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“When you wake up in a car, you never really know where you are.”
Dirty Bandages was shortlisted in the Best Community Film category in the Cinemagic Young Filmmaker 2008 Competition and selected to be screened in competition at the Kid for Kids Festival (09) and Fresh Flix as part of the Encounters Film Festival (09)
The film shoot for Dirty Bandages took place in April 2008, the cast and crew braving freezing conditions (particularly on the top of Hay Bluff!) to bring the script to life.
The short film production involved the group of 14-16 year olds in everything from devising the script to camera work and acting and premiered at The Guardian Hay Festival in May 2008.
The group devised the script with Director Rachel Lambert and Rhayader based award-winning screenwriter Peter Cox, whose television drama work has been broadcast in more than sixteen countries and whose stage plays have been produced in venues from the Belfast Opera House to the Royal National Theatre.
The film follows the story of Danny, whose passion for rugby is only supplanted by one thing, his passion for cars. “The idea for the project has come directly from the young people”, explains Rural Media film Director Rachel Lambert, “all of the group are drawn to the freedom that having access to a car brings them. They realise that hanging out in local car parks makes them appear to be a nuisance, but really their life is ruled by their ability to get about, particularly in a rural area like Hay. The car not only takes them places, it becomes their portable living room.”
The group meet under the banner of Inform Ed, a programme co-ordinated by Powys Youth Service staff, which focuses on the Informal Education model of experiential learning. The film shoot saw all the young people take production roles, including camera, sound and acting, alongside experienced industry professionals, who have been training and mentoring the group for the last three months. 16 year old Bobby Williams takes the lead role of Danny in Dirty Bandages, “It’s been absolutely brilliant, I think people are going to come up to us and say, ‘did you make that film?’ and we’ll be really proud to say ‘yes!”
The film has been funded by the young film makers scheme First Light Movies, The Film Agency for Wales and The Big Lottery. “We’re really grateful to our funders and Powys Youth Service. This was such an important film for this group to make”, said Rachel Lambert, “I have been thrilled by how much they have put into the production and I think that audiences everywhere will be bowled over by the results.”
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Dirty Bandages
