“It’s more important to give people a break in this industry, because people don’t get seen.”
These are the words of Christopher Torretto who left the Los Angeles sunshine behind and decided to shoot his new film, Relentless, in locations across Yorkshire using local actors.
Christopher is an actor, writer and director, who has starred in films such as ‘Catalyst’, and the BBC’s ‘The Capture’.
He has also written scripts that have received offers from Hollywood names including Nicholas Cage and Denzel Washington.
The director is from Northern Ireland but now lives between Los Angeles and London.
When Covid hit he found himself living with a friend in Pickering.
“I loved it,” he said. “I absolutely loved it.”
He gave particular praise to the town’s Wartime Weekend.
“I was in my place. It was fantastic.”
His new film, Relentless, is to be released later this year.
It follows the story of an everyday man who runs a shipping firm and faces problems as gangsters get involved with the port.
The cast of the film, which has a budget of around £1.2 million, are largely unknown names.
Tim Murphy of Son’s of Anarchy fame makes a guest appearance but is the only Hollywood name on the bill.
“This is just a local team with very little experience who are getting ready to take on the giants,” said Christopher.
Despite this, the director said distributors have already shown interest – with hopes of streaming giants Netflix and Amazon Prime buying rights.
The team are mostly from Yorkshire, with props specialist Nell Stafford, from York, and producer Sharon Spink, from Sherburn-in-Elmet.
Christopher returns to Ryedale
One scene in the film is of a car meet up.
When thinking of where to shoot this, Christopher thought back to Ryedale.
“I wanted something stunning,” he said. “Somewhere that makes sense.”
He opted for Pickering’s NY500 café, which arranged for local car groups to meet for the scene.
“They absolutely packed the place for hours.”
He said the shoot sparked a police presence as props of guns and explosives were used.
The director, however, explained that the officers were interested in what they were doing and keen to hear about it.
“It was fantastic they came along.”
Other filming locations included a bar in York, and various locations in Selby.
These were Breighton Airfield, Mainstreet Nightclub, and on the town's streets.
Christopher said he aims to hold red carpet premiers in Los Angles and also in the UK, which he hopes to bring the cast along for.
You can keep up with the film’s progress on Performing Giants Productions’ social media pages.
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