Film depicts Hants war heroes

Critically-acclaimed Charlie’s Letters is screening this Saturday at the Harbour Lights Cinema in Southampton to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Sidi Nsir — where the regiment fought Nazis forces in Tunisia in 1943.

The epic true story is directed by 17-year-old Elliott Hasler whose great-grandfather Private Charlie Standing is the main protagonist in the film.

The film shows his battle for survival as an escaped prisoner of war (POW) when on the run in war-torn Italy while his wife and young son anxiously await news in England.

The 80 minute picture debuted last year at the Brighton and Edinburgh Fringe festivals when Elliott was just 16 years old — resulting in it winning critical paudits. New York Film critic Graham Fuller led the praises when he said ‘this 17-year-old Brit might be the next Steven Spielberg’.

Elliott told The News making the film had taken three years but it was worth the effort.

‘The story had been passed down from generations in our family and it was something I felt strongly about even though I never met my great-grandfather who died in 2000,’ he said.

Tickets for the film cost £6 and are available from relsahproductions.co.uk