Previous Productions
TALKING WITH ANGELS |
Previous production by Made Up North's Michael Knowles, written and directed by Yousaf Ali Khan.
Location: Salford
Genre: Realist/magic-realist drama
Main funders: North West Vision and the UK Film Council, Film London and Fox Searchlab
Produced by: Janey de Nordwall and Michael Knowles; Silver Films in association with Northern Films
Shot on Salford 's Langworthy estate in April 2003, Talking With Angels introduced a young and talented cast from the local area and utilised the skills of local people alongside professional film technicians.
Its semi-autobiographical story is based on director Yousaf Ali Khan's childhood in Salford , with the director keen to confront perceptions and prejudices about what constitutes a viable family.
"Challenging the fictitious idea of 'normal' by stigmatising anything that does not neatly integrate into it, on this occasion the so-called, 'disabled', 'mentally ill' and 'dysfunctional family', are re-occurring themes in my work," Yousaf said.
The film is set in 1970s Salford amongst a forgotten landscape of decaying, half-demolished post-war slums. 10 year-old Alan and his family make their way to the local clinic for Mum's regular injection of Largactil, a torpifying drug intended to subdue her 'schizophrenic' inner voices and visions.
Alan takes the responsibility of holding his family together upon himself, and negotiates the two worlds his family inhabits; his mother's vivid inner world - occupied by demons and angels, and the stark reality of everyday life - haunted by poverty and the ever-present threat of the social services splitting up his family.
To others, Alan's family is a world of 'spazos', madness, neglect and eccentricity - a dysfunctional family. To Alan, it is his family.
Talking with Angels was nominated for the Best Short Film BAFTA and screened at 51 festivals worldwide, including Sundance, Sydney and Cork . It won a total of 13 awards.
Talking with Angels website
Northern Film Network website
Coverage of BBC Arts online