CinemaNX, the film financing and production company backed by the Isle of Man Government, has announced a March 21st start of principal photography on its next feature film. Co-financed by Merzbau and the band Coldplay and produced by Fiesta Productions, the film is a contemporary film noir written by Paul Viragh and Mat Whitecross, which will shoot on location around the Isle of Man. The award-winning director, Mat Whitecross’s previous credits includeSex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, with Andy Serkis as Ian Dury and the documentaries Moving to Mars, The Shock Doctrine and The Road to Guantanamo, the last two of which he co-directed with Michael Winterbottom.
Clare Christian MLC, DED member with responsibility for Film & Media says, “We are very happy to welcome Ashes to the Island, particularly at this time of year when the holiday traffic has yet to materialise. The exceptionally talented cast and crew will be filming at various locations around the Island for four weeks which will get our 2011 production schedule off to an excellent start.”
Ray Winstone’s film credits include Cold Mountain, King Arthur, The Proposition, The Departed, Beowulf, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Edge of Darkness. He has won a number of awards in particular for his performance in both Nil By Mouth and Sexy Beast. Jim Sturgess’s credits include Across The Universe, 21, The Other Boleyn Girl, Fifty Dead Men Walking, The Way Back, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole and NX’sHeartless. He has just wrapped on One Day, based on the best-selling novel by David Nicholls co-starring Anne Hathaway. Award winning actress Lesley Manville’s credits include Another Year (2011 Bafta nomination), Vera Drake, All or Nothing, Topsy-Turvy, High Hopes and Cranford (TV). Jodie Whittaker (Attack the Block, Venus, Perrier’s Bounty) and Luke Evans (Tamara Drewe, Clash of the Titans, Robin Hood and the forthcoming The Raven, Immortals and The Three Musketeers) will also star.
The film is being produced by Esther Douglas and Fiona Neilson of Fiesta Productions. Executive producers are Steve Christian and Marc Samuelson of CinemaNX, Phillip Keir of Merzbau and Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin of Coldplay. The script has been developed with the assistance of Northern Film and Media, UKFC VISION and MEDIA programme.