Romance on Yorkshire sheep farm proves hit at film festival

God’s Own Country was the only British film chosen to compete at Utah’s influential festival and as the event came to a close its director Francis Lee picked up the Special Jury Award for Directing in the World Cinema category.

It was a special moment for Lee, who drew inspiration from his own childhood growing up on the family farm near Halifax. Having initially trained as an actor he appeared in the likes of Casualty and Heartbeat. However, two years ago he gave up acting to concentrate on directing and spent two years working in a junk yard to fund his first short film.

God’s Own Country was financed by the BFI and Creative England and was shot on location in Yorkshire.

He said: “This is the film I always wanted to make. When I was younger I didn’t realise what emotional pull this land scape has on the people who live and work on it. It’s something I only came to understand as I got older.

“This film is I hope a tribute to my corner of Yorkshire. It’s been hard work, but the reward is seeing how much it is resonates with audiences.”

Mr Lee is currently working on his second full-length feature film as well as an original television series and it is hoped the success of God’s Own Country at Sundance will mean it will be released in UK cinemas later this year.