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‘Heartfelt’ short film shot on location across our region will be premiered at prestigious LA film festival

A Cambridgeshire-based filmmaker has spoken of his delight at getting his film showcased at a major Hollywood film festival.

Fenland-based actor, director and screenwriter Austin Staton will premiere his short film, Perennial, at the renowned Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in June as part of the Dances With Films festival.

Austin is still getting used to the idea that his celluloid creation will be screened at such a prestigious festival Stateside.

Perennial, a short film by Fens-based actor and director Austin Staton, will be screened at the prestigious Dances With Films festival in Hollywood this summer (image: Getty).

“It’s been crazy knowing that the film will be going to Hollywood,” he said.

Set in a small market town within the Fens, Perennial tells the story of a vagrant former professional dancer (Staton) who forms an unlikely bond with an underprivileged schoolgirl, played by 12-year-old Cambridgeshire girl, Amelia Brown. As he teaches her to dance for her school talent show, she helps him to rekindle his broken relationship with his children.

Austin sums the film up as a “heartfelt dance-based drama, adding “think Billy Elliot meets Leon meets Harold and Maude.”

Unsurprisingly, Austin – who was born and bred in Cambridgeshire – didn’t have to look far for inspiration:

As well as being shot entirely on location in the Fens, many of the cast and crew who worked on the film come from our region.

“My home is a small market town in the Fens with a terrific sense of community,” he explained.

“This has partly been my inspiration to make this film, alongside interviews and conversations from the homeless community.”

Film-obsessed Austin – real name Mark Reid – has worked as a professional actor for many years, appearing in productions of all shapes and sizes for the BBC, ITV and others.

However, this momentous step up comes at a time when both his personal and professional life are experiencing significant change.

In addition to becoming a father for the first time, Austin’s decision to step behind the camera and direct has led him to establish his own production company, 'Bridge in the Sky'.

With this in mind, the proud father and fledgling Alfred Hitchcock is already looking at how his trip to LA might help to move his career onto the next level.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to talk about my plans to develop the short film into a feature film,” he said.

Local filmmaker to showcase Fens-based movie in Hollywood