Queen Sacrifice is a 30 minute short film written and directed by Julian Richards

Julian Richards (director)

Julian Richards, is a British film director.- Early life :Julian Richards was born and raised in Newport, South Wales, where his father owned DIY retail store Handiland...

 in 1988 whilst he was a film student at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design and is based on his childhood experience as a school boy chess

Chess

Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...

 champion.

The cast includes Richard Davies

Richard Davies (actor)

Richard Davies is a Welsh actor, from Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales whose film and TV work covers many years but is probably best known for his performance as the exasperated schoolmaster Mr Price in the LWT popular situation comedy Please Sir!.Davies uses a broad Welsh accent for much of his...

, Duane Phillips, Lisa Climie and the music was composed by Julian Nott

Julian Nott

Julian Nott is a British film composer, mostly of animated films. He is best known for his work in the Wallace & Gromit films....

.

The 16mm short was filmed on location in Trehafod in the Rhonnda Valley and in Bournemouth.

Synopsis

Davey, a talented young chess player and Wil Bevan, his history teacher are in Bournemouth for the British Chess Championships. When Davey meets up with Helen, a punk girl from London, Wil is faced with the problem of steering his charge through the championship and the trauma of first love.

Awards

Thames Television Award for Best Fiction Film at The BP Expo - British Short Film Festival 1990

ZDF Award for Best Film at Munich International Student Film Festival 1989

Award Of Excellence at Tel Aviv Student Film Festival 1989

Silver Plaque at Chicago International Film Festival 1988

Golden Knight for Best Film at Valetta International Film Festival 1991

Certificate of Merit at Cork Film Festival 1989

Special Jury Commendation, Celtic Media Festival

Celtic Media Festival

The Celtic Media Festival, previously known as the Celtic Film and Television Festival, aims to promote the languages and cultures of the Celtic nations on screen and in broadcasting. The festival is an annual three-day celebration of broadcasting and film from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall...

 1988

Distribution

Queen Sacrifice was broadcast by the BBC in Screenplay Firsts a drama series for debut film-makers. Queen Sacrifice was also broadcast by the BBC in Scene

Scene (UK TV series)

Scene is a British television anthology drama series made by the BBC for teenagers. Featuring plays on topical issues, sometimes of a controversial nature, and by leading contemporary playwrights, programs were originally broadcast to a school audience as part of the BBC Schools strand. Dramas from...

, a drama series for schools and colleges. Other broadcasts include ZDF in Germany and ITV in Wales. Queen Sacrifice is also available as added value on the German DVD release of The Last Horror Movie

The Last Horror Movie

The Last Horror Movie is a British horror film directed by Julian Richards, starring Kevin Howarth, Mark Stevenson and released in 2004. It is filmed in a found footage style.- Plot :...

.

Reviews

"An original, amusing and delightfully British treatment of the classic first love syndrome by the director, Julian Richards" - The Sunday Times

"Acute social observation enlivened...there's just a touch of Bill Forsyth's gentle Scottish comedies here " - Daily Mail

"Modest and amusing drama by Julian Richards" - The Observer

"Requisite touches of humour, pathos and suspense" - The Sunday Telegraph