Aimee, a short drama with a running time of under 20 minutes, written and directed by Stephen Ware will be seen for the first time on Monday at Swindon's Empire Cinema.

It tells the story of a young girl on the cusp of adulthood, living in the shadow of her parents’ unhappy marriage and supported by her long-standing best friend, Claire. 

The tale of love, trust, and ultimately, the gambles in life has been produced and financed by Firebird Films, with Ross Mackenzie as Executive Director and Director of Photography.

Ross explained, "Aimee was shot in Swindon during one intense week using only local cast and crew, a Canon 7D camera with Redrock Rigging. It was an opportunity for those with little or no experience to get involved in the film industry, and to be part of a short film that would showcase talent and be entered into select film festivals internationally."

After the premiere, Aimee will be shown at Swindon Film Festival in early March and be entered into international film festivals.

For details mail Ross Mackenzie

www.firebird-films.com
 
About the writer, director and producer
Stephen Ware, Writer and Director
 
Stephen has lived up North for the majority of his film career, moving back to Swindon with hopes of kick-starting the film industry there.  After graduating from Staffordshire University, Ware produced a short film entitled Purgatory and was soon addicted to film production.  Buoyed by the success of Purgatory, he started writing the script for Aimee.
 
Aimee’s plot and direction evolved during many meetings between Ware and Firebird Films.  The film has a metaphorical aspect: Aimee’s struggle to overcome barriers to reach her dreams reflects Swindon emerging in the UK film industry.
 
Ware credits Shane Meadows as his inspiration, particularly the realism in This is England and Dead Man Shoes.  With Aimee completed, Ware would like to make another short film before taking on his first feature-length film.
 
 
Ross Mackenzie, Executive Director and Director of Photography
 
By the age of sixteen, Ross Mackenzie had produced upwards of 50 films, using his old Canon UC900, no edit suite, and a limited cast and crew of enthusiastic friends.  These films were diverse, ranging from plasticine animation to serial sci-fi dramas: an early and very keen start to Mackenzie’s film career.  
 
In later youth, Mackenzie advanced to working on film sets in Pinewood Studios and in Bristol, before starting his own award-winning film company, Firebird Films Limited, in late 2004.  Work was varied, from producing commercial films to directing documentaries.  Music videos directed by Mackenzie have been shown on channels such as MTV, Scuzz, and Kerrang.
 
In 2010, Mackenzie decided to focus on Director of Photography work, specifically in the short drama genre, and he began finding a local writer who could provide a script.  After meeting Stephen Ware, pre-production on Aimee began with a great speed.
 
Mackenzie continues directing music videos, utilising the latest film technology, and would like to progress on to feature-length work in the future.  He currently has his eyes on the new Arri Alexa...