TOP BOY

The final series is streaming now on Netflix. Written and created by Ronan Bennett, Top Boy stars Ashley Walters and Kane Robinson in a mix of visceral thriller and intimate, heartfelt drama. Described as “a beautiful, honest and gripping rendition on inner-city drug and gang culture”, the first two series Directed by Yann Demange and Jonathan van Tulleken were BAFTA and RTS award winning.

Now returned as a Netflix original series, written by Ronan Bennett and executive produced by the original creative team together with the multi-faceted entertainer and producer Drake and his business partner Adel “Future” Nur, along with Maverick Carter and Jamal Henderson for SpringHill Entertainment.
 
Watch full series on Netlfix

Watch the cast announcement trailer here

2024 RTS Programme Award nominations

WILDFIRE

Written and Directed by Cathy Brady

Currently in post production WILDFIRE is the highly anticipated feature debut from award-winning Irish director Cathy Brady (Morning, Small Change, Wasted). WILDFIRE is the story of two sisters who grew up on the fractious Irish border. When one of them, who has been missing, finally returns home, the intense bond with her sister is re-ignited. Together they unearth their mother’s past but uncovered secrets and resentments which have been buried deep, threaten to overwhelm them. An official UK/Ireland co-production. Financed by Screen Ireland, BFI, Northern Ireland Screen, Film4, Wellcome and Great Point Media.


 
Link to Screen Daily

RETURN TO PODOR

Directed by Kevin Macdonald

Return To Podor is a documentary that follows Senegalese artist Baaba Maal and Mumford & Sons on their journey to the most remote music festival in the world: Blues du Fleuve (River Blues) in Podor, Senegal.

BLACK SEA

Black Sea centres on a rogue submarine captain (JUDE LAW) who after being laid off from a salvage company, pulls together a misfit crew to go after a sunken treasure rumoured to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea. As greed and desperation take control on board their claustrophobic vessel, the increasing uncertainty of the mission causes the men to turn on each other to fight for their own survival.
 
Directed by Kevin Macdonald and financed by Focus Features and Film 4.

HOW I LIVE NOW

How I Live Now is Kevin Macdonald's big screen adaptation of Meg Rosoff’s award winning young adult novel of the same name.
 
Daisy (Saoirse Ronan), a teenage New Yorker, is sent to England one summer to stay with cousins she has never met before. Immersed in a dreamy pastoral idyll she soon falls madly in love with her cousin Eddie (George Mackay). Their summer is blown apart by the sudden outbreak of a 21st century World War when, along with Eddie's younger siblings Isaac (Tom Holland) and Piper (Harley Bird), they are forced to fend for themselves. Eventually separated, Daisy is forced on a terrifying journey to be reunited with the boy she loves. Eddie is never far from Daisy’s mind but as her journey to find him gets more desperate, the idea of what she may or may not find begins to consume and haunt her.
 
Produced by Cowboy Films and Passion Pictures the film has been developed in association with Film 4. Financed by the BFI and Film 4, Entertainment One are distributing in the UK and Protagonist Pictures selling internationally.

POPPY SHAKESPEARE (2008)

was made as a single drama for Channel 4 directed by Benjamin Ross. A dark and original satire set on the ward of a decaying psychiatric hospital, Poppy Shakespeare stars Naomie Harris and Anna Maxwell Martin – who went on to win the BAFTA for Best Actress for her role.
 
The film was a critical success when transmitted on Channel 4 and went on to receive further acclaim on the international film festival circuit, including Best Independent Feature Film Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND

The Last King of Scotland stars Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy and is based on events surrounding the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime, as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.
 
The film was directed by Kevin MacDonald and won numerous awards, including a BAFTA for Best British Film and an Oscar for Best Actor. The film was released worldwide by Fox Searchlight and produced with Lisa Bryer and Andrea Calderwood.

FIRE IN BABYLON

Fire In Babylon tells the story of the great West Indies cricket team of the 1970's/80's - exploring their achievement against the social, political and cultural backdrop of the period.
 
This cinema documentary was directed by Stevan Riley, and produced together with John Battsek. The film premiered at the London Film Festival in 2010, was nominated for a BIFA and won a Grierson Award. Released theatrically in UK by Revolver Entertainment.

MARLEY

Marley is the new cinema documentary by Kevin MacDonald, released theatrically by Universal in Spring 2012. This is the definitive film about the extraordinary life of Bob Marley and includes never before seen footage, unreleased tracks, and interviews with those close to him that have never been seen before.
 
The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and is produced together with Steve Bing.

BILL

BILL is a comedy about Shakespeare - or rather, how Bill became William.

The stars of hit BBC children's show HORRIBLE HISTORIES, have written and star in the story of how hopeless lute player Bill Shakespeare leaves his family and home to follow his dream, but gets caught up with murderous kings, spies and a plot to blow up Queen Elizabeth.

Previous Cowboy feature films also include

Nick Love's debut film GOODBYE CHARLIE BRIGHT, THE HOLE, a psychological thriller directed by Nick Hamm and the Anglo-Italian co-production THE SOUL KEEPER directed by Roberto Faenza and staring Emilia Fox.

SHORT FILMS

Cowboy has produced a number of short films including Andrea Arnold's Oscar winning WASP and Martina Amati's critically acclaimed short dramas A'MARE (winner of the BAFTA/LA certificate of excellence), I DO AIR (winner of the BAFTA for Best Short Film) and CHALK (nominated for the BAFTA and winner of Best British Short Film at the British Independent Film Award 2011). Also Natasha Khan (aka Bat For Lashes) short film 'I Do' which was part of MTV's anthology MADLY

ABOUT

Charles Steel - Producer
Charles trained in film production at the Royal College of Art before producing his first feature AMY FOSTER (distributed worldwide by Columbia Tri-star 1997). He then joined Cowboy Films to produce with Lisa Bryer, original founder of the company. When Lisa stepped back to a non-executive role in 2007, Charles continued with Cowboy Films.

Alasdair Flind - Producer
Alasdair, a former journalist, has a background in film development and script editing and set up Prospect Entertainment to develop his own projects before joining Cowboy as Charles' producing partner in 2007.

David Harwood - Associate Producer

Harry Langham - Development Executive

COWBOY FILMS 48 Russell Square London WC1B 4JP UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 3962 4421

NEWS

7th March 2024
The final chapter of Top Boy has been nominated for four awards at the 2024 RTS Programme awards. Read more here!

22nd March 2023
Top boy has been nominated for four awards at the 2023 BAFTA TV awards. Read the full list of nominations here!

18 March 2023
Top Boy Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

13th September 2019
TOP BOY is now streaming on NETFLX. Read first reviews here!

3rd April 2019
Watch the TOP BOY cast announcement trailer here here!

19th October 2018
Principal photography is soon to commence on Cathy Brady's WILDFIRE. More Info!

30th August 2018
Kevin Macdonald's lastest documentary RETURN TO PODOR to premiere at Telluride More Info!

8th November 2017
We are excited to announce TOP BOY is returning in 2019 with a new 10 part series for NETFLIX!More Info!

3rd March
MADLY, the anthology film containing I DO by Natasha Khan is premiering at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival More Info!

25th February
‘Bill’ is Set For US Event Cinema Release Via FathomRead more here..!

14th January (2016)
Richard Bracewell, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond have been nominated for BILL in the comedy category at the Evening Standard British Film Awards! Read more here..!

29th September
Martina Amati's art installation UNDER is now open until the 11th October More Info!

21st September
Martina Amati's art installation UNDER opens this Saturday 26th SeptemberMore Info!

18th September
Bill is in UK cinemas today! More Info!

18th August
Martina Amati's installation on the art of freediving opens 26th SeptemberMore Info!

18th August
Bill is in UK cinemas on September 18th

13th April 2015
Black Sea is now out on DVD in the UK!

18th December
Check out the first trailer for Bill - in UK cinemas 27th March 2015 See the trailer here...!

2nd October
Check out the first trailer for Black Sea starring Jude Law See the trailer here...!

21st Jan (2014)
Cowboy Films/Punk Cinema to start shooting family comedy feature BILL in February Read more here..!

10th November
Congratulations to Saoirse Ronan and Harley Bird who have both been nominated at this years British Independent Film Awards for their roles in How I Live NowMore...

11th September
How I Live Now premiered last night at Toronto International Film FestivalMore...

8th August
TOP BOY returns at 9pm August 20th on Channel 4

2nd August
Check out the teaser for series 2 of TOP BOY More...

25th July
Magnolia have secured the US distribution rights to How I Live Now More...

31st January
Top Boy won the Best Drama Serial award at last night's Broadcast awards. Congratulations to everyone involved in the show! (photo below from L to R: Sara Murray, Yann Demange, Alasdair Flind, Charles Steel)

23rd January
Prisoner Number A26188: Henia Bryer this Sunday 27th January BBC One at 10.25pmMore...

23rd January
Prisoner Number A26188: Henia Bryer reviewMore...

9th January 2013
Marley has been nominated for Best Documentary at 2013 BAFTAs!More...

21st November
Top Boy has been shortlisted for Best Drama Series or Serial at the 2013 Broadcast Awards.More...

5th November
Marley has been nominated for Best Documentary at the British Independent Film Awards 2012. The awards take place on 9th December.More...

24th September
Home Before Dark, a new 4 part drama written by Abi Morgan and executive produced by Kevin Macdonald has been commissioned by Channel 4.More...

20th August
Marley is out today on DVD and Blu Ray in the UK

18th August
Principal photography has come to an end on How I live Now. A huge thank you to all the cast & crew involved with the film!

8th August
Marley is now available on DVD and Blu Ray in the US - UK release is 20th April.More...

31st July
Marley has been shortlisted for Best Cinema Documentary at the Grierson 2012 British Documentary Awards.More...

25th June
Principal photography for Kevin Macdonald’s big screen adaptation of Meg Rosoff’s award winning novel How I Live Now has begun.More...

10th June
Tino Best sets test record for a number 11 batsman - he says watching Fire In Babylon inspired him.More...

24th April
Top Boy has been nominated for best Mini-Series at the 2012 BAFTA Television awards.More...

23rd April
Marley has enjoyed a great first weekend in cinemas.More...

22nd April
Top Boy has shared the Audience Choice award at the 3rd Series Mania TV Festival.More...

20th April
Marley is out in UK and US cinemas today. Also in the US it is available On Demand and via Facebook Streaming! More...

16th April
Top Boy has been nominated for three BAFTA Television craft awards: Yann Demange (Director: Fiction), Tat Radcliffe (Photography & Lighting) and Brian Eno (Original Music). The awards ceremony takes place on May 13th.

12th April
In the US, Marley will be the first major feature to stream on Facebook simultaneously with its theatrical release. Marley opens in UK and US cinemas on Friday 20th April. More...

11th April
Martina Amati's 'Random Act' Peter for Channel 4 can be viewed online here.

20th March
Top Boy wins the RTS Award for Best Drama Serial. More...

12th Feb
Marley premiered last night at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival. More...

18th Jan
Chalk is nominated for best short film at the 2012 BAFTAs. More...

5th Dec (2011)
Chalk won best short film at last night's British Independent Film Awards!