Filmmaker wins awards at Ibiza Festival

Ian Vernon

A filmmaker set to make a movie in Rochdale with actors from the area has received three awards at the Ibiza Film Festival.

Ian Vernon’s Rebels Without a Clue won in the Best Cinematography, Best Soundtrack and Best Supporting Actors categories.

He was delighted with the awards: "I'm so pleased that this little micro-budget feature film has won an award, but three is fantastic! It will help it on its way to gain distribution, so it could end up in the cinemas although that's a long way off.

"The bulk of the finance came from my partner Julie Monfils, who lives in Chicago. She had enough faith in the project to take the expensive risk. I then added to the pot by re-mortgaging my home. So the congratulations should go to her!"

Hollywood star Jacqueline Bisset, famous for such films as Bullitt (starring Steve McQueen), Airport, and The Deep, was the head of the panel of judges.

The Best Supporting Actors winners, who Ian called the ‘real stars of the film’, were Stefan Gumbs, Rik Barnett, Cat Dowling and Lucy Brennan . He runs weekly evening classes and many of them were actually coached by him.

He added: "It's always a pleasure to know someone I've coached gets a break,
but to for them to be given an award for Best Supporting Actor is the icing on the cake."

Ian's next project, Best Little Whorehouse in Rochdale, is already underway:

"This has no budget at all! But the actors trust me to do a good job and want to work with me. We're going to be filming on and off over the next six months to fit in with actors’ schedules.”

Rochdale actor, Hylton Collins, who attended the festival with Ian, said: "Let's hope that when Best Little Whorehouse in Rochdale is completed it has as much success. I'd love the film to have the notoriety that The Full Monty gained in the USA."