BREAKING NEWS!
An IAN WOODWARD film
I’LL WALK WITH GOD
BIG-SCREEN PREMIERE
OF ENCORE FILMS’
NEW MUSICAL ROMANCE
Photos © STEFANIE WOODWARD 2016
Venue:
THE VYNE THEATRE
THE VYNE PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
AT BERKHAMSTED IN HERTFORDSHIRE
FAMILY AND FRIENDS joined cast and crew in the historical town of Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire on 24 January 2016 for the premiere screening of I’ll Walk with God, Ian Woodward’s new production for Encore Films.
The movie, starring Norman Bowman and Virginia Byron and co-starring Claire Heverin, along with the support of The Encore Films Choir – Joyce Agbonson, Lara Cooper-Chadwick, Anastasia Drew, Aude Florentin, Elisa Hayrapetyan, Daria King, Francesca Moran, Georgina Roberts, Laia Martinez Rubir – is a musical drama about a former opera star from America for whom La Bohème and My Fair Lady cannot feed his God-given spirituality.
His father’s homeland has taken the tenor and his family to England – and to the priesthood. But the trendy, go-getting Rev Jim Watson will always sing. It is what he does best and is as natural to him as breathing. He sings at charity events, church fetes and local concerts. In his parish he is known as “The Singing Vicar”.
Above: The parents of actress CLAIRE HEVERIN (Holly Watson in film), Karen and Mark, with actor NORMAN BOWMAN (Rev Jim Watson), actress VIRGINIA BYRON (Emma Crawford), sound and boom operator PAUL RICHARDSON, Paul’s university friend, Rory, and production runner DAVE BLISSETT
Along the way, after meeting Emma Crawford at the local allotment that is his distraction and her therapy, things will never be as they once were for them or for Jim’s actress daughter, Holly.
Musical numbers include “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel, Bach-Gounod’s “Ave Maria”, “Because”, “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady, the Neapolitan song “Come Prima” (Jim’s Italian mother is from Napoli) and the film’s title-song. Created, written and directed by Ian Woodward, the film has already been accepted for Official Selection screening in the United States at the New York State International Film Festival, the Christian Film Festival in Virginia, the Texas Ultimate Shorts Film Festival, the Wendy’s Shorts Awards Online Film Festival and the Eastern NC Film Festival in North Carolina.
Above: Filmmaker IAN WOODWARD, actress VIRGINIA BYRON (Emma Crawford) and her husband, Paul
The Vyne Theatre’s programme comprised the film’s trailer, a bonus-feature of interviews with the cast and crew filmed and conducted by production runner Dave Blissett, and short excerpts from two of Ian Woodward’s earlier films: “The Death of Albert” scene from Too Many Ghosts and “The Death of Eduard Zak” scene from the biopic Love Song: The Triumph and Tragedy of Tchaikovsky. After the interval – and more food, drink and chat! – came the premiere of I’ll Walk with God.
The occasion, by common consent, was an unqualified success. Natalie Anne Owen, the film’s organist and choir vocal coach, said: “Congratulations on the day – it was great! Encore Films should be feeling very proud right now.” Daria King, a member of The Encore Films Choir, added: “Thank you for creating such a lovely atmosphere at the screening.” Claire Heverin, the film’s Holly, summed it up for everyone: “It was such a wonderful day … a day I’ll always remember!”
Above: Filmmaker IAN WOODWARD, actress VIRGINIA BYRON (Emma Crawford) and her husband, Paul
Above: Choir vocal coach, organist and production assistant NATALIE ANNE OWEN and (2nd and 4th from left ) Encore Films Choir members LAIA MARTINEZ RUBIR and LARA COOPER-CHADWICK, with Lara’s fiend, Breanna
Above: Encore Films Choir member DARIA KING with her guest, James
Above: Encore Films Choir members (1st and 3rd from left) JOYCE AGBONSON and LAIA MARTINEZ RUBIR with choir vocal coach, organist and production assistant NATALIE ANNE OWEN
Above, left to right: chorister JOYCE AGBONSON, chorister DARIA KING, filmmaker IAN WOODWARD, Daria’s guest James with back to camera, actress CLAIRE HEVERIN, chorister LARA COOPER-CHADWICK and friend Breanna, Claire’s father, Mark
Above: Filmmaker’s wife and the premiere’s barmaid ZENKA WOODWARD with the filmmaker’s daughter STEFANIE WOODWARD, the film’s DVD designer and the premiere’s photographer and assistant barmaid
Above: Encore Films Choir member LAIA MARTINEZ RUBIR with choir vocal coach, organist and production assistant NATALIE ANNE OWEN and the filmmaker’s behind-the-bar wife ZENKA WOODWARD
Above (on left): Church-scene congregation member ELLIE QUINN with her sister, Marian
Above (left): Encore Films Choir member FRANCESCA MORAN, pre-celebratory drink in hand, before leaving home for the premiere of I’ll Walk with God. Unfortunately, due to traffic problems, she missed the pre-show taking of photographs. So here’s a picture (centre) of Francesca – who also appears as a member of the congregation in the film’s church scenes – at a BFI Festival film screening at the Odeon, Leicester Square, and another taken at the gourmet restaurant of No. 5 Cavendish Square, Marylebone, formerly the Spanish Embassy
Above: Actress CLAIRE HEVERIN (the film’s Holly Watson) with her parents, Karen and Mark
Above: Encore Films Choir members (1st and 3rd from left) JOYCE AGBONSON and LAIA MARTINEZ RUBIR with choir vocal coach, organist and production assistant NATALIE ANNE OWEN
Above (right): Film’s church congregation-scene member JACQUELINE McCAULEY with her mother, Marjorie
Above (left): Encore Films Choir member JOYCE AGBONSON and actress CLAIRE HEVERIN (Holly Watson)
Above (centre): Actress CLAIRE HEVERIN’S parents, Karen and Mark
Above (right): Filmmaker’s wife ZENKA WOODWARD behind the bar with Encore Films Choir member LARA COOPER-CHADWICK and friend Breanna
Above: Actress Claire Heverin’s parents, Mark and Karen, with filmmaker IAN WOODWARD and choir vocal coach, organist and production assistant NATALIE ANNE OWEN and Encore Films Choir member JOYCE AGBONSON
Above: Production runner DAVE BLISSETT, actress CLAIRE HEVERIN (Holly Watson) and sound and boom operator PAUL RICHARDSON
Above: Sound and boom operator PAUL RICHARDSON (centre) with university friend Rory on the left and (right) production runner DAVE BLISSETT
Above: Encore Films Choir member LARA COOPER-CHADWICK and friend Breanna with choir vocal coach, organist and production assistant NATALIE ANNE OWEN, and Encore Films Choir members LAIA MARTINEZ RUBIR and ELISA HAYRAPETYAN
Above: Paul Richardson’s university friend Rory, production runner DAVE BLISSETT, actress CLAIRE HEVERIN (Holly Watson) and sound and boom operator PAUL RICHARDSON
Above: Film’s church-scene congregation members BOGNA BARGIEL (1st from left), JACQUELINE McCAULEY (3rd) and ALEIDA IZQUIERDO (4th) with Jacqueline’s mother, Marjorie
Above: Continuity assistant and production runner SANDRA MARTÍNEZ YÁÑEZ and friend, Jessica
Above: Sound and boom operator PAUL RICHARDSON and friend Rory with production runner DAVE BLISSETT, filmmaker’s wife ZENKA WOODWARD and actress VIRGINIA BYRON (Emma Crawford) with her husband, Paul
Above: Sound and boom operator PAUL RICHARDSON and university friend Rory with production runner DAVE BLISSETT and actress CLAIRE HEVERIN (Holly Watson)
Above (front row): Sandra Martínez Yáñez’s friend, Jessica, with continuity assistant and production runner SANDRA MARTÍNEZ YÁÑEZ, actress CLAIRE HEVERIN (back to camera) and production runner DAVE BLISSETT Above (back row): Sound and boom operator PAUL RICHARDSON and university friend, Rory
Above: Choir vocal coach, organist and production assistant NATALIE ANNE OWEN, actor NORMAN BOWMAN (Rev Jim Watson), Encore Films Choir members LAIA MARTINEZ RUBIR and ELISA HAYRAPETYAN, film’s church-scene congregation member ADAM SEF, Virginia Byron’s husband, Paul, actress Claire Heverin’s parents, Karen and Mark, actress VIRGINIA BYRON and filmmaker IAN WOODWARD
Above: Film’s church-scene congregation member BOGNA BARGIEL, Breanna (friend of Lara Cooper-Chadwick), NATALIE ANNE OWEN (choir vocal coach, organist, production assistant), actor NORMAN BOWMAN (Rev Jim Watson) and Encore Films Choir member LAIA MARTINEZ RUBIR
Above: Actor NORMAN BOWMAN (Rev Jim Watson), film’s church-scene congregation member ADAM SEF and filmmaker IAN WOODWARD
Above: Paul Richardson’s university friend Rory, production runner DAVE BLISSETT, actress CLAIRE HEVERIN (Holly Watson) and sound and boom operator PAUL RICHARDSON
Above: Actor NORMAN BOWMAN (Rev Jim Watson), film’s church-scene congregation member ADAM SEF, filmmaker IAN WOODWARD, andPaul, husband of actress VIRGINIA BYRON (Emma Crawford)
Above: Actress Claire Heverin’s father, Mark; church congregation member Ellie Quinn’s sister, Marian; actor NORMAN BOWMAN (Rev Jim Watson); sound and boom operator PAUL RICHARDSON; continuity assistant and production runner SANDRA MARTÍNEZ YÁÑEZ; church-scene congregation member ADAM SEF; Sandra Martínez Yáñez friend, Jessica
Above: Film’s church-scene congregation member ALEIDA IZQUIERDO and friend Marcelo
Above: Actress CLAIRE HEVERIN (Holly Watson), actress VIRGINIA BOWMAN (Emma Crawford), continuity assistant and production runner SANDRA MARTÍNEZ YÁÑEZ, sound and boom operator PAUL RICHARDSON, Jessica (friend of Sandra Martínez Yáñez), actor NORMAN BOWMAN (Rev Jim Watson) and production runner DAVE BLISSETT
Above: Encore Films Choir member ELISA HAYRAPETYAN and (far right) film’s church-scene congregation member ELLIE QUINN talking to her sister, Marian. Back to camera: choir vocal coach, organist and production assistant NATALIE ANNE OWEN
Above: Actress Claire Heverin’s parents, Karen and Mark, actor NORMAN BOWMAN (Rev Jim Watson), actress VIRGINIA BYRON (Emma Crawford), filmmaker IAN WOODWARD, and sound and boom operator PAUL RICHARDSON
Above: Jessica (friend of Sandra Martínez Yáñez), actor NORMAN BOWMAN (Rev Jim Watson) and the filmmaker’s wife and behind-the-counter barmaid ZENKA WOODWARD
Above: Continuity assistant and production runner SANDRA MARTÍNEZ YÁÑEZ, Encore Films Choir member DARIA KING and her guest, James, with church-scene congregation member ADAM SEF