Apple Corps Ltd. and WingNut Films Ltd. Announce New Beatles Film

APPLE Corps Ltd. and WingNut Films Ltd. are proud to announce an exciting new collaboration between The Beatles and the acclaimed Academy Award winning Director Sir Peter Jackson. The new film will be based around 55 hours of never released footage of The Beatles in the studio, shot between 2 January and 31 January 1969. These studio sessions produced The Beatles' Grammy Award winning album Let It Be, with its Academy Award winning title song. The album was eventually released 18 months later in May 1970, several months after the band had broken up. The filming was originally intended for a planned TV special, but organically turned into something completely different, climaxing with The Beatles' Legendary performance on the roof of Apple's Savile Row London office; which took place exactly 50 years ago last week. Peter Jackson said:- "The 55 hours of never before seen footage and 140 hours of audio made available to us, ensures this movie will be the ultimate 'fly on the wall' experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about; it's like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these 4 friends make great music together."

Although The Beatles were filmed extensively during the 1960's; in concerts, interviews and movies - this is the only footage of any note that documents them at work in the studio   The Let It Be album and movie, having been released in the months following The Beatles' breakup, have often been viewed in the context of the struggle the band was going through at that time.  Jackson continues:- "I was relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth. After reviewing all the footage and audio that Michael Lindsay-Hogg shot 18 months before they broke up, it's simply an amazing historical treasure trove. Sure, there's moments of drama; but none of the discord this project has long been associated with. Watching John, Paul, George, and Ringo work together, creating now classic songs from scratch, is not only fascinating; it's funny, uplifting and surprisingly intimate.  I'm thrilled and honoured to have been entrusted with this remarkable footage; making the movie will be a sheer joy."

Jackson will be working with his:- 'They Shall Not Grow Old' partners, Producer Clare Olssen and Editor Jabez Olssen. The footage will be restored by:- Park Road Post of Wellington, New Zealand, to a pristine standard, using techniques developed for the WW1 documentary film, which has been nominated for a BAFTA for best documentary. The untitled film is currently in production and the release date will be announced in due course. This film is being made with the full co-operation of Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon, and Olivia Harrison. The Executive Producers are Ken Kamins for WingNut Films and Jeff Jones and Jonathan Clyde for Apple Corps. Following the release of this new film, a restored version of the original:- 'Let It Be' movie, that was Directed by Michael Lindsay Hogg, will also be made available.

Liverpool City Region Unveils Winning Design of New Borough of Culture Logo

THE winner of a competition to design the official logo for Liverpool City Region's Borough of Culture initiative has been revealed as Leigh D'Arcy. The competition to design a logo or image to represent the Borough of Culture was launched late in 2018, as an indication of the aspiration to widen participation as much as possible. With this aim the competition was open to anyone over the age of 18 living in the Liverpool City Region.

26 year old Leigh D'Arcy is a graphic designer from Wirral who entered the competition individually. Her winning submission, incorporating a map of the winning Borough means she will now receive a prize of ₤800 and her logo will go forward to be developed into the Borough of Culture official brand.  Leigh said:- "It was lovely to get the call to say that my design has been chosen to be developed into the fully developed brand for the Borough of Culture award. I can't wait to see it splashed across Wirral for the next year and to see how it will be used by each borough throughout their host year."

Wirral holds 2019's Borough of Culture title, which is awarded annually on a rotational basis to 1 of the 6 local authorities that make up the City Region, as part of the Combined Authority's 1% for Culture programme. This means that Liverpool City Region currently uses the equivalent of 1% of its ₤30 million annual devolution funding on utilising many of the Region's existing assets and talent to stimulate cultural and creative opportunities. The Combined Authority will now commission a creative agency to develop a full brand and guidelines for use of the logo via a competitive procurement process.

The competition was judged by Chair of the Liverpool City Region Cultural Partnership, Phil Redmond, along with a panel including Executive Editor of the Liverpool Echo, Alastair Machray, Professor Caroline Wilkinson Director of Liverpool School of Art and Design and Sculptor Emma Rodgers.  Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region said:- "We created the Borough of Culture award in 2018 with St Helens being the 1st local authority to hold the title. The aim is to encourage cultural activities across the whole City Region and I'm looking forward to seeing the events that Wirral has on offer over the next year. As the 1st Combined Authority to have powers over culture in our devolution deal, I believe the percentage of funding set aside for culture can have a massive impact across the Liverpool City Region as a whole."

Phil Redmond, the Chair of the Liverpool City Region Cultural Partnership and member of the judging Panel said:- "We want to stimulate new cultural and creative thinking through the Borough of Culture programme, whether that is by encouraging new talent or helping to nurture emerging talent, which I think we have done with this decision. Each year we will shine the cultural spotlight on 1 Borough and look for opportunities such as this to encourage as many people as possible to get involved."

Sculptor Emma Rodgers who was 1 of the judges on the panel said:- "We received entries from teenagers to individuals in their mid-70s and the judges were impressed with the high standard of quality and thought put into all of the entries and of course with Leigh's winning design. We hope the final brand will help us to inspire and make more people aware of the fantastic cultural and creative opportunities on offer across the Liverpool City Region."

Wirral will host an extraordinary line up of cultural and sporting events in 2019. Many exciting events and projects have already been unveiled, with more big announcements still to come. Throughout the year, expect to see major events in unexpected locations around the borough, based on the themes of discovery, exploration and the great outdoors.

Phil Davies Leader of Wirral Council, and Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Inclusive Growth, Economic Development, Digital and Innovation said:- "We are thrilled to be Borough of Culture for 2019. Wirral is a fantastic place; we have a vibrant creative community and so much to offer every visitor. I know our incredible programme of events will attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to come and see for themselves. I am also delighted the winner of the logo competition is based here, which is a fantastic start to what will be an unprecedented year of cultural and sporting events for our borough."

Wirral's 1st major event will be Animated Square in March, with more information about this event due to be announced soon. Other highlights revealed so far include:- a spellbinding outdoor spectacle in conjunction with Absolutely Cultured and Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019; an exhibition about Wirral's contribution to maritime exploration; a summer of art in parks and urban spaces, and a series of events linked to the moon and stars, along with returning favourites the Mersey River Festival and River of Light.