Diary of a Bad Lad showing at Salford Film Festival 4pm Saturday 20th!

Diary of a Bad Lad is showing tomorrow at the Lowry as part of the Salford Film Festival. Tickets are free! The number to reserve tickets on is 0844 815 4874. Read on for more details.

Salford Film Festival's official website

http://www.salfordfilmfestival.org.uk/film-details.asp?id=560

Salford FF Bad Lad page

Director: Michael Booth

Producer: Jonathan Williams

Writer: Jonathan Williams

Starring: Joe O’Byrne, Donna Henry, Jonathan Williams, Michael Booth, Jimmy Foster, MC Tunes

Venue: The Lowry

When: 21 November 2009 - 16.00

Disgraced film lecturer and would-be documentary filmmaker Barry Lick has a project he believes will be the making of him: a no-holds barred documentary investigation into the alleged criminal activities of dodgy local businessman “Ray Topham”. Recruiting a team of his own former students, Barry’s quest leads him to “Topham’s” “Security Consultant”, Tommy Morghen, who offers all of the access the filmmakers could wish for. But Tommy is a smarter player than Barry and his callow crew could possibly imagine, and is exploiting them for his own ruthless ends…
Blurring the boundaries between the real and the reconstructed, the film offers a blackly comic and fiercely intelligent study of the media’s obsession with and complicity in modern criminality. So authentic is the film’s recreation of the modern documentary style, and so plausible is its gangland milieu, that when lead actor Joe O’Byrne appeared in character as the gangster Tommy Morghen to introduce a screening at the BBC in London, somebody actually called security. And anyone who has ever questioned the morality of Reality TV will recognise the attitude of Barry Lick: “We can do anything we like - you signed a release!” Bad Lad was the film that ushered in what its writer and producer Jonathan Williams has termed the North West Underground, so it seems appropriate that it be screened here at the beginning of a festival strand exploring the phenomenon.

Screening as part of our NORTH WEST UNDERGROUND strand.

Also from Salford Film Festival's website.

The North West Underground
The North West has a tradition of going its own way, in film as much as anything else. The only Film Production Company ever to make a success of it outside of London was John E. Blakeley’s Mancunian Films, which ran for over 30 years, from the 20s to the 50s, creating region-specific cinema. In the 1980s, local cult hero Cliff Twemlow was one of the first people to see the commercial potential of making cheaply produced films for the straight-to-video market. Both men were driven by the attitude that they didn’t need permission or approval from some company in London. They could make films if they wanted, and in doing so, they would find their own market.

This attitude persists in a new wave of local filmmakers working in the region. Struggling with miniscule budgets, dependent on favours, in-kind support, self-belief and shared enthusiasm, they do not have the luxury of dedicated month-long shoots and endless post-production. They are often working on the hoof, in their spare time, taking on other jobs just to pay the bills. Their films may take months, even years to complete. And working within such an extended time frame, they need to be able to sustain their faith in the project, and that of everyone else involved, or the whole thing would simply fall apart. Luckily, they have that faith and the drive that goes with it. Salford Film Festival is keen to foster this “can do” attitude to creativity. Last year, we screened Chris Leonard and Joe O’Byrne’s Lookin’ For Lucky and Baldwin Lee’s 25Gs. This year we’ve decided to dedicate a strand to other filmmakers working to establish the North West’s New Wave.

We begin with the film that kick-started the whole movement, DIARY OF A BAD LAD, a savagely funny and morally troubling expose of the media's obsession with criminality and vice versa. Then we've four premiere screenings throughout the rest of the festival. We've a wry tale of the healing power of good music in A DROP OF THE PURE, filmmakers in search of Woody Allen in MANCATTAN, surreal comedy in CAR PARK, and raunchy farce in ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES. But the movement isn't limited to features. We're also dedicating the second programme in our CAUGHT SHORT strand to some SHOTS FROM THE NORTH WEST UNDERGROUND.

Salford Online interview with Jon Williams

Salford Film Festival 2009: Diary of a Bad Lad
by Tony Flynn

SalfordOnline met Jon Williams in The Kings Arms Pub, Bloom Street, Salford to discuss the film Diary Of A Bad Lad which he not only wrote, directed but starred in.

Jon plays the role of disgraced film lecturer Barry Lick who whilst suspended on full pay decides to make a documentary about local businessman Ray Topham who is rumoured to be involved in importation of Class A drugs, prostitution and pornography.

Talking to Jon is to be taken on a non stop, breathless white knuckle ride and you can only be filled with admiration for his enthusiasm for the film.

His co-star Joe O' Byrne who plays the "security consultant" to Ray Topham is described by Jon as giving the performance of a lifetime, whilst adding that his character is "deliciously evil".

Jon says that the film shows people's fascination with crime and the longing to be in the public eye, as example The Kray Twins, on the other hand rubbishing film maker Guy Ritchie for his stereotypical cockney gangsters he has had portrayed in his films. In Jon's eyes the succesful criminal is the one we never suspect of being a criminal but somehow evades the law and is never caught.

Rather than me review the film, listen to Jon's explanation of the film with it's sub plots and tales of morality, redemption and ultimately tragedy.

In my eyes Jon is a maverick genius and is to be praised for his attitude to film making and general all round lust for life.

The film is to be the hot ticket at The Salford Film Festival and will be shown on Saturday 21st November at 4.00pm at The Lowry, Salford Quays. Miss it at your peril.

The re-issued DVD (by the way, it is an incredible acheivement to produce DVDs from an independent no-budget film) will be on sale from tonight and throughout the Salford Film Festival.

The only inaccuracy is that Jon is down as the director in this article, and it was some other bloke

 

[Booth]

I got back home a few hours ago. This morning at SSR doing ADR with Donna Henry for Bar Stewards. Then to the Lowry where I had a Subway lunch with Wiggy and then we our film Diary of a Bad Lad was shown. Then at 8pm went to see the rather brilliant Mancatten which everyone should try to get a look at. I think it's really quite special despite it's rough edges.

And what am I doing now? Bringing in footage for Bar Stewards. I'd love to start editing but I've got to give into tiredness. Bed in a mo! Then later on in the morning back to SSR with Birty and Cop!

 

[Jon Williams]

There's one other inaccuracy - it's not a 're-issue' either! I think that probably became about because I said that we'd had a distributor but we ended up taking all the rights back because it was becoming obvious to indie filmmakers world-wide that that was the old way of doing things.

 

[Booth]

Good review from Salford Online who were at the festival

Salford Film Festival 2009: Diary Of A Bad Lad Review
By Tony Flynn

On Saturday 21st November at The Lowry, I was privileged to watch a screening of Diary Of A Bad Lad, a film written by and starring Jon Williams and Directed by Michael Booth.

The film which left me both laughing and feeling slightly embarrased at what I was watching is surely destined to go on to general release such is the quality of the writing and acting.

Basically the film tells of Barry Lick played by Jon Williams a disgraced College Lecturer who whilst suspended on full pay recruits some of his students to do an exposure on two local businessmen, Ray Topham and Tommy Morghen who are allegedly involved in prostitition, pornography, and importation of Class A drugs.

Barry soon finds himself out of his depth and is soon being exploited by the duo for their own use, has there been a more frightening screen villain of late than Tommy Morghen expertly played by Joe O' Byrne with a commanding air of malevolence.

Naturally if not inevitably Barry Licks plans soon go out of the window along with a few other things, ending in tragedy.

The film which is a satire on the way people love the media and the attraction to criminality that this brings is very cleverly shown but also the dirty underbelly of low criminality is shown sometimes with shocking reality.

Jon Williams the writer and actor in this classic tells me that for the weekend of 27th November-1st December the film can be seen for free online by following the links below.

Posted here for posterity, please read it at the following link: http://www.salfordonline.com/entertainmentnews_page/16750-salford_film_festival_2009:_diary_of_a_bad_lad_review.html#

 

[Jon Williams]

Where are the links? Where are the links?

Here they are: http://www.dailymotion.com/renderyardchannel

http://www.vimeo.com/7774669

Comment by Guest 24th November 2009

Full agreement, this film is a cracker and I saw it first in Salford. Joe O' Byrne is terrific as is the rest of the cast, click onto the site's and watch the film and you decide.

Report as offensive or innapropriate Comment by Guest 24th November 2009

Brilliant review of a rather brilliant film!

And many thanks to Tony Flynn for giving the festival such good coverage of the festival on Salford online, for going to the films and for writing perceptive reviews. Just where oh where is the MEN in all this? Makes you want to cry, doesn't it. I mean festival programmer , Steve Balshaw, works his arse off and the MEN and the nationals just ignore it. This is starting to make me really mad...