Filmmaker reimagines Wizard of Oz in home city

A filmmaker from Birmingham has celebrated the premiere of his psychological horror film which will screen in over 1,000 American cinemas.

Daniel Alexander's movie Gale: Yellow Brick Road, is a dark take on The Wizard of Oz, filmed in his home city. His reimagination of the classic features Dorothy Gale as an older woman haunted by her past and her granddaughter Emily.

Alexander said filming in Birmingham was important to promote local talent and investing in the city's creative scene.

"I wanted to just be a small part of a bigger thing to show that, we have got people here that we can celebrate, that we can kind of use to tell the story that we want to tell," he added.

"I just thought it was really important not to do the usual thing of jumping ship, going where it's popular, going where it's a lot easier, and, potentially even more money as well to facilitate what we need to do.

"Instead we just made that sacrifice of saying that no, we need to kind of start at home," the filmmaker continued.

The award-winning BAFTA Connect filmmaker has worked on the BBC's We Are England series, ITV's Riches and major cultural events including the official Commonwealth Games handover film.

He grew up in Handsworth and Halesowen and despite travelling the world for his work he would always return to the Midlands to support local talent.

"We need to plant the seeds and really invest into the community where we're from," he said.

The feature film is said to be one of the first UK-made horror films to secure a nationwide American theatrical release and hit screens on 11 February.

Mental health, childhood trauma and his love for fantasy films were his inspiration for the film. He said these are talking topics that "haunt so many of us on a daily basis".

"It was kind of a way of being able to explore something that was quite serious and something that does kind of hit so many people through the type of films that I love, while still trying to do it justice," he said.

"It felt like a perfect match to explore and have those conversations through the medium of film," he said.

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