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World premiere of comedy film set in The Fens

Jenny Kirk
BBC News, Norfolk
Verve Pictures Two people walking through a flat field to represent the Fens in East Anglia. They are looking at each other. One is pushing a bike. They are both wearing casual clothes. There are pylons in the background. It is the poster for a film. The title says: Chicken Town, shed full of weed, town full of dopes. Verve Pictures
The first screening of Chicken Town will be held, followed by a question and answer session with the director and cast

A film set in the "badlands of East Anglia" will have its world premiere in Norwich tonight.

Chicken Town was written and directed by Richard Bracewell, a lecturer at Norwich University of the Arts (NUA), and filmed in several locations across Norfolk.

Cinema City is hosting the event, which will include the film's first public screening followed by a question and answer session with its stars and writers.

It tells the story of two school friends who join forces with a grandad, played by comedy actor Graham Fellows, who has unwittingly grown cannabis on his allotment.

Jessica Sansom Two people talking. The man on the left is older with a grey beard and short hair. He is slightly bald. He has headphones around his neck. he is explaining something to a young male actor who is listening intently to him. Jessica Sansom
Director Richard Bracewell (left) is also a film lecturer at Norwich University of the Arts

Richard Bracewell, whose previous credits include the 2015 Horrible Histories film Bill, employed ten of his graduates from NUA to work on Chicken Town as assistants and trainees in the production and makeup departments.

Mr Bracewell said he teamed youth with experience on the project, and Graham Fellows, an established name on the comedy circuit known for his character John Shuttleworth and novelty record Jilted John, was part of the cast.

Comedians Laurence Rickard (Horrible Histories, Ghosts) and Alistair Green also star.

Jessica Sansom Two characters in the film sitting side by side. On the left is an older man who is looking thoughtful while eating. He is wearing a black suit with a Hawaiian-style blue shirt underneath. The younger woman sitting to his right has red hair pulled back into a ponytail. She is wearing a white, short sleeved shirt and blue dungarees. She is holding a box of chips.Jessica Sansom
Graham Fellows (left) played one of the main characters alongside a number of young actors making their feature film debuts

The young characters in the film were cast from The Television Workshop charity in Nottingham, which is a BAFTA award-winning drama group whose alumni include actors Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) and Vicky McClure (This is England, Line of Duty).

Mr Bracewell described his latest film as "a story about the contradictions of modern family life; a film with both a heart and a conscience".

"If Greta Gerwig and Shane Meadows had a love child, we hope it might resemble Chicken Town," he added.

It will be released in UK cinemas on 27 June.

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