Brighton, England, using a Panasonic AG-DVX100, a popular camera amongst independent film-makers. Production spanned most of 2008 with the cast and crew only able to shoot on weekends and free time due to the lack of budget. The film was scripted by Shepherd and leading actor Tom Rudd, the pair deciding that the best way to get a feature film off the ground was to do it themselves, planning a script around their limited budget. After two months of filming Jamie Tighe joined the production as sound recordist and producer, helping Shepherd secure several key locations. The cast list grew to include Amber Coombs as Chloe and Thomas J. Grube as Harry. Shepherd had worked with Grube on a short film after graduating from film school and had approached the actor thinking he still lived in London. However Grube, a native New Yorker was now based back in the U.S. but he was so taken with the script and the tragic love story of his character, that he flew himself back to the UK for a week of shooting, staying with director Shepherd. After the film was completed it was picked up for Worldwide DVD distribution by Nottingham based BritFilms DVD. It received a region 2 release on 16 November 2009. Reception Heathen received positive reviews. Chicago Film Monthly critic Jason Coffman called the film "Undeniably hypnotic and well worth seeking out" with "a solid central performance from Rudd". The film received glowing responses from several sources including MovieCentral.TV, The Zone, The Source, and cult film journalist MJ Simpson: "Heathen is a dramatic thriller with interesting characters, excellent acting, assured direction, an original story, imaginative editing and excellent sound. Can’t ask for much more than that." The film also received positive feedback upon its release from DVD & Blu-ray Review. References External links 2009 films British black-and-white films Films set in Brighton 2009 directorial debut films 2000s English-language films