Last night, Preston’s Odeon cinema rolled out the red carpet for the first screening of ‘Piercing Brightness’, a film by artist and film maker Shezad Dawood. The Sci-fi spectacular was shot entirely on location on the streets of Preston with a cast that included many local residents. Preston cast members were given the red carpet treatment as they entered the cinema and many took the opportunity to have their pictures taken with the film’s principal actors. The collaborative project was commissioned by Preston based arts group ‘In Certain Places’ and ‘Modern art Oxford’ in partnership with The Harris Museum, Arts Council England, Preston City Council, Outset Contemporary Art Fund, Lancashire County Council and Uclan as part of the 2012 Guild celebrations.

The film follows the exploits of Shin and Jiang (Chen Ko and Jennifer Lim), a young Chinese couple who are sent from another planet to retrieve the ‘Glorious 100’ – members of an alien race who, countless generations ago, were sent to Earth to study and observe. Living through many lives without any hope of return, some have become corrupted, forgetting their original purpose and slowly becoming influenced by, and in turn influencing, their adopted home. Scenes from the film were shot at several locations across Preston including The Flag Market, Church Street, Avenham and Miller Parks and the final ‘Extraction’ scene was filmed on the roof of Preston’s iconic bus station.

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The film played to a packed auditorium at the Riversway cinema and received rapturous applause from the audience as the final credits rolled. The film’s maker, Shezad Dawood, attended the screening and heaped praise on the people of Preston for their cooperation and willingness to get involved with the project. Charles Quick, Director of ‘In Certain Places’ was delighted with the film’s first screening saying:

“It’s great to see so many people that have been involved in the project over the past 3 years all coming together to celebrate the launch of Shezad Dawood’s feature length film, ‘Piercing Brightness’, at Preston’s Odeon cinema. There are many stars in the film both international and local, but the real star of the film is Preston. It was interesting to see a director portray a northern city not as a gritty caricature, but as a visually exotic and multilayered location populated by an intriguing cast of characters.”

Following the screening, the audience were bussed to a reception at Uclan’s Media Factory to round off the evening with a buffet and drinks.

More pictures from the evnt here: