LONDON, 5 July 2013 – British filmmaker Daniel Jewel has launched a Kickstarter campaign for his short film Sun Never Sets featuring the English actor Derek Jacobi and Scottish actress Katie Leung from the Harry Potter film series. Jewel aims to raise 25,000 GBP by 1 September through donations on Kickstarter in order to make Sun Never Sets this October, which will be shot on the Southwest coast of England.
Sun Never Sets is a science fiction drama set in Shanghai and focuses on the father-daughter relationship between Hedges (Jacobi) and Katie (Leung) against the backdrop of a politically, economically and socially charged world. Europe and other western civilizations are in disarray and decline as great megacities have arisen in Asia. The hungry people of Europe have become migrants seeking a new life in Shanghai, which has left some people lost and seeking an identity that exists only in the past.
Hedges character has re-created a world reminiscent of the British Empire on an island near Shanghai. On this island, he has hired illegal English immigrants and surrounds himself with relics of his mother country. When Hedges is forced to take care of an English immigrant family who has crashed their boat on the island’s shores, Katie is exposed to a new way of life and begins to question her future. This film focuses on Katie’s internal conflict and follows a course of events that will change the lives of the main characters forever.
Sun Never Sets will be filmed on the Southwest Coast of England and VFX artists will recreate the stunning world of Shanghai. Jewel has sourced a talented team to make Sun Never Sets come to life. Caroline Amies is the production designer and worked on the Oscar-nominated In The Name of the Father, which starred Daniel Day Lewis. Ateh Jewel will produce the short, alongside producer Mandy Belnick, who is hugely experienced in marketing feature films and short films. Belnick also worked with Daniel and Ateh Jewel on their previous short film Drone, which has been accepted to three Oscar qualifying film festivals. Belnick and Jewel were shortlisted for an Oscar in 2008 for their short film Sidney Turtlebaum, which also featured Jacobi.
Funds raised through Kickstarter will allow Sun Never Sets to proceed according to schedule, with completion set for February 2014. For more information about how to contribute to this exciting project, visit its Kickstarter page at http://kck.st/14TVu6O, where you can receive a range of rewards, including props from the set and a copy of the script. You can also contact Daniel Jewel directly at thirdmanfilms@gmail.com for more information.
