MORE than 50 young people have swapped the youth zone for the film set to create their own zombie movie – complete with acting, special effects and plenty of chaos.
Young filmmakers from Mahdlo Youth Zone celebrated the premiere of The Oldham Outbreak at Oldham Theatre Workshop recently.
The comedy follows a zombie infection as it spreads through Oldham town centre, with local young people taking on almost every role behind and in front of the camera.
They were involved in bringing the film to life, working as directors, actors, camera operators, costume designers and special effects make-up artists.
Filming took place at locations across Mahdlo and Oldham, before the finished film was shown to an audience of more than 100 people at the premiere.
The evening also gave the young cast and crew the chance to celebrate their work with their families, with Mahdlo’s Scran Van providing complimentary cinema snacks and drinks.
The Oldham Outbreak was created through Mahdlo and Oldham Theatre Workshop’s ‘Opening Doors to Theatre’ project, which aims to give young people opportunities to explore theatre and creative work.
The project is funded by The Roger Tanner Trust.
Lucy Lees, Chief Executive at Mahdlo Youth Zone, said: “Attending the premiere of The Oldham Outbreak has been absolutely fantastic!
“There’s a wonderful atmosphere and it’s brilliant to have the chance to celebrate what our budding filmmakers at Mahdlo have created.
“A huge thank you to our partners at Oldham Theatre Workshop for their expertise and supporting the young people throughout the project, and to our generous funders, The Roger Tanner Trust, for making it all possible.”
Ian Mills, Trustee at The Roger Tanner Trust, said: “Having been a supporter of Mahdlo’s work with young people in Oldham for some years, The Roger Tanner Trust is delighted to be able to continue that support over the next three years through the ‘Opening Doors to Theatre’ project.
“For us, the project has provided a great step to further support and see what impact theatre could have on young people who otherwise would not have the opportunity.
“Oldham Theatre Workshop has an excellent reputation, and this has been well demonstrated by their production of The Oldham Outbreak!
“Mahdlo Youth Zone provides a vital service to the community of Oldham and the surrounding areas and we are proud to be able to support their work.”
For the young people involved, the project provided the opportunity to get hands-on experience of filmmaking – from creating characters and costumes to operating cameras and bringing the zombie effects to life.
With the premiere now in the bag, the young filmmakers have had the chance to see their months of work projected onto the big screen in front of the people closest to them.