Village film gets London premiere
Farmers were among those taking centre stage at a London film premiere last night (May 24).
The screening of the new feel-good rom com, Tortoise in Love, saw hundreds of residents from the Oxfordshire village of Kingston Bagpuize – who’d been instrumental in making the movie – don ball dresses and dinner jackets for the launch.
A tractor was even parked outside the Leicester Square cinema for the screening of this film which has been compared with Calendar Girls, The Full Monty and Four Wedding and a Funeral.
For the last leg of the tractor’s journey, it was driven by Milk Link farmer director David Christensen, who makes a brief appearance in the film.
“It was a terrific evening – a great chance for the country to come to town,” he told FW. “The director said one day we’d all descend on the West End to see the film – and, sure enough, we did.”
Virtually everything – from finance and make-up to publicity and catering – was provided by the villagers, who also starred in the film.
The film, which releases in UK cinemas in July, is about a man (Tom Mitchelson) who quits his job as a microbiologist to return to his home village where he works in the gardens of the stately home and falls for a Polish au pair. But while he can talk to plants, he can’t talk to woman – so pursues her with the speed of a tortoise.
Much of the budget was raised by a “mini-mogul” scheme of small local investors, with the village owning a ‘golden share’ of the film so clubs, schools and societies will benefit from any profits.
DEFRA even put some cash into it, as it was convinced it could build community spirit and promote rural tourism.
Minister for Culture, Communications & the Creative Industries Ed Vaizey also made a cameo in the film, which was directed by writer and director Guy Browning.
See the gallery, film trailer and review below.
Picture captions
1.The Odeon, Leicester Square in London 2.The media scrum outside the Leicester Square cinema 3.Tom Mitchelson stars as the romantic lead 4.A tractor caught the imagination of the assembled media 5.Farmer Poul Christensen, the Christensen family’s farm was used for some of the filming 6.Writer and director gets interviewed ahead of the premiere 7.Writer and director Guy Browning 8.Farmer David Christensen and his wife Catherine 9.Wellies on the red carpet
FW review
‘Charming’ is the best word to describe Tortoise in Love.
The story of how it came to fruition is charming – how a village came together, in a wonderful display of community spirit, to take on Hollywood.
The plot is also charming – the tale of a (very slowly) blooming romance between an inept-in-love gardener and a polish au pair, set against the backdrop of a sleepy, beautiful Oxfordshire village.
It’s feel-good, easy-to-watch and has a few laugh-out-loud moments. It’s a film that has heart.
As a movie, is it without its flaws? Of course not. But does it leave you feeling better about the world and remind you about some of the aspects you most love about country life? Definitely yes.
Will it end up on TV on Christmas Day? Right now, you wouldn’t bet against it.
See the trailer for the film
* Don’t forget, if you’re a budding actor or moo-vie maker, you might want to get involved in FW’s Welcome to Wellywood competition, which has £600 worth of prizes on offer.