ONE of the producers of Ashes, the latest film to be shot in the Isle of Man, has described the Island as "incredible".
Fiona Neilson from Fiesta Productions is co-producing the film which has been described as a "contemporary film noir".
Ashes stars Ray Winstone and Jim Sturgess and was originally supposed to feature landmarks more commonly associated with a big city.
Fiona explained: "We're making a road movie which, in the original script, is full of motorways and duel carriageways and had a big train sequence in it – so it’s good that we came (for a recce) as we realised we had to do some script work quite quickly!
"It's amazing actually because what it's done is given the film something we hadn't anticipated in terms of the look. I mean the roads and landscapes are incredible. What it made us do was look at things in a different way and find much more slightly surreal and abstract locations for things.
"I really do think it's not going to look like a film that people have seen before – which is wonderful. It's a British film – it's not a kitchen sink drama – it doesn't look grey, it doesn't feel depressing, there is something different about it which is wonderful."
Filming has taken place around the Island with locations including the Governor's House, the ferry, at the airport and on many of the Island's roads. The cast and crew have also been given permission to film inside the Castle Mona Hotel in Douglas.
Fiona continued: "I think it's the first time it's been used for filming. It's an incredible building – perfect for us. We've got a week in there and that's going to be quite special.
"We really have had access to places that I think if we were in London we wouldn't have got access to – or it would have cost us a fortune and been given very grudgingly. Here it has been given very openly in a lovely way. We feel lucky.
"We'd come back in a heartbeat. My business partner Esther Douglas and I have basically been going through our slate of scripts and going 'what would work on the Island!'"
Fiona also praised the public for being supportive and welcoming.
She said: "It's something that people said to us before we came out - one of the best things about shooting here is that people are quite disinterested, in the nicest possible way. They don't want to nose, they don't want to shout, they don't want to complain and they just let you get on with it, while at the same time being very welcoming. Everyone's been utterly charming to us and lovely.
"It's a really low budget film with a really big budget look and expectation and it's our crew and our cast and the people here that are making that possible. It really is going, not just the extra mile but the extra 10 miles – it wouldn't be happening like this if we were in London."
Also see: Ray Winstone praises Island residents for accommodating filming
Ray Winstone to star in Isle of Man film
