The Birmingham Film Festival launched its third consecutive year earlier this week with the premiere of the movie, ‘Of God’s and Warriors’.
Tuesday night’s event started with a bang, as a role-playing traditional Viking sword fight stunned the audience at the Millennium Point cinema. The cast and crew of the film also attended the premiere and took part in a Q and A session after the film.
‘Of God’s and Warriors’ portrays a compelling story of duty and service alongside Viking Mythology with stunning landscapes and some vicious fight scenes.
Anna Demetriou is Princess Helle, the one true heir to the Kingdom of Volsung. A fierce and a loyal girl who decides to flee the Kingdom after a coup to overthrow the king. During the adventure, she is burdened with deep choices of love, loyalty, and destiny who is guided by the God Odin, played by the Academy Award winner Terence Stamp.
Speaking at the Q and A session afterwards, Misfits Entertainment producer Andee Ryder said, “We spent a lot of time focusing on the fight scenes which came up really well, although we have to admit that some scenes are too high”
“It was a really tough shoot and we were able to make 2 million dollars out of it. So, we are really proud of our efforts.”
The film – which has also been released under the name ‘Viking Destiny’ in other territories – has received mixed ratings amongst critics and the public. Google users rate the film as 66% while IMDB had given a rating of 4 (out of 10). It also has a 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes while a critic at The Guardian rather curiously called the film as ‘a Game of Thrones inspired Schlock.’
The Birmingham Film Festival spans along the whole week and ending on Sunday, the 25th of November. 200 films are being shown over the 6-day event including shorts, features, documentaries, animation and music videos along with specialized workshops and seminars. The Gala Awards ceremony will be held on Saturday to a sold-out audience.
