The ‘Born of Hope’ film crew are coming to West Stow Anglo Saxon Village from 14 to 20 July to make a ‘Lord of the Rings’ inspired film, giving visitors a chance to see “behind the scenes” of a film production. The reconstructed AngloSaxonVillage will be made into the fictional Dúnedain settlement of Taurdal, home to Chieftain Arador and his son Arathom.
Born of Hope is a 60 minute film being produced in the UK for free internet download for film fans worldwide. A low budget production, the entire cast and crew are giving their services for no financial gain. The subject matter and quality has attracted people from around the world to join the team, even gaining support and interest from some of the original New Line Trilogy cast and crew members including Richard Taylor and the Oscar® winning team at Weta Workshop, New Zealand.
Born of Hope is a non-commercial production being created It is being made purely for entertainment purposes and to keep the storytelling history of Middle Earth alive.
Material from the test shoot has been well received at many conventions and exhibitions around the world and the Born of Hope team has a large following anxiously awaiting the release of the finished film.
This project has been around for almost five years. The idea originally came in 2003 when actor/filmmaker Kate Madison wanted to send a film to a Tolkien Fan Film Exhibition. From a small spark the idea grew into a hugely ambitious project. As soon as Kate saw West Stow, in December 2003, she realised immediately that it was ideal for the Dúnedain village where most of the film is set. In April 2006 the team embarked on a test shoot filming a collection of scenes from the film. The final draft of the script has now been developed and the group are now in pre-production with principal photography scheduled to take place from July to December 2008 with an estimated release in 2009.
Members of the crew were on site promoting the filming in February 2008, when they took part in West Stow’s ‘Ring Quest’, the annual family challenge that sees families follow clues hidden throughout Middle Earth (otherwise known as West Stow Country Park and the Anglo-Saxon Village), collecting runes along the way to solve the final puzzle and save the realms of the elves, dwarves and men!
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Contact Lance Alexander, 01284 728718
Issued by: Maggie Goodger, Visitor Manager, St Edmundsbury Borough Council. Phone: 01284 728718. Email: maggie.goodger@stedsbc.gov.uk
