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handycloud
The company's first production was a comedy in February 2009, entitled 'One' which showed at the Alex Theatre, Los Angeles, in April of that year.
However, I decided that I didn't want to pursue comedy as a career in film-making, but wished to focus on drama and in particular on characters at a point of extreme tension, from which they would either break or find some resolution.
In 2011, I developed a screenplay for 'My Name Is Sorrow' and then searched for endorsements and the finance to produce it. (The film is endorsed by the UK Charity, 'Unchosen' which raises awareness of human trafficking through film campaigns).
In November 2011, we held the auditions for the film, at a time when we only had the finance to cover them and not the shooting of the film! From the female actors who attended we chose Natasha Paulinyi to play 'Sorrow'. Returning home that evening I found I had received a banker's cheque for 60% of the budget.
From this we gained momentum and shot the film in February 2012, over two days at Nick Pitt's Farm Studio, near Bristol and a further day on location shooting the time-lapse sequence.
The film Premi�red in June at Bristol's prestigious Mshed, on the Harbourside. It was a charity fundraiser for Unchosen and also Unseen, which works amongst the survivors of sex trafficking providing them with counselling and a safe-house.
I am currently developing a feature film production - a psychological drama about sex trafficking and organised crime. This follows the intent, but not the style of 'Sorrow' in that it addresses trafficking not as a political problem but as a human one, based on the demand for women and children to provide sexual gratification for men!
My intent is to be diverge from the predominant style of films looking at this human issue. Generally they follow a social realist perspective by sensationalising and politicising physical abuse and rape. I am going to produce films which pursue the story through the character's humanity and not as campaign driven propaganda. I believe it necessary for us to explore these issues at a human level, because that is more important than the attempts to deal with human trafficking by political policy & consensus or attempting to correctly define what is trafficking and what is conceived (wrongly) as an internal market. Slavery is slavery! Rape is rape, whether the people have crossed international borders or 'just' crossed a particular street at the wrong time.
And so, it is the human drama and not the political one which I want to address with a different style and cinematic intent.
('My Name Is Sorrow' has received an award from the Cooperative Bank to translate the film into Russian. The translation work has been completed and the contract signed with the Russian actress - Maria Dobraia - who will record the voice of Sorrow in February).
Reviews
The Lighthouse (2019)
Bad lifestyle choices
I had heard much about this film and was anticipating a tense and nerve shredding ride, but there was little in the way of story even if we are to believe the hype about its connection to Greek Mythology (Prometheus and Proteus).
Whilst the Greeks were masters of universal storytelling, this film falls far short of. The main lesson from the film, I can't really say story, is that masturbation and excessive alcohol use are bad life choices!
The reason for giving it two stars is based purely on the cinematography, celebrating the work of Jarin Blaschke (The Northman, The Witch, Nosferatu (2020)) His work embodies the mood of stark isolation and a man against nature atmosphere.
Thomas (Willem Defoe) and Ephraim (Robert Pattinson) have little in the way of redemptive qualities and that for me causes a problem of not being able to connect emotionally with the characters.
All in all, a disappointing affair. I expected more and received less.
The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe (2022)
An ITV Series where Eddie Marsan shines!
I didn't really expect to be watching this series on ITV, but as I'm from Hartlepool I just had to take a look. I was happily surprised, mainly because of Eddie Marsan's performance is outstanding.
He is both endearing, manipulative and a delusionalist.
Endearing because of his smooth tongue. Manipulative in his seduction of his wife and a delusionalist for thinking he could get away with any of it.
Yes, it's true, this is not Seaton Carew, but the usual state of affairs for films telling you they are somewhere they are not.
As for the goof of the accent being from 25+ miles up the coast, that is totally wrong. The two stars have a very good Hartlepool accent. It isn't Geordie by a long stretch.
To get there you have to go through a few coastal territories, with what are called the 'Pit Yackers' of the old mining villages of Horden and Easington. Then we hit Sunderland, with the Mackems (famous for the Netflix series 'Sunderland Till I Die') and then, finally we get to Newcastle, home of the Geordie. For communities so close, geographically speaking, there is such a rich diversity of dialect.
So in this review, let's hear some praise for the dialect coach! They have done a great job here.
Beyond that, yes you know the outcome, but the journey is so rich, you will love the story, the characters and the performances of the lead talent.