RICHARD PARR Two specialist art films produced in Norfolk are to go on show next week at a major international French sales forum aimed at the TV, cable and satellite markets.

RICHARD PARR

Two specialist art films produced in Norfolk are to go on show next week at a major international sales forum aimed at the TV, cable and satellite markets.

If successful, more locally-produced films could follow, giving a boost to the local economy and putting the region firmly on the film-making map.

Both feature-length films have been written, filmed, edited and financed in the Fakenham area, and previews will be screened at the MIPCOM International Television Market being held in the French Riviera resort of Cannes from Monday to Friday.

The first film is based on Verdi's opera Falstaff but brought up to date and set on a suburban golf course. It is described as "where Desperate Housewives meets the Merry Wives of Windsor".

The second is described as a fascinating biography of the early 20th- century composer Philip Heseltine, better known as Peter Warlock, who pioneered a revival of English song.

Editor of both films is Jeremy Brettingham, of eastNortheast, who says they are breaking new ground. They are low-budget, using the most advanced equipment and small crews to reduce costs.

Both films are still not finished, so short sequences only will be shown.

The films are being promoted at the event through the German/UK art house distributor Poorhouse Films, and it is hoped they will be sold into the huge specialist art film market for broadcast on TV, cable and satellite channels.

Mr Brettingham said: "Having our films previewed at such a prestigious sales market is good news all round. Having production in Norfolk means that we are putting money into the local economy".

Mr Brettingham said the films were the first in the region to be made using the spectacular high-definition video format.

The films have been financed through an Enterprise Investment Scheme, with camera and sound dubbing facilitated through Anglia Television.

The crews and technicians are all locally based.

Director and producer Tony Britton established Capriol Films in the Fakenham area. He has previously established a reputation as a musical director of many London productions, including Guys and Dolls at the National Theatre.

In 1991, he founded Music Theatre London to produce opera that was modern, accessible and performed in English using talented artists. He produced and directed Puccini's La Boheme on film in 1999.