THE streets and mountains of Abergavenny will soon be a backdrop for a film penned by local author Owen Sheers.

BAFTA-nominated Michael Sheen plays Tommy Atkins, a secret service agent in this adaptation Owen's acclaimed novel Resistance.

Andrea Riseborough, Tom Wlaschiha and Michael Sheen have all been signed up to star in the film which is to be directed by Amit Gupta.

BAFTA-nominated Andrea Riseborough, star of Made in Dagenham, Brighton Rock, Never Let Me Go and the up-coming W.E., will play Sarah, alongside Tom Wlaschia (Brideshead Revisited and The Deep) playing Albrecht.

The film will be shot around Abergavenny, the film is set in an alternative-history when a German counter-attack lands on British soil leading to the occupation of much of the country.

Sheers has himself written the screenplay for the film, working alongside writer/director Amit Gupta (Love Story).

Richard Holmes (Waking Ned and Eden Lake) will produce alongside Amanda Faber, with BAFTA Cymru Award winner Richard Staniforth as executive producer. Oscar-winning Rachel Portman is attached to score the film.

The story follows Sarah Lewis, a 26-year old farmer's wife who wakes one morning to find her husband Tom, along with all the other local men, has disappeared.

. The women regroup as an isolated, all-female community and wait, hoping for news until the arrival of a German patrol in the valley. When a severe winter forces the two groups into co-operation, a fragile mutual dependency develops and Sarah begins a faltering acquaintance with the patrol's commanding officer, Albrecht Wolfram.

But as the pressure of the war beyond presses in on them, the valley's delicate state of harmony is increasingly threatened, before being broken completely, with devastating consequences.

Development support for the project was led by Film Agency Wales, the Munich-based distributor, Square One and the MEDIA fund in Europe – Film Agency Wales have also followed through with an equity investment in the production.

Gupta, Sheers, Faber & Holmes said, "We're delighted with the consistent, intelligent and focused support we've had from the team at the Film Agency. From script to casting they've been truly helpful partners."

Pauline Burt, Chief Executive of the Film Agency for Wales said, "We are genuinely very excited to be working with Owen on his first feature film. Resistance is a beautiful novel with clear cinematic potential.

The material's in very capable hands with the experience and credentials of the producer team, a director with real vision and a fantastic cast. This terrific project presented a great opportunity for us to facilitate key Welsh talent, helping to build the film infrastructure for Wales, at the same time as showcasing Wales on-screen."