"The most audacious and accomplished calling card I have seen in years" - Kevin Maher, Film Critic

 'a true work of beauty'

'a spellbinding cinematic treat'

'an amazing feat of tenacity'

'Devonian drama with Hardyesque overtones'

'a brilliant story beautifully portrayed'

‘a compelling story of personal revolution’

'an arresting film made with compelling passion'

‘meticulous attention to detail’

‘a visual feast’

Where to Watch

Shalborne is now available to watch on new streaming platform 'Yoreflix'

Watch on Yoreflix

Screenings

Shalborne is available for screening at film clubs, cinemas and independent events. For screening and licence enquiries, please contact: amouxfilms@gmail.com

Shalborne Trailer

CAST

CAROLINE CORRIE
PHIL CHEADLE
EDWARD MACLIAM
PETER MARINKER
TOM DAVEY
SAM ALEXANDER
ELLIE PIERCY
EMMA DARWALL-SMITH

‍HELEN BARTLETT
JOHN SHALBORNE
ELLIOT BARTLETT
FATHER
LIONEL FAIRWAY
JOE
ANNIE
LUCY FAIRWAY

CREW

Written and directed by
Produced by
Director of Photography
Editor
Assistant Editor
Online Editor
Production Designer
Costume, Hair & Make Up
Sound Mixer
Sound designer
Composer

CAROLINE CORRIE
CAROLINE CORRIE
SIMON NIBLETT
ANA MLYNARSKA
PHIL WHITEHEAD
STEVE BEARMAN
CAROLINE CORRIE
CAROLINE CORRIE
DAVE WILLIAMS
CHRIS PROCOPIOU
TOM NORRIS

CAROLINE CORRIE

This is Caroline’s first feature film as director. She trained as an actress at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has a First Class Honours Degree in Drama and Theatre Arts from the University of Birmingham. As an actress she has had various roles in television and theatre, most notably playing Louisa Catherine Adams in the HBO mini-series John Adams, directed by Tom Hooper. She was a founding member and performer of the award winning physical theatre company ‘Labyrinth Theatre’ and toured with Howard Barker's theatre company 'The Wrestling School'.

PHIL CHEADLE

Phil trained in acting at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has had a career on screen and stage, appearing at the National Theatre, the Globe Theatre, Sheffield Crucible, working with Cheek By Jowl and most notably playing Harry Potter in the London West End production of‘ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’. His screen appearances are extensive including roles in Sam Mendes’ film ‘1917’, Disney’s ‘John Carter of Mars’ and television series such as the BBC's 'Inspector Lynley' , 'Silent Witness' and 'Crimson Fields' and for ITV 'Harlots' and' Dark Angel'.

EDWARD MACLIAM

Ed trained in acting at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London. He has had many roles in television, theatre and film, most notably with a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Irish film ‘Run and Jump’ directed by Stephen Green. He had along standing role on BBC medical series ‘Holby City’ and most recently appeared in SKY’s ‘Sick of It’. In theatre he has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, at Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and many West End theatres in a range of roles.

PETER MARINKER

Peter’s acting career spans many years in television, film, theatre, radio and video games. Originally from Canada, Peter has worked all over the world. He is a major voice on BBC radio drama and has spent years with Samuel Beckett’s publisher John Calder performing Beckett’s plays. He is a member of Howard Barker's theatre company 'The Wrestling School'. His film credits include Richard Curtis’ ‘Love Actually’, Paul Greengrass’ ‘United 93’, John Boorman’s ‘The Emerald Forest’ and action/sci fi ‘Judge Dread’.

TOM DAVEY

Tom trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London. He has worked extensively as an actor in both film and theatre. He has appeared in multiple UK television dramas such as the BBC’s ‘The Ruby in the Smoke’, ‘The Syndicate’, ‘Silent Witness’, ITV’s ‘Lewis’ and the BBC films production of ‘Hamlet’. Tom has worked at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London both as an actor and education practitioner and consultant. In 2009 he received an Ian Charleson Award Commendation for his portrayal of Laertes in Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’.

SAM ALEXANDER

Sam trained in acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He has worked extensively in theatre, film and radio, appearing at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company in almost every play written by Shakespeare. For film and television he has appeared in Courtenay Solomon’s ‘American Haunting‘, 'Mogul Mowgli’ by Riz Ahmed, Andrew Haigh’s ‘45 years’ and the BAFTA nominated mini-series ‘The English’ directed by Hugo Blick, as well as two films for the RSC; ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ and ‘Love’s Labour’s Won’.

ELLIE PIERCY

Ellie trained in acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London. She has recently played Mrs Enright in ‘Belgravia, The Next Chapter’ for MGM+ and Carnival films. She is best known for Shir Shapiro in ‘Golda’ directed by Guy Nattiv and Mrs Lyons in Simon Stone’s ‘The Dig’. Other roles include Netflix Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ and Amazon’s ‘Hanna’. Ellie’s theatre and radio work covers a range of leading parts from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre to new writing at the Soho Theatre, London.

EMMA DARWALL SMITH

Emma trained in acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, and has worked in film, television and radio. Her credits include Camilla Parker Bowles in Pablo Larrain’s‘ Spencer’, Muriel in the BBC’s ‘Ian Fleming a life in Pictures’, Donna in‘ England Expects’, Titania in ‘Ballet Shoes’ and Mary in ITV’s ‘Henry VIII’. In her theatre roles she has been directed by distinguished directors such as Richard Eyre, Trevor Nunn and Stephen Daldry and was awarded for her role as Desdemona in Brian Murray’s ‘Othello’ at the Manchester Royal Exchange.

Director of Photography: SIMON NIBLETT

Simon has filmed in over 150 countries on all 7 continents in a career which spans 35 years. Amongst his many accolades he was nominated for an Emmy award for his cinematography on Otto Bell’s BAFTA winning film ‘The Eagle Huntress’ and was most recently part of the crew for Disney’s National Geographic series ‘On the Edge’ with Alex Honnold. In addition to his work as a DOP Simon has pioneered the use of drones in filmmaking, being the first person to fly a Red One back in 2008. He has logged over 2000 hours since then and has been an adviser to both UK and European Governments on drone legislation.

Editor: ANA MLYNARSKA

Ana has a BA in Film Editing from Lodz International Film School in Poland. She has worked as an editor and assembly editor on various UK and US based television productions, most notably ITV’s award winning series ‘Unforgotten’, Netflix series ‘The Crown’, SKY and Left Bank’s ‘Strike Back’ and the BBC’s ‘Malory Towers’. She is a member of the network group BAFTA Connect.

Composer: TOM NORRIS

Tom studied music at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London and currently plays as co-principal second violinist for the London Symphony Orchestra. He has played with legendary musicians including Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello and ‘The Who’ and even featured with the LSO at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. Most recently he played on Bradley Cooper’s biopic ‘Maestro’ as part of the LSO. He is a singer, songwriter and composer for film, radio and audiobooks.

Sound: CHRIS PROCOPIOU

Chris is a sound designer and editor and part of BAFTA connect group. He was sound effects editor on ‘Meet me in the Bathroom’ which premiered at Sundance Film Festival2022 and ‘Going Circular’ by the producers of the award-winning documentary ‘My Octopus Teacher’. His film credits include ‘Baghead’ by director Alberto Corredor, and ‘Letters from Drancy’ which premiered at this year’s Venice film festival. He was also sound editor on the TV series ‘Breeders’ created by Martin Freeman, Chris Addison and Simon Blackwell.

Online Editor: STEVE BEARMAN

Steve has worked as a grader on blockbuster hits such as ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’, ‘In Bruges’, ‘The Golden Compass’, ‘The Duchess’ and ‘The Dark Knight.’ He currently specialises in restoration grading, grading some classic films such as ‘Withnail and I’, ‘Kes’, ‘Mulholland Drive’ and ‘Donnie Darko’ and working with directors such as Mike Leigh, Terry Gilliam, Ken Loach and Sir Paul McCartney.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

I love a historical drama. And I am drawn to the early 20th century. My grandfather was born in 1901, my upbringing was founded on Victorian values, I love the art, literature and fashion of the time. I’m nostalgic for a life before machines and the world before the two world wars. I find this most recent history enables me to understand the origins of our exponential progress into post, post modern life.

1905 and the Bloody Sunday Massacre in Saint Petersburg became the starting point for my story as a pivotal moment in the modernisation of Europe and the decline of traditional and patriarchal institutions. How might this period of revolution and social change impact an individual? Might it inspire an Edwardian woman, isolated by marriage and restricted by society to take action against her tyrannical husband and launch her own personal revolution against the conventions of her time?

In this retrospective look at the life of a woman fighting oppression I found universal relevance. The courage required to change a situation, however grave, is something everyone can relate to and at the time of writing, I was overwhelmed by stories of refugees fleeing warzones, travelling huge distances with their elderly relatives and children with nowhere to go and nothing but hope to push them forward. In spite of her class, my protagonist, Helen, is as powerless as a refugee, her sexuality her only weapon. By pushing against the injustice of established order she becomes disenfranchised, homeless and wholly dependent on the kindness of others. She moves from one vulnerable state to another.

I wanted to set Helen’s story in a beautiful but lonely world. I live in Devon, England, close to the moors and to the sea, where the natural beauty and wilderness is both liberating and constraining. There is dramatic tension here. Endless sky, water and moorland feel empowering but then the wind, the rain and the cold, barren expanses of space with no shelter are harsh. Helen’s connection to the natural world and her ability to survive its brutality give her strength and a sense of ultimate freedom, far from the confines of social order. The natural world and the seasons play an important role in the illustration of her emotional journey.

I used mostly natural light to enhance the raw, authentic textures in both the landscapes and the costumes to give a true illustration of the period. Impressionists such as Claude Monet, Albert Edelfelt, Vilhelm Hammershoi and William Merritt Chase inspired the imagery and the production design. This was a creative dream for me, to attempt to imitate the artists and writers I admire so much, to film in the landscapes I adore and create a story which I may well have lived through myself. All these components gave me a very personal connection to the creative process and became the perfect setting for my debut feature.

PRODUCTION STATEMENT

When Simon Niblett came on board as DOP, the making of ‘Shalborne’ suddenly became a realistic possibility. When I started writing the screenplay I never knew how I would actually make the film. I had very little money and having approached production companies and funding opportunities unsuccessfully I knew that if I was going to make it, I would have to get on with it on my own. Finding Simon was an important moment in enabling that process, drawing other brilliant artists into the team. I kept on taking tiny steps with each aspect of the production, gradually nudging forwards in he hope of completion one day, but there were massive challenges, the hardest being navigating people’s time and commitments so that each shoot was never certain even 24hours before filming. For one of the bluebell scenes I was waiting for tree frogs to de-frost in Canada before I could be sure that Simon would attend, and during the years of filming babies were born, people moved house, there were weddings, lockdowns and the weather and the seasons, which were integral to the time frame of the story, also had to fall into line.

For this reason I had to wear lots of hats. I was not only director and actor, but producer, locations manager, production designer, costume, hair and make up, catering truck and so on.

It was critical that I had the ability to pull everything together as soon as the stars aligned for a filming day and the less people involved, the more likely it was that I could make it happen.

I had to own all the costumes and props so that I could pull them out at the final hour and guarantee that they hadn’t been altered for another production. It was also too expensive to hire them, to pay for insurance and delivery, so I started buying fabrics, cutting shapes and sewing together a collection of Edwardian dresses on our kitchen table. I have always been able to sew, but getting the lines right for 1905, tailoring the suits correctly and making sure they were not susceptible to falling apart as I traipsed across the bogs of Dartmoor was a skill I had to learn. When I established Fursdon House as the main location for the Shalborne estate, Mrs Fursdon gave me an enormous bag of family linen, a collection of underwear and linen shirts and lots of original lace. This was such a gift and helped give the costumes an authentic connection to the period and the locations.

Further generosity came from all the kind hearted folk who allowed me to use their houses, their gardens and their estates. I spent a long time looking for locations, writing letters, meeting people and telling them about my vision. They were all very gracious and many an AGA or homely log fire was used to warm the sausages and hot pots which I had made prior to the shoot to feed the cast and crew. I borrowed dogs, horses, children, crabs, boats and guns.

And my husband faithfully came to every shoot, holding a boom or driving a boat, carrying kit or being a stunt double. Our tiny crew travelled around Devon in our two Landrover Defenders with all the equipment and costumes, props and actors packed in the back, as every element of principle photography was pulled together with the bare bones of kit, the most limited amount of time and the extreme determination to keep the production going under any circumstances.

The post production process was equally precarious and rewarding. ‘Shalborne’ was fitted in around other projects for all involved, juggling spare moments here and there between work and family – even breast feeding whilst on Zoom editing sessions during lockdown. My own children were very little when I started, with four year old twins and a two year old, and during much of the editing process they were being home schooled because of Covid. But the nature of a passion project is ever thus and I thrived on the whole experience, buzzing on the huge privilege of working alongside these skilled artists. Thanks to their grace and patience I have learnt about every layer of post-production, which was all completely new to me, and experienced the entire spectrum of film production from conception of script to digital formatting for cinema release. Each department of post-production working independently from the other with every decision affecting the whole, and my role as director to oversee it all. This has been an invaluable process for me both as a director and actor.

My love of acting started in the theatre, but through the making of ‘Shalborne’ I have discovered cinema to be an equally extraordinary art form, simultaneously relying on both extreme order and spontaneous freedom to make it work. It is a perfect storm of magic created in the moment by the chemistry of actors, director and light, and at the same time it is run as a military operation, detailed and planned and contrived to the nest degree. This suits me down to the ground. I love structure but I also love to freefall and to sit in the moment waiting for the unexpected, full of possibilities yet safe within the parameters which have been set.

Working with a tiny budget has also been highly rewarding, even though I know I could have made a better version of the film with more funding. For a first time feature the economic constraints have, in some ways been a great gift, forcing me to think around the limitations and find creative solutions, throwing me unwittingly into every component of the construction of a movie at its most raw. It has been an unbelievably fulfilling experience and I hope that I will have many more opportunities to make films in the future.

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