U.K. director Mike Newell (Donnie Brasco, Four Weddings and a Funeral) is likely bringing his considerable talent to Toronto next spring to shoot Pushing Tim, a ‘medium’ budget theatrical release from Fox.

Newell, the keynote speaker at the Tuesday session of Symposium ’97, told Playback the film is a comedy about air traffic control and that he’s in town for the festival to location scout. ‘We’re here partly to find a good double for Long Island [n.y.] and it appears we’ve found it.’ The target shoot date is within the first half of ’98. John Cusack has signed on to the film.

Newell was also seen meeting with Mick Jagger at 4:30 p.m. yesterday at The Studio Cafž, reportedly to discuss a film deal with Jagger’s production company. Newell has seven or eight pictures in development through his company Dogstar Films.

Attendance at Newell’s Tuesday morning lecture reflected the effects of the Cinepix Film Properties party Monday night. Although the crowd was thin, the entertainment value of the hour with the affable Newell was well worth the Advil morning.

After a request from the audience for a ‘blood story,’ one illustrating a time when he had to fight for creative integrity, Newell offered up this little nugget sans names because of the existing business relationship.

With three weeks notice, so the story goes, Newell was asked to take over on a u.s. film which was being produced out of Ireland. The writer on the project was at the time ‘an international event’ who, for whatever reasons, couldn’t direct the project himself.

So Newell came on and ‘became the hated, imposed director.’ As the weeks progressed, it became clear to him that ‘they were getting me to shoot it so they could fire me and then [the writer] could cut it.’

Inevitably, Newell was called into the office with the producer, writer and lead actor and gently told to beat it.

The next day he showed up at the edit suite and unlocked the door. ‘If they’d really had the balls to do it, they would have fired the editor and changed the locks, so fuck ’em. And I won.’

Two clues: the production company begins with ‘m’. The writer’s first name is Jim. Anyone able to put names and faces on the story is invited to call 408-2300. AlthoughÉdidn’t Newell direct the 1992 Majestic Films International film Into The West, shot in Ireland and written by Jim Sheridan? Just asking.

In other interesting tidbits from yesterday’s lecture, Newell spoke about his first experience with the u.s. studio scene. On a trip to the mecca for his second film ever, no one knew him from Adam. Yet he was received at the airport with a limo, with champagne and flowers waiting in the hotel room. Newell was feeling a little eerie, a little horrible, but couldn’t say why. Then it came to him.

‘I realized: these guys didn’t know how to get themselves out of the jam they had gotten themselves into. A film is a jam. It’s hell. You don’t want to make one. They knew they needed a witch doctor, somebody to shake and rattle the bones over this thing. So they bring offerings.’

On the topic of what stems the creation of ground-breaking films out of the u.s., Newell takes issue with the idea that it’s funding.

‘In some senses, it’s ambition. The English lack ambition. I lack ambition.’

America, says Newell, is crazy but it hits the pinnacle. ‘I’m not sure we [British] ever quite got out of the egg.’

*Australia pending for Planet of Junior Brown

Everest Releasing is reportedly close to a deal with an unnamed Australian distributor for Fireworks Entertainment’s The Planet of Junior Brown. Everest executive Dean Oros was also sighted in discussions with Sony Classic, Strand and Miramax Films.

The Planet of Junior Brown received a standing ovation at its Saturday screening.

*Egoyan feted

At yet another elegant Alliance Communications soiree, The Sweet Hereafter director Atom Egoyan will be named Chevalier des Arts et des Letters tonight at a champagne reception hosted by His Excellence Monsieur Loic Hennekinne, the French ambassador to Canada. Alliance president Robert Lantos and Pierre-Jean Vandoorne, the French Consulate General, will host the event at Roy Thompson Hall.

*Virtual symposiums trigger angst

Kvetching abounds regarding the overflow crowds for sessions at the Rogers Industry Symposium. On the plus side, seminars are well-attended. On the minus side, the seating rooms aren’t remotely workable considering the size of the crowds, leaving dozens perched on chairs outside the main chamber trying to catch the conversation on telly. At least one producer has demanded and got his money back.

Word is that next year’s festivities will return to its former digs at the Sutton Place Hotel.