Horsham film company sets their sights on an Oscar

Ellston Bay, a Hitchcock-style tale of searching and mystery, is a crowdfunded effort by the award-winning Fact Not Fiction Films, supported by Kodak Motion Picture Film.

Rhy-Davies, best known for his roles in Lord of the Rings and Raiders of the Lost Ark, will star in the project.

Director Nicholas Eriksson said: “It is a great privilege to have this opportunity to work with John, and I am greatly looking forward to collaborating together in the coming months.”

In the film, protagonist Keir travels to Ellston Bay to search for his father, but when he arrives he is initially taken under the spell of the water, before becoming suspicious of the town’s inhabitants.

The project is raising funds through a Kickstarter campaign and is being aimed at the best short film category at the Academy Awards.

Ellston Bay will be shot in VistaVision, a high-resolution film format originally designed at Paramount Pictures in 1954. Use of VistaVision technology remains fairly uncommon due to higher costs, but is a favourite of director Christopher Nolan, who used the format for his Dark Knight trilogy.

Mr Eriksson added: “The use of VistaVision is a very rare event, and something that hasn’t been seen in contemporary cinema for a considerable time.”

Ellston Bay is scheduled to film in September and will be completed next year.