Belfast's Movie-Making Booming

A Belfast-made horror movie is about to receive its London debut - and its only one of an on-going series of made in NI films.

Production company Generator Entertainment has confirmed that 'Freakdog' (made under the working title 'Red Mist'), a new supernatural thriller starring Arielle Kebbel will be first screened at Film4 FrightFest in London on August 22.

Directed by Irish filmmaker Paddy Breathnach, from a script by Spencer Wright, 'Freakdog' was shot on location in Belfast in February.

The scary drama sees a trainee doctor administering an untested cocktail of drugs to a critical coma victim, jolting the patient into a startling "out-of-body" state, enabling him to take revenge on the careless medics who left him in this condition.

As the comatose patient's murderous supernatural powers increase - in true 'edge-of-seat' horror movie style - time and allies are running out.

'Freakdog' was put together using a combination of slate financing from Limelight, and investment from Northern Ireland Screen and Framestore Features, the film production division of UK special effects powerhouse, Framestore-CFC.

Film4 FrightFest is the UK's leading fantasy and horror film festival, now in its ninth year.

The 2008 event will run for five days from August 21 to 25 at the Odeon West End, Leicester Square, London.

Producer Mark Huffam said: "We are delighted to be screening 'Freakdog' at Film4 FrightFest. The film is an imaginative well-crafted horror that we hope will thrill and scare the audience in equal amounts."

In addition to 'Freakdog', a further four feature films will be shot in Northern Ireland with investment and key support from Northern Ireland Screen: 'Cherry Bomb', a coming of age drama directed by Glen Leyburn and Lisa Barros d'Sa, from a screen play by Daragh Carville due to commence shooting in Belfast on July 7 2008.

'God Machine', a violent ghost story directed by Chris Hartwill from a script by Sven Hughes will also start soon and 'Beach Boys', an urban gang thriller written and directed by newcomer Malachi Smyth and 'The Henchman', a sinister love story written by Belfast's Richard Crawford are also soon to go into production.

See:Home Grown Films Funding Boost

(BMcC)