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Drama boys are coming for hometown premiere

26/11/2007

THE GLITZ and glamour of world premieres are usually reserved for Hollywood, but a first chance screening will be offered exclusively to Rochdale.

Local filmmaker Zafar Iqbal is eagerly anticipating next month’s premiere of his first feature film, ‘Banana Boys’.

It is a crime drama centred around two brothers and explores issues such as youth culture, drugs and unemployment within mixed communities.

The film was shot in Rochdale and the project took seven years to perfect.

Mr Iqbal, aged 31, of Ashia Close, Newbold, said: "The film has taken a long time.

"Mothers have their babies in nine months, but my baby has taken seven years.

"To get a feature film off the ground is rare and I hope it will open doors for me and put Rochdale on the international map.

"It is a social drama with personal barriers.

"The issue of drugs forms a backdrop and is explored from a different angle to most drug culture films."

Mr Iqbal not only wrote the film but was director, producer and actor for ‘Banana Boys’.

He found previous success when a collection of his short films was aired on international TV in April this year.

The former Salford University student also recruited some of his former fellow pupils to help produce and feature in the film.

He added: "There are local people in the film and actors and actresses I met at university. There are lots of people from different cultural backgrounds involved in the making of the film.

"I am so excited about the premiere and I love the film because of how it came out and the way it looks.

"I am nervous about it and what people will say.

"Hopefully people will see how passionate I am about making films and it will help me to carry on working in the industry."

‘Banana Boys’ will be screened at the Odeon Cinema, Sandbrook Park on Tuesday 4 December at 7pm. Admission is free.