A FILMMAKING team of graduates from the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Farnham have premiered their latest feature at the famous Raindance Film Festival.

The Carrier, directed and produced by 2010 BA (Hons) film production alumnus Anthony Woodley and featuring a largely alumni crew, tells the story of a group of pandemic survivors who look to take refuge in the air aboard a 747 bound for Greenland, only to find the infection has followed them on to the plane.

Starring Edmund Kingsley of Hugo fame and Captain America-actor Jack Gordan, the film received its world premiere at the 23rd annual Raindance Film Festival, with two screenings at VUE Piccadilly.

The festival has a reputation for premiering films that go on to be big hits, with The Blair Witch Project, Memento and Old Boy having all received their first screening at Raindance.

Shot in March 2014 at Dunsfold Aerodrome south of Godalming, most famously used for the BBC’s Top Gear, The Carrier is Anthony’s second feature film, following his 2012 debut, Outpost 11.

Anthony, 29, from Guildford said: “We wanted our second feature to have a more commercial edge, so we explored the idea of making an outbreak film.

“We knew we had access to a Boeing 747 and so came up with the concept of a worldwide pandemic where the only safe place was in the air. The story is set on the last flight out of England.”

While pandemic films are a popular mainstay of cinema, Anthony hopes his take on it can be more cerebral and thoughtful than the standard Hollywood fare.

“It’s a fresh take on a well-loved genre,” added Anthony, who has been described as ‘one to watch’ by Moviescope Magazine.

“Despite involving gruesome prosthetics, the infected people in our film are not brainless – they are very contagious but still sentient. Killing your own family is a much more difficult decision than killing a zombie.

“The film has got action and blood, but it’s thoughtful too and we hope people are intrigued and entertained.”

Other than keeping his cast and crew warm during their early spring shoot, Anthony said it was shooting on board the 747 which proved to the largest technical hurdle they had to overcome during production.

“Although it’s a large location, the seating limits how much floor space you can use,” he said.

“We were conscious of keeping the framing and backgrounds interesting in each shot and avoiding repetition.”

With The Carrier wrapped up and due for wider release, Anthony is now moving on to his latest project, The Flood. A contemporary drama set in the refugee camps of Calais, the film is currently in its final stages of raising funding.