A Norwich-produced film, seven years in the making, is topping charts across UK video-streaming services.
Ashens and the Polybius Heist is the brainchild of Norwich-native YouTuber Stuart Ashen, known for his 1.5 million subscribed channel, ‘Ashens’, in which he reviews games and toys using his dad’s sofa as a backdrop.
The 43-year-old video-maker from Heartsease had previously enjoyed success with his 2013 YouTube release, Ashens and the Quest for the Gamechild, which spurred him on to develop a film for the big screen.
The new film centres around a motley crew of misfits trying to hunt down an infamous 80’s arcade game that can supposedly control people’s minds.
The coronavirus pandemic and closure of cinemas for much of 2020 meant the film was released direct-to-stream instead.
It has been in the number one spot on Google Play and YouTube Movies since its release four days ago, and was pre-ordered 1,500 times before its release - a rare feat as viewers gain nothing from ordering a virtual product in advance. It also peaked at number two on the UK Amazon chart.
Produced on a crowdfunded £200,000 budget, the film’s production company Relentless Films called it a “veritable love letter to geek culture”.
“Filmmaking is bloody hard at the best of times,” said Mr Ashen, “but completing a film this ambitious in the midst of lockdown has been the challenge of a lifetime.
“It has taken a herculean effort from the whole team to finish off this fun, feel-good story that’s the perfect tonic for the times we’re all living through. James Bond couldn’t do it, but we can!”
“The fans’ passion for this film has been incredible.” said director Riyad Barmania. “I’ve never worked on something with so much excitement and support from the audience. I can’t wait to share it with everyone.”
The film is set in Norwich and co-stars fellow YouTuber Daniel Hardcastle - known for his channel of 2.5 million subscribers, OfficialNerdCubed - and actor Robert Llewellyn, known for playing the mechanoid Kryten on TV’s Red Dwarf.
Between them, the cast’s body of YouTube work has garnered more than two billion views.
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