'ASHES TO INDIA'
PROJECT: FEATURE FILM (DARK ROM COM)
LOGLINE:
Anglo Asian farce of young love transcending cultures spiced with dark humour.
SYNOPSIS:
Disappointed with her sweetheart Raj, English born Suni embarks on a journey to discover her Indian roots. Unbeknownst to her, she is accompanied by the ghost of Raj’s deceased mother, Mrs Shankar, who delights in rediscovering her native land. Along the way Suni discovers she is pregnant and meets a rich widow Mrs Chatterjee, who soon becomes the host body for Mrs Shankar with intriguing consequences. When newly wed Raj and his father turn up in India can Suni find it in her heart to forgive them? And how does Mrs Shankar’s ghost get back to the afterlife? Can Suni and her baby restore equilibrium in this hilarious Anglo Asian farce.
A chic dark rom com, this is a tale of unconventional love transcending cultures, spiced up with laughter, tears, birth and death, set against the backdrop of vibrant Brighton and colourful India.
TRAILER: Ashes To India
SEEKING INVESTMENT: £2.5M
CONTACT: SARA PROUDFOOT CLINCH
ROSY LEE PRODUCTIONS LTD
6 Graham Road
Worthing
BN11 1TL
WEBSITE: www.rosyleeproductions.co.uk
EMAIL: proudfoot7@gmail.com
'BLACK RUSSIAN'
PROJECT: FEATURE FILM
LOGLINE:
East meets West… in this clash of the gangsters!
SYNOPSIS:
BLACK RUSSIAN - Incarcerated for seventeen years- Frank leaves prison to discover that his boss and mentor Marco Lanza is no longer cock of the walk. The only way ahead is to break the Rusky firm or steal their diamonds and run for the hills. It was always going to be Hell on the outside, but Frank must infiltrate the Russian mob- if he is to survive!
This is a stylish and gritty British crime thriller. It is a contemporary tale of love, deception, murder and retribution- set against a universe so dark- that ‘even villains can be heroes’...
TRAILER SAMPLE:
SEEKING INVESTMENT: £500K
CONTACT: CHRISTOPHER BARFOOT
BLACK RUSSIAN MOVIE LTD
71-75 Shelton Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2H 9JQ
WEBSITE: www.blackrussian.biz
EMAIL: admin@blackrussian.biz
'GONE TO GROUND'
PROJECT: FEATURE FILM
LOGLINE:
She is being hunted down. He plans to finish his crossword. A war veteran’s peaceful life is shattered when he pulls a strange woman from a car wreck.
SYNOPSIS:
When a young woman, a fugitive from Eastern Europe, is rescued from a wrecked car by an ex WWII RAF pilot, he cares for her secretly in his isolated farmhouse. Both live on the edges of society. He’s widowed, ignored and alone, she marginalised as a despised sex worker. They disagree on most things, as his ordered life of gardening, culture and memories clashes with her carnal and violent past.
Crushed by the extreme violence she’s escaped from and wracked by harrowing bloody hallucinations, she assumes that she’s been forgotten. Traumatised, she cannot remember the events that led her to being on the run. She doesn’t realise that she has left a bloody trail and is being hunted down. For reasons unknown to her, they will do anything to find her.
As she gradually recovers from her injuries, she continues her verbal battles with the old man. She’s confused by the old man’s mannered, yet irritating and obsessive routines. He’s bewildered by her in-your-face sexuality. But despite frequent misunderstandings, mistranslations and cross cultural differences, they realise they share more than a common stubbornness, so begin to grudgingly accept and respect each other.
They have a few moments of pleasure that neither can remember for many years. He shows her some of the ways of the countryside―weeding, picking fruit and cutting wood.
But their nemesis is getting ever closer and then the old man makes a mistake that brings their darkest fears to the door and they have to use all their combined skills and knowledge to survive.
TEASER TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/276288286
INDUSTRY FEEDBACK:
“This was a genuinely unique and refreshing sort of script to read overall. I really felt that there was a sense of subtlety to this piece that is often lacking in many similar scripts. I appreciated that this story treats its audience as if it is intelligent, Above all, the characterisation in this script was impeccable and really showed off how much can be done with just a few key players.” Bluecat International Screenwriting Competition.
“Very intense. A strong story with great atmosphere, intriguing characters and a lovely blend of drama and humour.” Karol Griffith - Script Editor
SEEKING: £340,000. 38% already funded. Budget and shooting schedule available. 20% investment premium available plus profit participation.
CONTACT: Phil Peel or Melissa de Mol
EMAIL: phil@grindstonefilms.co.uk
WEBSITE: www.grindstonefilms.co.uk
'RUMPY PUMPY!'
PROJECT: Feature Film
LOGLINE: As two very different worlds collide it becomes a case of Tea and Crumpets! 'Calendar Girls' meets 'Band of Gold' meets 'Sweet Charity'
SYNOPSIS: When two brave ladies from the Hampshire Women's Institute, Jean Johnson and Shirley Landels, decide to campaign for the total decriminalisation of Prostitution and to improve conditions for Working Girls everywhere, tough, witty Brothel Owner, Holly Spencer - already in trouble with the police for running an illegal brothel - decides to contact them. Holly has the perfect brothel these W.I. Ladies could be looking for.
'The remarkable true story of two genteel ladies from the Hampshire Women's Institute who take it upon themselves to campaign for better working conditions for Working Girls. 'Rumpy Pumpy!' is a charming and very English comedy of manners and its heart-warming plea for justice impassioned.' Entertainment Focus, 2015.
DIRECTOR: Barbara Jane Mackie has a background in directing music videos, musicals and documentaries. Barbara developed drama series for the BBC, wrote the screenplay 'Cowboy Girl' and wrote and directed her own musical 'Rumpy Pumpy!.' 'Rumpy Pumpy!' played at The Kings Head and Union Theatres in London and Windsor Theatre Royal to hugely enthusiastic audiences and reviews.
CAST: CHERYL FERGISON is now attached as Holly, the Madame of the Brothel. She is currently smashing it in 'Menopause The Musical' the National Star. Cheryl is well known for her role as Heather Trott in EastEnders.
SEEKING INVESTMENT: £52,000 - for Script Development, Recce and Pre-production fees.
West One Entertainment are now seeking funds to turn this extraordinary musical, based on a true Hampshire story, into a film. Extended Treatment available with sample scenes. Filming to be in Southampton and the surrounding areas.
'Film Treatment and sample scenes available'
CONTACT:
Producers: Glen Kirby and Jed Tune of West One Entertainment (W1E), formerly Jack In The Box Films
Executive Producer: Tony Steyger
WEBSITE: www.westoneentertainment.com
West One Entertainment (W1E), formerly Jack In The Box Films, is a UK based film production company that creates stories aimed at the international market which truly inspire, enlighten, thrill and exhilarate the minds of the audience.
Since 2012, CEO Glen Kirby and COO Jed Tune have together received 16 Nominations and 9 Wins at international film festivals (Such as; Edinburgh International Film Festival, London Film Festival and LA International) for both feature length and short films.
'VINDICATION SWIM'
PROJECT: Feature Film (Based on a true story)
LOGLINE:
After successfully battling 1920s patriarchal British society, a swimmer is forced to fight a rival in order to retain her record as the first English woman to swim the Channel.
SYNOPSIS:
In the shadow of WW1, swimmer Mercedes Gleitze fights to overcome the patriarchal society of 1920s England, along with her troubled coach, to become the first English woman to swim the Channel. However, after a rival comes forward claiming to have already accomplished the feat, Gleitze is forced to battle against the Channel Swimming Association in order to retain her record and her legacy.
Trailer: Check out the interviews with Elliott for his previous project - Charlie's Letters
BBC South Interview - Charlie's Letters
Interview with TV Reporter David Beckett - Charlie's Letters
SEEKING INVESTMENT: £250,000
CONTACT NAME: Elliott Hasler
WEBSITE: www.relsahproductions.co.uk
EMAIL: elliott.hasler@relsah.co.uk
'THE ROAD TO ASHVEM'
PROJECT: FEATURE FILM (ROMANTIC - COMEDY)
LOGLINE: Hilarious and heart-warming romantic comedy about backpacking. Joseph and Samantha clash horribly on the plane to India and are determined to follow their own very separate paths, but India has other ideas and keeps throwing them together. As their respective journeys change them, they find themselves more and more attracted to each other.
SYNOPSIS: Samantha Mann is a fiercely independent 25-year-old who is more sensitive than she lets on. Leaving her job as a firefighter, she follows a spiritual calling to Mumbai and a famous guru she hopes will provide a cure for the endometrial cancer she has been diagnosed with.
Joe Cross is an intimacy-phobic 21-year-old whose cockiness hides a deep sense of rejection. Determined to be a photographer, he abandons his economics degree to tour India and shoot the grime that never appears in photographic libraries.
Sam and Joe get seated next to each other on the plane. Strongly attracted to her, but also terrified of flying, Joe gets drunk and makes clumsy passes at her. Sam fiercely rebuffs his cocky chauvinism, and by the end of the flight they’re both glad to be heading in very different directions.
Arriving in Delhi, Joe gets stoned and visits a number of famous Indian landmarks, shooting all the ugliness but finding unexpected beauty too. Arriving in Mumbai, Sam’s hunt for Swami Gurdayal is frustrated by out-of-date information and the chaos of the city. Finally discovering he has moved on, she travels north in search of the elusive guru.
When India and fate bring them together again, Joe is just as strongly attracted to her, but again she rebuffs him and again they go their separate ways. He resumes his plans, collecting an old motorbike in Mumbai and heading South, but he can’t stop thinking about her. By the time Sam gets to Delhi, the ever-elusive Swami has moved on again. Realising she can’t fight India, she surrenders to the chaos. Only then does she discover the secret location of Gurdayal’s ashram, which launches her on another arduous trip.
With their respective journeys constantly altered by influences beyond their control, Joe and Sam bump into each other again in Bangalore. Both are more relaxed than before and they enjoy drinks together. Sam has to force herself to leave for the ashram, and Joe reluctantly resumes his plans. But he still can’t stop thinking about her. Against all his normal instincts, he changes his plans and rides through the night to the ashram.
Although Sam is flattered by Joe’s desire, she is desperate to pursue the guru’s promise of healing and is forced to rebuff him a third time. But once Joe’s gone, she has second thoughts. Then she learns that the guru is not what he claims to be, and that there is no magic cure for her illness. Forced to come to terms with both herself and her condition, she develops a new sense of self-acceptance and decides to find Joe.
She locates him at the village of Ashvem, his ultimate destination in Goa. But her rejection of him has had a powerfully negative effect on him, and Joe rejects her. All appears to be lost, and Sam decides to abandon her quest and fly home.
Joe finally contacts the pain that’s been driving him and realises what he’s about to lose. With a new sense of self-acceptance, he races against time to catch Sam before he loses her forever. . .
THE ROAD TO ASHVEM is a hilarious and heart-warming romantic comedy set against the colourful, chaotic and sometimes mystical backdrop of India. It takes the British rom-com and reinvigorates it with a unique story of travel and adventure.
CAST: International stars now attached.
TEASER TRAILER: THE ROAD TO ASHVEM
SEEKING INVESTMENT: £255K (we have secured a £20K private loan to cash flow UK tax credits)
IM and sales estimates available on request.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Available on request
CONTACT: PHIL HARRIS
SUBSTANTIAL FILMS LTD
UNIT 20
16 FOURTH AVENUE
HOVE
BN3 2PH
WEBSITE: https://www.substantialfilms.co.uk
'HIGH WATER'
PROJECT: FEATURE FILM
LOGLINE:
A journalist returns to Brighton to investigate the drug-related death of his estranged son, revealing a trail of murder and intrigue that leads back those closest to him.
SYNOPSIS:
Journalist Vince Sand returns to Brighton following death of his estranged son Jake. The official story just doesn't add up, and his direct investigation gets him nowhere. Vince must play it smart as he steps into the world of drug dealing and homelessness in his attempt to uncover the truth about his Jake's death. Over the next four nights he travels through the layer of society "beneath the floorboards". Unwelcome and out of time, Vince uses all his journalistic cunning to settle the score.
SEEKING INVESTMENT: £150,000 (Investment so far: £10,000)
CONTACT: EWAN GORMAN
EMAIL: ewan@blackrockfilms.co.uk
WEBSITE: www.blackrockfilms.co.uk
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