The Hot List - the best Midlands films to look out for in 2021
Repeat (Richard Miller / Body in the Box)
First up is Repeat from Richard Miller whose previous films have been nominated at our own Midlands Movies Awards in the past. Repeat tells the story of a university lecturer who stumbles across a strange signal emitting that allows him to communicate with the dead. His discovery is eclipsed by horror when his twelve-year-old daughter disappears without a trace and with no help from authorities, he turns to his machine to uncover the truth.
Stranded (Tenisha White)
West Midlands filmmaker Tenisha White’s new short film Stranded has made the leap onto Apple TV in 2021 which will hopefully see her exciting comedy film exposed to an even wider audience. Opening with a YouTube premiere late last year, the film is now an Official Selection of the British Urban Film Festival making the film available to watch via the Apple TV platform. The short tells the story of Jordan and Theo who are just two regular guys enjoying a night out in Birmingham. After celebrating Jordan’s birthday, what should be a simple task getting home, spirals into a night of weird events, fights, tears and delirium.
Watch here: https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/stranded/umc.cmc.bsd56so3cdbomoapk22f3jkq
Children of Darkwood House(Anthony Michael Tracy-Winson / Mr. Stitch Films)
Mr Stitch Films is a Nottinghamshire based production company focusing on the horror genre movies. Formerly titled The Nursery Man, this feature film stars Sarah Ellis as Marion Kelly, a former paranormal specialist who sets out to help mother Florence Taylor (Sarah Wynne Kordas) whose children disappeared one night months before. The children feared an entity in the house which they called The Nursery Man. After the children vanished Florence's soon realised he was more than just a scary story.
A Change in Time (Patricia Knight)
A Change in Time is an upcoming science fiction film from Leicestershire filmmaker Patricia Knight.
The film comes off the back of her first successful sci-fi short Archway 0173 which enjoyed a successful film festival run picking up awards worldwide including at The Hyart Film Festival and Best International Short at The Disappear Here Film Festival. Created through GreenCat Films, the writer-director Pat Knight says A Change in Time asks the question If you could travel in time, where would you go? And when would you go? Currently in post-production the film’s special effects have been completed by Mike Choo of Motion Design.
Ned & Me (Lorna Nickson Brown)
This short film comes from Lorna Brown and tells the tale of an elderly man who meets a young woman in a café and the deal that follows which will alter their lives forever. Supported by BFI Network, the film stars Lizzie Clarke and Graham Short and sensitively looks at complexities of euthanasia in our modern world. The film has also already been selected for the International Film Competition at the prestigious (and Oscar qualifying) Clermont-Ferrand film festival in France.
Non-Transferable (Jack Veasey / Moonhead Films)
Moonhead Films is an independent film and video production company ran by award-winning filmmaker, Jack Veasey, specialising in both theatrical and promotional film material. Jack’s latest creative project is Non-Transferrable starring well-known actor Andre Pierre. The story sees an ex-soldier, who was medically discharged from service with a hidden physical disability, that battles with the temptation of falling back into his old way of life after his increasing debt and inability to find employment threatens his family's standard of living.
Trailer https://vimeo.com/494803888
https://twitter.com/JackVeasey
Hood: A Legend Reborn (Outlaw Pictures)
After the incredible success of Nottingham based feature film Outlawed comes another delve into the Midlands mythology of Robin Hood. Outlaw Pictures are an indie film production company that specialise in action, stunts and military advising for studios. Former Royal Marine turned stunt professional, actor and filmmaker Adam Collins is heading up Hood: A Legend Reborn – a more down and dirty reimagining of the legend of Robin Hood with Collins as lead actor, writer, producer and director.
Repartus (Elisaveta Abrahall & Chris Josty)
Blue Mill Studios is the online home of freelance writers and film directors Elisaveta Abrahall and Richard Dee Roberts. Their next exciting new feature film is Repartus which has commenced production in Herefordshire and Shropshire. Additional elements are being filmed at the Blue Mill Studio in Leominster in the West Midlands. A dark and terrifying drama set in the science fiction genre, Repartus is being helmed by co-writers Elisaveta Abrahall and Chris Josty and stars Tim Duthrane, Paul Eryk Atlas, Chris Josty, Nina Williams, Jeff Raggett, Ryan Green and Kiah Reeves.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12615402
https://www.facebook.com/repartus.the.movie/
Parasitus (Tony Jopia / Country Star Productions)
Parasitus is a new Midlands film that is also acting as a pilot for a potential TV series where additional episodes will get audiences excited for things to come. The story revolves around a Philippine folklore creature called a Manananggal and starts with the arrival of Sophia into the UK after moving from the Philippines herself. The film is directed by Tony Jopia and is written by Gil Ponce and Carla Buckley (co-writer) and stars Howard Brown, Sharni Tapako Brown and Nigel Buckley.
https://www.countrystarproductions.com/
Connective Tissue (Matthew BC / YSP Media)
Writer-director Matthew B.C. marks his arrival onto the film scene with his debut film Connective Tissue. The film explores themes of identity and self-discovery in a cyber-punk world. The director has teamed up with Midlands-based YSP Media and this short psychological science-fiction film completed principal photography in Nottingham way back in October 2018. But despite this long post-production period, the film is finally close to public release.
http://www.yspmedia.co.uk/connectivetissue
Death Quiz (Lee Charlish / Korky Films)
Korky Films is a low to no budget filmmaking outfit based in Coventry and was established in 2003 by Lee Charlish. Korky Films specialises in short films of all genres but especially for animated films which exist in their own bizarre hinterland between fantasy and reality. Lee explains that Death Quiz "is an old-fashioned style game show hosted by the Grim reaper, whereby recently deceased contestants compete to try and avoid going to hell for their sins and misdemeanours. Everything is here, from the cheesy, ghoulish host and bug-like 'dolly girl' assistants, to the wheel of misfortune and zombie audience. An animation comedy, loosely based on real-life events... Possibly." Involved is some of the Midlands' best vocal talent, with more to come, including Carys Jones, Damien Trent, Jim Low and Korky Films stalwart Stuart Walker who will voice Death himself.
