THE frocks were out this week for members of Furness film outfit Shoreline as their latest movie received its world premiere in London, reports Jennie Dennett.

Far away from its setting in Morecambe Bay, Frozen was screened on Monday at the Leicester Square Odeon to a 500-strong audience packed with film industry executives and press.

Frozen's Ulverston-based director Juliet McKeon joined her lead actress Shirley Henderson for a pre-film introduction before spending much of the screening craning her neck to check-out the audience reaction.

Happily the reception to the moody thriller was - according to Shoreline's project manager Kerry Kolbe - "really, really good"

"There was clapping for ages afterwards and everybody really liked it. Juliet didn't see the film though, she was watching the audience."

It was the first public screening for the finished-cut of Frozen, which was largely shot in Fleetwood in March 2003 ironically during our hottest summer in years.

The film tells the story of a woman's search for the truth behind her sister's disappearance. It was inspired by the Coniston Lady in the Lake murder inquiry as well as an article by Martin Amis's cousin Marion Partington, in which she described the emotional effect of her sister Lucy being missing for 21 years (Lucy was eventually found to have been one of Fred and Rose West's victims).

Frozen's next big screening is in Hollywood as part of the American Film Institute Festival on November 7 after it was chosen by judges to be one of 160 films screened something of a coup since there were 3,000 competing films.

After that its back to Hollywood Barrow with a showing on December 2 at the Hollywood Park Apollo Cinema.

Shoreline which is based in Barrow-in-Furness is still trying to secure a UK distributer for the film while Danish director Lars Von Trier's sales agent Trust Film Sales is hoping to sort out international distribution deals.