A 71-YEAR-OLD filmmaker from Prestatyn is preparing for the premiere of his docu-drama about historical individuals from a nearby Denbighshire town.

Tony Griffiths, who owns a photography and picture framing business in Denbigh, said he was inspired to make the 'docu-drama' titled Pobl Hanesyddol Dinbych (subtitled 'No Mean Town') by the series of "stand out" individuals in the town's history, such as a dictionary writer and cinema owner - and decided to dedicate 18 months to complete it.

With the help of a group of volunteer actors, the photographer has brought the characters to life and is looking forward to the film's screening next month.

“There are a lot of people who stand out in the history of Denbigh going back to Tudor times,” he said.

“There was a small band of volunteers and people we’ve cajoled into taking part and we had a lot of fun doing it.

“The earliest character we’ve covered is Catrin of Berain who was also known as Mam Cymru and outlived three of her four husbands in various ways which is a tail in itself.

“She’s buried in Llanefydd and we had someone play the part of Catrin to tell her story.

“Then we moved on to Dr Samuel Johnson, who wrote the dictionaries, and he came to Denbigh in 1744 with a woman called Hester Thrale.

“The subtitle of the film ‘No Mean Town’ is from one of Dr Johnson’s quotes that he used to describe Denbigh.

“They also visited St Winefride’s Well in Holywell and we used that as one of our locations."

“They stayed in Gwaenynog and toured the area in style but our budget couldn’t quite stretch to a horse and carriage."

The film continues to follow the life of Denbigh cinema owner Foster Broome, whose son was traced down on the Wirral and helped clarify the facts.

Mr Griffiths said: “There was a famous Denbigh poacher who was quite a character and we believe some of his relatives still live locally.

“He was arrested more than fifty times and I played the scene where he hid up a chimney to avoid being arrested by the police because I couldn’t get anyone else to volunteer.

“In 1919 Foster Broome and his companion set up a cinema in the town and it was the first of its kind in the area.

“They were very successful for six years until talking pictures came along.

“We managed to find his son Alister Broome who lives on the Wirral and he helped us with filming scenes about his father.

“Foster Broome would drive around North Wales in a Model T Ford and we were able to use Alister’s Model Y Ford to film those scenes.

Mr Griffiths added: “The original advertising was done by dressing up as a lion and wandering around Denbigh telling people about the cinema."

The film will be screened at Theatr Twm O’r Nant, Station Road, Denbigh at 7.30pm on Wednesday, April 24.

Tickets cost £3 and are available in-store at Tony Griffiths Photography and Picture Framing, Bridge Street, Denbigh.