A NEW movie about fracking has been filmed in a picturesque village near York which ‘represents everything we could lose’ if the controversial practice is allowed.

So says York film director Dave Thorp, who claims the fictional film 2 Miles Under, which he shot in Askham Richard, west of York, is based on ‘real incidents’ reported around the world in relation to hydraulic fracturing, including changing river levels, earth tremors, skin rashes and nose bleeds, and corruption.

He said that with filming almost completed, the editing had begun and visual effects were being added,with Si Wright, front man with heavy metal band Morpheus Rising, having written a musical score.

He said he was now looking for a distributor, as he thought the film and its message was relevant, not just in the UK but around the world.

Mr Thorp said: “2 Miles Under was shot in Askham Richard – typically English, and very pretty. It represents everything we could lose across the UK if fracking is allowed to go ahead, and we’re very grateful for their help.

“We built our own graveyard near Harrogate and added a church using a computer.”

He claimed he was ‘threatened and warned’ not to make the film by some anti-fracking protesters, apparently concerned their concerns would be trivialised or misrepresented and the script was re-written to reflect such issues. However, other campaigners supported the film, with some appearing in protest scenes.

He said he was often asked why he was making a fiction film and not a documentary and the answer was straightforward. “Firstly, there are already many documentaries about fracking – both here in the UK, and also in the USA and Australia,” he said.

“Secondly, we wanted to explore and expose a lot of the more controversial issues about engineering incompetence and political corruption, and that would have been very challenging legally!”

Mr Thorp said he had shot films and documentaries in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Switzerland this year but the fracking film had been the high point, taking most of his spare time and money.