British filmmaker Isaac Julien is one of 30 directors to be awarded a Sundance grant for his latest work, Derek, a combination documentary/biopic about the life of experimental filmmaker Derek Jarman, who died in 1994.

Best known for his controversial 1977 punk rock-themed film Jubilee - a movie starring Adam Ant that imagined Queen Elizabeth II time-traveling to a dystopian future - Jarman was one of the few openly gay directors working in England in the 1980s.

Julien, director of Young Soul Rebels and the queer film-fest favorite Looking for Langston, worked with executive producer - and longtime Jarman collaborator - Tilda Swinton (Chronicles of Narnia) to bring the project to life and ensure that Jarman's cinematic legacy isn't forgotten.

The finished film debuts at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival in January.

Last update: 12-18-2007 23:37