A laggy connection between a compulsive online gamer and his single mother. A debut film by Dan...

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

A laggy connection between a compulsive online gamer and his single mother.

A debut film by Dan P.K. Smyth.
Starring Denise Kennedy and Jordan Alexander-Riley.
Sound by Matthew Wilcock.

Original score by Aleah Morrison.

Now available to watch online at Indiepixsfilms.com

BBC NEWS ARTICLE - HOW MANY PIES?
Local Manchester Newspaper - Tameside Advertiser

UPCOMING SCREENINGS

January 2011:

British 4th Lichtspielklub Short Film Festival, Berlin, Jan 16th 6pm

PREVIOUS SCREENINGS

March 2010:

South By South West Film Festival, Austin, Texas USA

March 15th 1.30pm @ Alamo Lamar

March 17th 11.00am @ Alamo Lamar

May 2010:

Cannes, Short Film Corner - Thursday 20th May 1.30pm @ Palais F, Level 3. Cannes (Coup De Coeur Award)

July 2010:

Buxton Film Festival, UK (Commendation Award)

September 2010:

Kino Shorts, Green Room, Manchester - Wed 15th 7.30pm

November 2010:

Salford Film Festival, November 13th 2pm, The Lowry
RotoReliefs Film Night, The Roxy, London

About The Film

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 01:56:00 +0000

A touching and off-beat drama about a lost connection between a mother and her aggressive teenage son who refuses to do anything except play online computer games. An honest and darkly comic story about compulsion, mishaps, loneliness and family redemption.

This is a debut short by Dan P.K. Smyth, a self-taught British director, and was made with no budget and just two other crew members.

Now distributed through Indiepix at http://www.indiepixfilms.com/film/4669

Crew/Cast Biographies

Dan P.K. Smyth: Writer/Director.

DanPKSmyth.co.uk

Daniel grew up in an Irish/Ukrainian/Italian family in Manchester, UK and now studies an MA in Screenwriting at the University of Westminster, London. Daniel is a self-taught director and has worked on various short docs, music videos, and worked along side, and composed music for, US lyricist MC Paul Barman (Michel Gondry’s Leafbirds, Be Kind Rewind). One of Daniel’s short scripts Tapped was a semi-finalist for the BBC sharps award in 2008.

Dan’s also responsible for the successful satirical rap/grime project Chopps Derby. Dan is currently working on a feature film with mentoring by Jamie Nuttgens (ITV’s The Bill, The Blue Tower – Best UK Feature, Raindance)

Denise Kennedy: Lead Actor.

Professional TV work includes award-winning offbeat drama Shameless (Channel 4) and A Pint of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (BBC 3)

Agent contact.

Jordan Alexander-Riley: Lead Actor.

An upcoming talent with theatre (Billy Liar, A Taste of Honey) and TV experience. Recently appeared in Waterloo Road (BBC One) and Shameless (Channel 4)

Agent contact.

Matthew Wilcock: Sound.

Matthew is a sound designer and composer for Zelig Sound. He has worked on many global audio-visual projects, including the sound design for the 2010 Orange BAFTA Awards Broadcast BBC One. He is a practicing electroacoustic composer and has had compositions played internationally.

Aleah Morrison: Composer.

Aleah studied Electroacoustic Music at Keele University and Composition at The University of Salford. She is a composer for Zelig Sound, has had compositions played international and is currently working on an Orchestral piece and a suite of contemporary piano pieces. Aleah played all the instruments on the score and produced it in only two days.

FAQs

What’s with the characters’ accents / where is this set?

Manchester. UK. Mancunian slang mixed with gamer jargon equals something magical.

When was it shot?

December 2009. A one and a half day film shoot - one day in a flat in East Manchester, and then the next day, we filmed the final scene in a chip shop close to the flat. We had only two hours to film in the chippy! By the way, George, the chip shop owner, played a Japanese warrior in Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun (1987).

Where did you get the music at the end of the film from? I love it.

Aleah Morrison composed the music and played all the instruments!

Why is the title of the film so long?

I actually trimmed it down a few words to get to that. I was fed-up with one or two word short film titles.

Film influences?

David Lean, Anthony Asquith, Mike Leigh, Pier Paolo Pasolini, British Free Cinema movement etc.

When will it be screened?

The film will be available to view at the Cannes Short Film Corner in May (honoured with a Coup De Coeur Award). Previously, the US premiere was in March 2010 at the South by South West Film Festival in Austin, Texas. It premieres in the UK later in 2010, including Buxton Film Festival in July.

Press Kit

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:56:00 +0000

Download Press Kit here (1.8mb) PDF

Film Stills

Download image.

Trailer

Embed Code found on Vimeo page.

Contacts

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:56:00 +0000

Crew

Dan P.K. Smyth (Director)

dps_films@hotmail.co.uk

Matthew J.A. Wilcock (Sound)

matt@zeligsound.com

Aleah Morrison (Music)

aleah.morrison@gmail.com

Social

Twitter: @DanKSmyth

Facebook: Dan P.K. Smyth

Film’s IMDB Page

http://themesshallofanonlinewarrior.com/