BEHIND THE LENS #533: Featuring Ben Gregor

I'm very excited to bring you this week's BEHIND THE LENS Radio Show and my exclusive conversation with director BEN GREGOR talking about THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE, a film, like the book on which it’s based, that keeps the child inside of us alive with fun and fantasy and good storytelling that speaks to family, imagination, and risk that is a shared language to us all. I've been under embargo on this one until today, and I'm so happy I can bring you this fun and interesting interview. Adapted from Enid Blyton's beloved classic novel THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE, the film centers on Polly, Tim, and their three children – Fran, Beth, and Joe – a modern family forced to relocate to the remote and rustic English countryside due to financial difficulties. As they adapt to their new lives with no electricity and no wifi and none of the modern conveniences they were used to, the children discover a magical tree and its extraordinary and eccentric residents, including treasured characters Moonface, Silky, Dame Washalot, Saucepan Man, Mr. Watzisname and Oom Boom Boom. At the top of the tree, they are transported to spectacular, fantastical lands like the Land of Goodies, the Land of Birthdays, the Land of Back to Front, the Land of Knowalls, and through the joys and challenges of their adventures, the family learns to reconnect and value each other for the first time in years. Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby based on Enid Blyton's novel of the same name, THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE stars Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nonso Anozie, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders, Rebecca Ferguson, Dustin Demri-Burns, Oliver Chris, Mark Heap, and more. The real magic and wonder and fun of THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE comes courtesy of the incredible crafts artisans who bring the worlds of THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE to life – cinematographer Zac Nicholson, editor Gary Dollner, production designer Alexandra Walker, art directors Janet Harwood, Hannah Moseley and Jo Riddell, composer Isabella Summers, and costume designer Ann Maskrey whose work here is truly award-worthy. http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com