Director returns to debut at Cardiff
25th October 2006
Media Release
Director returns to debut at Cardiff
A film centred on the lives of young black Americans in a Harlem children’s home and their relations hip with John Phillips, a rich, white, trust fund New Yorker who is court mandated to work in the home, will have its world premiere at the Cardiff Film Festival at Cineworld in Cardiff on Wednesday, November 15th.
God’s Forgotten House marks the feature film debut of Port Talbot-born director Justin Golding (pictured above during filming with actress N'Bushe Wright). The $750,000 movie, privately funded by American investors, tackles the often difficult subject of childhood neglect and racial stereotypes. The film stars Curtis Nysmith a veteran film actor with numerous credits and N’Bushe Wright from Blade. The supporting cast includes Julito McCullum of The Wire, Collins Pennie of the critically successful film Half Nelson and Domenica Cameron-Scorsese.
Justin not only wrote and directed the film, which was shot in New York, but also appears in the film, a la Hitchcock, in a supporting cameo role. Justin’s career path to America started as an actor in the West Glamorgan and the National youth theatres. He moved to London and worked as a struggling actor in theatre and TV with walk on parts in such shows as Eastenders and In Sickness and in Health.
During his time in London, he worked in a children’s home, which provided the inspiration for this film. Justin left for the USA in 1992 and has lived in Georgia, New Jersey, New York City, Kentucky and has now settled with his American wife and daughter on a farmstead in Kansas. Justin has kept close ties with his family and friends in Wales visiting often and he even did his MA in creative writing at Trinity College, Carmarthen, in 2003.
Justin said, "I went to America to get as much experience as possible under my belt and to hopefully fulfil my ambition to make movies one day. To be able to bring my first feature film home to Wales, and for it to be a world premiere, is quite an emotional experience and a dream come true.
"It is great to be home and I am currently planning my next movie which I hope to shoot on location in Wales, with a Welsh cast. Many festivals approached me wanting the world premiere of God’s Forgotten House, but I turned them down for Cardiff."
Sarah Howells, Cardiff Film Festival Director, said, "The whole ethos of the Festival is to support talent from Wales wherever possible and to provide a high profile showcase for their work. God’s Forgotten House is a fantastic example of what Welsh talent can achieve given the right financial support and creative vision. I hope his story will inspire more filmmakers from Wales to believe in their dream and get their own films off the ground"
The Cardiff Film Festival runs from 8-18th November at Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre in Canton and Cineworld in Cardiff’s centre.
ENDS
