A FORMER Ramsey schoolgirl returned to Halstead after deciding the town would be the perfect setting for a Parisian scene in her film.

Jane Lindekam, 50, had been searching for a location to represent 1930s Paris, and being born and bred in Halstead, remembered the area by the River Colne as somewhere that would be suitable.

Early one rainy morning in September 2014, Jane, her small film crew and a handful of actors and extras gathered in period outfits outside The Blacksmiths Tea Rooms next to Townsford Mill.

With the film now released, Jane is more than happy with her decision.

Jane, now of Acton, near Sudbury said: “It would have been unrealistic to ever hope to go to Paris, so it was a case of sitting down and really thinking where would work. It came to me fairly quickly, the old Courtauld buildings opposite are very unique and have a very different feel.

“It worked brilliantly, it had the desired effect and we were really pleased. It was really enjoyable to do some filming in my home town, we have been doing shoots all over Essex and Suffolk so there was something really nice about shooting in Halstead.”

Fight the Eternal Evil is Jane’s fourth film working alongside Michael Munn of Martello Films, in Sudbury. The producer decided the houses running along the River Colne on the Causeway, with their window-shutters, made for a suitably Parisian-style background.

The scene was for a planned docudrama about German film star Renate Muller who had an affair with Hitler and later died mysteriously.

But as shooting developed, Jane and Michael decided they had the basis for an exciting feature film.

The film evolved into a true crime story set in 1930s Germany, with a modern-day twist set in England, involving a conspiracy to resurrect the Third Reich. Jane’s theatrical leanings began at Ramsey School between 1977 and 1984, where her teachers included the Gazette’s own Pat Rudkins.

Visit martellofilms.com to buy the film on Blu-ray or DVD.