02/01/2013 - Amma Asante’s period drama shot on the Sony F65 CineAlta. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson and Miranda Richardson star.

Upcoming Pinewood Films release Belle, directed by Amma Assante, is the first major British film shot on true-4K using Sony’s F65 CineAlta digital production camera. Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw (photo), Tom Wilkinson, Sarah Gadon, Miranda Richardson and Emily Watson, the film inspired by the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle is scheduled for UK release this year through Pinewood Films. Belle is a DJ Films production, presented by Isle of Man Film, Pinewood Films and the BFI, in association with Head Gear Films and Metrol Technology. International sales are handled by Bankside Films.

Director of photography Ben Smithard said, “We shot Belle in a range of different environments – on location and at Pinewood – and having a camera that was easy to use and delivered stunning detailed images in bright and low light was essential for such a visually-rich period feature.  With the F65, Sony has developed a camera that not only produces beautiful skin tones but also retains tremendous amounts of highlight and colour detail.”

Shot in the Isle of Man, London, Oxford and Pinewood, Belle is the third project to receive investment from Pinewood Studios as part of its Pinewood Films initiative that was established to help fund and support British independent films. Ivan Dunleavy, Chief Executive, Pinewood Shepperton, said, “Through Pinewood’s investment in British, independent films we are helping to support up and coming talent who are pushing the boundaries and exploring new and creative ways of storytelling. This is especially true when it comes to technology and it’s great that Belle is the first feature to be shot with Sony’s F65 camera. The result is set to be phenomenal.”