JUSTIN TIME TO MAKE A SPECIAL NAME FOR HIMSELF

By Graham Young on April 21, 2008 9:01 PM | Permalink

CONGRATULATIONS to my old friend Justin Edgar whose film Special People has won the audience award at the Britspotting Festival in Berlin.

I'll dig out an archive interview with the inspirational boy wonder later this week to help put him in the spotlight - and to show you just how far he has travelled from humble origins in Sutton Coldfield.

People who moan about a lack of opportunities should read Justin's story and get off their butts.

Expanded from an original short film, Special People tells the story of four kids in wheelchairs and an idiot film maker on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

It stars Dominic Coleman, Sasha Hardway, Robyn Frampton, David Proud and Jason Maza and came fourth in the Audience Appreciation chart when it premiered at last year's Edinburgh International Film Festival.

The film will be released in the UK in Summer 2008 by Guerilla Films.

Justin says: "We are delighted to win this award.

"The film has won over audiences wherever it's played.

"We were influenced by Gregory's Girl when we shot the film and it seems that the charming comedy of that film has seeped into Special People."

104 Films is a Birmingham based company set up by Justin Edgar and producer Alex Usborne (The Acid House, Tales from a Hard City).

It is developing further feature projects with the support of Screen West Midlands ' Advantage Development Fund.

The film was financed by Screen West Midlands, Matrix, Picture Palace Films, Big Button Media and Studio of the North / IMI - which in itself illustrates just how hard it is to get movies made.

Guerilla Films' chairman David Nicholas Wilkinson says: "I am not surprised it is winning an award, it's such a delightfully funny film.

"I thought I was in for a worthy, heavy tract on disability but it charmed by it straight away.

"It's so rewarding when you spot a film that takes you unawares..."

If only Justin could get white-hot Scottish star James McAvoy to star in one of his movies.

I've met him a couple of times and he's a great guy who's celebrating his 29th birthday today - so happy birthday James.

It's incredible to think he's already starred in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Last King of Scotland, Penelope, Becoming Jane and Atonement.

Not forgetting two of his lesser known works which were favourites of mine - Starter for Ten, a lovely romcom about University Challenge, and Inside I'm Dancing, a film about disability which was brilliant but hardly got noticed by punters.

Which brings me neatly back to Justin Edgar.

I hope he has more luck with Special People than James did with Inside I'm Dancing.

Disability can be a very moving and interesting subject for film makers, as the Oscar-nominated French movie The Diving Bell and The Butterfly proved earlier this year.