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BFI-funded short film shot in town park

Rooscreen Amelia Clarkson with long curly blond hair wearing a blue top and jeans and lying on the grass in a park. Ebony Aboagye has locs and is wearing a dark-coloured top. She is lying on the grass beside Amelia.Rooscreen
The film stars Poldark's Amelia Clarkson and Ebony Aboagye from BBC Three's Mood (nearest camera)

A film chosen from more than a thousand applications to be funded by the British Film Institute (BFI) has been shot in a town park.

Playground was filmed in September around the play equipment at Abington Park in Northampton.

Its cast included Amelia Clarkson who played Rosina in the 2016 BBC remake of Poldark.

The author said shooting the story in one of her childhood haunts was "a great experience".

Robert Constantin/BBC Becky Rooney with curly dark hair wearing a blue top and a silver necklace. Tayla Halfacre with medium-length straight dark hair wearing a blue top and a gold neckless. There are glass doors behind them.Robert Constantin/BBC
Becky Rooney (left) produced the film which was written by Tayla Halfacre (right)

Playground was written and directed by Tayla Halfacre, who said it was "driven by emotions that I've felt, but it's not necessarily completely about me and my life".

It follows teenage girls Grace and Jas who are forced to define their relationship when faced with an uncomfortable situation among their male friends.

It explores the male gaze and the intersection between sexism and homophobia.

Becky Rooney of Rooscreen, who produced the film, said: "It's not quite coming-of-age, it's slightly older than that, but it's the bit between being a child and being on a playground, and being a teenager and being on a playground at night and drinking beer and smoking tabs.

"They are, effectively, big kids."

Rooscreen Amelia Clarkson with long curly blond hair wearing a blue top and jeans and lying on the grass of a playground. Ebony Aboagye has locs and is wearing a dark-coloured top. She is lying on the grass beside Amelia. A pair of legs in jeans sitting on a toy train is visible in the backgroundRooscreen
Amelia Clarkson and Ebony Aboagye filmed their scenes in the Abington Park playground

The fact that the actors were older than the usual users of the toy train and the swings did create a few challenges.

Ms Halfacre said: "We had a great rehearsal beforehand and I was really keen to see the cast in that environment

"We've got these six-foot lads trying to get into that train, and just trying to fit into something goes with the themes of the film. It was just a really great experience."

Burgess Von Thunen/BBC Large grass park with trees in the background. There is a playground in the foreground with swings and a toy train. There are children playing on the equipment and some adults are sitting on a bench. There is a yellow and white ice cream van in the background.Burgess Von Thunen/BBC
The playground at Abington Park was the location for the film

Some of the funding came from the National Lottery, distributed by the British Film Institute to just 36 projects from 1,161 applications.

Alongside Poldark's Amelia Clarkson in the cast were Ebony Aboagye from the BBC Three series Mood, James Craven, who was Aaron Sandford in Coronation Street, and Freddie Palmer from Doctors.

The film is due for release early 2025.

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