In just a few days since launching, the UK independent film produced by ItchyFishFilm has secured over £342,000 toward its £640,000 goal to support production for the film. £305,000 has been fronted by the film’s lead investor group Ken Anderson, Chairman of Bolton Wanderers FC; ItchyFishFilm will seek to secure the remaining funds via Syndicate Room. Shares are priced at £1.
The film’s director Steve Kelly (Doctors, The Bill and Judge John Deed) has teamed up with scriptwriter Warren Dudley (The Cutting Room, Cage). Filming begins this October and the release is scheduled for July 2017.
“This film aims to tell a timeless coming-of-age story of a teenage infatuation, falling in love with the very heart of British life,” commented Kelly. “As such, it is a story that many can identify with. I hope that individuals across Britain who can see a bit of themselves in the story take an equity stake in seeing this film’s success.”
This feel-good, family feature film, entitled The Bromley Boys (inspired by the book of the same name), brings together QI and Jonathan Creek favorite Alan Davies with former EastEnders and Love Actually starlet Martine McCutcheon. Hale and Pace‘s Gareth Hale and The Office‘s Ewen MacIntosh co-star, alongside Jamie Foreman (EastEnders, Nil By Mouth, Layer Cake) and Kidulthood star Adam Deacon who last year won Bafta’s Rising Star Award, and Patrick Bergin (Sleeping With The Enemy and Patriot Games).
Described as “Billy Elliot meets Bend It Like Beckham,” The Bromley Boys follows the Bromley football club during the 1969/1970 season. The film takes a nostalgic look back at the Kent soccer side when they were bottom of the lowest non-league division. The retro, feel-good feature tells the story of author Dave Roberts’ 2008 memoir of the same name, and covers his teenage infatuation with the club, his ambition to manage the team and his blossoming relationship with the chairman’s daughter, Ruby.
Alan Davies plays the voice of Older Dave – the retrospective narrative that carries the film. While Martine McCutcheon co-stars as teenage Dave’s mother, Gertie. Meanwhile, a few famous faces from the world of football are also expected to appear in the film, which begins filming around London and the south-east in October. Bromley actor and filmmaker TJ Herbert is producing the film, and has recently carried out a Bromley Borough wide search in the hope of finding local talent to play the leading roles of Dave Roberts and Ruby King. The search will be broadcast as a story line on a new structured reality show entitled Stage School due to air on E4 from early September.
“I fell in love with this story after spotting a poster for the book in my local Waterstones and reading it within a few hours, front to back. We want the British to fall in love with it too, so are engaging with people at every stage of the process,” The Bromley Boys Producer TJ Herbert opined. “From recruiting local actors into the lead roles, to bringing local businesses on board as sponsors and/or equity investors. This has become quite a collaboration with the whole Borough getting behind the film, which is not only be great for Bromley FC but will also shine a bright light on the borough as a whole. So we already have an audience from which to build on. And while the film is about Bromley and a number of other Non-League football clubs, the story is a universal one. At its heart, the film is about a teenage boy trying to stand out and fit in all at the same time – and at its soul it’s about good old fashioned football fandom. We hope this film has something for everyone.”
SyndicateRoom averred its continued traction in raising finance for the creative industries, after the equity crowdfunded Hollywood movie, Salty, raised £1.9 million through the platform earlier this year. Salty, which stars Antonio Banderas in the lead role, became the largest equity crowdfunded film project of all time, noted the platform. Filming for Salty concluded in September 2016.
This campaign also follows SyndicateRoom’s own research on the potential growth of the crowdfunding sector, which found significant opportunity for the creative industries to benefit from crowdfunding, with favorability towards the entertainment sector increasing by up to 50% the more an individual is involved with their own investment decisions.
“We’re thrilled to welcome The Bromley Boys to the SyndicateRoom platform,” exclaimed Gonçalo de Vasconcelos, CEO and co-founder of SyndicateRoom. “We’re seeing a trend towards films being funded via the crowd and recently we set a new record for the largest equity crowdfund film, Salty, directed by Simon West and starring Antonio Banderas. The Bromley Boys is yet another strong example of how crowdfunding is becoming the first choice of investment for raising funds by the creative industries – and I believe we’re set to see even more in the future.”
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Mood Trailer 25.4.2016 with Disc. from Itchy Fish Film on Vimeo.
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