Ian Simpson
Directing
Biography
Ian Simpson. Born in Balham, London in 1967. After studying media and film, Ian Simpson worked as an assistant to chief documentary editor Jane Val Baker at the BBC. In 1989, as part of the BBC British Art Week, Ian Simpson assisted the Scottish contemporary sculptor David Mac. In 1991, Ian Simpson made his first short film ‘Ingredients’, a visual poem exploring themes such as loss, violence, eroticism, birth and death in an ode to cinema. Several short experimental Super 8 and 16mm projects followed, before independently directing and producing a documentary on the popular hip- hop group the Fugees. Another short, ‘Actress’, was shot in 1999 with the Parisian production Mic Mac, a wry and vicious comedy about an actress’ love affair with her co-star. 2000 brought Ian Simpson’s first feature film ‘Toothache’ aka ‘Rage De Dent’, a bitter satirical comedy following a group of bored middle class artists and their troubles in love during a weekend in Paris. Starring Julie Depardieu, Ludivine Sagnier, and Marc Barbé, Toothache was produced by Arte France Cinema and Mic Mac productions. Ian Simpson’s second feature ‘Nadine’ was shot in September 2006. The film follows a teenage self-harmer who suffers regular abuse from the locals and her family. Nadine premiered at the Odyssee Cinema in Strasbourg, France in July 2007 as part of the British cycle of films with Ken Loach’s ‘The wind that shakes the barley’ and Stephan Frear’s ‘The Queen’. It was also shown in competition at Ghent film festival and Cork film festival. ‘I am Kombi’ (2012), a documentary directed by Claudia Marschal for France Television, was co-written by Ian Simpson. His third feature ‘Man in Wood’ is currently in production.
Known For
Andrew, an English writer, shares a seedy apartment in Paris with his young French partner Anna. While her friend Justice is due to arrive from London, Anna's friend Bibi tells her that she is pregnant with him.
Toothache
In our daily lives, living secretively amongst us there are heroes, heroes who were born with extraordinary powers. They are not your ordinary super-heroes. They are everywhere, doing a dangerous and sometimes hazardous job. Super-Carrot, Jean-Louis the Pea, Agent Broc and their associates will stop at nothing to fight the evil forces eating away the planet. Each one of them has been sent on mission by me, I.U. - Identity Unknown. I am also a superhero. But for the security and defence of mankind it is of paramount importance that I remain unidentified.
Who Wants to Eat Superheroes?
Lipstick, which has been around since the beginning of time and over the centuries has been considered both a symbol of power and an instrument of submission, is used by all kinds of women: queens and politicians, actresses and singers, workers and makeup lovers.
Lipstick: Make-up Power
"Nadine, a teenage girl who is a regular self-harmer, is subjected to a hostile mother, an abusive stepfather, a drug addicted boyfriend and crude sexual violence from the locals. She lives on a desolate council estate surrounded by nature where she finds occasional solace. However, the profound weight of indifference, injustice and cruelty, proves too much for Nadine
Nadine
In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Indira dreams of elsewhere. In France, Mehdina strives to find her place. Whilst the adults seem to be fighting windmills, the kids grow up in a world of their own with ten-year-old Hasan blissfully wandering on the path of Armstrong and travelling into space.