A South Hams-based filmmaker is hoping to promote her first debut film at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in May following a wave of support and positive feedback from local audiences.
Caroline Corrie’s directorial debut Shalborne premiered in October, but following a limited run initially at Merlin Cinemas the film is now being screened at more venues across the region due to its growing popularity.
The period drama is set in rural Devon in 1905 and tells the story of a woman who escapes from the clutches of an abusive husband.
Mostly filmed in Devon, including Dartmoor and Salcombe, Shalborne has proved a hit with local audiences, who have responded enthusiastically to the movie’s measured pace and lavishly-shot scenes, despite being made on a shoestring budget.
Ms Corrie, who also plays the protagonist Helen in the film, said: “Merlin initially said they’d do a screening in Kingsbridge, but then it did Wellington and Tiverton, and those sold really well.
“They then committed to a Cornwall tour, and the venues at Campton and Ilfracombe also sold well,” she said.
More than 200 people flocked to a recent screening, and the film’s appeal grew to such an extent that some people have watched it twice.
“It’s extraordinary. In Ilfracombe, there were three people who came back and then traveled to Okehampton to see it again the next night with some friends,” she said.
“The prevailing comment is that they love the pace, the stillness, the dynamic between the music and the minimal dialog and beautiful cinematography, which is not overwhelming.
“Many people told me that modern films do the opposite and that they find them far too stimulating. With Shalborne they are able to just sit and watch a beautiful image and have the time to contemplate,” she added.
Film critic Kevin Maher also described Shalborne as "the most audacious and accomplished calling card I have seen in years".
Ms Corrie organised a private screening in London last month, but due to having limited resources, she is having to do all the promotional work herself.
“It’s literally a case of phoning and emailing cinemas, of which there are millions. It's really interesting, because there is an audience for independent cinema,” she said, adding that the film was recently selected for the London Lift-Off Festival, which specialises in promoting independent movies.
Possible screenings in Exeter, Kent, Yorkshire and Norfolk are on the cards, but after having won Best Foreign Feature in Toronto at the Female Eye Film Festival last summer, Ms Corrie has set her sights abroad.
“I have been accredited for the Cannes Film Market. A few years ago, I wasn't accredited because I was just coming in as an actor, and they don't really like actors coming unless you're invited because you're in a film.
“But now that I've also got my director credit on IMDb (the world’s biggest online movie database), it means that I will go to Cannes in May to try to sell the film to all these people I've been emailing. They'll all be there.”
Shalborne is being screened at the Kings Cinema in Kingsbridge on March 3 and March 6 to coincide with the forthcoming International Women's Day.