This morning, at London’s Soho Hotel, actor and director Richard E. Grant unveiled the highly anticipated Boy, a nine-minute short written by up and coming British screenwriter Prasanna Puwanarajah.
London-born Prasanna was selected by hundreds of entries to be mentored by Grant on the production of this film, as part of the Great Briton’s programme, and the result is phenomenal with every vital second tugging at the heartstrings.
The Olympic-inspired story is a heartbreaking tale following a carpenter (played by Timothy Spall), who maintains the Velodrome track at London’s Olympic Park and who’s dealing with the loss of his son, a professional-cyclist, who had many Olympic hopes.
The film is set to be seen by as many as six million customers over the next coming months as it will be shown on all long-haul British Airways flights from April until September.
Although an unusual storyline and tone for a short film set to celebrate the Olympics and its build-up, Boy is heartfelt, showcasing the dedication, devotion and spirit that go into the international and colossal ceremony. Spall as the grief-stricken father is excellent, convincingly playing a role involving heartache, triumph and closure.
Grant, Spall and Puwanarajah as well as director Justin Chadwick attended the screening this morning and as the lights came up, there wasn’t a dry eye in sight: Timothy’s wife Shane Spall advocated to the British Airways representative that they ought to hand out complimentary tissues on their flights due to the film’s tear-inducing qualities.
“The story itself is so beautiful” Spall said, “It was the first time I’ve watched it and it’s not nice seeing your face ten-feet tall but I was bawling my eyes out.” Due to his busy schedule, Spall took some convincing to star in the film, but the crew – eager to feature the revered actor - eventually persuaded him, agreeing to work and film around his hectic schedule. At the end of the film, Spall said how grateful and glad he was that he eventually took part in the inspiring project. “It’s amazing to have this inspiring film made in the middle of an economic shit-fight”, he added.
Richard E. Grant, who was on the judging panel, talked about the selection process and his attraction to Prasanna’s script: “I knew from the moment of reading it that it was the right one. It was far and away ahead of everyone else’s. A lot of the other scripts were about grandmother’s and 16-year-olds in council estates – they were too grim, but Boy, although it dealt with heartache and loss, went through all of the judges like an electric current.”
Prasanna, 31, is relatively new to the screenwriting process. As an Oxford medicine graduate, he gave up his career to pursue his dreams in screenwriting and acting. He has appeared in many theatre productions including Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Hamlet and is also being currently recognised for his playright ‘Nightwatchman’, which is currently showing at the National Theatre, London. On the incredible opportunity bestowed upon him, Prasanna – who wrote approximately ten drafts for the word-free short – explained: “Richard never let me dilute the original intention. It was such an incredible and unusual experience and opportunity”.
In the run up London’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, British Airways will also be launching an exclusive pop-up venue: Flight BA2012. It will feature a three-in-one art gallery, as well as a dining lounge and cinema – which will showcase Boy – along with other works of the BA Great Britons – on selected dates. To find out more visit: www.facebook.com/britishairways.
The trailer for Boy:
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter: @JennieTate
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