Apr 20, 2009
Feature Film brings Iran to Vancouver
Update: Principal Photography is complete and new photos have been added below.
Here’s a few photos following the first weekend of shooting the second half of Persian Director Ellie Fox’s feature length film “Under the Apple Box“. The first half of the film took place in present day Vancouver but the story is interwoven with a dark past following a young girl, Leila, who grows up in Iran as a non-muslim orphan captivated by the seductive imaging power of photography — during events preceding the Islamic Revolution – known as the ‘birth of the muslim nation’ — where the child’s innocent exploration of artistic photos leads to a controversial judgement and subsequent exile from the muslim world.
For the second half of the film we have been working primarily with Persian and other middle-eastern child actors. Cinematographer Randy Che operates his privately owned RED Camera with Zeiss Super Speed Prime MK2 lenses. We use Tobacco filters on the lens and water based haze from a Radiant Hazer with strong window light sources to create the sunny yellow tones of Iran while on location in typically overcast Vancouver, BC.
The film showcases authentic clothing and decorations which the director collected on her recent return trip to Iran following 15 years of exile. We have been particularly Impressed with child actor Jane Lowery who is making her acting and feature film debut as the young Leila.
Working with young children is nothing new for Director Ellie Fox, who’s short film, ‘A Flower In The Sand’ screened in the 2005 Cannes Festival Short Corner Selection.
The gallery for Under the Apple Box below will be expanded as more pictures are posted from the “Iran” portion of the shoot. Most of the photos below take place in “Vancouver”.
[...] first appoached us on the set of Under the Apple Box when by chance we were filming at an elementary school in Strathcona a few weekends after the [...]
hi, i was wondering when and where i could watch this film?
Thanks
Telefilm had requested a new cut of the film which the director Ellie re-cut herself by hand. They’ve now approved it for the Canada Feature Film Fund and she has received a grant for post work (mostly sound reinforcement) and for transfer to film. A private screening of the working digital cut for cast and crew had been announced but no date has been set. It will likely go to the film festival circuit. We’ll be posting on the progress of this film as it develops and pass on any screening dates. Thanks for the interest and hope you’ll be able to see it soon.
[...] places nobody but chickens go. The spot was narrated by Adam Groves who coincidently plays Amir in Under the Apple Box the feature we recently completed earlier this [...]