BARTON'S ALICE NOW TO FILM IN ESSEX

Moviemaker SIMON FELLOWS will no longer set his forthcoming remake of LEWIS CARROLL's classic ALICE IN WONDERLAND in Sunderland, England - due to lack of funding. The film starring Mischa Barton - initially called Malice In Sunderland - was due to be shot in the city in north east England, but a $500,000 (GBP250,000) funding shortfall forced the picture's bosses to relocate. Now Southend in Essex, south east England, has been named as the new setting and the film has been retitled Malice in Wonderland. In the movie, Barton will play an American student who, having been hit by a London taxi, finds herself disoriented in a strange city. Producer Albert Martinez-Martin, says, "There is no problem with Sunderland at all, the reasons being we have been looking at locations which are offering help in terms of funding. "There is about GBP250,000 which we have lined up from Screen East in Southend and we are looking at locations there right now." But the move has upset Tom Harvey, the chief executive of Northern Film and Media, the company which was due to work on the movie with Fellows and Martinez-Martin. He says, "I think it is very sad it can't shoot in the north-east. "We have over a GBP1 million ($500,000) to spend but that goes on local people. In this region, talent that lives and works here is more important than productions companies coming in."