Oxford director Vicky Jewson on a film five years in the making

How many cinema screens feature everyday women in action scenarios without a leather cat suit or super powers? As a Director and a lover of high concept genre films I wanted to see a film that featured a real woman, who’s life falls apart and has to fight to survive in an against-all-odds situation.

I wanted my character to drive the action, a genuine human story that doesn’t rely on vast set pieces to grab the audience and take them on a journey. A girl who when punched bleeds.

After 11 drafts of the screen-play, the final draft “Born Of War” stuck. It hits cinemas and HD Digital on May 1, released by Lionsgate Films.

Independent filmmaking basically means doing everything yourself, giving everything you’ve got to get your film made. It has taken five years from start to finish and has been the biggest challenge of my life. I co-wrote it, directed and edited it with my husband Rupert Whitaker.

On top of this we raised the money from a base of brilliant local business people who attended fundraisers.

Our stunt man has a great saying: "A moment on set is a lifetime on screen." As a Director I had a lot to prove. My first film, made at the age of 18, had a very high profile release, and I received lots of death threats. I am always the first person to point out the film’s flaws, so Born Of War was always going to be my calling card, my statement of non-surrender.

When you have little to no budget you have very little time to plan up front, and a lot of calls have to be made on the day. Filming in Jordan, we were told we could no longer blow up a car in the built up city where we had shot the chase sequence, we had to detonate it 100 miles away in a desert.

As a Director you have to think on your feet and visualise the piece as a whole to work out how you are going to make the scene convincing when the odds are not in your favour. Add to that a car which will only start when pushed – and an emotional father/daughter scene that unfolds in said car – and you get a sense of the many elements you are trying to control under very tight time constraints.

I was blessed to work with some fantastically talented people behind and in front of the camera. Actor James Frain thrived on the atmosphere in the streets of Amman, Jordan; even when filming on a rooftop that got stormed by private police demanding he stop pointing a rifle at their Royal Court of Justice.

New York based Sofia Black D’Elia channelled any homesickness she felt into a raw performance in the scene where she learns her parents have died. When it comes to new talent I was thrilled to work with my sister Olivia Jewson whose talent has persisted from the days of starring in our home videos to her burgeoning career in film, TV and theatre.

I have found there is an alchemy making an independent film in Oxford; the community get behind you. This helps you make a film which punches above its budget. A local private jet Management and Charter Company FlairJet provided us with jets for our action sequences, even encouraged us to stage a fight scene in one of them.

Imagine my Dad’s red pick-up truck careering down Oxford airport’s runway at midnight with a camera man and me strapped on the back being chased by a jet at 70mph and you have a good picture of our shooting techniques. Without the supreme generosity and support of Oxford, including our families and friends, Born Of War would not have been possible.

The UK is one of the last territories to pick up the film– it has already been sold and released all over the world including Japan, Germany, France and America. It feels good/ nerve wracking for it to be coming out on our home turf.

I would love anyone who is reading this piece to go and buy or rent a copy of the film. Not only will you be supporting the British film industry directly but I hope you will have 1 hour 40 minutes of edge-of-your-seat entertainment.

Born Of War will be in selected cinemas on May 1 and available to rent or download on HD Digital. The DVD will be available on May 18 through major retailers. Released by Lionsgate.