Cast and crew have been hard at work on a new drama being made in the North East thanks to support from the British Film Institute.
BFI funding has enabled filming to take place in Newcastle and the wider region on Obsession, a short film which explores what someone might be capable of when pushed to the limit.
It's being made by Tri-Hard Films: a team of three talents from the region, made up of TV scriptwriter Debbie Owen who has worked on Casualty; director and actor Daymon Britton, whose CV includes film School for Seduction and TV's Wire in the Blood which starred his uncle Robson Green, and producer Morgan Stephenson who is also making his acting debut in Obsession.
Described as a thought-provoking film about accepting the life you’ve been given in order to survive or fighting for the one you deserve.
Its cast and crew are all from the region and co-starring with Stephenson is Kim Tserkezie, whose acting credits include Boy Meets Girl; Wolfblood and Balamory.
A wheelchair user, Kim - who is also a presenter, writer and producer with more than 20 years of broadcast experience - plays the role of Jasmine in the new film: a part which was not written to specifically feature a disability.
Owen said: "We simply cast the right actress for the right character and that actress happens to be a wheelchair user.
"People say it’s an important decision that we made, because it’s so unusual in the film industry but we strongly believe that more film makers should do the same.”
Tserkezie herself sees her role - a woman who is a survivor rather than a victim - as an exciting opportunity.
She said: "Often disabled characters are portrayed on screen as weak, pitiful, individuals who are victims to the limitations of their medical condition rather than their environment.
"They are typically only seen in relationships where they are causing intolerable pressures to their partner who is invariably their ‘carer’."
She added: "We turn this all on its head and offer a completely alternative perspective.
"Jasmine has a real story to tell that will resonate with many women.”
Newcastle has formed the backdrop for much of the action, with the Castle Keep featuring as the location for the last day of shooting which wrapped at around 3am on Wednesday.
Filming on Obsession has also taken place in Heaton and included scenes in an Italian restaurant in Sunderland and in Tynemouth at the coast.
Amy O’Hara, from BFI Network, has called the film exciting and said it is a "diverse and engaging project that heavily features the North East both in terms of location and talent."
She added: "We’re looking forward to seeing the finished film.”
Obsession is now ready to start the editing stages and future plans include showing the end-result at film festivals in the autumn.
