A film produced by Tara Dean, a trainee solicitor at City firm Bates Wells & Braithwaite, won a host of awards at New York's prestigious First Run Film Festival last week. 'A Higher Agency', which stars Sir Anthony Sher (pictured) and Jack Davenport, won best film as well as directing and screenwriting honours. Previous winners of the best film award include Ang Lee, director of Oscar-winning 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. In the film, an unsuccessful screenwriter - now washing dishes in a high street Italian restaurant - sees his latest unsolicited script picked up by literary agents and wants to quit his job. But the psychotic chef, the restaurant's humourless managers, and its flirtatious waitress are not about to let him leave. Ms Dean will join Bates Wells' film department on qualification in September 2005, specialising in advising up-and-coming British film-making talent. Since 2002, she has secured finance for more than ten films. A decision has yet to be made at which UK film festivals 'A Higher Agency' will be screened.

Link: www.ahigheragency.com