Shooting started in Wales this week on A Way Of Life, the directorial debut of writer Amma Asante, whose credits include the cult TV drama Brothers And Sisters.

The film, which stars Brenda Blethyn, Oliver Haden, Stephanie James, Gary Sheppeard, Dean Wong and Sara Gregory, centres on a teenage mother and her three friends, who become involved in a racist murder.

Production company is Awol Films, and financiers include the UK Film Council's New Cinema Fund, the Arts Council of Wales and HTV. Portman Films is handling sales of the film and Verve Pictures will distribute in the UK.

A Way Of Life is produced by Patrick Cassavetti, whose credits include Intimacy and Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Peter Edwards and Charlie Hanson. The production team includes cinematographer Ian Wilson, whose credits include Emma, The Crying Game and Wish You Were Here, and production designer Hayden Pearce, whose credits include the Oscar-nominated Solomon and Gaenor.