Director Kate Madison talks about her Lord Of The Rings prequel, Born Of Hope.by Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film
The works of JRR Tolkien have long been adored by fantasy fans all over the world, but when Peter Jackson released his trilogy of films based on The Lord Of The Rings, he opened them up to a whole new audience. In that audience was fledgling director Kate Madison, who would go on to develop her own contribution to the cinematic legacy – , a prequel telling the story of the Dunadan, filmed on a shoestring budget but set to make a big impression.
Though she had never heard of The Lord Of The Rings before she saw Jackson’s films, Kate had always been a fan of fantasy. She was a zoology student but couldn’t see herself making a career in that area. “I’m not academic enough for PhDs and things,” she says. “But I’m always been involved with amateur dramatics and loved that sort of thing. I was interested in filmmaking but it had always been on the back burner, and there came a point when I realised I had to take that leap. I decided to try and pursue a career in acting and make some films.”