Third Light Films have announced thatAbove The Clouds, will be screening at this year's Raindance Festival.
On her 18th birthday, headstrong and artistic Charlie makes a startling discovery. The man married to her mother, isn't her dad. Recruiting Oz, a rough sleeper whose only possession is his driving licence, she embarks on an epic road trip from Margate to the Isle of Skye to track down her biological father. On the journey they both learn more than they bargained for - about themselves, each other, the importance of family, and why (sometimes) there really is no place like home.
About Third Light Films
Third Light Films is the production company of film director and sound designer, Leon Chambers. "I made my first film in 2003, having been inspired to direct after working as the sound recordist on a friend’s short film. I came away not wanting to pursue a career in film sound, but wanting to direct. I made the ‘The Bank Job’ in order to prove to myself I could do it. After it was selected for a couple of festivals and won an award, I was convinced I was moving in the right direction.
I started out in 1986 as a studio assistant at Oakwood Studios, a recording studio in Canterbury. It was on the YTS earning £27 a week! I spent a year making sure there was enough tea and coffee, as well learning everything I could about studio life. The following year they took me on full-time at their sister company, Talking Shop. I worked as an engineer and also as a producer on various radio commercials and training programmes for companies like Hornby Hobbies and WHSmith. After another year I ventured out on my own and went freelance. I continued to work for Talking Shop, as well as for various studios in London. In 1990 I was offered a full-time job with Studio AVP as a recording engineer. It was here that I first worked for Oxford University Press along with other publishers recording English language courses. While there I was responsible for updating the studio to digital editing, installing and managing a SADiE system. In 1997 I moved to The Soundhouse Ltd, where I specialised in recording and editing radio drama. I became freelance again in 2001, in order to return to production.
My short films have screened at festivals all over the world and won a number of awards. While developing various feature film projects I continue to work as an audio producer for publishers Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press."
Cast & Crew
Naomi Morris - Charlie
Has most recently featured in the new Cadbury’s Twirl commercial. Prior to that, she played a lead role in the UK premiere of Frank Wildhorn’s Wonderland the Musical. Naomi was a member of the National Music Youth Theatre, and played a lead role in The Hired Man at the St James Theatre in 2014. She played the lead role in short film Shards: Don’t Talk to Strangers for the BFI/NFTS in 2015, and TV work has included Doctors (BBC) and Back (Big Talk).
Andrew Murton - Oz
As well as Above the Clouds, Andrew recently had a featured role in Let Me Go, written and directed by Polly Steele, which was released in 2017. He appeared in short film Cautionary Tales, directed by Us for Academy Films, which played film festivals worldwide. Andrew has worked extensively in the theatre, and recently appeared at London’s Hope Theatre in Another Northern Man, and at the Pleasance Theatre in Daughter written by Bill Cashmore. He has previously appeared in Loaded at the Harrogate Theatre, Found Wanting at Theatre 503, and in a variety of roles at the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival.
Philip Jackson - William
Philip is known for his many television and film roles, most notably as Chief Inspector Japp in Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Abbot Hugo in Robin of Sherwood. His film work ranges from 1979’s Scum to 2011’s Oscar-nominated My Week With Marilyn, as well as Little Voice, for which he was nominated for a SAG Award, The Best Offer, Brassed Off and Paul McCartney’s Give my Regards to Broad Street. On television, Philip recently starred in Boomers and the critically acclaimed Raised by Wolves. He is currently appearing in the hit ITV series Good Karma Hospital and in Mike Leigh’s forthcoming film Peterloo.
Cordelia Bugeja - Susan
Cordelia is best known for her roles as Melanie Hart in the TV series Family Affairs, and as Kate in Respectable on C5. She has appeared on Not Going Out and The Bill, as well as Agatha Chistie’s Poirotand Doctors alongside high-profile work in commercials for brands including Sure and Yakult. Film work includes King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017), Drone (2013), The Crew (2008) and When I’m Sixty-Four (2004).
Glen McCready - Jack
Glen trained at Webber Douglas Academy. His screen work includes roles in Office Romance 2.0, Not Now, Pet, The Peak and the Pit and The Value of Hard Work. Theatre includes playing Richard Burton in the world premiere rehearsed reading of Steven Berkoff's new play Corpse (directed by Berkoff at the Pleasance Theatre), Edward Lyons in Blood Brothersin the West End, and Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Eye Theatre. Glen’s voice work includes roles in Chatterton: The Allington Solution starring Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC R4), and Arms and the Man starring Rory Kinnear (BBC R3). He also works extensively in voice-over, including narrating Van Gogh, A New Way of Seeing and playing Zygmunt Budge in J K Rowling's Wonderbook: Book of Potions and Major Crum in all four Wallace And Gromit Grand Adventures games.
Gordon Kennedy - Tim
Gordon recently featured in the regular role of Robbie in The Halcyon for Left Bank Pictures. He played Gordon Brown in The Audience, directed by Stephen Daldry in the West End, and starred in The James Plays directed by Laurie Sansom for the National Theatre and NTS. Other recent credits include roles in T2: Trainspotting; The Windsors for Noho; Casualty directed by Lee Haven Jones; Endeavour for Mammoth Screen/ITV; a semi-regular part on Breathless for ITV; Being Human; the feature film Borderlands directed by Elliot Goldner; MI High for Kudos; Combat Hospital for Canadian TV on location in Toronto; Sherlock for Hartswood Film; Red Faction for NBC Universal; Taggart and the fifth series of Skins. He played Little John in all three series of Robin Hood for BBC/Tiger Aspect. Gordon starred in both series of Red Cap for Stormy Pictures/BBC, as well as playing the regular character Graeme in River City for BBC Scotland.
Ian Bustard - Leo
Ian Bustard is Scottish actor and filmmaker, known for Piccadilly Cowboy (2007), A Love Divided (2014) and for directing and appearing in the Scottish BAFTA-winning 2014 documentary Marty Goes to Hollywood. He has appeared extensively on television, including parts in River City, Casualty and Monarch of the Glen among others, and as a regular on Rab C. Nesbitt. He recently featured in Edinburgh-winning feature film Calibre.
THE FILMMAKERS
LEON CHAMBERS (Producer/Director)
Leon’s short films, including Stolen Youth, The Long Lonely Walk and Office Romance 2.0, have played at film festivals all over the world and won a number of awards. His last short film Lonely Hearts (written by Simon Lord) won Best Short Film at the Chicago United Film Festival 2013. The Long Lonely Walk (starring Jeremy Sheffield, Sylvia Syms and Tessa Peake-Jones) won the same award three years earlier, as well as winning Best Film Editing at the Grand Off Film Awards in Poland, along with three other awards. His films have screened at major festivals including Palm Springs ShortFest, Raindance, Newport Beach, AFI Dallas and the San Diego Film Festival. Office Romance 2.0 (a comedy short about a woman’s affections for an unlikely work colleague) screened at the prestigious Short Shorts and Asia in Japan and was then offered exclusive distribution in Japan. Leon produces and directs audio recordings for a number of major publishers, having previously worked as a sound engineer specializing in radio drama. He has recorded over 300 hours of radio drama for the BBC, including several Sony Award winners.
SIMON LORD (Screenwriter)
Simon grew up in Paris and studied English at Oxford, and currently lives in London with a Viking and a dog. In addition to Above the Clouds, Simon wrote feature drama Jellyfish, which premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, followed by Edinburgh International Film Festival, where it was awarded “Best Performance in a British Film” for stars Liv Hill and Sinead Matthews. Simon and Leon Chambers are currently in development with their follow-up to Above The Clouds, sci-fi satire A Certain Tomorrow. Simon is also working with Braintrust Pictures on Bartek and the Duke, which was previously selected for Edinburgh’s Talent Lab 2015, and for the Connections mentoring scheme with writer-director Peter Ettedgui (McQueen). His other projects include coming-of-age drama Rabbit with So&So Productions (A Moving Image) and steampunk fantasy Cinema of Dreamswith Inflammable Films (Tyrannosaur, God’s Own Country). Simon’s previous short films include Two Dancers (starring Carl Barât of the Libertines), Lonely Hearts (also directed by Leon Chambers) and Barry Glitter (produced through the NFTS).
About Raindance
Discover. Be Discovered.
Listed by Variety as one of the world’s top 50 ‘unmissable film festivals’, Raindance showcases features, shorts, music videos, virtual reality films and web series by filmmakers from the UK and around the world celebrating and supporting independent, new and alternative filmmakers not just during our 12 day festival but throughout the year.
Raindance Film Festival is officially recognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences USA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the British Independent Film Awards. Selected shorts will qualify for Oscar® and BAFTA nominations. British short films that play in competition and all British features that play in 2018 will be eligible for entry for the 2018 British Independent Film Awards BIFA.
ABOUT RAINDANCE – THE VOICE OF INDEPENDENT FILM
Raindance is dedicated to fostering and promoting independent film in the UK and around the world. Based in the heart of London, Raindance combines Raindance Film Festival, Training Courses, which are offered throughout the year through its 11 international hubs and the prestigious British Independent Film Awards. |
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