LONDON, Oct 16 — British filmmaker Mike Leigh said he wished he could make “another hundred films” but fears ill health may prevent him from continuing, as he attended the London premiere of his award-winning latest work on Thursday.
Leigh, 83, has myositis, an autoimmune disease that affects the muscles, and now uses a walking stick.
“It’s only because I have a medical condition that makes it difficult to do stuff, but otherwise I’d love to make a hundred more films,” he told AFP on the red carpet at the London Film Festival ahead of the screening of Tender Loving Care.
“But it may not be possible, just from a practical point of view.”
Leigh won the top prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival last month for the drama about social workers supporting vulnerable people, which is expected to be his final feature film.
He previously won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1996 for Secrets and Lies and at the Venice Film Festival in 2004 for Vera Drake.
Actress Alice Bailey Johnson, one of the stars of his latest film, said she was “heartbroken” at the prospect that it could be the socially engaged filmmaker’s final work.
“But if it is, then I can’t express how honoured I feel to be part of it,” she told AFP before the screening.
“It’s just a wonderful moment, and I will treasure it forever.” — AFP
