This Film Is On

Here is a bunch of elated people, freshly released into the Belfast sunshine after a preview of the film Good Vibrations at the QFT.

Terri Hooley, owner of the aforementioned record shop and label has just seen the movie for the first time and to everyone's relief, he likes it. He's particularly fond of the flying scene and wants to know if the drugs still exist that will enable that particular feat.

As an observer, I've been party to around ten years of conversation about this film and it's pure joy to see the team getting it through. Some of the champions are in this photo, including the directors Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn, the writers Glenn Patterson and Colin Carberry, producer Chris Martin and actor Richard Dormer, who is immense in the role of Terri, also pictured here. Respect also to Jimmy Symington, who is a convincing paramilitary in a bar scene, to photographer and guitarist Michael and to the saintly Claire Archibald, who has partnered Hooley through six years of intensity. A lot of smiles, well-earned.

I'm not allowed to review the film until Friday, but let's say that the ending will make you cry, the music supervision is beautifully handled by David Holmes and the story is an extraordinary one.