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Sparkle screening

SPARKLE IN LIVERPOOL

ON Tuesday 4th September, the hot new British film, Sparkle, was given a special cast and crew premiere in Liverpool – the city in which it was made. Liverpudlian actor Shaun Evans attended the screening along with his co-star Amanda Ryan, and writer/directors Neil Hunter and Tom Hunsinger.

The glitzy event took place at FACT, Liverpool, with a lively Q+A session with the stars and directors following the screening.

“We’re thrilled to have co-hosted this regional premiere of a contemporary British comedy, especially as we were able to play our part in helping to get the movie made,” says Alice Morrison, Chief Executive of Northwest Vision and Media, which works on behalf of the region’s TV, film, radio and digital content industries.

This special screening was held as part of the BAFTA in the Regions programme, in partnership with FACT and Vertigo Films. BAFTA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Price is proud to bring Sparkle back to Liverpool.

“In our quest to promote the art forms of the moving image throughout the UK, BAFTA has partnered with Northwest Vision and Media for the past two years to put on a series of events and screenings across the region,” says Kevin.

“Whilst the Academy’s main aim is to benefit the viewing public and inspire practitioners,” he explains, “we are proud to have contributed to Northwest Vision and Media’s success in developing new audiences for film and television.”

Sparkle is all about life, love and relationships. It tells the story of a charming young chancer who moves from Liverpool to London, and decides to sleep his way to the top. However, life gets complicated when he meets a powerful older woman, then falls for a girl of his own age.

Internationally renowned actors Bob Hoskins (Mrs Henderson Presents, 24:7, Mona Lisa) and Stockard Channing (Grease, Six Degrees Of Separation, West Wing) top the Sparkle cast list, with Liverpool actor, Shaun Evans, making an impressive entrance as the film’s main character, Sam Sparks.

Shaun's previous roles include Working Title’s thriller Gone, the Oscar nominated Being Julia opposite Annette Bening, Philip Haas' The Situation and Boys from County Clare. He was recently in Manchester shooting a Channel 4 film, Boy A.

“Playing Sam in Sparkle was a fantastic job for me,” says Shaun, 27, of Walton, in Liverpool. “I first auditioned for the part four years ago, but at that stage there wasn’t even a script! I’m really looking forward to its national release, because so often you make movies and they never get the screening they deserve, simply because of the way the system works. Thankfully, Sparkle is getting all the attention it deserves.”

Sparkle was filmed on Merseyside after winning funding from the UK Film Council and Northwest Vision and Media’s Merseyside Film and TV Fund (MFTVF). In addition to finance, Vision and Media was also able to offer Film Office assistance to the production.

The Liverpool Film Office helped source locations for the film, as well helping to get filming permissions for the 17-day shoot, which saw Liverpool becoming London and the Wirral doubling as Canvy Island, in Essex.

Made by Magic Light Pictures, and produced by Martin Pope and Michael Rose, Sparkle comes from acclaimed writing and directing team, Neil Hunter and Tom Hunsinger. The pair, who cemented their reputation with Lawless Heart, attended the Liverpool premiere on September 4, and answered questions from the audience after the screening.

The film has already proved a big hit with film critic previews. The Times called it a ‘gem’ and The Independent declared it Bob Hoskin’s ‘best performance in years.’

“When Sparkle was released on August 16 at the Edinburgh Film Festival it was yet another chance for Liverpool to shine, both onscreen and behind the scenes, as the film shows what an impressive and versatile place Liverpool is to film in,” says Alice Morrison.

“We felt it was really important to hold a regional premiere as a way of commemorating the part Liverpool was able to play in bringing this amazing movie to the big screen.”