The Man Inside

For the last year or so I've written about a film that was about to happen, but never did.
It has been a fight, sometimes literally, to get this film funded and cast. But we have got there. Finally.

Two and a half years ago I sat and wrote a script based on the life of me and a close friend. Some of the material is painfully close to home, some of it is dramatised for story purposes. But every character that exists is based upon a real person, and the themes of the film are those close to my heart.

Being a story that featured a predominantly Afro-Caribbean cast provided it's own set of challenges, and once again revealed the sad reality of our world.

But we got there in the end. The tenacity of producer Dean Fisher and unwavering support of line producer Michael Constable meant that, even in our darkest hours, when the film had collapsed or was faltering, we kept going.

Every page of the script will go on the screen unedited or watered down. That, in itself, is a massive achievement. It's not an easy story at times, with very hard hitting content.
But the film is not what you might think. It's honest, and heartfelt, and from that emerges a story of.... Well. I won't spoil that bit. :)

The cast?
I'm not sure where to start.
It's a cast I could only dream of, when I wrote these characters.

Award winning actor and director Peter Mullan, Ashley "Bashy" Thomas, Michelle Ryan, Jason Maza, David Harewood, Jenny Jules, Ray Panthaki. With Carl Barat, of the Libertines, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Bhasker Patel, and an extraordinary group of young teenage talent.

We start shooting Monday 11 July.


There are some projects that mean a little bit more than others. This one, quite literally, is my life.




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