Guernsey film to premiere at national festival

A short film partly shot in Guernsey is due to be screened at the Sunderland Shorts Film Festival.

It will be the world premiere of Whispers of Freedom, written and directed by Guernsey filmmaker Brandon Ashplant.

The film tells the story of Chris Gueffroy, a waiter who tried to flee East Germany after he discovered he was being conscripted to the army.

The film was supported by both Guernsey Arts and the DDR Museum in Berlin.

The team behind the production said "it beat off several thousand other international short films to win a spot in the Official Selection lineup".

The Sunderland Shorts Film Festival is also a qualifying event for the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).

After permission was granted to re-tell the story of Chris Gueffroy by his family, work started on the script in 2023.

Guernsey-based Golden Goat Films then produced it the following year, with the cast and crew on location in both Guernsey and Berlin.

A number of well known Guernsey locations feature, including the Old Government House hotel and Guernsey Water's Kings Mill site, which was transformed into part of the Berlin Wall.

Brandon Ashplant said local actors and crew worked alongside international names on the project including former Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston, and Oscar nominee Jonathan Tammuz.

"There's too many names to mention; 148 in total, and around 70% them are local. I cannot thank them enough," Mr Ashplant said.

The premiere is due to take place at the Omniplex in Sunderland on 16 May.

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