Film-maker takes his movie from Teesside to Tribeca

A film-maker who worked on his movie at Teesside University’s Institute of Digital Innovation will see it premiered at a prestigious film festival in New York.

Ashley Horner directed and produced brilliantlove which will be premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York this month.

The film festival, which was set up by actor Robert De Niro following the 9/11 tragedy in New York, is the country’s biggest East Coast film festival, with brilliantlove showcased during the Discovery section of the 12-day event.

Described as an erotic and poetic love story, brilliantlove tells the story of narrator Noon, a shy taxidermist who lives in a garage on wasteland with photographer Manchester, whose success leads to the downfall of their relationship.

Ashley spent around 15 days in total working in the hi-tech sound studio at the University’s Institute of Digital Innovation (IDI), putting the finishing touches to the sound of what is his second feature film.

He said: 'We initially used the studio for one day to do some re-recording of dialogue and decided to come back when it came to mixing the film’s sound. I’m very impressed by the IDI building and sound facilities. There isn’t a studio like this anywhere else in the region.'

'We need more facilities such as this to sustain the film and television industry in the North. There’s a lot of talent in the area but there’s not a lot of practical production facilities available, which makes this place invaluable.'

Jim Terkeurst, Director of the IDI, said: 'Teesside University and DigitalCity are pleased that the world-class facilities are being used by professionals in the region. Media and creative industries are a vital part of the North East and it’s terrific to see film-makers going on to international recognition.'

Ashley also spent time in Prague working on post-production of his film. His next stop after premiering brilliantlove in New York at Tribeca is the Cannes Film Festival.

He said: 'We’re starting out as film-makers and looking for ways to make a little go a long way, which is why it’s been great to be able to use the sound studio here and support our local area and the industry in the region, while not having to travel too far from our production office and our homes.'

Ashley founded Pinball Films in Newcastle with the aim of actively developing micro budget feature films at the forefront of the new wave of British digital cinema.

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