Paul Mahung reporting...

"The movie production crew from California arrived earlier this week in Punta Gorda where filming of a movie entitled “Torch” began at different central locations in town. The director of the movie production is Christopher Coppola along with his son Bailey Coppola who as assistant director spoke of his love of Belize and the purpose of the movie crew in town.

Bailey Coppola - Assistant Director

“We’re really excited to be here, we love Belize I always tell everyone that I’ve never seen skies this blue anywhere else in the world and it feels like a second home in a way. It’s my third time here, I spent two months last time in Punta Gorda and San Antonio and now we’re out here making a feature length film which is amazing to have this finally happening. We’ve had the idea for a while, we had about five writers go through writing the script getting the idea solidified and set up for production and now we’re here and producing.”

Paul Mahung, Love FM News

Any background information on the movie you’re producing?

Bailey Coppola: “Yes so it’s called “Torch and its a psychological thriller. It involves and archaeologist who has on his property some Mayan ruins and there are some jade there that everyone is trying to get at and there is a detective also and there is a love story involved as well. A very manipulative husband and a naive wife and over time there is conflicts and they get a little delusional and they become obsessed with the jade and the essence of the jungle and acquiring the treasure and they lose their minds and some people start to be killed and it becomes a mystery but in the end the pure souls are the ones that survive and are able to move on and continue with their lives happily.”

Paul Mahung, Love FM News

Is the shooting of the film only in Toledo or other parts of Belize?

Bailey Coppola - Assistant Director

“Only in Toledo we are in Punta Gorda right now we have two days and we’re at the town square shooting with the kids, we’re getting the soccer game going on and so we are also going to San Antonio for the most part we’re in San Antonio we have two weeks over there.”

Paul Mahung, Love FM News

To what extent are the locals here in Punta Gorda involved in the scenery or parts of the film?

Bailey Coppola - Assistant Director

“Very involved, we shot the fish market, we probably had thirty kids and it seemed like they had an amazing time working with us and learning how film production worked.”

Paul Mahung, Love FM News

Coppola said that the film crew currently in Punta Gorda hails from Plaster City Film Production Company of San Francisco USA and commented that his dad was here in December of last year when he conducted a digital festival to teach a number of Punta Gorda youths on how to use digital technology to make movies to tell their stories and experiences in life.

LOVEFM