A short film partly shot in Guernsey has qualified for the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).
Whispers of Freedom, written and directed by Guernsey filmmaker Brandon Ashplant, tells the story of Chris Gueffroy, a waiter who tried to flee East Germany after he discovered he was being conscripted to the army.
Its world premiere was held at the Sunderland Shorts Film Festival in May, a qualifying event for BIFA, with an upcoming premier at Worcester Film Festival in September.
In a post on social media, production company Golden Goat Films said securing official selection at both of the BIFA qualifying festivals “paved the way” for the film to qualify for the 2025 BIFA’s.
It said: “Per the BIFA rules, a short film must secure official selection into at least two qualifying festivals on the BIFA category B list to be eligible.
“Exciting times ahead.”
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 line-up”.
Mr Ashplant previously 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 are too many names to mention. One-hundred-and-forty-eight in total, and around 70% them are local. I cannot thank them enough,” Mr Ashplant said.