A zombie film which brought a touch of horror to locations across Kinross-shire, Dunfermline and Perth has won a top award.
Dunfermline-based actor and film producer Mark Paul Wake, 29, won the prestigious “best thriller” award for Plan Z at the National Film Awards in London which was attended by actors and celebrities including Simon Pegg and David Jason.
Produced alongside David Izatt and Stuart Brennan, it is the third big win for Plan Z which also took home Best Foreign Film at the Canada International Film Festival and Best Director at the horror festival Horrorhound in America.
Mark managed to convince BAFTA winner Stuart Brennan who wrote and directed the film, to bring the production to Scotland after working with him to develop the script and sending pictures to him of the local scenery.
“We’d just come off the UK and Ireland theatre tour of Houdini and Stuart was looking at options of where to shoot his latest script that he’d been working on,” said the former Dunfermline High pupil.
“I managed to encourage him to come to Scotland and make it here.”
“The scenery here is breathtaking and giving the film a different setting, away from Edinburgh or London, helped make the film that much more realistic and intimate.
“Winning such a big award as this, is a massive step towards the Scottish BAFTA’s — which would be incredible for us to be nominated for.
“We had an amazing cinema run with Cineworld that went so well they booked us into more screens after the original week run in ten locations.”
The movie also shot scenes in Chicago, USA, Verona, Italy and London.
Mark has brought two other films to Scotland because of the success of Plan Z.
A Christmas Carol which filmed with Harry Potter actress Bonnie Wright was shot in Scotland and Philadelphia and then The Necromancer was completed recently, again with Mark producing.
“I love Scotland and am proud to be bringing productions here,” he said. “We started with Plan Z and word seems to be spreading that this is a great place to make movies. We have the talent in front and behind the camera, as well as the most incredible locations.”
The National Film Awards saw over 1.8 million votes cast.
