Bristol's Bottle Yard Scoops First International Feature

olelona’s Arcadia Motion Pictures and Belgium’s uMedia. Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon, Midnight in Paris), Sam Neill (The Hunter), Lena Headey (300) and Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) are all in the running to take leading roles.
The Victorian London teen fantasy thriller is based on the first of a trilogy of novels by G.P. Taylor, and has been described as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Willy Wonka, Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter all rolled into one,
The film tells the story of 17-year-old Mariah Mundi, whose world is torn apart by the disappearance of his parents and the kidnapping of his younger brother.
The production is the first international feature film to shoot at The Bottle Yard in Hengrove, south Bristol, the South West’s largest dedicated film and television production facility. The site has already been used to make two films from the micro-budget scheme, iFeatures, and several TV dramas including Inside Men, which is currently showing on BBC 1 and Sky One's Trollied, which is returning later this year for a second series.
The Bottle Yard is a partnership initiative co-managed by Bristol City Council, Creative England and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).
Creative England's Senior Production Liaison Manager, Fiona Francombe, who oversees the Bottle Yard facility, said: "The Bottle Yard is going from strength to strength and has really put the South West on the map for both TV and now feature film production. This film was also considering Scotland, but the combination of a supportive Line Producer and being able to do a fantastic deal on rates has diverted it to the South. It’s great news for the region. Not only will they be using locations from Bath to Cornwall, but they are also committed to using as many local crew as possible."
Filming on the project will begin on April 30th.
(CD/GK)