrontation between his estranged mother Lilly (Huston) and sexy girlfriend Myra (Bening). Both Lilly and Myra are ruthless confidence artists playing the con game in a league far above Roy ... and always looking for their next victim. The question soon becomes who's conning who as Roy finds himself caught in a complicated web of passion and mistrust. (Miramax)

Set in France around 1760-1770. The Marquise de Merteuil needs a favour from her ex-lover, Vicomte de Valmont. One Marquise de Merteuil's ex-lover, Gercourt, is planning on marrying a young, virtuos, woman called Cecile de Volanges. The Marquise would like Valmont to seduce Cecile before her wedding day. Meanwhile Valmont has a conquest of his own in mind, Madame de Tourvel, a beautiful, married, and God fearing woman... (imdb)

Sammy and Rosie are an unconventional middle-class London married couple. They live in the midst of inner-city chaos, surround themselves with intellectual street people, and sleep with everybody - except each other! (imdb)

This film is the story of the spectacular life and violent death of British playwright Joe Orton. In his teens, Orton is befriended by the older, more reserved Kenneth Halliwell, and while the two begin a relationship, it's fairly obvious that it's not all about sex. (imdb)

My Beautiful Laundrette is set within the Asian community in London, during the Thatcher years, and displays those values, of money but 'anybody can make it.' Omar gains the running of his Uncle Nasser's laundrette. He is helped by his friend Johnny who is an outsider, white but not entirely accepted by either the white or Asian Londoners. (imdb)

Two hitmen are sent to Spain to pick up a man who's been hiding there for ten years and bring him to Paris to be executed. A sort of road movie ensues, in which the hitmen must face their own ineptitude and nothing goes as planned. (imdb)

It is now nineteen years since Walter came to live in the hospital, and he is regarded as one of the brighter, more responsible residents. His life changes dramatically when a mother and baby unit is opened in the hospital grounds, and he meets June, a suicidally depressed young mother. June soon attaches herself to Walter, who has always responded to cries for help... (Channel 4 Film)

A man with learning difficulties suffers neglect and ill-treatment, and this is only exasperated when his parents die and nobody seems to know what to do with him. (imdb)

Two listless 11-year-old young boys, the cold, manipulative Leo (Thomas) and his weaker, more impressionable friend Mike (Clark). Contemptuous of the fallible police force (Mike has already filched a police helmet from the accident scene), the boys arrange a staged knife fight outside a football stadium with the aid of a bag of stage blood and a real blade.

Doris and Doreen work for a large unnamed corporation. Changes are afoot, though they are not entirely sure what they are. Equipped with an in-depth knowledge of regulations and paperwork they feel compelled to get to the bottom of it. (imdb)

A black family, and their white neighbor, celebrate Christmas. But things do not go as well as they hope.

One hot June day, three friends decide there is nothing they would like to do more than to get away from London. A boating holiday with lots of fresh air and exercise would be just the very thing, or so their doctors tell them. (imdb)

Ginley (Albert Finney) is a nightclub bingo caller eager for a career change. On his thirty-first birthday, he advertises himself as a private eye in the newspaper. He dons a trench coat, and begins engaging others in rapid-fire dialogue as if he were Humphrey Bogart, or some Dashiell Hammett creation (imdb)

The Burning is Stephen Frears' first film, a chilling exploration of racial tensions in Apartheid-era South Africa. On a sweltering summer' day, a wealthy white matriarch insists on taking her household on a planned trip to the country, in spite of their urgent warnings that an uprising is underway. (indiemoviesonline.com)