HEAVEN AND EARTH

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South Africa, 1825. The British garrison at the Cape is in a state of ferment. The Africans are on the brink of rebellion and the Governor, Lord Charles Somerset, is dealing with a political maelstrom and a threat from his own Number Two, the colonial administrator.

Into this crucible comes an extraordinary figure that soon the whole colony is talking about the brilliant army surgeon, Dr James Miranda Barry. Barry already has a reputation as a doctor at the head of his profession, pioneering new treatments and better healthcare. But there is another side to the doctor...

Somerset finds himself increasingly drawn to the handsome young man but the attraction is fought by both men at a time when a homosexual liaison can mean execution, until one night he makes a life-changing discovery – Barry is a woman!

Nothing can now hold back their passionate love affair, except the threat of discovery. For Barry it will mean an end to her career because women are not allowed to enter the professions, but despite the dangers they cannot keep apart.

DIRECTOR: Marleen Gorris (Academy Award winner, Antonia’s Line)

CAST: Natasha McElhone (Ronin, Solaris, Californication) James Purefoy (Resident Evil)

WRITER: Malcolm Kohll

PRODUCERS: David Pupkewitz, Malcolm Kohll Focus Films Ltd (The 51st State, The Bone Snatcher, Secret Society, Crimetime)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David Pupkewitz, Edward Noeltner, Peter Dale

SCORE: Klaus Badelt (Poseidon, Pirates of the Caribbean)

DESIGNER: Mark Wilby (Red Dust)

PRODUCTION NOTES: Gorris has spent time in South Africa researching the locations and the period. Traces of Barry are found everywhere and the world-famous teaching hospital at Groote Schuur has an archive on period in the Cape. The Fort still exists, and the fabulous location scenery will give the film an epic sweep that matches the emotional journey of our characters.