The Opus 28 Canadian Filmmakers’ Visit to Meldreth

I’d like to thank everyone for making the filmmakers so welcome during their recent fourteen day visit to the village.

As I mentioned in the March issue of Meldreth Matters, this film records the life of the famous Canadian violinist Kathleen Parlow. The Director of the film, Sofia Bohdanowicz, has a personal connection to Kathleen as her grandfather was taught the violin by Kathleen. I had already discovered in 2015, that Kathleen Parlow had lived in Meldreth from 1912 to 1925. She and her mother Minnie found Meldreth to be a place of tranquillity, especially during WW1 and later a peaceful place to return to after Kathleen resumed her worldwide touring as a concert violinist.

Filming began in Toronto and the filmmakers flew to the UK in March so that they could film in Meldreth. It was quite a whirlwind visit. The seventeen members of the crew stayed in Meldreth, Melbourn and Royston and brought a lot of business to our local area. I became their Meldreth liaison person and found other residents to be involved too. The Canadians found Meldreth so friendly as people were interested in their project. The British Queen was brilliant as usual. The crew also found various coffee shops/restaurants and local shops very useful. They leased The Homestead (next to Maycroft Care Home) for nine days. To create the film set there several Meldreth residents helped to clear out rooms and later put everything back as it was before. They then filmed in one of the sheep fields at Topcliffe Mill, in Melwood, at the British Queen and at Holy Trinity Church where they had obtained special permission to film from the Dioceses of Ely. They requested extras to be part of the congregation and the Lift Off and Church Choirs to be present, in a candle lit setting.

The choir had already been practising a piece of music under the tuition of Clare Silver, our Meldreth Choir Master. It all sounded and looked beautiful. The filming took place inside the church one evening between 7.00pm and 10.00pm and then the crew continued filming in the churchyard during the night.

During their second week, the production team moved on to film in Cambridge at Clare College and at the Faculties of English and Music. After saying goodbye to Meldreth they flew to Oslo on 8th April for several days of filming there, as Kathleen Parlow had a concerto dedicated to her by the Norwegian composer Johan Halverson.

The film will be presented at various International Film Festivals in early 2024. Our thanks go to the Opus team for the generous donations given to Meldreth Local History Group, Holy Trinity Church and the Lift Off Choir. We look forward to seeing the final film next year.

For more information on Kathleen Parlow’s time in Meldreth and to hear a recording of her playing her violin, please see the History Group website, www.meldrethhistory.org.uk. An additional page on the filming in Meldreth will be added shortly.

Joan Gane Meldreth Local History Group Chairman

The Opus 28 Canadian Filmmakers

The Opus 28 team consisted of the screenwriter and film director Sofia Bohdanowicz, the director of photography Nickolay Michaylov, plus a film crew of fifteen including producers and support crew. Sofia has worked on many films in the last twelve years and won various awards at international film festivals. She was recently named as one of the 22 most influential people in Canadian film. Sofia often works with the actress Deragh Campbell whose Great Grandmother was Dame Sybil Thorndike and her grandparents were the actors Douglas Campbell and Ann Casson. Deragh takes one of the lead roles as Audrey Benac in the film, with the actress Melanie Scheiner taking another.

In the film, Audrey Bernac is on a journey searching for a connection with the Canadian violinist Kathleen Parlow, which brings her to Meldreth. While in Meldreth she meets me in my role as Chairman of Meldreth Local History Group. In the film I am played by the British Actress Eileen Davies. Eileen is well known in British films and TV. Most recently she was in Eastenders and Coronation Street and is in the new film, Allelujah.

This mirrors the meeting of Sofia, Deragh and me when they were ‘scouting’ the location of Meldreth in 2019. I showed them around and gave them historical information on the places that will be shown in the film Opus 28.

Being involved in the filming was such a wonderful experience for me, particularly as they were so kind, good fun and respectful. I never imagined how involved I would become with the props, locations, etc required in the preparation of the film. I do not regret a minute of it and will remain friends with some of the lovely people I met.

Joan Gane