Hard Times BusPRESS PACK-1

/HardTimeBus
2HOTFILMS IN ASSOCIATION WITH OH FILMS PRESENTS HARD TIME BUS STARRING NEIL REIDMAN NAOMI RYAN ROGER GRIFFITHS WITH MICHAEL ELLIS AND BAILEY PATRICK
MUSIC COMPOSED BY LUKE CORRADINE FILM EDITOR ANDREW WEBBER DESIGN BY MARK CHARLES AT ATOMMEDIA.CA DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY VINCENZO CONDORELLI
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS NICOLA GREGORY AKIN SALAMI PRODUCED BY DEAN CHARLES ALASDAIR MITCHELL WRITTEN & SCREENPLAY BY OWEN MOWATT DIRECTED BY DEAN CHARLES
‘HARD TIME BUS’
An old Jamaican expression that is used when one is feeling sorry for oneself.
MOVIE SYNOPSIS
Hard Time Bus is a multilayered relationship drama that challenges the commitment to love and friendship. It centre’s around carefree and complacent character Mark Bishop (Neil Reidman). Challenged by his commitment to long-time girlfriend Denise (Naomi Ryan), he turns to best mate Fitzy (Roger Griffiths) for advice only to be ridiculed for not following the ‘Fitzy Rules’ – “never marry and never settle”. Mark’s life begins to unravel as he tries to manage the expectations of those closest to him and soon learns that with complacency comes risk.
NEIL
REIDMAN
NAOMI
RYAN
ROGER
GRIFFITHS
MICHAEL
ELLIS
BAILEY
PATRICK
You never know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone!
2HOTFILMS IN ASSOCIATION WITH OH FILMS PRESENTS HARD TIME BUS STARRING NEIL REIDMAN NAOMI RYAN ROGER GRIFFITHS WITH MICHAEL ELLIS AND BAILEY PATRICK
MUSIC COMPOSED BY LUKE CORRADINE FILM EDITOR ANDREW WEBBER DESIGN BY MARK CHARLES AT ATOMMEDIA.CA DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY VINCENZO CONDORELLI
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS NICOLA GREGORY AKIN SALAMI PRODUCED BY DEAN CHARLES ALASDAIR MITCHELL WRITTEN & SCREENPLAY BY OWEN MOWATT DIRECTED BY DEAN CHARLES
/HardTimeBus
PLOT SUMMARY
After an eventful night out with friends Mark (Neil Reidman) discovers his best friend Shaun (Bailey Patrick) has been hiding a crushing secret. His girlfriend Kim (Tashan Sinclair-Doyle) has left him and he doesn’t know why. Despite Marks efforts he is unable to console Shaun and for the first time starts to worry about the strength of his own relationship with girlfriend Denise (Naomi Ryan). He wakes up the following morning from a nightmare where Denise has been unfaithful to him and he makes hasty plans to marry her. He turns to best mate Fitzy (Roger Griffiths) for advice only to be ridiculed for not following his Fitzy Rules which is to never marry and never settle. However, unbeknown to Mark she has already caught the eye of a suitor and is seriously considering a different proposal. When Mark finally pieces together the real reason why Kim has left Shaun his desire to cling onto Denise becomes more desperate. Mark now faces a race against time to prove to Denise that he is worthy, but has it all come too late and at what cost?
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Title: Release: Format: Running Time: Language: Location: Production Company: Writer: Director: Producers: Executive Producers: Hard Time Bus
Spring 2014
HD (High Definition)
88 mins
English
London
2HOTFILMS and OH Films
Owen Mowatt
Dean Charles
Dean Charles and Nicola Gregory
Nicola Gregory, Akin Salami
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Dean Charles - British Film Director
Birmingham born Dean Charles’s first film “The Birthday Treat” won Best Short Film at the BFM International Film Festival. He followed up that success by being in the regional finals for a BAFTA short film competition for film “Megaman”. Dean’s media career started at Bloomberg News where he worked as a Camera Operator and was stationed in various locations around Europe, such as Paris, Frankfurt, and Vienna.
Bloomberg is where Dean first cut his teeth into directing by filming the essential background material on a programme titled “Money Maker Profile” and working with personalities such as Sir Bob Geldof, Sir Michael Heseltine, Sir Richard Branson and Simon Cowell. Fast forward to 2013, Charles’s debut feature-length film “Hard Time Bus” won best feature in the Hollywood Black Film Festival, it was selected as the opening film in the Birmingham International Film Festival and won best festival film at the MVSA’s (Movie Video Screen Awards).
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT “I wanted to create a film with a predominantly black cast that told a universal story that everyone can relate
to. At the moment the idea of watching a black British film and leaving the cinema with a sense of wellbeing
seems almost alien. Black British filmmaking is still relatively in its infancy if compared to the American and
Nollywood markets. That said, I still believe it has a bright future but obviously needs nurturing to improve. As a
filmmaker, I believe it’s in our own hands. We need to take full ownership of our stories and more importantly, how
we are portrayed on screen.”
Mark - Neil Reidman Award-winning actor is probably best known for his role as ‘Lt Atillo’ in Dr Who in which he acted alongside David Tennant and Sir Derek Jacobi. Other TV credits include Casualty Eastenders, Holby City, Come Outside, The Locksmith , Tough Love, Doctors, The Bill and Body Story. Recently Neil performed in the European Premiere of The Color Purple Musical.
Denise - Naomi Ryan
Former model who pursued her dream of acting when she won the coveted lead role of ‘Bobby Lewis’ in Coronation Street. She went on to appear in many leading TV roles including EastEnders, Dream Team and Holby City. Recently Naomi followed up her successes by landing roles in Hard Time Bus, Guardians of The Galaxy with Zoe Saldana and Honeytrap, directed by Rebecca Johnson. Fitzy - Roger Griffiths Roger Griffiths is one of the most prolific and active actors in British theatre, TV and film. His catalogue of credits include Macbeth, All My Son’s, regular roles on Desmonds, Chef!, Eastenders, Holby City, Dubplate Drama, and most recently Vexed. Roger’s film work includes Batman Begins, Buffalo Soldiers and Tube Tales.
CAST AND PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
The Cast
Neil Reidman – Mark Naomi Ryan – Denise
Roger Griffiths – Fitzy
Michael Ellis – Anthony Bailey Patrick – Shaun
Tashan Sinclair-Doyle – Kim
Anthony Warren – Longas
Nicholas Beveney – Michael
Aren Devlin – Carla
Juliette de Gannes – Brenda
Charlotte Peak – Paula
Fahad Salman – Manny
Martin Edwards – Jimmy
PRODUCTION SYNDICATES 2HOTFILMS 2HOTFILMS is an independent Film & Television production company that produces content with strong character profiles. It aims to stay clear of negative stereotypes and create engaging story lines that not only resonate with the Diaspora but also have universal appeal that everyone can relate to. 2HOTFILMS has positioned itself at the core of urban inspired content.
OH FILMS OH FILMS (a subsidiary of OH TV) was set up to produce and distribute smart, commercially viable films aimed at an international audience. Breaking box office records, “The Mirror Boy” OH Films first feature was the first independent African movie to receive a national theatrical release via Odeon cinemas. The film has gone onto receive over 25 national and international awards and has become one of the biggest African Movies of all time.
FOR ACCESS TO OTHER MEDIA PLEASE CONTACT:
Nicola Gregory - Producer
[email protected]
+44 (0) 7412000159
www.hardtimebus.com
facebook.com/HardTimeBus
twitter.com/2hotfilms