Guernsey is the real star of an upcoming short film, according to one of the movie’s lead actors.
Jersey-born actor James Howard plays ‘The Rector’ in psychological drama ‘Albert’, which is due to have its Guernsey premiere next month at St James.
In the film, Mr Howard’s character tries to help a local man – played by Cameron Ashplant – rid himself of an indestructible, enchanted book called Le Petit Albert.
Mr Howard has previous experience with supernatural projects, having played the first ever Draco Malfoy in ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’, in London’s West End.
But he told Express the film was “definitely a big step away from my wizarding days” as the film’s director was “keen to keep the story grounded in an earthy realism”.
Mr Howard said: “In fact, playing a rector trying to make someone renounce their ownership of a dangerous book is totally opposite to the spells I was used to casting as Draco!
“But there is definitely a darkness to both characters.”
Mr Howard approached the film’s writer and director, Joshua Fletcher, about the part as “the local folk tale behind the project sounded intriguing and his vision was incredibly clear”.
He praised Fletcher’s direction as “incredibly generous”, as well as the work of the “fantastic crew from Guernsey and the UK”.
Rabbit hole
Guernsey-born filmmaker Mr Fletcher told Express the idea for the film started during lockdown when he and his wife bonded over their shared fascination with the folklore of Guernsey.
One “rabbit hole” they went down was researching the real ‘Petit Albert’, an 18th Century book of folk magic, known as a ‘grimoire’.
Guernsey Museum still keeps a copy of the book, Mr Fletcher explained, which contained everything from soap recipes to spells to improve the owner’s sex life.
“I was immediately drawn to it,” Mr Fletcher said, “because the story surrounding it is kind of so evocative and cinematic, so the potential was huge”.
He said he loved “this idea that a book was a secret, so not many islanders had one”.
“If people knew you had a copy, you’d kind of be slightly feared,” he added.
Mr Fletcher said he hoped his film found “the truth in that myth”.
He said the film would help shine a light on people’s relationship with the truth in a modern world where “trusting information is really difficult”, because of the rise of disinformation and AI deep fakes.
“Back then, books were the only way to share stories and knowledge, so they then became like truth to people.”
Red carpet experience
After shooting in 2024, the filmmakers released a trailer on Wednesday, while the movie will get a Guernsey premiere on 12 March at St James, in St Peter Port.
There are a limited number of free tickets for islanders, which Fletcher said was made possible by sponsorship from St James and Islands Insurance.
“We thought it’s really important to make the premiere really accessible for the wider community in Guernsey,” he said.
People could expect a “red carpet” experience, with a free drink on arrival, the chance to have photos taken on the red carpet and network with the cast and crew.
As well as a screening of the 17-minute film, there would be a short Q&A, behind-the-scenes photos and a short ‘making of’ documentary.
Free tickets for the premiere are available on St James’ website, while the trailer can be streamed online.