Skintown, a new film soundtracked in part by Carl Cox and following two friends chasing a way out of small-town Northern Ireland through its rave scene during The Troubles, picked up the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence at last weekend's Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Directed by Kieron J. Walsh, the film is set in 1994 and follows Vinny and Jonty, two friends in conflict-torn Enniskillen who take a dangerous opportunity to sell ecstasy at their local nightclub just as a ceasefire is announced, offering a possible way out of the town before fate intervenes.
The soundtrack draws heavily on the era's dance music, featuring Happy Mondays, Jeff Mills, The Prodigy, Josh Wink, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Carl Cox, who also makes a cameo appearance in the film.
Walsh said the project took nine years to complete, moving through "many drafts and lots of new ideas to get to a good place" before reaching the screen. "SKINTOWN is a period film set in 1994, filled with army helicopters, soldiers, marching bands, car crashes, nightclubs, beach raves and explosions," he said, crediting his crew and cast for pulling it off.
The film stars Jack Rowan, known for roles in MobLand and Boys From County Hell, alongside West End actor Chris Walley, who also appears in Young Offenders, bringing the electronic music-soaked story to a wider audience following its festival win.
The facts
- Won the Sean Connery Prize at Edinburgh International Film Festival
- Set in 1994 Enniskillen during The Troubles
- Soundtrack includes Carl Cox, Happy Mondays, Jeff Mills, The Prodigy
- Took nine years to complete, per director Kieron J. Walsh
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