Bella Ramsey stars in action film produced by Leighton Buzzard man
An action film about artificial intelligence (AI) produced and directed by a Leighton Buzzard man has been released on streaming platforms.
The Correction Unit, produced and directed by Derry Shillito, and starring Bella Ramsey, is now available on Amazon, AppleTV and YouTube.
Derry, who grew up in Leighton Buzzard, and is a former Vandyke and Leighton Middle School pupil, said the idea for the film was inspired by his experiences as a teacher during lockdown.
"It became very apparent that education is going to change due to AI," Derry told the LBO.
"This made me think about the effects AI will have on vulnerable young people and whether big tech companies are considering vulnerable young people whenever they chase what they call technological progress."
The Correction Unit, which premiered in Nottingham last month, was filmed in the city, and tells the story of a group of violent and misguided young offenders who are experimented on using AI technology at a sinister institute.
Bella Ramsey provides the voice of nTrac, the central AI system at the fictional institute.
The film is Derry’s debut feature-length production as director and was created on a budget of £150,000.
"Bella Ramsey was always top of the list to play nTrac in the film," Derry said. "They are the perfect age to act as a peer to the other characters in the film and their voice is already iconic from their work in Chicken Run 2.
"I approached Bella with a very early edit of the film and they were very enthusiastic.
"They wanted to support the film as there were many young actors in the film that came from the TV workshop in Nottingham."
The film is due to go on to the Netflix platform in January and Derry added: "The response has been very positive so far, critics have said the film punches above its weight in terms of ambition and budget limitations.
"The audiences have been excited and have started discussions about the film online, which is what we want!
"The response so far has shown that people want to discuss the themes in more detail, there is a lot of ambitious ideas in the film."
Derry is hoping to organise a screening of the film at Leighton Buzzard Library Theatre, and says he is in discussions with Buzz Cinema to try and make that happen.