York is about to get the big screen treatment.
A brand-new feature film shot in the city is premiered next month, and judging by this video York is going to be a major star of the movie.
Scott And Sid is tipped to be “the best coming-of-age movie since Billy Elliot“.
It enjoys its world premiere in London the day before its Yorkshire premiere at the Everyman Cinema on Blossom Street on March 7.
‘We wanted to film in York’
[arve url=”https://vimeo.com/251659341″ title=”Scott and Sid in York” /]
Based on a true story, Scott And Sid tells the story of two awkward teenagers who meet at school.
Scott (played by Richard Mason) is an unloved foster child who’s been expelled from multiple schools. Sid (Tom Blyth) is the withdrawn, awkward son of an alcoholic mother and absent father.
In defiance of the low expectations that everyone has for them, Scott and Sid write a list of goals and begin pursuing each one in turn to create a better life.
The brainchild of real life best friends Sid Sadowskyj and Scott Elliott, who grew up in Bradford, they had always been keen on shooting the movie here.
“It came clear pretty early on that we wanted to film in York,” Sid said.
“Ultimately the film is an advert for York as a location. I think a lot of people were very excited and very interested about a feature film coming to Yorkshire.”
Incredible locations
Many locations, old and new, feature in the movie. All the classroom scenes were shot at Huntington School.
Pivotal moments are located on the city walls.
The Biltmore Bar and Grill on Swinegate hosts scenes set on a night out – and features many extras brought straight into the movie from the streets of York.
And the grandeur of the Assembly Rooms and the Aviva office also feature.
[arve url=”https://vimeo.com/249639237″ title=”Scott and Sid – Official Trailer” /]
Cinematographer Will Humphris said: “York was a wonderful place to film because everyone was very supportive – the buidlings we were in, the locations we were in, the houses that we were in – all worked very well.”
“Amazingly they had managed to get York – as a city, as a council – on board with this project.
“So they managed to get some incredible locations, like the school, the office buildings.
“We managed to shoot in the boardroom of Aviva Insurance which was amazing – with a view out onto York Minster.”
Other scenes were shot in Leeds and Bradford. Sid said:
Filming in these beautiful Yorkshire cities was truly incredible.
We wanted to tell a positive story about an area too often dismissed as grim or depressing.
With Yorkshire being named as the fastest growing region for TV and film, it’s great that our story can be brought to life with the help of the Yorkshire landscape