Upcoming Shropshire film First Christmas enters development
First Christmas is an upcoming film directed by Keith Wilhelm Kopp and written by Laurence Guy that has just entered development and will be produced by Shropshire-based production company Ask Seek Knock.
The film sees a widowed man who invites his three grown-up children and their families for Christmas in the hope that they stitch their fractured family back together. This is the second feature film for Kopp and Guy, with their previous feature, Translations, receiving several awards.
Luke Allen (Something Sketchy, Henry House) is set to make his feature film producing debut with First Christmas. “When Keith approached me to produce this, it was an instant yes as I had so much fun working with him for a couple of days on Something Sketchy”, said the filmmaker.
He continues, “Once I read Laurence’s beautiful script, I knew I had made the right decision - it’s an honour to be onboard and I can’t wait to bring this story to life!”
First Christmas is set to be filmed here in the Midlands in Shropshire with a primarily West Midlands based crew, and also be associate produced by West Midlands-based Emily DeJesus and Adam Fray.
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Laurence Guy, the film’s writer, states “I’m really excited to be working with ASK on Keith and my second feature, First Christmas. After the success of Translations it felt like a natural step to bring this ensemble comedy drama to life in a way that I know audiences will love. It's a real actor’s script, with character and heart at the centre of the story, that centres on a family brought together over Christmas after the death of the matriarch of the family.”
Guy is an award-winning screenwriter who has worked in collaboration with Keith Kopp on several films that have played in festivals around the world, as well as streaming online (SkyTV and Amazon Prime). His play, 'ZORIC', was longlisted for the Bruntwood Prize in 2022, and his debut feature film 'Translations' won best screenplay at the Riverside International Film Fest.
Guy adds “I look forward to bringing First Christmas alive because of the universality of families coming together during the holidays, overcoming their hardships and rediscovering the joy of spending time with people who know the joy and complexity of each other."
"This film has a lot of humour and humanity and I know there is a wide audience who will really engage with the story. I am especially excited to shoot First Christmas in Shropshire, a location that is wealthy in history and picturesque landscapes.” adds director Keith Wilhelm Kopp.
Kopp’s works have screened in festivals globally (Encounters FF, Belfast FF and Portland FF) and has had TV broadcast in the UK. And Allen himself is the writer and executive producer of Something Sketchy, a sketch show pilot, having previously worked as production manager on the heavily anticipated pilot Henry House (starring Peter Purves, Annette Badland and Mark Lewis Jones).
First Christmas is currently in development and available for investment and sponsorship. For more information, contact Luke on luke@askseekknock.co.uk
