EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Goldhaber’s latest feature, Faces Of Death, starring Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria) and Charli xcx, has been picked up for the UK and Ireland by Signature Entertainment and will receive its UK premiere at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF).

Faces Of Death will be the closing title of Edinburgh’s Midnight Madness strand. 

The film, a reimagining of John Alan Schwartz’s 1978 film, follows a website content moderator (Ferreira) who becomes obsessed with a series of disturbing videos that seem to recreate scenes from the iconic Faces of Death film series. 

The film also stars Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things), Josie Totah (The Buccaneers), Aaron Holliday, and Jermaine Fowler (Sorry to Bother You).

Goldhaber directed from a screenplay that he co-wrote with Isa Mazzei (Cam). The film was produced by Greg Gilreath (Heart Eyes), Adam Hendricks (Heart Eyes), Susan Montford (Shoot ‘Em Up), and Don Murphy (Transformers: The Last Knight). Executive producers are Rick Benattar (Bullet Head), Derek Bishé, and Isa Mazzei.

“We were hooked from the start by this bold and highly commercial take on the beloved gore-filled cult classic,” Signature’s Senior Acquisitions Manager Katie Wilkinson-Javes said in a statement. 

“Led by a talented young cast who bring fresh energy to the franchise, the film delivers everything fans could want while introducing it to a new generation. We’re proud to launch at EIFF and then to bring the film to audiences across the UK and Ireland.”

Recent EIFF Midnight Madness titles include Alien: Romulus, The Substance, The Toxic Avenger, and Ben Wheatley’s Bulk. Chee Keong Cheung’s action thriller Bad Day at the Office will open the strand this year. 

“Midnight Madness is all about bold voices, movies that take risks, and filmmakers who embrace provocation,” EIFF CEO and Festival Director, Paul Ridd, said in a statement. 

“It is perfect that we close off this year’s selection with such a stylish and ingenious movie from director Daniel Goldhaber and co-screenwriter Isa Mazzei. These two have quietly been making some of the most exciting, edgiest movies of the past decade, and with Faces of Death, they have crafted a reboot that is fresh, modern, and full of ideas. It is also a total blast to watch with an audience. We are thrilled.”  

EIFF 2026 will run from 13 – 19 August. 

Fresh off an Academy Award win earlier this year for the stop-motion short The Girl Who Cried Pearls, the National Film Board of Canada returned to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival with another distinctly personal animated story. This time, however, the celebrated Canadian studio traded the aesthetics of fairy tales for those of heavy metal.

Written, directed and animated by Catherine LePage, Ultra Strong transforms the universal highs and lows of young love into a surreal, visually inventive coming-of-age journey. Inspired by LePage’s own experiences and drawing from the world of her graphic novels, the short follows a young woman searching for confidence in all the wrong places before discovering that true strength comes from within. Along the way, LePage fills the film with imaginative emotional landmarks from the Island of the Flakes to the Kind Heart Outlet and whimsical visual metaphors, including a wobbling mound of Jell-O that becomes an unlikely symbol of resilience.

Adding another unexpected layer is Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson, who lends his voice to the film after LePage and producer Christine Noël successfully convinced the rock icon to join what became a passion project. Far from a celebrity cameo, Dickinson serves as a larger-than-life guide whose infectious energy helps propel the heroine and reflects the confidence LePage herself hoped to capture through the story.

Here, Deadline spoke with LePage and Noël about turning personal experiences into animation, finding vulnerability through visual metaphor, bringing Dickinson into the fold and why Ultra Strong‘s message of self-worth and empowerment feels especially timely.

CATHERINE LEPAGE, DIRECTOR

DEADLINE: How did this idea come to you? 

CATHERINE LEPAGE: It’s mostly based on my own experience, but I did add to it and make things bigger. It’s all based on personal experience.

DEADLINE: What was the tone or message you were trying to get across in this short? I love the idea of this map with the Island of the Flakes, the boring guys, and all of that. Then she ignores the Kind Heart Outlet.

LEPAGE: At first, I had a lot of things I wanted to put in the film, and it was hard for me to find one phrase or sentence to explain it because there is so much in it. I’m still having a hard time doing that. I think the main topic is trying to find your inner strength instead of trying to find it in others. Trying to rely on others for your security, both physical and emotional. Find that within yourself before searching for someone else.

DEADLINE: Was it difficult to mine those ideas and put them on the page?

LEPAGE: This project is special because it’s based on two books. The first was published in 2020, and I was working on the second when I started thinking about the film. I knew I wanted to take elements from both books, but there was so much material. It was hard to find the spine of the film. It took me a long time to put words to the feelings I had. I knew I wanted certain scenes and anecdotes, but I didn’t know why. I was putting together the pieces and trying to figure out what the film was really about. It came through the process of working on it.

DEADLINE: I want to talk about some of the motifs. You have this food tower. Is it a sundae or a bowl of Jell-O?

LEPAGE: It’s Jell-O.

DEADLINE: Can you talk about that and the construction of the food tower?

LEPAGE: I love finding visual metaphors to express feelings. I was trying to find a strong way to show that what you’re doing isn’t good for you or goes against your own nature. I came up with the idea of a sweet dessert topped with salt-and-vinegar chips and mustard—something that’s obviously wrong. For me, it was a strong way to show that maybe you’re going in the wrong direction. It’s clearly not the right choice, but you do it anyway. At first, the Jell-O was also a way to express vulnerability, indecision and hesitation. What’s funny is that when everything falls apart, the Jell-O is the strongest thing because it can handle the earthquake. It shakes but remains intact. I don’t think people will necessarily get that when they see the film, but for me it was saying, “Look, your true nature works. You won’t fall apart.”

DEADLINE: Life is going to shake you up a little bit, but you can get through it.

LEPAGE: Exactly.

DEADLINE: There’s a reference to Iron Maiden that’s the background of this short. And then to learn that you got Bruce Dickinson. Talk about that. 

LEPAGE: I went through a heavy-metal phase when I was a teenager. I saw Iron Maiden live when I was 15, and the energy was absolutely amazing. A few years ago, I watched a documentary about heavy metal, and Bruce Dickinson said that when he performs, he wants every person in the room to feel like he’s talking to them personally. I thought, “Wow, what a performer.” He’s like a superhero, even with the tights and everything.

When I was trying to find the film, I knew I needed something to take Catherine out of her comfort zone. I was searching for the trigger that would push her beyond her usual boundaries. The idea came to me while I was running and listening to an Iron Maiden song. I always said I needed “the Bruce energy.” He’s like a coach. When he’s on stage, he wants to reach every fan. I also knew Christine [Noël] had gone through an Iron Maiden phase as a teenager, so I thought she’d love the idea which isn’t obvious. A lot of producers would have said, “No, that’s too complicated.” But she was the perfect partner for it.

DEADLINE: What would you like audiences to take away from this short film?

LEPAGE: Accept your vulnerability. For me, one important idea is that strength and vulnerability can go together. It’s not one or the other. Vulnerability doesn’t mean weakness. You can be strong and vulnerable at the same time. It’s funny because that wasn’t the main subject when I started the project, but now, with all the hyper-masculinity online and people saying men have to be strong and women should stay at home, it feels more relevant. It added a stronger feminist side to the film. I think it was always there, but now it’s more important than ever to tell girls that they can expect love in their lives and find a partner. But they shouldn’t expect that partner to solve everything or provide everything. Find your own strength first. Then you can love and be with whoever you want, while still respecting yourself.

CHRISTINE NOËL, PRODUCER

DEADLINE: How did Ultra Strong come to you? 

NOËL: I’ve known Catherine for many years. I knew her work because she’s a graphic novelist. The National Film Board had previously made a film with her called The Great Malaise. At the time, I was head of the marketing department specializing in animation, and I really liked her signature style. Catherine has a way of taking personal experiences and expressing universal questions about being human, developing yourself, being yourself and taking control of your life. She had created two graphic novels. We actually grew up during the same era, so I related to the clothes, the questions and the way we behaved as teenagers.

When Catherine approached us with another project, I told her, “You need to bring this story to life.” She decided not to directly adapt the books but instead draw inspiration from the universe of both works. The film is really about how women are often taught to rely on someone else—a prince charming, a man—to solve their problems, when in reality they can take matters into their own hands. Sometimes vulnerability can be your greatest strength. I thought it was a positive message for young women, but also for young men.

DEADLINE: How did you bring Bruce Dickinson into this?

NOËL: Catherine and I are both Iron Maiden fans. She grew up in Quebec City, I grew up in Montreal, and we both went to Iron Maiden concerts as teenagers. She needed a character who could inspire her protagonist and help guide her. She thought Bruce Dickinson would be perfect. We knew he speaks both French and English, and I told her, “You’re Catherine LePage, we’re the NFB, I think he’ll say yes.” Bruce is a very curious artist. You can see that throughout his creative career. I felt he would be interested in Catherine’s artistic voice.

Through a series of connections, I eventually reached his agent, Dave Shack. We sent a creative package, including a personal letter from Katerine. She told him about attending an Iron Maiden concert in Quebec City and referenced something he’d said in a documentary: that when he’s on stage, he wants to reach the shy person all the way at the back of the stadium. She wrote that she had been that person, and that he would be the perfect character to help her animated counterpart develop confidence.

It became a passion project for him. The Iron Maiden team was incredible. Even though it was a small project for them, they were extremely supportive. Bruce was touring Canada two years ago, and we were able to record his voice in Quebec City. He also has a solo career and has written motivational books. I knew the themes of the film would connect with his interests.

DEADLINE: How long has the relationship with the NFB and Annecy been going?

NOËL: The NFB has been participating in Annecy almost since the festival’s earliest years. I’ve been with the NFB for 25 years, and when I worked on the Norman McLaren box set, I spent time researching archival material. I found photographs of Norman McLaren, Robert Verrall and other international filmmakers attending Annecy in the 1950s. The NFB and Annecy have really evolved together over the decades.

DEADLINE: What’s next for NFB? 

NOËL: At Annecy, we’ll be showcasing a work-in-progress feature called The Shiatsung Project, a co-production with Montreal-based company Embuscade. It’s the first feature from two young women filmmakers and is based on a graphic novel. This project represents something new for the NFB. Traditionally, we’ve focused on producing and distributing animated shorts because we’re one of the few cultural institutions in Canada supporting that format. As audiences continue asking for more animation, we’ve begun expanding into longer formats, including feature films.

We’re also producing a 30-minute Christmas special with two-time Oscar nominee Cordell Barker, best known for The Cat Came Back. We have a Canadian broadcaster attached and are currently looking at additional distribution opportunities. Annecy remains the central hub of the animation world. It’s where we connect with producers, artists and filmmakers from around the globe. The animation community is incredibly close-knit, and it’s always inspiring to reconnect with colleagues and discover new work.

An 11-year-old Dexter Sol Ansell is peering into his Zoom camera, hands pressed to his cheeks and mouth wide open in mock shock.

The young British star is, for The Hollywood Reporter‘s benefit, re-enacting his run-in with comedy legend Steve Carell at HBO Max’s U.K. launch party a couple of months ago. “I go around, I’m just saying hi to people, and people are saying hi. And then I walk around this corner, and there’s just Steve Carell on a chair.” (Cue aforementioned recreation of starstruck-ness.)

“I was like, ‘Should I say hi or should I not? I don’t know what to do!’ and Mummy went, ‘Oh, go on, just say hi,’” he explains. “So I creeped over, and then I went, ‘Hi,’ and he went, ‘Omg! I love you! You’re amazing!’ Steve Carell knows who I am? That was crazy.”

Crazy is an apt descriptor for what this kid’s life has looked like since his first audition (for U.K. soap Emmerdale, of all things) at age four. He has continued to impress in every project since, such as The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, where he played a young Coriolanus Snow, and later, in 2024’s mystery-horror The Moor.

But no one could have prepared themselves for the sheer talent — and striking maturity — with which Ansell co-led season one of Ira Parker’s triumphant Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. As the mischievous squire Egg (who would go on to reveal his true identity as Prince Aegon Targaryen), a smooth-headed Ansell shot to stardom upon its January release on HBO. Rave reviews ensued for him, Peter Claffey (as Ser Duncan the Tall), and the entire show. It was pegged as a light-hearted departure from the doom and gloom of Thrones and House of the Dragon, and the verdict was pretty unanimous: it worked.

The season two shoot is already underway in Ireland, where Ansell is calling from. His head is freshly shaved and that same cheeky, yet surprisingly eloquent Egg-ness immediately comes through over our half-hour interview. Ansell’s mother, Debbie, sits just off-camera. She’s on hand for when the actor can’t quite conjure up particular details from his booming career (which of course he can’t help — he was four when this all began, remember?)

But the last six months are clear as day for Ansell, who has just been named IMDb’s youngest-ever STARmeter Award recipient. He’s still reeling from the premieres, the parties and, he tells THR, a recently-made WhatsApp gif of his character, which his friends are “spamming” their group chats with.

His depiction of Dunk’s tenacious sidekick received George R. R. Martin’s approval early on in the process (Seven Kingdoms is based on Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas). He recalls meeting the fantasy legend: “He’s very happy. He didn’t give me any advice. He said, ‘You look and sound like you just jumped out of the books.’ That was fun.” Ansell adds about the graphic novel adaptations of Dunk and Egg: “If you actually look at the drawings, which were drawn, like, five years before I was born — they could have made it then, but they didn’t. They waited for me,” he teases, putting two hands under his chin and looking up like a cherub in a Renaissance painting. “But those drawings of Egg look exactly like me.”

Ansell finds he has a lot in common with the character personality-wise, too. “He has lots of humor, and he’s very funny, like me. I can be quite funny sometimes.” THR can concur. Though playing Egg also came with some hurdles: “There were some really hard moments where I had to juggle being a Targaryen and being just a stable boy, and if you watch season one, you can see the little moments where I’m juggling Targaryen-ness and squire-ness. That was a lot of hard work [I put] into that.”

He’s truly putting his own spin on Egg, given that he can’t pull much inspiration from Game of Thrones — very much an adult watch — and has only seen clips of House of the Dragon (mostly the ones where dragons feature, though he did catch the recent, epic Battle of the Gullet). It does help, however, that he’s acquired a true friend in Claffey. In fact, this is what Ansell describes as the highlight of his Seven Kingdoms journey so far. “[The best part is] probably hanging out with Peter. A few weeks ago, he came to my house, and we had a weekend when the national horse race stuff [the U.K.’s Grand National] was on… He’s a really good singer,” he says when we ask what audiences might be surprised to find out about Claffey, “and he plays the guitar really well. We can both sing, so we should write some songs and make an album,” he declares. “Call it Double Trouble!”

Naturally, we’re keen to find out what we can about the second instalment of Seven Kingdoms, but this young actor is already an absolute pro. “I’m having a lot of fun, but if you really want to know more, there is a book!” is his diplomatic response. He emphasizes again: “There’s a book, and if you want to know more, just read it.”

The purpose of our call isn’t actually to discuss A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, though it comes up almost immediately in the context of Ansell’s endlessly impressive year. Out in U.K. cinemas on Friday, June 26 is 500 Miles, a feature film adaptation of Mark Lowery’s novel Charlie and Me by Malcolm Campbell, directed by Morgan Matthews. “I really wanted to do a good feature film — a good independent film,” says Ansell. “So I was like, ‘This is great. I love the story, I loved the character I was playing, so I thought, ‘Let’s do it.’”

In this heart-wrenching blend of British and Irish cinema, Ansell plays a young boy named Charlie. With his older brother Finn (Jojo Rabbit‘s Roman Griffin Davis), the siblings embark on the 500-mile journey from Sheffield to the west coast of Ireland to visit their estranged grandfather John (Bill Nighy), in the hope he can knit their broken family back together. It must have been a no-brainer for the casting directors — and Debbie, who reads the scripts before passing them on to her son — when Ansell’s audition tape came through; he and Charlie are similarly spirited, sassy, and light up a room.

“It was a lot of ad-libbing, actually,” says Ansell. “Obviously, the scripts are there, but they all let us throw in some words now and then, and I like that. But Charlie is fun, he is very cheeky, he wants to get his own way, but he’s also not aware of everything. I wouldn’t say he’s very intelligent at times.”

Unsurprisingly, the ad-libbing didn’t throw him at all. Ansell relished it, though at just 11, each set continues to be a real learning experience. “Every day you learn more, no matter who you are, you can always learn more, and every single day working with Peter [Claffey] and Bill Nighy and Maisie Williams and all these amazing people, it’s a great experience,” he says. “People are such great actors, and they teach you stuff, and then everyone bounces off of each other.”

He admits he didn’t know much about legendary British actor Nighy before signing on, but he’s firmly on that train now: “I knew he was massive. I was like, ‘Oh, he sounds great, let’s see.’ And then I was like, ‘Okay, wow, he’s amazing.’ In the middle of [the shoot] when we’re resting, he all of a sudden does a speech about life, and it’s amazing.” Did Nighy happen to offer the young talent any advice? “He said, ‘Pay your taxes, don’t smoke, don’t do any of that bad stuff.’ And obviously, I wouldn’t do that anyway, but it was so nice for someone else to say that,” beams Ansell.

It was also something of a Thrones universe crossover with Williams, best known as Stark sibling Arya in Game of Thrones, who plays a young Irish busker the boys pick up on their way to their grandfather’s. “We talked a bit [about the franchise],” says Ansell. “And it was very fun to say, ‘Oh, we want a dragon.’ But we didn’t talk too much about that. It was mainly about 500 Miles.”

Beyond 500 Miles? Ansell is shooting for the stars. He lists Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks and “the king of comedy” Jim Carrey as his top three favorite actors, and is desperate to work with Steven Spielberg one day (he’s seen Disclosure Day, and loved it). But with Carell and the cast of Ansell’s favorite show, Stranger Things, already ticked off, he’s keen to keep juggling as much as he can. “What I’d love to do is five [seasons of Seven Kingdoms], and then in between each one, do a feature film,” he tells THR.

With the combination of ambition and talent that Ansell possesses, it’s hard to imagine this kid is destined for anything other than greatness. Right now, the wise-beyond-his-years actor is just hoping 500 Miles has the profound impact on its audiences that it’s intending to: “I hope they see [that] whatever happens in your life, your family is always there to protect you. Your family is always family, and you’ve got to keep close to all of them. Be kind to them. If you’re bickering with your siblings, no matter what, you’ve always got to keep them close.”

EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Goldhaber’s latest feature, Faces Of Death, starring Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria) and Charli xcx, has been picked up for the UK and Ireland by Signature Entertainment and will receive its UK premiere at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF).

Faces Of Death will be the closing title of Edinburgh’s Midnight Madness strand. 

The film, a reimagining of John Alan Schwartz’s 1978 film, follows a website content moderator (Ferreira) who becomes obsessed with a series of disturbing videos that seem to recreate scenes from the iconic Faces of Death film series. 

The film also stars Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things), Josie Totah (The Buccaneers), Aaron Holliday, and Jermaine Fowler (Sorry to Bother You).

Goldhaber directed from a screenplay that he co-wrote with Isa Mazzei (Cam). The film was produced by Greg Gilreath (Heart Eyes), Adam Hendricks (Heart Eyes), Susan Montford (Shoot ‘Em Up), and Don Murphy (Transformers: The Last Knight). Executive producers are Rick Benattar (Bullet Head), Derek Bishé, and Isa Mazzei.

“We were hooked from the start by this bold and highly commercial take on the beloved gore-filled cult classic,” Signature’s Senior Acquisitions Manager Katie Wilkinson-Javes said in a statement. 

“Led by a talented young cast who bring fresh energy to the franchise, the film delivers everything fans could want while introducing it to a new generation. We’re proud to launch at EIFF and then to bring the film to audiences across the UK and Ireland.”

Recent EIFF Midnight Madness titles include Alien: Romulus, The Substance, The Toxic Avenger, and Ben Wheatley’s Bulk. Chee Keong Cheung’s action thriller Bad Day at the Office will open the strand this year. 

“Midnight Madness is all about bold voices, movies that take risks, and filmmakers who embrace provocation,” EIFF CEO and Festival Director, Paul Ridd, said in a statement. 

“It is perfect that we close off this year’s selection with such a stylish and ingenious movie from director Daniel Goldhaber and co-screenwriter Isa Mazzei. These two have quietly been making some of the most exciting, edgiest movies of the past decade, and with Faces of Death, they have crafted a reboot that is fresh, modern, and full of ideas. It is also a total blast to watch with an audience. We are thrilled.”  

EIFF 2026 will run from 13 – 19 August. 

Fresh off an Academy Award win earlier this year for the stop-motion short The Girl Who Cried Pearls, the National Film Board of Canada returned to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival with another distinctly personal animated story. This time, however, the celebrated Canadian studio traded the aesthetics of fairy tales for those of heavy metal.

Written, directed and animated by Catherine LePage, Ultra Strong transforms the universal highs and lows of young love into a surreal, visually inventive coming-of-age journey. Inspired by LePage’s own experiences and drawing from the world of her graphic novels, the short follows a young woman searching for confidence in all the wrong places before discovering that true strength comes from within. Along the way, LePage fills the film with imaginative emotional landmarks from the Island of the Flakes to the Kind Heart Outlet and whimsical visual metaphors, including a wobbling mound of Jell-O that becomes an unlikely symbol of resilience.

Adding another unexpected layer is Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson, who lends his voice to the film after LePage and producer Christine Noël successfully convinced the rock icon to join what became a passion project. Far from a celebrity cameo, Dickinson serves as a larger-than-life guide whose infectious energy helps propel the heroine and reflects the confidence LePage herself hoped to capture through the story.

Here, Deadline spoke with LePage and Noël about turning personal experiences into animation, finding vulnerability through visual metaphor, bringing Dickinson into the fold and why Ultra Strong‘s message of self-worth and empowerment feels especially timely.

CATHERINE LEPAGE, DIRECTOR

DEADLINE: How did this idea come to you? 

CATHERINE LEPAGE: It’s mostly based on my own experience, but I did add to it and make things bigger. It’s all based on personal experience.

DEADLINE: What was the tone or message you were trying to get across in this short? I love the idea of this map with the Island of the Flakes, the boring guys, and all of that. Then she ignores the Kind Heart Outlet.

LEPAGE: At first, I had a lot of things I wanted to put in the film, and it was hard for me to find one phrase or sentence to explain it because there is so much in it. I’m still having a hard time doing that. I think the main topic is trying to find your inner strength instead of trying to find it in others. Trying to rely on others for your security, both physical and emotional. Find that within yourself before searching for someone else.

DEADLINE: Was it difficult to mine those ideas and put them on the page?

LEPAGE: This project is special because it’s based on two books. The first was published in 2020, and I was working on the second when I started thinking about the film. I knew I wanted to take elements from both books, but there was so much material. It was hard to find the spine of the film. It took me a long time to put words to the feelings I had. I knew I wanted certain scenes and anecdotes, but I didn’t know why. I was putting together the pieces and trying to figure out what the film was really about. It came through the process of working on it.

DEADLINE: I want to talk about some of the motifs. You have this food tower. Is it a sundae or a bowl of Jell-O?

LEPAGE: It’s Jell-O.

DEADLINE: Can you talk about that and the construction of the food tower?

LEPAGE: I love finding visual metaphors to express feelings. I was trying to find a strong way to show that what you’re doing isn’t good for you or goes against your own nature. I came up with the idea of a sweet dessert topped with salt-and-vinegar chips and mustard—something that’s obviously wrong. For me, it was a strong way to show that maybe you’re going in the wrong direction. It’s clearly not the right choice, but you do it anyway. At first, the Jell-O was also a way to express vulnerability, indecision and hesitation. What’s funny is that when everything falls apart, the Jell-O is the strongest thing because it can handle the earthquake. It shakes but remains intact. I don’t think people will necessarily get that when they see the film, but for me it was saying, “Look, your true nature works. You won’t fall apart.”

DEADLINE: Life is going to shake you up a little bit, but you can get through it.

LEPAGE: Exactly.

DEADLINE: There’s a reference to Iron Maiden that’s the background of this short. And then to learn that you got Bruce Dickinson. Talk about that. 

LEPAGE: I went through a heavy-metal phase when I was a teenager. I saw Iron Maiden live when I was 15, and the energy was absolutely amazing. A few years ago, I watched a documentary about heavy metal, and Bruce Dickinson said that when he performs, he wants every person in the room to feel like he’s talking to them personally. I thought, “Wow, what a performer.” He’s like a superhero, even with the tights and everything.

When I was trying to find the film, I knew I needed something to take Catherine out of her comfort zone. I was searching for the trigger that would push her beyond her usual boundaries. The idea came to me while I was running and listening to an Iron Maiden song. I always said I needed “the Bruce energy.” He’s like a coach. When he’s on stage, he wants to reach every fan. I also knew Christine [Noël] had gone through an Iron Maiden phase as a teenager, so I thought she’d love the idea which isn’t obvious. A lot of producers would have said, “No, that’s too complicated.” But she was the perfect partner for it.

DEADLINE: What would you like audiences to take away from this short film?

LEPAGE: Accept your vulnerability. For me, one important idea is that strength and vulnerability can go together. It’s not one or the other. Vulnerability doesn’t mean weakness. You can be strong and vulnerable at the same time. It’s funny because that wasn’t the main subject when I started the project, but now, with all the hyper-masculinity online and people saying men have to be strong and women should stay at home, it feels more relevant. It added a stronger feminist side to the film. I think it was always there, but now it’s more important than ever to tell girls that they can expect love in their lives and find a partner. But they shouldn’t expect that partner to solve everything or provide everything. Find your own strength first. Then you can love and be with whoever you want, while still respecting yourself.

CHRISTINE NOËL, PRODUCER

DEADLINE: How did Ultra Strong come to you? 

NOËL: I’ve known Catherine for many years. I knew her work because she’s a graphic novelist. The National Film Board had previously made a film with her called The Great Malaise. At the time, I was head of the marketing department specializing in animation, and I really liked her signature style. Catherine has a way of taking personal experiences and expressing universal questions about being human, developing yourself, being yourself and taking control of your life. She had created two graphic novels. We actually grew up during the same era, so I related to the clothes, the questions and the way we behaved as teenagers.

When Catherine approached us with another project, I told her, “You need to bring this story to life.” She decided not to directly adapt the books but instead draw inspiration from the universe of both works. The film is really about how women are often taught to rely on someone else—a prince charming, a man—to solve their problems, when in reality they can take matters into their own hands. Sometimes vulnerability can be your greatest strength. I thought it was a positive message for young women, but also for young men.

DEADLINE: How did you bring Bruce Dickinson into this?

NOËL: Catherine and I are both Iron Maiden fans. She grew up in Quebec City, I grew up in Montreal, and we both went to Iron Maiden concerts as teenagers. She needed a character who could inspire her protagonist and help guide her. She thought Bruce Dickinson would be perfect. We knew he speaks both French and English, and I told her, “You’re Catherine LePage, we’re the NFB, I think he’ll say yes.” Bruce is a very curious artist. You can see that throughout his creative career. I felt he would be interested in Catherine’s artistic voice.

Through a series of connections, I eventually reached his agent, Dave Shack. We sent a creative package, including a personal letter from Katerine. She told him about attending an Iron Maiden concert in Quebec City and referenced something he’d said in a documentary: that when he’s on stage, he wants to reach the shy person all the way at the back of the stadium. She wrote that she had been that person, and that he would be the perfect character to help her animated counterpart develop confidence.

It became a passion project for him. The Iron Maiden team was incredible. Even though it was a small project for them, they were extremely supportive. Bruce was touring Canada two years ago, and we were able to record his voice in Quebec City. He also has a solo career and has written motivational books. I knew the themes of the film would connect with his interests.

DEADLINE: How long has the relationship with the NFB and Annecy been going?

NOËL: The NFB has been participating in Annecy almost since the festival’s earliest years. I’ve been with the NFB for 25 years, and when I worked on the Norman McLaren box set, I spent time researching archival material. I found photographs of Norman McLaren, Robert Verrall and other international filmmakers attending Annecy in the 1950s. The NFB and Annecy have really evolved together over the decades.

DEADLINE: What’s next for NFB? 

NOËL: At Annecy, we’ll be showcasing a work-in-progress feature called The Shiatsung Project, a co-production with Montreal-based company Embuscade. It’s the first feature from two young women filmmakers and is based on a graphic novel. This project represents something new for the NFB. Traditionally, we’ve focused on producing and distributing animated shorts because we’re one of the few cultural institutions in Canada supporting that format. As audiences continue asking for more animation, we’ve begun expanding into longer formats, including feature films.

We’re also producing a 30-minute Christmas special with two-time Oscar nominee Cordell Barker, best known for The Cat Came Back. We have a Canadian broadcaster attached and are currently looking at additional distribution opportunities. Annecy remains the central hub of the animation world. It’s where we connect with producers, artists and filmmakers from around the globe. The animation community is incredibly close-knit, and it’s always inspiring to reconnect with colleagues and discover new work.

An 11-year-old Dexter Sol Ansell is peering into his Zoom camera, hands pressed to his cheeks and mouth wide open in mock shock.

The young British star is, for The Hollywood Reporter‘s benefit, re-enacting his run-in with comedy legend Steve Carell at HBO Max’s U.K. launch party a couple of months ago. “I go around, I’m just saying hi to people, and people are saying hi. And then I walk around this corner, and there’s just Steve Carell on a chair.” (Cue aforementioned recreation of starstruck-ness.)

“I was like, ‘Should I say hi or should I not? I don’t know what to do!’ and Mummy went, ‘Oh, go on, just say hi,’” he explains. “So I creeped over, and then I went, ‘Hi,’ and he went, ‘Omg! I love you! You’re amazing!’ Steve Carell knows who I am? That was crazy.”

Crazy is an apt descriptor for what this kid’s life has looked like since his first audition (for U.K. soap Emmerdale, of all things) at age four. He has continued to impress in every project since, such as The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, where he played a young Coriolanus Snow, and later, in 2024’s mystery-horror The Moor.

But no one could have prepared themselves for the sheer talent — and striking maturity — with which Ansell co-led season one of Ira Parker’s triumphant Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. As the mischievous squire Egg (who would go on to reveal his true identity as Prince Aegon Targaryen), a smooth-headed Ansell shot to stardom upon its January release on HBO. Rave reviews ensued for him, Peter Claffey (as Ser Duncan the Tall), and the entire show. It was pegged as a light-hearted departure from the doom and gloom of Thrones and House of the Dragon, and the verdict was pretty unanimous: it worked.

The season two shoot is already underway in Ireland, where Ansell is calling from. His head is freshly shaved and that same cheeky, yet surprisingly eloquent Egg-ness immediately comes through over our half-hour interview. Ansell’s mother, Debbie, sits just off-camera. She’s on hand for when the actor can’t quite conjure up particular details from his booming career (which of course he can’t help — he was four when this all began, remember?)

But the last six months are clear as day for Ansell, who has just been named IMDb’s youngest-ever STARmeter Award recipient. He’s still reeling from the premieres, the parties and, he tells THR, a recently-made WhatsApp gif of his character, which his friends are “spamming” their group chats with.

His depiction of Dunk’s tenacious sidekick received George R. R. Martin’s approval early on in the process (Seven Kingdoms is based on Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas). He recalls meeting the fantasy legend: “He’s very happy. He didn’t give me any advice. He said, ‘You look and sound like you just jumped out of the books.’ That was fun.” Ansell adds about the graphic novel adaptations of Dunk and Egg: “If you actually look at the drawings, which were drawn, like, five years before I was born — they could have made it then, but they didn’t. They waited for me,” he teases, putting two hands under his chin and looking up like a cherub in a Renaissance painting. “But those drawings of Egg look exactly like me.”

Ansell finds he has a lot in common with the character personality-wise, too. “He has lots of humor, and he’s very funny, like me. I can be quite funny sometimes.” THR can concur. Though playing Egg also came with some hurdles: “There were some really hard moments where I had to juggle being a Targaryen and being just a stable boy, and if you watch season one, you can see the little moments where I’m juggling Targaryen-ness and squire-ness. That was a lot of hard work [I put] into that.”

He’s truly putting his own spin on Egg, given that he can’t pull much inspiration from Game of Thrones — very much an adult watch — and has only seen clips of House of the Dragon (mostly the ones where dragons feature, though he did catch the recent, epic Battle of the Gullet). It does help, however, that he’s acquired a true friend in Claffey. In fact, this is what Ansell describes as the highlight of his Seven Kingdoms journey so far. “[The best part is] probably hanging out with Peter. A few weeks ago, he came to my house, and we had a weekend when the national horse race stuff [the U.K.’s Grand National] was on… He’s a really good singer,” he says when we ask what audiences might be surprised to find out about Claffey, “and he plays the guitar really well. We can both sing, so we should write some songs and make an album,” he declares. “Call it Double Trouble!”

Naturally, we’re keen to find out what we can about the second instalment of Seven Kingdoms, but this young actor is already an absolute pro. “I’m having a lot of fun, but if you really want to know more, there is a book!” is his diplomatic response. He emphasizes again: “There’s a book, and if you want to know more, just read it.”

The purpose of our call isn’t actually to discuss A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, though it comes up almost immediately in the context of Ansell’s endlessly impressive year. Out in U.K. cinemas on Friday, June 26 is 500 Miles, a feature film adaptation of Mark Lowery’s novel Charlie and Me by Malcolm Campbell, directed by Morgan Matthews. “I really wanted to do a good feature film — a good independent film,” says Ansell. “So I was like, ‘This is great. I love the story, I loved the character I was playing, so I thought, ‘Let’s do it.’”

In this heart-wrenching blend of British and Irish cinema, Ansell plays a young boy named Charlie. With his older brother Finn (Jojo Rabbit‘s Roman Griffin Davis), the siblings embark on the 500-mile journey from Sheffield to the west coast of Ireland to visit their estranged grandfather John (Bill Nighy), in the hope he can knit their broken family back together. It must have been a no-brainer for the casting directors — and Debbie, who reads the scripts before passing them on to her son — when Ansell’s audition tape came through; he and Charlie are similarly spirited, sassy, and light up a room.

“It was a lot of ad-libbing, actually,” says Ansell. “Obviously, the scripts are there, but they all let us throw in some words now and then, and I like that. But Charlie is fun, he is very cheeky, he wants to get his own way, but he’s also not aware of everything. I wouldn’t say he’s very intelligent at times.”

Unsurprisingly, the ad-libbing didn’t throw him at all. Ansell relished it, though at just 11, each set continues to be a real learning experience. “Every day you learn more, no matter who you are, you can always learn more, and every single day working with Peter [Claffey] and Bill Nighy and Maisie Williams and all these amazing people, it’s a great experience,” he says. “People are such great actors, and they teach you stuff, and then everyone bounces off of each other.”

He admits he didn’t know much about legendary British actor Nighy before signing on, but he’s firmly on that train now: “I knew he was massive. I was like, ‘Oh, he sounds great, let’s see.’ And then I was like, ‘Okay, wow, he’s amazing.’ In the middle of [the shoot] when we’re resting, he all of a sudden does a speech about life, and it’s amazing.” Did Nighy happen to offer the young talent any advice? “He said, ‘Pay your taxes, don’t smoke, don’t do any of that bad stuff.’ And obviously, I wouldn’t do that anyway, but it was so nice for someone else to say that,” beams Ansell.

It was also something of a Thrones universe crossover with Williams, best known as Stark sibling Arya in Game of Thrones, who plays a young Irish busker the boys pick up on their way to their grandfather’s. “We talked a bit [about the franchise],” says Ansell. “And it was very fun to say, ‘Oh, we want a dragon.’ But we didn’t talk too much about that. It was mainly about 500 Miles.”

Beyond 500 Miles? Ansell is shooting for the stars. He lists Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks and “the king of comedy” Jim Carrey as his top three favorite actors, and is desperate to work with Steven Spielberg one day (he’s seen Disclosure Day, and loved it). But with Carell and the cast of Ansell’s favorite show, Stranger Things, already ticked off, he’s keen to keep juggling as much as he can. “What I’d love to do is five [seasons of Seven Kingdoms], and then in between each one, do a feature film,” he tells THR.

With the combination of ambition and talent that Ansell possesses, it’s hard to imagine this kid is destined for anything other than greatness. Right now, the wise-beyond-his-years actor is just hoping 500 Miles has the profound impact on its audiences that it’s intending to: “I hope they see [that] whatever happens in your life, your family is always there to protect you. Your family is always family, and you’ve got to keep close to all of them. Be kind to them. If you’re bickering with your siblings, no matter what, you’ve always got to keep them close.”