A woman from Burnley has created an “edge-of-your-seat” film and it’s set to premiere at an American film festival this weekend.
Joy Wilkinson, 48, has written and directed 7 Keys which is set to premiere at South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas, on Saturday (March 9).
It is Joy’s debut feature as a writer-director, and the film is described as a “cat and mouse thriller” that will get the adrenaline pumping.
Joy, a former Habergham High School pupil, said it took around seven years to bring the film to life, and is excited for audiences to see it at SXSW.
She said: “This is one of those ‘beyond your wildest dreams’ moments.
“It is the perfect festival to launch the film at as it is incredibly hard to get into.
“The fact we have done it on our own and managed to get so far just blows my mind.”
After it premieres, Joy hopes that it will be picked up by a global streaming service or possibly be available in cinemas.
She said: “Hopefully get some good reviews and hopefully it will get picked up for distribution.
“A global streamer would be incredible, as would cinema release. I would also like it to do well enough to make another one.
“When I made the film I already felt like I had won. It was such a good experience in making it. I just hoped it wouldn’t sink without a trace and - and it hasn't.”
Joy, a former Accrington and Rossendale College pupil, said the film is injected with northern humour.
She said: “Burnley punches above its weight, with Paul Abbott [writer and producer known for Shameless] already blazing the trail.
"I feel lucky to come from somewhere with such a strong identity.
“The town is what gives me my voice and sense of humour. The northern sense of humour is in parts of the film.”
7 Keys was filmed over 18 days in London, last year. It stars Emma McDonald, who plays Lena, and Billy Postlethwaite, who plays Daniel.
Joy said: “It is about a girl who meets a boy who has all the keys to the places he’s ever lived in London.
"Their relationship is condensed into these seven locations, where they are peeling back layers of each other and discovering who each other really is.
“It is a cat and mouse, edge-of-your-seat thriller with twists.
“I had already worked with Emma and Billie and really wanted them to be in it. I can’t imagine anyone else playing those parts. I think they are going to be massive stars.”
Joy has already established a successful career in film and television, producing an episode of Doctor Who.
She has Joy also written five episodes of Suspect for Channel 4 and Britbox International.
The thriller series has an all-star cast including Anne-Marie Duff (Shameless) and Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia!).
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