A film made on a shoestring by a South Bristol director and shot in a small café in St Anne’s has been selected to be shown at a key Hollywood film festival that’s a precursor to the Oscars.
The short film, called Old Windows, was filmed last year at Mary’s Café, on the St Anne’s side of Netham Lock, and stars Doctors actress Laura Bayston and Gavin and Stacey and EastEnders legend Larry Lamb.
Now, the short film is one of just a handful from all over the world to be screened at the Los Angeles Shorts International Film Festival - which is a qualifier for the Oscars.
Read more: How a Coronation Street legend and local kids brought movie magic to South Bristol
Directors and stars from Terry Gilliam, Ricky Gervais, Kirsten Dunst and Scarlett Johansson to Sofia Coppola and Tim Burton have all short films screened at the LA Shorts festival in the past, and the festival is one of few around the world to be a step to nominations for the Oscars and the BAFTAs in the New Year.
Director Paul Holbrook, from Hartcliffe, said while the screening doesn’t mean he’s flying over to Hollywood, it is great to know big audiences would be seeing the film.
“It’s really validating to see the film gain traction at such a prestigious festival, and to know big audiences are going to see it,” he said. “The film was made for very little money, but with lots of love. Larry and Laura’s performances have been really engaging audiences everywhere it has screened and it’s hugely satisfying to be part of something that seems to talk to people on such an emotional level,” he added.
The movie is set in the 1990s and tells the story of a struggling café owner, played by Laura Bayston, whose mundane life is upended when a mysterious gentleman - played by Larry Lamb - comes in for tea and cake.
The short film - it comes in at around 18 minutes long - is the latest short film directed by Paul Holbrook to scoop awards and recognition around the world.
Last year, his short film Shiney - in which he cast two unknown children in the lead roles of a story about two kids trying to buy their first packet of cigarettes on a South Bristol estate - saw major national film festival awards for the young stars Katie Francis and Caleb Stevens.
And his horror drama Hungry Joe, which featured the harrowing story of a mum struggling to cope with a boy with a never-ending appetite, won awards at film festivals around the world.
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