"They haven't got teeth, they don't do any of that stuff. They don't mind the daylight - they just defy time in some way... Oh yes, they drink blood, they have to do that."  Neil Jordan, The Works, 2012

Two mysterious women seek refuge in a run-down coastal resort. A lonely local man provides shelter for them in his deserted guesthouse, Byzantium. Schoolgirl Eleanor befriends Frank and tells him their lethal secret. They were born 200 years ago and survive on human blood. As knowledge of their secret spreads, their past catches up on them with deathly consequence.

By fortuitous coincidence Stephen Woolley accompanied his daughter to a production of Moira Buffini's A Vampire Story at Bristol Old Vic a number of years ago. The story begged to be adapted into a film, and Stephen spent the next few years drumming up interest to set the production wheels in motion. Moira adapted the play for the screen, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Byzantium is a distinctly feminist take on the vampire tradition, which has recently had a resurgence in popularity along with Twilight, True Blood and Let The Right One In.

In this post-screening Q&A, Stephen Woolley, the film's Producer, discusses the new vampire canon, the practicalities of shooting and releasing Byzantium, and answers audience questions about his career.

Stephen Woolley made his name in the eighties and nineties when he worked on films like The Company of Wolves, The Crying Game and Interview with the Vampire. Since then he has founded his own production company and worked on many high profile films across Europe and America

 

Posted on Thu 11 April 2013.

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