A film production company based in Huddersfield is set for further success following the release of its first feature film.
The Last Laugh, starring award-winning playwright John Godber and Yorkshire-born actor Nick Figgis, gets its Yorkshire premiere this weekend – when it is screened at 7.30pm on Saturday (Jan 27) at the Lawrence Batley Theatre.
And it marks a milestone moment for independent TV and film production company Visualize Films and its founders John Dabury and Daniel Coll, who battled to secure backing for the venture and are now working on a host of exciting projects.
The Last Laugh, which also features 80s pop star Toyah Wilcox and Coronation Street actress Victoria Ekanoye, is based on one of Godber’s own plays and the film follows Figgis’ character, Martin Dawson, on an ill-fated weekend away with his parents played by Godber and his real-life wife Jane Thornton.
Filming proved a family affair, according to John Danbury. He said: “As we had to make this on a really tight budget we all got involved and asked family and friends along too – so I pop up, my wife the actress Ann Micklethwaite and our children Imogen and Iris both make an appearance as well as both of John Godber’s daughters.”
Daniel Coll, who had previously won Best Director for his version of Macbeth at the LA Independent Film Awards, directed Last Laugh, which was made using a mainly local cast and crew. The film was shot in just 24 days using 15 crew, 50 actors, 150 extras and 22 locations.
John, who lives at Clayton West, said: “This is a true local Yorkshire success story. Visualize Films was hatched from a small idea in a car journey – and three weeks later the business was formed and we were meeting with the world’s TV film executives in the South of France pitching ideas.
“We started from nothing, investing what little money we had personally to get to Cannes and pitch our ideas. It seemed to have paid off as we have achieved amazing things in the last 20 months. And although we still do not have an income, we have been lucky to survive on the goodwill, support and investment from some fantastic Yorkshire people.”
Visualize Films aim to show the feature across the north initially then to roll it out across the UK from early summer.
The company has also produced a 10-part TV series called Are We There Yet? – about a road trip by Land Rover around Ireland – which this month starts to be screened across the USA.
John and Daniel are also currently filming three documentaries as well as preparing for a second series of Are We There Yet? They also have a top secret TV detective series in pre-production – and they are raising finance for their second collaboration with John Godber, a feature film based on his play Muddy Cows about female rugby players, which already has some major international names attached.
