Merseyside Filmmaker up for Top Award in Hollywood

A short film about loss and love has been nominated for Best Short Film at Hollywood ceremony AwardThis!

Director and star Richard Weston, along with Wirral-based company Citadel Pictures, premiered Nocturne at the New Renaissance Film Festival in London. 

Following on from their feature film The Burying Party, following the story of war poet Wilfred Owen, Nocturne is similarly heartbreaking. After the tragic death of his wife, Martin learns of her affair and embarks on a journey to find her former lover. The film stars Augusta Woods (The Innocents), David Menkin (A Hologram for the King), Eleanor Thompson (Precipice Hours) and Eva-Marie Kung (The Circle).

Weston said, "From the very beginning, Nocturne has been a deeply personal journey. The story deals with young, impressionable people who experience love for the first time. As their lives move on, they harden and begin to long for the way things were." 

The film has been acclaimed for its soundtrack by fellow Merseysider Matthew Dwivedi, experimenting with Chopin's original work to create an emotional and orchestral feel.

Weston added, "Music plays such a vital role in our memory and how we perceive the past. Matthew's soundtrack was just as crucial as the script and the characters."

Nocturne won Best Actor and Best British Short at the London Independent Film Awards, before winning Best Drama at the Los Angeles Film Awards. It was also nominated for Best Soundtrack at the Paris Film Festival.

The latest nomination with AwardThis! means Nocturne was picked out of over 2,000 films reviewed by the independent staple publication Film Threat. 

Independently funded and produced, Nocturne needed a crowdfunder to get post-production over the line. Many of the supporters are from Merseyside, and many of the locations were shot on the Wirral and in Liverpool. 

"We're extremely honoured to have been reviewed so favourably, let alone be up for this award. Thank you to AwardThis! and everyone who made it possible to finish the film."

The live virtual ceremony is set for 18th April, and tickets are available on the official AwardThis! website.

Nocturne is now available worldwide at Vimeo on Demand.