Film producer walks 812 miles to submit short to film festival

Film producer Merlyn Haycraft decided to go on an epic 1307km (812 mile) walk from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Porto in Portugal to find his inner 'self' but his destiny changed when he realised he had to submit his short film into the FantasPorto Film Festival.

Haycraft's long-voyage was divided up into three parts, starting with an 858km (533 miles) trek from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the French Pyrenees to Fisterra in Spain. The journey he took was an ancient pilgrimage route dating back to mediaeval times called the 'The French way'.

The producer then walked from Fisterra to Santiago de Compostela in Spain and then on to Porto in Portugal along the 'Camino Portugues' but his journey didn't end there. Upon arriving in Porto, he decided to walk a few extra miles to the offices of the FantasPorto Film Festival to submit his short film, 'Dark Side of the Earth'.

"I did the walk, the Camino di Santiago, as a spiritual meditation and journey. When I set off, I had no idea where I would end up at the end of the walk, or what I would do after completing it. The walk began in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France in mid September and ended naturally in Porto, Portugal after 75 days and 1307 kms walking. I arrived in Porto eight days before the deadline for submissions of the film festival. I found the office, and went and applied in person, filling out a form in the FantasPorto office. A few weeks later, while still in Porto, I got an email saying that we had been accepted into the festival." - Merlyn Haycraft

'Dark Side of the Earth' tells the story of a runaway scientist who leaks a video confession about a shocking truth and discovery about the solar system.

The film is currently screening at the FantasPorto Film Festival which runs until tomorrow. Directed by Acim Vasic, 'Dark Side of the Earth' was shot on an iPhone 5, and received support from scientific consultant Witold Fraczek, who works for Esri.