NEWS - February 10th 2011

After picking up awards at top European Festivals SoulBoy is set to make its
US festival debut!

Back in November SoulBoy played at the 49th Gijon International Film Festival where it won the Audience Award Prize 'The Enfants Terible' for best feature film (13+ years).

After a successful tour of top European Film Festivals including Edinburgh, Turin, Dinard and Gijon SoulBoy is now off to its first festival in the USA.
Read the full article here.


DIRECTOR: Shimmy Marcus
PRODUCERS: Christine Alderson / Natasha Carlish

CAST
Martin Compston, Alfie Allen, Pat Shortt,
Nichola Burley, Felicity Jones

SYNOPSIS
Amidst power cuts, strikes and boot-boy aggro on the football terraces, JOE MCCAIN (MARTIN COMPSTON), is bored of a life that's going nowhere. Enter hair-dresser JANE (NICHOLA BURLEY). Blonde, brassy, and moving to the beat of a whole new world of sound, movement and all-nighter dancing at The Wigan Casino - the home of Northern Soul.

MANDY (FELICITY JONES), a cute and spunky artist, is eager to help Joe become the cool "soul boy" he wants to be. As Mandy falls for Joe a love triangle develops leaving Joe to decide who and what he really wants in his life.

'Soulboy' stars BAFTA winner Martin Compston, who rose to fame after appearing in Ken Loach's 2002 film 'Sweet Sixteen'.

SoulBoy Press So Far...

"... a surefire feel-good movie that bursts from the screen with energy. The film captures the soul movement wonderfully displaying a culture like we might as well be living it."
A Place For Reviews

"Director Shimmy Marcus combines the classic soundtrack with some well choreographed moves, complete with a final dance off... SoulBoy is a warm coming-of-age tale that comes with some nice gags and is bound to be an audience favourite."
ReelScotland

"No issue is left untouched, giving Joe a place in the real world of relationships, role models, moral decisions, and demons. Its setting is tight in scope but universal in story as Joe tries to find his place in an established culture with customs, behaviours, and a strict social hierarchy. The soul tunes set the tone with a bouquet of hits to reflect every occasion. Meanwhile, a subtle nostalgia is at play with the warm tones and smooth rhythms of the dance-floor. An endearing British film that hits all the right notes."
HeyUGuys

"Compston holds the screen as a perfectly likeable, fallible everykid (plus he's either a great dancer, or the editing has been brilliantly managed to make him look like one), and he's backed up by a great supporting cast of familiar faces. Marcus does a fine job of evoking the era on what must have been a very tight budget, and of course the soundtrack is magnificent."
EmpireOnline

"Compston is excellent."
Edinburgh Film Festival Blogspot

"Forget Spelbound, check the amphetamine-assisted spins on display in SoulBoy, which threatens to be the first decent movie depiction of the northern soul scene. Keep the faith!"
The Guardian - this week's winners and losers

"The set-design is great, capturing the late Seventies Northern Soul movement very well, and the Wigan Casino has been rejuvenated superbly."
EyeForFilm

"Britain's Northern Soul music scene of the 1970s provides a dynamic backdrop to a slight, sweet-natured coming-of-age story in Shimmy Marcus's likable SoulBoy. Comfortingly cliched in its triangular romance and dramatic arc, the film boasts a highly marketable soundtrack and a trim running time that leaves the audience wanting more.

If distributors can engage the Street Dance audience
and also attract a nostalgic older crowd they should have a success. The film, which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, is released in the UK in September."
Allan Hunter - SCREENDAILY