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North East film wins International award

A new North East film production company received an award for its first film at this year’s International Film Festival organised by the Film and Video Institute.

Set in medieval Japan, the action-adventure film ‘Land of the Kami’ is a tribute to old Japanese samurai films and was entirely produced in the North East. The majority of filming took place in Whickham, Gateshead and in County Durham.

The film was made by emerging company Action Cinema Talents and Ideas Factory (ACTIF) Productions, which was founded by adventure film enthusiasts Pascal Fintoni and Paul Gray.

Pascal Fintoni, who took on the roles of producer and director, said: “We are delighted to have received an award for our first film – the International Film Festival judged it as ‘ambitious and spectacular’. “We are very proud of the fact that Land of the Kami was made in the North East of England. We spent several months on research to get the look and feel just right so that County Durham could pass for medieval Japan!”

ACTIF Productions is now planning to present Land of the Kami to many more competitions and festivals throughout the year. Pascal and Paul are keen to put the North East of England on the map of action cinema.

Pascal said: “‘Our dream is to produce an action movie shot entirely in the North East capturing the unique identity and history of our region. We are already exploring script ideas. “The North West of England and Scotland are making good progress with the production of action films, and there is no reason why we can’t do the same in our region.”

To celebrate the film’s award, the team will hold a special screening of Land of the Kami in aid of the Children’s Foundation on 13 April at the Durham Gala Theatre. Seats can be reserved now via rsvp@actifproductions.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .