UK actors Kevin Bishop, Juliet Stevenson, Paul Rhys and Allan Corduner have signed on to star in Spanish director Ventura Pons' English-language debut, Food Of Love, for start-up company 42nd Street Productions.

Other actors had been attached initially, but finally it will be Bishop (Treasure Island) who takes the lead role of Paul, a musical student who embarks on a gay love affair with a concert pianist (Rhys) despite the latter's long-term relationship with his agent (Corduner). The failed affair helps Paul forge a deeper relationship with his mother (Stevenson), a middle-aged woman coming into her own.

The film will shoot in Barcelona, San Francisco and New York from July 30 to September 26 on a budget of $2.2m (pts 425m). Germany's FFP Entertainment signed on at Cannes to co-produce and handle German rights. The project also has backing from Eurimages and Spanish broadcasters Via Digital, TVE and TV3. Food Of Love will be the third film out of newcomer 42nd Street, which is headed by Thomas Spieker and backed by German facilities giant Das Werk. Spieker recently hired Monika Ganzenmuller to head international sales and marketing for the company.

Topics