We promised you a surprise and here it is! Welcome to your very own screening of Arthur & Merlin!
Arthur & Merlin is a 2015 British feature film, directed by Marco van Belle. It has been written by Marco van Belle and Kat Wood, and produced by Paul Osborne, Rob Speranza, Joe Burrows and van Belle himself.
An epic fantasy of good versus evil, it tells the classic story of Arthur (played by Kirk Barker) and Merlin (played by Stefan Butler) in a brand new way. Inspired by Celtic tales, the movie provides us with new origin stories for these iconic characters. In dark ages Britain, a powerful druid is bent on destroying the Celtic people. Arthur, a banished warrior, and Merlin, a hermit wizard, embark on an epic quest before their people become a mere myth themselves.
Kirk Barker says: “I love the dynamic between myself and Merlin. They are such different people, thrust into each other’s worlds. This film has everything. Adventure, romance and suspense, interspersed with moments of comedy.”
Stefan Butler says: “What drew me to the film in the first instance was the character Myrradin; he made sense to me. I enjoyed who he was and how different he was from all the other versions of Merlin.”
With only a low budget, the team was able to produce an epic, sweeping fantasy story, ripe with action and special effects. In fact, the movie is a rule-breaker by low budget standards:
- 27 actors and more than 50 extras.
- 25 actors with speaking roles.
- The crew numbered as many as 40 and sometimes 90 on a busy day!
- Filmed at 21 different locations across England in just 25 days.
- More than 20 freelance visual effects artists from all over the world have contributed to the film.
Sheffield-based indie production company Movieworks has created a new business model and put it to work with this first feature film. The company allows filmmakers to raise finance, and produce and sell their films whilst retaining full ownership of their works.
Moreover, this is the first time that a user has been able to buy and stream a film with just a text message. You can watch it anywhere and it does cost less than a cup of coffee.
Sit back, relax and enjoy your movie!
