Winter Ridge is a 2018 British psychological thriller drama film directed by Dom Lenoir and starring Matt Hookings, Olwen Catherine Kelly, Michael McKell, Hannah Waddingham, Justin McDonald and Alan Ford. It was written by Ross Owen Williams.

Winter Ridge
Official poster
Directed byDom Lenoir
Screenplay byRoss Owen Williams
Produced byNancy Bressolles
Chris Hardman
Matt Hookings
Dom Lenoir
Starring
CinematographyJoao da Silva
Edited byBarry Moen
Music byPaul Saunderson
Production
companies
Camelot Films
Chris.Hardman Pictures
Nice One Film
Distributed byPhoenix Worldwide Entertainment
Release date
  • 9 February 2018 (2018-02-09) (Hollywood Florida Film Festival)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Premise

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Ryan Barnes (Hookings) is a young detective, dealing with the personal tragedy of his wife being coma-ridden whilst attempting to track down a serial killer who appears to be specifically targeting the vulnerable and elderly.[1]

Cast

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Production

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Filming took place over 17 days around Lynton and Lynmouth in north Devon, England.[2] Several scenes were shot at Petroc College, allowing local performing arts students an opportunity to be involved in filming.[3]

During an interview with The Breeze, director Lenoir explained his view on hoping to raise awareness of dementia, saying "There are an estimated 50 million people suffering from Alzheimer's worldwide and we hope the film is given the platform it deserves for its subject matter to be heard. I'm hoping that this film will raise an interesting debate on the condition."[4]

Release

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The film's distributor, Phoenix Worldwide Entertainment, secured three international territory deals, to North America, Italy and China.[5]

Reception

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Critical response

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Entertainment Focus described the film as "an ambitious project by the film-makers that they pull off admirably"[6] Nerdly called the film "polished, stylised, well acted, well written and uses the most of its location".[7] Alan Ford, in particular, was praised for his performance, with UK Film Review noting he "shines in his brief scenes as Dale Jacobs... struggling with his dementia and, consequently, debating whether or not his life is truly worth living."[8] The Guardian was less enthusiastic, reporting "Winter Ridge is the kind of plucky, low-budget British feature one so wants to like" before describing the result as "middling... with decidedly shabby edges"[9]

Awards

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The film won more than a dozen awards at independent film festivals[10] on both sides of the Atlantic, including Best Foreign Film at the Hollywood Florida Film Festival,[11] and Best UK Feature and Best British Film at the London Independent Film Festival.

Award Category Result
Hollywood Florida Film Festival Best Actor (Matt Hookings) Won
Hollywood Florida Film Festival Best Foreign Film Won
London Independent Film Festival Best UK Feature Won
London Independent Film Festival Best Low Budget Film Won
London Independent Film Festival Best No-Budget Feature Won
London Independent Film Festival Best British Film Won
The Monthly Film Festival Best Feature Film Nominated
WideScreen Film & Music Video Festival Best Feature Won
El Dorado Film Festival Best Feature Film Won
International Film Festival of Wales Best Feature Won
Los Angeles International Film Festival Best Feature Film Won

References

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  1. ^ "Review: Winter Ridge (Spoiler Free)". Big Picture Film Club. 14 June 2018.
  2. ^ Gussin, Tony. "Crime thriller shot at Lynton and Lynmouth". North Devon Gazette. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
  3. ^ "Petroc used as set for new psychological thriller film". Petroc College. 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
  4. ^ "Exmoor used as backdrop for new thriller". The Breeze. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  5. ^ "UK thriller 'Winter Ridge' sells to North America, China, Italy (exclusive)". Screen. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
  6. ^ "Winter Ridge review". Entertainment Focus. 2018-09-07. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  7. ^ "Nerdly » 'Winter Ridge' Review". Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  8. ^ "Film Reviews & Movie Trailers". Film Reviews and Movie Trailers - UK Film Review. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  9. ^ Felperin, Leslie (2018-08-31). "Winter Ridge review – cold comfort in shabby whodunnit". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  10. ^ "Winter Ridge - IMDbPro". pro.imdb.com. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  11. ^ "Winter Ridge | Film shot in Lynton and Lynmouth scoops award in Miami - D&CFilm". D&CFilm. 2018-04-19. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
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