Gateshead-based production company Candle & Bell is preparing for an international premiere after its latest film, The Date, was selected for the 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
It will receive its world premiere on November 7 as part of Taming Time, a new festival strand showcasing unconventional approaches to the moving image.
Starring Jazmín Falak, the film follows Jazmín, a Spanish single mother living in London, as she prepares nervously for her first date in years.
What begins with anticipation gradually gives way to disappointment in a near-silent exploration of loneliness, heartbreak and the need for human connection.
The film was directed by London-based filmmaker Alex Barrett, who co-wrote the screenplay with Áine O’Neill-Mason, and produced by Candle & Bell’s Maria Caruana Galizia alongside Oscar-winning producer Julie Foy.
Maria said: “We shot The Date in just four days, in long, unbroken takes, because we wanted audiences to live through every minute with Jazmín, from the nervous excitement of the morning to the disappointment that follows.
“It’s a film about the particular loneliness of heartbreak in a city that doesn’t quite feel like home.
“Thessaloniki has a long history of championing bold, formally adventurous cinema, and we couldn’t ask for a better place to share it with the world for the first time.”
Director Alex Barrett added: “When I set out to make The Date, I did so with the intention of making a film that grips the viewer through human emotions; that is, through internal, rather than external, action.”
He praised the performance of Jazmín Falak, whose previous credits include Netflix’s The Kingdom, adding: “In Jazmín, I found a more-than-perfect partner. I can’t wait for everyone to witness her spellbinding performance.”
The film has been selected for Taming Time, a new festival strand dedicated to works which explore unconventional approaches to the moving image.
Producer Julie Foy said: “The Date is ultimately a film about our basic human need for connection, communication and acceptance in a world that can be extremely brutal and unforgiving.”
Candle & Bell has previously received support through the BBC Small Indie Fund on three occasions and has a growing slate of film and television projects in development with broadcasters including Film4 and the BBC.
Its credits include the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Tom & Lauren Are Going OOT!, while upcoming projects include SCRUM, written by Bethan Moore, and Gunners, by Lucy Brydon.