Director Penny Woolcock isfollowing up her new feature MischiefNight with an unusual film project based on the Biblical Book of Exodus.

The Margate Exodus is comissioned and produced by arts group Artangel in association withCreative Partnerships Kent, Arts Council England and Channel 4.

The story of Exodus isupdated to 20 years in the future, set at Margate's Dreamland Amusement Park and other nearby locations. The film is about apolitician who puts all of society's "unwanted" - the unemployed, socialdeviants, drug addicts and alcoholics, criminals and people of certain races -in a fenced-in community on the site of the old funfair.

Bernard Hill, Ger Ryan,Clare-Hope Ashity and Daniel Percival star alongside some untrained locals.

The project started shootingin Margate on Sept 25 and will continue through Nov 11. Inaddition to Dreamland, other shooting locations include the cliffs of Westgate Bayand the surroundings of the family home of Major Cotton-Powell. There will alsobe scenes shot at Pinewood Studios.

Ruth Kenley-Letts, whopreviously worked on Isolation and Strictly Sinatra, is producing withMichael Morris serving as executive producer. Jakob Ihre, who shot JoachimTrier's Reprise, is serving asdirector of photography.

Release is planned forautumn 2007 potentially as a two-part event on Channel 4 television with asimultaneous theatrical release.

Woolcock's Mischief Night is due for release inNovember and will screen at the Times BFI London Film Festival.

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