Dracula Untold film fans spitting blood over premiere snub for Belfast. It was filmed entirely on location in Northern Ireland with the help of public funding. But the hotly anticipated film Dracula Untold is not getting a Belfast premiere. While Universal Pictures is backing official premieres in London and Dublin, it has been left to extras who worked on the big budget movie to organise an event in Belfast to mark its general release this weekend. As Dublin last night premiered the film with the help of some of its stars, questions have been raised about why a similar event isnt being backed by the distributor in a location so intrinsically linked to its creation. Based on Bram Stokers classic novel, the Gothic movie tells the origin of Dracula and vampire mythology combined with the true history of Prince Vlad. It stars Luke Evans in the main role alongside Dominic Cooper, Sarah Gadon and Charles Dance. Divis Mountain hosted battle scenes, the Italian Garden at Mount Stewart in Co Down acted as the grounds of Draculas castle and the world-famous stones of the Giants Causeway in Co Antrim double as a fictional Transylvanian Mountain – with a little CGI help. A spokeswoman for Northern Ireland Screen said Dracula Untold received £1.6m production funding from it, resulting in an estimated £13.5m return to the local economy. The indie film Good Vibrations, based on the life of Belfast punk legend Terri Hooley, got its premiere in the city in 2012 after it was filmed on location here. Its ridiculous Belfast is not getting a premiere of the Dracula movie, Terri said. Look at all the places they filmed here. Belfast has moved on. It reminds me of 30 years ago when Dublin and London were not interested in us. It seems to me like we are second-class citizens. This Friday, extras involved in the movie will be hosting a special charity screening at the Odyssey Cinema, the same day the film is released. The sold-out Belfast screening and red carpet event, along with a charity auction at the Box in the Odyssey Pavilion, will be attended by broadcaster Eamonn Holmes, singer Brian Kennedy and actress Olivia Nash among others. Items expected to generate thousands for Cancer Research UK and Arthritis Care NI include guitars signed by U2 and One Direction, a signed Belfast Giants hockey stick, and tickets for the Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham next year. The film premiered in Ireland at The Savoy in Dublin last night. Irish director Gary Shore said it was an honour for his feature debut to be screened in his home city, as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival (JDIFF), in aid of St Francis Hospice Raheny. Dracula Untold will get its UK premiere in London tomorrow. Shore said: Apart from the honour of this being in Dublin, I wanted to use this opportunity to recognise the great work of St Francis Hospice. I cannot speak more highly of the people who work there and the service it provides to patients and families. Thank you JDIFF and St Francis Hospice for allowing me to do this. Quotes Securing Dracula Untold was a real coup for Northern Ireland; aside from the direct economic benefit it is a wonderful showcase for the regions locations and skills. We are excited to see the end result when the film hits the big screen this weekend as Im sure Universal has captured the extraordinary beauty and topography we have in Northern Ireland. Utilising popular tourist attractions such as the Giants Causeway, Mount Stewart, Roe Valley Country Park, Divis Mountain and Tollymore Forest Park can only have a positive impact for the tourist industry here too. Richard Williams – chief executive of Northern Ireland Screen
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 17:09:53 +0000
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