Nollywood film shot in Norfolk and Suffolk

Nigeria's Nollywood film industry is one of the biggest in the world, and one of its latest movies has actually been shot in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Our counties may seem unlikely locations but that is exactly where debut film producer Timmy MacNicol has picked for her first film called Just One Blood.

The film - which is directed by well known Nollywood director Teco Benson - was shot last month at Hill House, in Saxlingham Nethergate, as well as locations in Framlingham and Worlingworth. It stars a cast of established Nollywood stars including Zack Orji and Chioma Toplis as well as some local actors and Mrs MacNicol's seven-year-old son Morgan Angus.

Mrs MacNicol, who was born in Nigeria and grew up in Ghana, has previously acted in the Nollywood films Who Owns Da City and Jennifer and ran a celebrity magazine in Africa. She moved to Worlingworth, in Suffolk, about five years ago with her husband Duncan MacNicol and said the East Anglian landscape helped inspire the film which focuses on the life of a British and Nigerian farmer and his family, and is set against a backdrop of different cultures.

'I was inspired by the beautiful Suffolk countryside when I first moved here years back, and that is what influenced the story,' said Mrs MacNicol, whose production company is called Fantasy Communications.

'This film is all about families across two cultures.'

She added: 'We had two names for the film but we picked Just One Blood because the film is about, no matter where you go and where you are from, you should always think we are just one blood flowing in everyone's veins. There is no difference about you being white or black, we are all the same.'

The film is now in post-production and Mrs MacNicol hopes to release it in Nigeria and the UK early next year.

Paul Andrew Goldsmith is one of the locally based actors in the film. He said: 'It's so exciting to have such productions coming to Norfolk. It shows that despite such different cultures and backgrounds, we can be united via our passions, in this case filmmaking. I loved how relaxed the production was, despite the film holding some serious matter, and thanks to the Nigerian cast it's extremely colourful and vibrant and highlights to me the importance of bringing joy to what you do.'