It is a great time for filmmaking in south Essex, with the Southend Film Festival underway and Rochford filmmaker Jane Gull’s feature film hitting cinemas next week.
Move over Hollywood, south Essex has it covered when it comes to making engaging and innovative films.
Southend Odeon saw the gala for the Southend Film Festival on Thursday June 8 where Brentwood born actor and director Stephen Moyer was there with his second feature as a director A Bit of Light, starring festival patron Ray Winstone and Oscar-winner Anna Paquin.
Moyer started his career in the theatre of his hometown, before achieving incredible success in Hollywood with his starring role in the TV series True Blood.
The festival, which runs until Sunday, showcases more than 53 features, shorts and documentaries, including homegrown favourites, and a world premiere.
Essex centric offerings include the documentary Flood 53, showing at 1.30pm at Park Inn Palace Hotel Ballroom, where local historian Chris Izod will introduce his work which focuses on the Canvey floods in January 1953.
Mostly Made In Southend: Part One will show at 6.30pm at Park Inn Palace Hotel Ballroom including 10 locally made short films. Part two of the showcase will run at 9pm with another 10 short films.
The positive film news continues with the music-drama feature film Love Without Walls written by Rochford filmmaker Jane Gull who wrote and directed the feature film which was filmed in Southend, Rayleigh and Rochford.
“It's a music drama about a young married couple who struggle when made suddenly homeless. It's screened at two film festivals and won best UK feature film awards at both and recently has been nominated for four National Film and TV awards,” said Jane.
“It was wonderful coming back to south Essex to film. It's an important film that touches on the cost of living and has some amazing original songs written and performed by our lead actor Niall McNamee.”
The film is set to be shown at the Odeon Cinema in Southend on June 14.
The film stars Shana Swash, from Eastenders, Niall McNamee, from Call the midwife, Paul Barber, from Only Fools & Horses, Sheila Reid from Benidorm.
It will also feature Southend actor Darren Kent, who was in Jane’s previous films Sunny Boy and My Feral Heart.
Jane and the producer Karen Newman are also working with local writer Syd Moore, on a period drama about the Essex Witch trials.
Visit www.lovewithoutwallsfilm.com For a full list of the Southend Film Festival schedule visit www.southendfilmfestival.com.
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