Annual Top Films Lists

Top 100 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2016: #97. Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom

Published on January 5, 2016

A United Kingdom

Director: Amma Asante
Writer: Guy Hibbert

Following the critical success of her 2013 sophomore film Belle (read review), which showcased the impressive talents of Gugu Mbatha-Raw, actress turned director Amma Assante assembles acclaimed talents Rosamunde Pike and Davie Oyelowo for this tale of forbidden love, which filmed in the UK and Botswana. A United Kingdom details the tribulations of Seretse Khama, the man who would become the first president of Botswana after gaining freedom from England, his marriage to a white woman would compromise his relations with surrounding countries which deemed such a union illegal.

Cast: Rosamund Pike, Tom Felton, Jack Davenport, David Oyelowo

Production Co./Producers: Brunson Green, David Oyelowo, Peter Heslop, Charlie Mason, Rick McCallum, Justin Moore-Lewy

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. TBD (domestic). Pathe (international).

Release Date: Fox Searchlight managed to give Assante’s handsomely assembled Belle the platform it deserved, and her continued recuperation of historical perceptions and challenges concerning racial disparities should find itself an even more notable premiere, perhaps at Toronto if it’s not ready in time for Berlin or Cannes.

Nicholas Bell

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.