This fireworks night Scottish film company Synchronicity Films is inviting bright sparks across the UK to reach for the stars by applying for the chance to bag the starring role in their upcoming independent feature film, FIREWORKS. One lucky teenage girl will be plucked to play the leading role, joining a stellar lineup of actors including Ewen Bremner, and getting a first taste of stardom.
FIREWORKS is a quirky, warm-hearted comedy about a thirteen-year-old London girl called Kat, who runs away to Scotland to meet her Uncle Gillies, who she has secretly discovered is her biological father. Together they hatch a plan to build a celebratory firework. But Gillies turns out to have bipolar disorder (manic depression), and his medication is an essential ingredient for their project…
The campaign to find the perfect girl to play Kat is launched today with an open call. Young women who fit the profile are invited to showcase their talent by creating a short video clip and submitting it via an application form on the FIREWORKS website. The ideal candidate will be a young-looking sixteen year old with a London accent, but the team are prepared to be blown away by any fresh new star who can play a 13-14 year old London girl.
Casting Director Simone Pereira Hind, whose credits include ELIZABETH starring Cate Blanchett, HILARY & JACKIE starring Emily Watson & Rachel Griffiths, and JUDE starring Christopher Eccleston & Kate Winslet, hopes to discover a fresh new talent to play the role of Kat.
Pereira Hind says:
‘We are lucky enough to have secured the hugely-talented Ewen Bremner to play Gillies. Now we need to find an equally-gifted youngster to play his daughter. There are not many young actresses with the sparkling talent required for the role and we aren’t expecting this to be an easy task but we are excited about the possibility of finding a newcomer to set the screen alight.’
FIREWORKS is directed by Hannah Robinson, co-written by Hannah Robinson & Jonathan R. Hall, and produced by Wendy Griffin, producer of indie feature WASTED, co-producer of NOT ANOTHER HAPPY ENDING and line producer of FESTIVAL, RED ROAD, DONKEYS and YOU INSTEAD. Claire Mundell from Synchronicity Films is the Executive Producer. The team hope that FIREWORKS will strike a chord with many people in Britain who have experience of a mental illness themselves, or of living with somebody with a mental health disorder. According to a report by The Office for National Statistics, one in four people will experience a mental health problem in their lifetime.
The sensitive, quirky script has already won major awards, including the grand prize in the American Screenwriters Association International Scriptwriting Competition, and has drawn comparisons to LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE and SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. The film will be the first feature film by Director Hannah Robinson. It’s a subject matter close to the Director’s heart. Having grown up with a father who suffered from bipolar disorder, Robinson felt that the condition is too often left undiscussed and stigmatised.
Robinson says:
“It’s really important to me to make this film because my dad was bipolar and when I was a kid, I didn’t understand it and nobody talked about it. When 1 in 4 people experience some kind of mental illness, that means everyone needs to understand it in the same way as they do regular illnesses like chickenpox or asthma. I want to make a funny and dramatic movie which doesn’t demonise the condition.”
The script was supported through its development by Dr Michael Smith MD FRCPsych, Associate Medical Director, Mental Health Services, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde.
Dr Michael Smith says:
“Just as the right dose of lithium can be a lifesaver, but too much is toxic, Fireworks finds a touching balance between the humour and the sadness experienced by families living with bipolar disorder. This is a serious topic met with a deft light-heartedness.”
Fans are promised an entertaining peek inside the world of independent filmmaking through the film’s website, Facebook and Twitter profiles, where they will be posting updates about the shortlisted young hopefuls, running competitions and polls, and inviting the public to contribute to the film.
The FIREWORKS team have also launched a crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo, and now have just 43 days to raise the extra funds needed for the ambitious art department, which include a Heath Robinson hut, a giant catapult and one enormous firework. Contributors can select from a menu of perks that range from hand-made mugs (by the Director’s mum!) to seeing their own name in fireworks. There’s even the chance to have the artisan-made hut from the film delivered and installed in your back garden, and snap up a limited edition print by world-renowned artist Hew Locke.
To find out more about the film, the casting call, or the crowdfunding campaign, go to: