Edge Hill University alumnus Mark AC Brown is celebrating the success of his second independent film as a director, further cementing his growing reputation in the industry. His latest project, Dead on the Vine, has now been released for global streaming across the United States and Canada, marking another major milestone in his filmmaking career.
Dead on the Vine is a dark comic thriller set in an English vineyard, where Ellis and Drayton have been sent from London on a job. Things go wrong when Drayton has a seizure forcing them to stop. Things unravel when others arrive and Ellis’ lies catch up to them. Last year the University hosted a special screening of the film, for staff and students at the Ormskirk campus.
Mark, who is from Teesside, studied Communications Studies and Drama whilst at Edge Hill. He now works as a freelance screenwriter in London having also spent time in the West End.
Since graduating, Mark has had six feature films produced, including Dead on the Vine. He has discussed his time in the industry with students hoping that his journey can inspire others and give students the confidence to believe in themselves.
Mark said: “After university, I went back to Teesside and tried to start a career in film, but there was no infrastructure for it. No industry. So, I went to London and fell into theatre. After moving back to film in 2009 I have had six feature films produced. Two of which I was director on. The latest of which, Dead on the Vine, was screened at Edge Hill in 2025. Dead on the Vine and my first film, Guardians, are now available to stream worldwide. I have two more films in post-production and a number in development.
“I came back to screen my latest film and talk about my journey from Edge Hill to now. I think people believe my industry is a closed shop or a pipe dream and I wanted to pop that bubble. It is not an easy industry by any means, but it is possible, and I am evidence of that. It’s hard for people to dream, especially now in this cost-of-living crisis but if we don’t dream we go nowhere. I wanted to give people the confidence to believe that they can do this.”
A passion for film led Mark to study at Edge Hill, and he believes that the University is a “great place to flourish.” Edge Hill’s “family feel” provided Mark with the confidence to pursue a career in film production.
Mark said: “I was looking for somewhere that I could do some filmmaking. There was a filmmaking module in the Communications studies course as well as directing in Drama.”
“Edge Hill is a great place to flourish in a number of different ways. Everyone knows each other or at least recognises each other, which in this disconnected society is something to be treasured.
“There is a real family feel. I was a very introverted person before Edge Hill and it, to a point, helped pull me out of myself. My confidence grew and it helped begin my career in film. I did two musicals with the footlights where I had to sing and act. If you’d told me that before I went to Edge Hill, I’d have been stunned.”
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April 2, 2026
