• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

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Warwick Davis targets £570,000 in 45 days to make dwarf diamond heist movie…

Screen Shot 2015-10-16 at 09.21.35Film fans are being given an exclusive 45-day fundraising window to help cult Hollywood actor of the big and small screen, Warwick Davis, reach the goal of £570,000 to get his new comedy caper, ShortFellas, about a diamond heist – onto the silver screen.
The 45-year old artiste who plays lead character ‘Charlie’ in the film is proud to boast such box office blockbusters on his resume as Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the Harry Potter series, Willow and Labyrinth…and can also call superstars like George Lucas, Ricky Gervais and Val Kilmer as personal friends.
Warwick is teaming up with North East England production company 24:25 Films to try and get this wacky full length feature from the page to the cinema – as they look to shoot the movie next year in Newcastle.
Warwick was so impressed in the concept and film script when first presented with the idea by Richard Johnstone (writer/director) and Steve O’Brien (producer) that he asked to become Executive Producer.
Warwick, who has seen his celebrity stock skyrocket in recent times, has enjoyed great success in TV programmes like sitcom Life’s Too Short, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant plus being the host of prime-time UK game show Celebrity Squares.
His life is also being put under the spotlight this Friday (16th October) as he’s the focus of “Piers Morgan’s Life Stories” on ITV1 at 9pm.
Warwick said: “As an actor there is nothing better than entertaining people, whether it’s on television or at the movies; and I believe that ShortFellas will be a fantastic film on so many levels. It will be heartfelt and funny, exciting and thrilling but most of all it will be damn good entertainment.”
He adds: “In the age of the Internet, creative projects can be brought to life by fans of genres like music and film. They can really make a difference to whether these projects become a reality or not by dipping their hands into their pockets to help finance a venture.  And in the case of ShortFellas, the pledgers can actually come on the journey with us, with special access all areas incentives to help tempt their investment.  There are plenty of local cast and crew supporting the project who also want to ensure the film hits the big time!”
The project has been simmering nicely as 24:25 Films pitched the concept to some of the film industry’s leading distributors at events like the Cannes Film Festival.  Interest in ShortFellas has been ‘high’ especially through a ‘taster’ trailer that was filmed in Newcastle to help whet the whistle of potential investors. The trailer can be viewed at www.shortfellasthemovie.co.uk
Richard and Steve [24:25 Films] go headfirst into ShortFellas fresh from the success of filming Richard’s debut feature “Vampires”.  The film received its UK premiere earlier this year and attracted a Canadian distributor – who took the film to places such as the Berlin, Cannes and Porto Film Festivals.  This shows the calibre, passion and enthusiasm of everyone involved in getting ShortFellas off the ground.
If ShortFellas does come to fruition that it will be a feather in the cap of the North East film industry with local actors, crew and locations gaining work and major exposure.
ShortFellas in a nutshell: Five dwarves rob a Geordie bank with the cash needed to pay for a lifesaving operation for the daughter of their getaway driver. But when the money goes missing, they decide to pull off one final job. This is scuppered, when a local mob boss gets wind of their plans and forces the dwarves to do a risky job for him instead – a huge diamond heist worth over £5 million.  The cops infiltrate the gang and the heist leads to an action packed finale.
How to get in on the action: This Friday (October 16th) sees the launch of a Kickstarter page set up by Warwick and the lads from 24:25 Films. People have 45-days to help raise £570,000 as the ‘all or nothing’ target needs to be reached in full.
Film fans and interested businesses can invest anything from £1 through to £5,000.  This can also reap rewards as pledgers will receive a number of incentives, including the chance to appear in the film and meet Warwick in person (a list has been posted on the Kickstarter page).
People can follow the progress of ShortFellas on Face Book at facebook.com/shortfellasthemovie
and via Twitter @ShortFellas
Fingers crossed, in 45-days and nights, Warwick and 24:25 Films will be able to start turning their dream into a reality.
Further information can be found about Warwick Davis by visiting his website www.warwickdavis.co.uk and likewise for 24:25 Films www.2425films.co.uk

 

By admin