16/04/2008

Principal photography has begun on Liverpool locations for director Lindy Heymann and producer Andy Stebbing’s Starstruck, written by Leigh Campbell. The film deals with two Liverpool teenage girls who are obsessed with a young premiership footballer and lure him to a caravan for a night of passion – but things don’t pan out the way they would like.

Heymann is a veteran of over a 100 music videos and directed the BIFA-winning Showboy. She said, “Certain projects just hit a chord with you straight away, and this one certainly did with me. It’s so of-the-moment in terms of what is actually going on in Britain, and young people’s obsession with celebrity, yet the idea hasn’t yet been tackled in a film. Starstruck is saying something that has not been said before, and doing it in a way that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.”

Laurence Coriat (Wonderland) wrote the story over 10 years ago. Campbell said, “The story was obviously dated, and didn’t have any connection to Liverpool, so I’ve completely re-written it and adapted the initial idea. It’s now quite a dark drama, which is a complete contrast to the comedy scripts I often write.”

The film stars newcomers Kerry Hayes, Nichola Burley and Jamie Doyle and is the third and last film commissioned through Northwest Vision & Media’s Digital Departures scheme, which is also backed by Liverpool Culture Company, BBC and the UKFC. The scheme, which allots £250,000 in funding, also bankrolled Terence Davies' Of Time and the City and Lawrence Gough's Salvage.

Starstruck wraps shooting on May 6 and will premiere in Liverpool during the 2008 Capital of Culture festivities.