Which of the following movies has a connection to ‘Etienne!’?
a) Outlander b) Art School Confidential c) Tristan & Isolde

The winner will be picked early Monday morning so your answer needs to be in by Sunday, April 17, 2011.

“Etienne!” tells the story of Richard who takes his beloved friend, a dwarf hamster named Etienne, on a bicycle road trip after he learns that his pocket pet is sick and has only a few days to live.

Director Jeff Mizushima created a movie that he calls “a film about the little things in life.” It’s produced by Giacun Caduff who met Sophia in 2004 while being her assistant on the set of “Art School Confidential“. They have since remained friends and Sophia taking part in his film was to help Giacun’s career as an up-and-coming producer. And here’s another interesting tidbit for you: while Giacun was Sophia’s assistant he was the person who actually first contacted me on Sophia’s behalf – and us both being Swiss is really one of those funny coincidences in life.

In the spring of 2008, when the Etienne! film team was on their way to San Francisco to record a few pick-up shots, Sophia phoned Giacun with the good news that she’d act in a short scene that they had talked about adding to the hamster film. He and Jeff drove their van on a detour up the Hollywood Hills and, equipped with a 16mm camera, Sophia’s scene was filmed at Lake Hollywood Park. It features hamster Etienne, lead-actor Richard Vallejos and Sophia who is credited in the movie ‘as herself’. For more about the film, visit: http://www.hamstermovie.com or the Official Facebook Page.

I myself had the fortune of seeing a special advance screening of this heartwarming movie in May 2009 and can definitely recommend it! Can you make it to Zürich, Switzerland this Friday? I have 1 pair of tickets to give away for the premiere that takes place at the Arthouse Movie cinema on December 10, 2010 at 10pm. To participate, send an email to mia [at] sophiamyles.org or fill out this contact form. Tickets have to be picked up at the theatre by December 9 – 10:30pm the latest.

“Etienne!” won the “Director to Watch” Award when first screened at CineVegas Film Festival back in 2009 and went on to become a critics darling and audience favorite at numerous other fests. It’ll be out on VOD and DVD in the US shortly. Switzerland is blessed with a theatrical run at Arthouse Movie in Zürich.

Watch the trailer

According to the Outlander fansite it is as of yet unclear when the movie will be released on BluRay in the US. However, it’s stil scheduled to be released on DVD & BluRay May 26th in Canada. A free DVD can be won on a contest over at EyeWeekly.com

Someone uploaded a hiliarious imitation of the UK Trailer to YouTube. It’s a shot by shot re-make with action figures such as He-Man, Thundercats, Star Wars and more. Definitely a must see!

Outtakes from reviews (added to the Outlander page):

But it’s Sophia Myles who steals the show, her performance as beautiful but ballsy Viking girl Freya giving the boys a run for their money in the action stakes.
IGN.com

John Hurt is excellent as the watchfully wise king, as are Sophia Myles as his feisty daughter and the other-worldly James Caviezel.
The Times

042 Outlander – Making Of
001 Outlander – Production Stills

SciFi.co.uk has a competition to win a VIP private ‘Outlander’ screening for you & your mates. To participate you have to be a UK resident, register at their website and give the correct answer to this question “What do you call a monster with one eye?” before the end of April 25. Good luck!

Also on SciFi.co.uk you can shorten the wait till Friday by watching their exclusive ‘Outlander‘ clip of the movie’s beginning.

I’ve come across some new reviews. Apparently Jonathan Ross spoke favourably about the movie in his show and The Mirror singled out Sophia Myles for praise in their short and lukewarm review: “but it moves at a fair old pace and features a great performance by Sophia Myles as a Viking princess.”

As always I’m extremely grateful for anything you UK fans might come across. Thanks for keeping your eyes open!

Oh, and Sophia’s ‘Doctor Who‘ episode “Girl in the Fireplace” re-airs tonight on BBC3 at 7pm.

He also sent me a link to MSN where – in a feature about the big names of tomorrow who are making a splash right now – they feature Sophia Myles in the category ‘The Actress’.

“Starring in the Thunderbirds movie as Miss Penelope may have brought our attention to the talents of British actress Sophia Myles, but it will be the romantic Tristan & Isolde (with Rufus Sewell) and that naked scene in the upcoming Art School Confidential (with John Malkovich and Angelica Houston) that will bring her leading lady status. The 25-year-old blonde bombshell, born and raised in Notting Hill, was discovered by Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes in a school play and was immediately cast in the BBC’s version of The Prince and the Pauper, aged just 16. Despite being on the brink of Hollywood superstardom, Myles is as down-to-earth as they come – she won’t consider moving to LA full-time and respects actresses like Reese Witherspoon who manage to keep their private life private. With fame around the corner and a relationship with Dr. Who star David Tennant going strong; this is one actress who appears to have it all ahead of her.”

I have slightly re-organized the gallery. There’s no longer a section with photo shoots. The outtakes are now in the Magazines section. Feel free to browse through. There’s also one or two sets that are new.

And there are pictures of a photoshoot with Sophia Myles in the August issue of the British InStyle. Be sure to check them out! (I don’t know if the issue is already on the newsstands, though)