'Nature and Jurassic Park kindled my love of film'

Joshua Fletcher, a filmmaker originally from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, credits his childhood surrounded by nature and his love for movies like Jurassic Park for sparking his imagination and passion for filmmaking. Growing up in St Andrew, Joshua was always exploring quarries, fields, and even old German bunkers. He says these experiences made his mind wander and helped him dream up stories. Watching Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park as a child had a big impact on him. He was fascinated by the idea of bringing dinosaurs back to life through film, and he even tried to recreate scenes from the movie at home by using blue jumpers to mimic water on his stairs.

Joshua later moved to the UK to study graphic design, where he discovered world cinema and art house films. During his final year, he realized he enjoyed making films himself. He created a stop-motion animation inspired by Tim Burton, about a book whose letters came to life. This project helped him see that he wanted to continue making movies.

His latest short film, Albert, is set on Guernsey and explores the island's folklore and witchcraft. The story centers around an enchanted book called Le Petit Albert, which is said to be indestructible and unlucky to touch. Joshua became interested in Guernsey's history during the Covid-19 lockdown, especially stories about witch hunting, like the tale of three women who were burned at the stake in St Peter Port. He became obsessed with the real book and visited Guernsey to see a copy for himself. He was inspired by the idea of burying a book at sea and then finding it mysteriously back at home.

Albert stars Jersey-born actor James Howard, who played Draco Malfoy in the West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Joshua was thrilled to discover that James had moved to Guernsey and was eager to cast him in the film. The movie was shot last autumn and has just finished post-production. It has already been selected for the New Renaissance Film Festival in London, and Joshua hopes to arrange a screening in Guernsey later this year. He feels it would be a fitting way to complete the project by showing it where it was filmed. Joshua's journey from a nature-loving child to a filmmaker shows how powerful imagination and inspiration from movies can be.