2 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Christopher Eccleston has been filming in Newport
While residents of Newport may see a film crew swarming landmarks in Newport and immediately think of Doctor Who, this production is entirely different.
Welsh production company Hello Deer are currently filming in John Frost Square Newport Central Library, producing a new feature film titled 'About a Bell'.
'About a Bell' is an independent film about Sami, a Syrian refugee, and Bryony, a young librarian, who embark on a highly personal quest to preserve a bell from a demolished church.
Listings on IMDB detail that Sami is played by comedian Omid Djalili, and Bryony will be played by Eleanor Worthington-Cox. This main duo will be joined by some giants of British acting including Doctor Who star and Emmy Award Winner Christopher Eccleston, Jonathan Rhodes and Scot Williams.
Though the public may not be allowed into the library today, it would be safe to assume that it has been entirely taken over by cameras and crew.
This stellar cast will be directed by BAFTA nominee and star of 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' Simon Callow, who is making his first foray into directing since the 1990s.
Unlike most other film crews this one is very small and only employs around 40 people, but staff on set feel that this is the best way to operate.
Location assistant Matthew Marais, 25, said: 'I think they want to film in Newport as it's a city that's been developed.
'These independent films are the best kind of jobs because everyone cares so much more. If its someone's passion project, like this, then everybody wants to try harder to bring it to life.'
Rehearsals for the film began last week in Newport, inside the company's production office on the other side of the river from today's filming location. In a cryptic post on Instagram, viewers were shown two of Newport's infamous bridges that any dedicated resident would recognise.
Filming will take place around Newport and Cardiff, before the production moves to Belgium to complete filming in a few weeks. The production itself is set in Newport, so residents are sure to see parts of the much-loved city they call home throughout the film when it is released.
There is no release date announced for the production yet.
