A new film telling the story of the fascinating final year of WWI English poet and soldier Wilfred Owen’s life has scooped a collection of international industry awards.
The Burying Party produced by Wirral based film company Sine Wave Media focuses on the year when Owen he met literary heavyweights Robbie Ross, Charles Scott Moncrieff, Robert Graves and his mentor Siegfried Sassoon.
He also returned to the front line of battle after assessing his war record and existing poetry, earning the Military Cross for an attack at Joncourt where he captured an enemy machine gun.
Owen finally fell on 4 November 1918 at the Sambre-Oise canal in the culmination of The Somme campaign near Ors in France.
The film has been named Best Narrative Feature at the Melbourne City Independent Film Awards, with Sid Phoenix who plays the role of Siegfried Sassoon named as Best Supporting Actor.
This was after winning five categories at The New York Film Awards including Best Picture and four accolades at the LA Film Awards.
The film has now won 13 awards including six in both of Hollywood’s leading festivals, the LA Film Awards and the LA Movie Awards.
Filming took place in Liverpool, Wirral, Edinburgh and North Yorkshire, with war scenes staged in specially prepared trenches in Suffolk and Wrexham.
The Athenaeum in School Lane was the location for the wedding reception of Robert Graves.
While, the cellar of the Bombed Out Church on Leece Street was used to depict Wilfred Owen’s final scene where he wrote his moving letter to his mother Susan.
The film was directed by Richard Weston who is a visiting lecturer on the MSc Digital Marketing and BA Business and Public Relations course at LJMU, with support from assistant director Keith Thompson who is a senior lecturer in Public Relations at LJMU.
The casting includes Matthew Staite who plays Wilfred Owen and Andrew Caley, who has previously appeared in Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey, playing Robbie Ross. Joyce Branagh played Owen’s mother Susan.
Richard said: “The casting was rigorous, and we needed a team that could carry the weight of such a powerful story.
“Wilfred Owen’s works have stood the test of time, and behind those timeless words was a fascinating character. We can’t wait to share that story.”
Keith and fellow Sine Wave Director, Neil Perriam attended Wilfred Owen’s former school the Birkenhead Institute and came up with idea for the film with Weston after visiting the place where he died in Ors.
Keith said: “It is great to win industry recognised awards. It means you have hit a benchmark in the industry internationally but it’s more about exporting one of our major local poets to the world stage.
“We were up against some stiff competition against another film, which cost half a million pounds to produce, so our £20k crowd funded budget was well spent and a testament to the hard work of Richard and our dedicated team.
“For me, the crowdfunding process has also been a research opportunity with a view to gaining data on donor motivation which I hope to share with other independent producers.”
He added: “The Business School and the Screen School have been really supportive with this project, awarding time and resources.
“It’s a long way to the red carpet at the Oscars, but this is definitely a case of dreaming, planning and achieving.
“I hope we can continue to help export the rich culture of the Liverpool City Region.”
To view the trailer and find out more about the film visit: www.theburyingparty.com