25th October 2005
Wrexham Evening Leader
A GROUP of former students from NEWI has spent two weeks shooting scenes for an ambitious short film. Producers Sean McArdell and Michael McMahon, both graduates of the university in Wrexham, spent time in Snowdonia, Ruthin and Dinas Bran, Llangollen, for their current production, Hawk. They used wind and rain machines during shooting for the 25-minute film and in the coming weeks will hire a helicopter for an aerial sequence. The short, from 11:22 Entertainment, tells the story of Rowan, who grows up with just his grandfather for company, and retreats into a fantasy land based on
half-remembered tales of Celtic folklore. Its makers have won several prizes for past film work and recently produced a television advert for their old university.
They are being mentored throughout the project by filmmaker John Peverall, who coproduced the Oscar-winning movie The Deer Hunter, and television astrologer Russell Grant is among the executive producers. Sean, 28, of Chester, said: “This is very much a Welsh project. Both producers went to NEWI, as did our stills photographer Luke Pantelidou, and we are still in touch with staff there.
Our main cast members are Welsh and the entire film is being shot in North Wales. Members of the team have maintained strong links with their former university.
Sean added: “We used three current NEWI students as runners and script supervisors, which is great work experience for them, and plan to open an office on the university campus some time before Christmas.”
Lead actor Robert Gwyn Davin starred in First Knight with Sean Connery and Richard Gere and costume designer Anna Kovacevic worked on the outfits for the recent film version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Hawk is set to be premiered at the Bafta awards in London and also at a venue in North Wales. The crew kept a production diary throughout this month’s filming and full details on Hawk and other projects are available at www.hawkthemovie.com.
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