EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE

Cousins and lifelong friends, Ray and Terry have always trusted and relied on one another, but now Ray is talking of breaking the rules; he doesn't want to play gangsters anymore, he is looking for something else, something legitimate. But Terry, driven by an obsession far beyond friendship, is determined to make sure that Ray never leaves the gang.

The Production Story

Set against the backdrop of the Pepperhill Estate, EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE is an explosive account of gang warfare, exploring the violent yet glamorous world of the G-men, with their sharp suits, gleaming guns and flashy cars. Feared but idolised, hated but respected, these gangsters will stop at nothing to have absolute control in their territory.

Directed and written by Andrew Goth, EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE stars drum & bass phenomenon Goldie and David Bowie (Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence). The supporting cast includes Rachel Shelley (Photographing Fairies) and Clint Dyer (Shopping), with Goth himself playing one of the lead roles. Produced by Joanne Reay, EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE is a Gothic Films production for IAC Holdings Ltd with support from the Isle of Man Film Commission and BV Films International. Simon Johnson, Guy Collins, Heather Playford Denman and Bjorg Velland executive produced.

Goth wrote the script five years ago and it has since picked up several awards (1995 European Script Fund Award, 1996 Carl Foreman/BAFTA Award). It is largely based on his own personal experiences.

"I was brought up in the Manchester area and, from a young age, my brother and I were very aware of the gangs. I think anyone who has witnessed or heard about the brutal gang punishments has to make a choice. You're either in or out and I realised that I was never going to come to terms with the violence. Both my brother and I found a different direction through music and, in my case, later through acting. But it was the people who I had lived with during this time who provided the inspiration for EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE. There are incredibly talented people who own clubs and create whole new music sounds, but by night go out and fight with the gangs. This thought always stayed with me: it's a world where people constantly cross the line between the legitimate and illegitimate."

Andrew was determined to see his script made into a film and that he should direct. For the next five years he worked as an actor, but never lost sight of his vision, making sure he did something towards his film every day. In 1996 his work paid off and he cast Goldie in the role of Terry.

Goth explains: "It was a family connection really. My brother, Nicky, is a sound designer and was working on one of Goldie's tours. He was well aware of the script and called one day and said: 'you know who'd be brilliant for Terry? Goldie. I've met him, and in the flesh he's just like Terry.'"

It all happened very quickly: Nicky set up a meeting, Goldie read the script, Andrew made him an offer and Goldie immediately accepted.

Goldie recalls: "I was in the studio in the West End and I was like yeah, yeah, okay. But he sent me a rough script and I liked it. I liked it because it's different. Immediately the character of Terry reminded me of someone close to me, someone I know."

Goth says: "I knew that Goldie had a very dark past. There was a kind of mania about him; he's intelligent and extremely unpredictable. There was a connection between the real Goldie and Terry".

Goldie says: "Terry doesn't really know who he is. He's a very bitter, brutal character who cares about nothing but his cousin's love and keeping control of his empire. He preys on people's weaknesses. He doesn't care. He has no boundaries."

Andrew and Goldie workshopped the whole piece together for about eighteen months and developed a strong bond which is evident both on and off screen. At this point it was decided that Andrew should play the part of Ray.

Goth explains: "We've lived this for quite a long time. When Goldie would call the office he would ask to speak to Ray: in and out of character all the time. He still calls me Ray sometimes by mistake. It's a very thin line for Goldie between the real me and the character of Ray - we didn't want to lose that ."

With Goldie on board, Andrew now had a very viable and attractive project. The real turning point came when he met producer Joanne Reay in June of last year. She had heard of the script but knew very little about Andrew himself.

Joanne recalls: "One of the first things that struck me when I met Andrew was that anyone who had that level of dedication, to work on a project every day for five years, was somebody who would have the tenacity to see it through to the very end".

Andrew was looking for a producer who would have the faith to take the project for what it was. He wanted a professional opinion on how to get the film made, but most of all the producer had to have an absolute belief in the film. Up until that point, everybody involved was associated because of a genuine committment to the project; no-one was in it for the money. In Joanne he found the perfect match.

Joanne says: "When I read the script my feeling was that it had a sparsity and a tension to it that is really quite rare. It came from somebody who was obviously writing based upon a very personal experience. Andrew has an intuitive understanding of the world he is creating. The script didn't fall into the normal three acts. Its ending is very contentious and difficult to come to terms with. Everything about it seemed to be wrong and yet the whole thing about it was right."

"When I met Andrew and Goldie together, I immediately agreed that Andrew should play the part of Ray. The bond between them was very apparent and Andrew had all the right physical qualities. Ray had to have a very strong physical presence. He had to have a kind of contention."

With Joanne Reay on board, the first thing Andrew did was to take her to the North West of England so that she could fully understand the project she was working with.

Reay says: "It's a world which I knew nothing about. I'm a good Essex girl from a seaside town. I've never lived this life, seen these people. I've never even been to a club. The last time I went to a disco the nuns came in at 9.30pm and turned the lights on - it was about 1977! So it a was a totally different world for me."

Joanne then set about getting the finance in place. The first person she approached was Guy Collins of IAC Holdings Ltd.

Reay says: "I knew that Guy at IAC genuinely likes a good thriller and I was intrigued to know what he would make of EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE. He was not familiar with the lifestyle or the club scene, so I wanted to know if he would enjoy the script purely on the strength of being a cracking good thriller."

Guy Collins liked the script very much and was quick to secure a deal with Reay. He trusted Andrew's judgement in terms of how the script was shaped and how the ending should be. He also recognised that Goldie was at a point in his career where his profile was growing and he was becoming more mainstream and generally accessible.

With IAC on board, Joanne then took the script to the Isle of Man Film Commission who responded extremely enthusiastically.

David North MHK Minister for the Department of Trade and Industry says: "We weigh up every film on a commercial basis. In my opinion, this film is going to be very successful. We've supported all sorts of films but this is very different to anything we've done before."

At this point Joanne contacted executive producer Simon Johnson who she knew had worked on the Isle of Man before and had built up a good relationship with the film commission.

Johnson says: "I had met Joanne in Cannes and we had talked then about the plusses of filming on the Isle of Man. She came to me with EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE and asked whether I thought shooting on the island would be a good move, bearing in mind that we had to replicate a city in the North West of England. I said that it would work so long as we filmed for one week in an inner city. Filming on the Isle of Man is very easy because it's quiet, it provides a wide range of locations and it's cheap in terms of accommodation etc. Also, the Isle of Man Film Commission is more than just a film commission. It is a funding body in itself and puts finance into pictures to attract them to the island."

Joanne Reay decided that they would shoot the first week in Liverpool and then move to the Isle of Man. They returned to Liverpool for the last day to shoot a scene the local dance club, Cream. The Merseyside Moving Image Development Agency, which is there to encourage films to be shot in Liverpool, also invested £20,000 in the project.

With the finance in place, IAC took EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE to the Italian film market, MIFED, in October 1997.

Reay says: "It's a very business-like affair and it's very hard to move unknown product. The only way we were going to sell the film was if we could get people to read the script. There were no big names attached that we could put up to draw people into our booth, so we sat there wondering if anyone would come in. The first person to take a script was Scandinavian distributor Bjorg Veland of BV Film. She came back 2 hours later and said that she wanted to buy EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE. She was followed by buyers from Mexico, Russia, Brazil and Italy and suddenly there was a real buzz about the project. Word had got out and everybody was interested. The very fact that we were totally unknown started working for us. Distributors were aware that there was a huge potential audience to whom the film would speak. Potentially, here was a commercial goldmine."

Andrew and Joanne then set about casting the film. Quite a few of the characters are played by people Andrew met while he was working as an actor: Paul Hawkyard (Ken) he met on Ladies Night; Sarah Shackleton (Helen) and David Baker (Clinton) he worked with in theatre productions; Danny Price (Spider) he grew up with and has known for years.

Leon was the first major role to be cast after Terry. Andrew chose Clint Dyer.

Goth explains: "I knew Clint's work and I had filed him away for the future. I'd seen him in a lot of theatre productions and had a great respect for him as an actor. Leon represents the potential alternative life. He's an ordinary person just trying to get on with it. He found a way out early enough so that he never got sucked into the gangs; he's a reminder that alongside the gang-warfare in the Pepperhill Estate, life goes on. But he's also a reminder that ordinary, innocent people can become victims."

Dyer says: "Andrew Goth came to see a play that I was in about three or four years ago and told me about the script. Years later, when the finance was in place, he came back to me and offered me the part of Leon. Leon is the good guy: he is against the gangs because they are bringing drugs into the area. He is the moral conscience of the story."

Clare was one of the hardest characters to cast and Rachel Shelley was one of last people to audition for the part.

Goth remembers: "I saw about thirty girls. I was looking for the kind of striking physical beauty that stands out in any room. It's a part of the gangster's way of life. They have the best cars, the best clothes and the best women. They don't go out with women for their conversation. But there's another side to Clare: she's intelligent and strong and dangerous. The actress had to have the right look, but equally she had to come across as being physically and psychologically strong. With Rachel it was a very instinctive thing: I always said that I'd know Clare as soon as I saw her."

Rachel says: "It's a strong female role in a film which is dominated by men and male egos. Although Clare does become a victim, she shows a determination throughout. Even when she's at her lowest, beaten and kidnapped, her strength comes through. She's not a passive person. Right through to the end she doesn't crumble - she's still giving Terry that full on, one-eyed contact (through her one remaining eye!)!"

She says of Goldie: "He's great. When he saw me for the first time with my prosthetic make-up on, he was horrified. He couldn't believe what his character had done to me. He was saying 'I don't want to play Terry anymore. He's really nasty!' Goldie's a softie really."

A final casting coup was still to come. When Rachel heard that she would be acting alongside David Bowie, who had been cast as Bernie, she was thrilled.

Rachel says: "He was the only person I ever had a poster of when I was a kid. That's a big deal! But, of course, as soon as I'd met him and shaken hands with him he was just like anybody else. I feel very lucky to have worked with him."

Bernie was the last main character for Andrew to cast. At first, he was wary about choosing someone as high profile as Bowie. The other actors were relatively unknown and he didn't want Bowie to overshadow them.

Goth says: "In terms of importance within the script, the character of Bernie is fundamental. It's a very difficult role: he's the good bad guy. The association with David came through Goldie. David was so enthusiastic about the project - from the very first meeting I knew I had made the right decision:."

Goldie says: "I told David that I had a great script and that he should take a look at it. David's very open-minded, but I wouldn't have told him about it if I didn't think he'd be good for the part. Bernie is the organisation man, someone to listen to and respect. I thought the part would suit him."

Bowie says: "I was at school with blokes like Goldie. He's completely irresponsible, lovely, a real terror. We worked together last year, in fact that's how this thing first started, for me at least. Goldie was making his album and I worked on one of the tracks. While we were in the studio he said 'here David...' and I said 'did you say film script?' And he said, 'yeah, I've got a script that me and my mate have been working on and there's this bloke, Bernie, you'd be great for that part. I'll send it to you.' And of course I didn't believe him. I thought yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before. And he sent it to me and I liked it and I said I'd like to do it with him."

Goth says: "Every Warlord needs someone like Bernie. He's the smart guy. The money launderer who gets the money in, cleans it up and gets it back out again. Bernie probably started out in the East End and worked his way up through the ranks. He's very old skool and lives by a code. He has found himself working for Terry and it goes against everything Bernie knows about the way the world works. Terry has no code and no morals. Bernie is also gay which is absolutely taboo. Terry uses this against him."

Bowie says of Bernie: "When he was younger, when he was working with the East End gangs, there was more of a code. Bernie probably liked Terry at one time but now he's become a bit of a loose cannon, a bit of a snapper. Bernie's loyalty stops when the idea of code breaks down. In fact it's more than loyalty, it's a question of trust. There comes a point when he does draw a line and decides its time to get out."

Goth says: "One of the things we found out about Bowie is that he's totally fascinated with the gangland culture of London in the 1970s. The notorious Richardson gang were very well known to Bowie and I think it appealed to him that he was actually going to get to play someone like them! In fact, the razor blades which you see sewn into Bernie's lapels were Bowie's idea. It's a very traditional gang trick which he had read about."

Bowie says: "Andrew is very focused and pretty much unflappable. He doesn't lose it and I think that's a great thing for a director to have. He's got the patience of Job!"

EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE started its 6 week shoot on February 21st 1998. Andrew had realised his dream. Five years hard work had paid off.

Andrew Goth
(Director)

Andrew was born in Manchester in 1966. He trained as an actor at the Manchester Youth Theatre before studying writing and directing at the National Film School. It was during this time that Andrew wrote EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE. His script went on to receive the prestigious 1995 European Script Fund and 1996 BAFTA/Carl Foreman awards.

Andrew's acting credits range from the national tour of Ladies Night to an all black theatre production of Othello. He also starred in, Ballistica, a feature film based on his original screenplay.

Andrew says of Goldie: "He's incredibly professional. He has a reputation for being a bit of a wild man, and yet throughout the shoot he always focussed on the job-in-hand and gave his best performance."

Andrew says of Bowie: "Amongst a relatively new cast, David was invaluable. I really drew a lot from having someone with David's experience and reputation on board."

And of the whole experience: "Acting and directing has been physically and psychologically exhausting. But I did it! Now I'm looking to the future."
(Andrew has already completed another script!)

Goldie
(Terry)

Drum n' bass phenomenon Goldie started out in the early 1980's as a graffiti artist in his home town of Walsall, receiving commissions and talking about his work on shows such as BBC's Pebble Mill. He then moved to New York to live the hip-hop life where he starred, in 1986, in the seminal graffiti art movie Bombing alongside Afrika Bambaata.

By the late eighties, Goldie was back in London and had a residency in a West End club. From there his music career took off and he became well known for his dark, introspective branch of jungle music. In 1994 he releases Timeless through London Records. With relatively no air play, the double album shot into the UK charts at no 7.

Goldie is now firmly placed at the forefront of Britain's cutting edge music scene. With his follow-up album Saturn Returnz released at the beginning of the year to high critical acclaim, his Sunday night club Metalheadz going strong, and his much publicised turn to acting and the world of film, Goldie's name is internationally bigger than ever.

Goldie says: "I've been acting for 32 years. I'd probably have a lot harder time dealing with Shakespeare than with this though - do you know what I mean! Here everybody wants to make it work. It's not like being on stage where you've got some Jane's Addiction fan hurling abuse at you. We're a team; it doesn't matter whether you've got 2 lines or 20 so long as you're passionate about the film. And we're all rooting for Andrew."

And of his character, Terry: "He's really dark. He crosses every line. Terry's not the same bloke who went inside two years ago. He wants blood for blood and his gang have stopped trusting him. They're just babysitting him really. And Bernie - Terry preys on Bernie's sexuality. He is trying to break him and he knows that being gay is his only weakness. The threat of exposing his sexuality is a much bigger blow to Bernie than being shot in the head."

And on the music: "I know music. I was brought up on it and I've always wanted film and music to work. Drum n' bass could be good for this film if it's done properly. But in the way that you have different characters like Terry and Clare, you have to have different kinds of music."

David Bowie
(Bernie)

David Bowie began his legendary music career in the mid 1960s. His many reincarnations famously include Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane. David's last album was Earthling and most recently he has been working with luminaries such as Goldie, exploring the genre of drum n' bass.

David is also well known for his art (he recently collaborated and exhibited with Damien Hirst) and acting roles. David's film credits include: Nick Roeg's The Man Who Fell To Earth; John Merrick in The Elephant Man; Japanese director Oshima's legendary Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence; Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation Of Christ; and most recently he played Andy Warhol in Basquiat.

Bowie says of his character: "Bernie probably came up through the ranks in one of the South London gangs. When he was younger there was much more of a code. He was brought in by Terry to create a sense of organisation."

And on Terry: "Bernie liked Terry quite a lot at one time but now he feels he's playing with a loose cannon. It all starts soon after Terry leaves prison - Terry has become a pretty uninhibited individual, very reckless. Bernie had been running the organisation for two and half years while they were inside. He has made something of the gang, made them into some kind of efficient unit. It pretty much becomes a shambles when Terry and Ray are released."

And on Ray: "Bernie is fairly resentful about the comparative closeness Terry has developed with Ray while they were in prison. Bernie understands that Ray is a hard man who doesn't want to make a commitment to the gang lifestyle. He just wants to know whether Ray is in or out."

Rachel Shelley
(Clare)

Rachel studied drama at Sheffield University and has since worked continuously in film, television and theatre productions.

Her film and television credits include: Nick Willing's Photographing Fairies; Gaumont's Highlander; The New Adventurers Of Robin Hood for Warner Bros; Jo Brand: Like It Or Lump It for Channel 4; The Bill for Thames Television and Bugs for BBC.

Rachel's theatre credits include: Tables And Chairs, Fen and Road at the Tristan Bates Theatre. Rachel is a founder member of the Prince Charles' Trust sponsored Crowded Theatre Company and has acted in and directed productions for them including: Cradle And All; King Lear and The Taming Of The Shrew, amongst many others.

Rachel says of her character: "Clare is a middle class student who becomes involved with the gangs without really knowing what she's getting into. She thinks she's invincible and they're little boys playing and it's not until she gets that first fist in her face that she fully understands."

"Terry sees Clare as a whore who is trying to take Ray, his cousin, away from him. Clare gets beaten, bullied and tormented. I have lots of prosthetics and it's strange how debilitating they are. I really work with that feeling when I'm acting the torture scenes."

Clint Dyer
(Leon)

Clint Dyer has worked extensively in film, television and theatre productions since graduating from drama college.

Clint's film credits noticeably include: Cosworth in Paul Anderson's Shopping and It's Different For Girls for Sun House Productions. His television credits include: The Upper Hand and Thieftakers for Central Television; Prime Suspect for Granada; and The Bill for Thames, amongst many others.

His theatre credits include: Minors On Minors, Citizen Kane and It's A Great Big Sham directed by Mike Leigh at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East; Only A Complaint at the Old Red Lion; Hanging The President and Babycakes both directed by Ian Brown for the Traverse Theatre Company. Most recently he played the lead in Black Dove at the Old Red Lion.

Clint says of his character's relationship with Terry: "Terry is everything that Leon is fighting against. He came to Pepperhill to eradicate that form of life. Leon knows that Terry is bringing Ray down, trying to corrupt him."

And on Goldie: "He's a good crack. He has my hand chopped off in one scene though!"

Sarah Shackleton
(Helen)

Sarah trained as an actress at the London Arts Educational Drama School and the London Mime Centre. Since then she has worked in theatre, film and television productions both in the UK and the States.

Sarah's film and television credits include: Vadim Jean's Leon The Pig Farmer; Deus Ex Machina for Channel 4; Wolverton Mountains for WM Productions; and Club Vampire for Showtime.

Sarah's recent theatre credits include: Knight Of The Burning Pestle, The Winter's Tale and Live Like Pigs at the Golden Lane Theatre; UK National Tours of Murder In The Cathedral, Frankie's Friends and Commedia Dell'Arte; La Ronde and A Taste Of Honey at the Latchmere Theatre; and King Lear at the Baron's Court Theatre, amongst many others.

Sarah says of her character: "I like Helen because she is so passionate when everything around her is so barren. She sees the gangs as cruel and destructive and fights desperately to keep the children in her care away from them."

Vincent Davies
(Simon)

Vincent's television and radio credits include: Band Of Gold, Medics and Cracker for Granada; Circle Of Deceit for YTV; Young PC and The Doctors for BBC Radio 4; and Sweet Blood, Deadly Echo and Wormholes for Biteback Productions, amongst many others.

His theatre credits include: Henry V - A Touch Of Harry at the West Yorkshire Playhouse; Second Thoughts at the Manchester Contact Theatre; Skin Deep for the Pilot Theatre Company; and The Scrappie with the Red Ladder Theatre Company.

Goldie says of Vincent: "We found Vinny outside Kings Cross station. He was making like 40 pence a day and now he's making about 35 pence a day. Things haven't changed much but at least he's meeting a lot of people! Vinny, who do you play, man?"

Vincent replies: "I play Simon, your most trusted bodyguard."

"Oh yeah," says Goldie, "kind of like Kato!"

Paul Hawkyard
(Ken)

Paul Hawkyard joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of 15 and has worked in film, theatre and television productions ever since.

Notably, Paul's theatre credits include: the West End productions of Miss Saigon, Oliver and Jesus Christ Superstar; As You Like It, A Midsummer Nights Dream and Lady Be Good at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre; and Ladies Night, where he met director of Everybody Loves Sunshine, Andrew Goth.

His film and television credits include: May To December for the BBC; LWT's London's Burning; Band Of Gold for Granada; and he is a regular presenter on BBC's Playdays.

Paul says of his character: "Ken is a postman and a friend of Ray's. Ken hates Terry. If it wasn't for the shooters, Ken would take the gangs on by himself."

David Baker
(Clinton)

David's theatre credits include: A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Hammersmith Lyric; Of Mice And Men at the Edinburgh Lyceum; the Theatre Foundry tour of John Trevor's More Babble; Othello at the Baron's Court Theatre; and Twelfth Night with the Bedford Theatre Company amongst many others.

His television credits include several episodes of London's Burning for LWT and The Bill for Thames Television.

David says of his character, Clinton: "He's the good guy. He likes to have fun. Clinton brings a sense of normality and life carrying-on-regardless to the film."

Danny Price
(Spider)

Danny Price trained as a dancer. He taught himself to breakdance and won second prize at the 1988 World Breakdance Championships. Now a professional dance teacher and choreographer, Danny has worked on numerous theatre, television and music productions.

His credits include: West Side Story and Dick Whittington at the Theatre Royal in York; the West End production of Starlight Express; and choreography of Goldie's 1996 Metalheadz UK tour. He also choreographed the dance sequences and trained the actors for Andrew Goth's Everybody Loves Sunshine.

Danny says: "The film's about obsession and the psychological war between Terry and Ray. Terry needs Ray and anyone who gets in the way and threatens their relationship, Terry will try to remove. There's nothing he won't do to maintain their relationship."

Carl Learmond
(Mo)

Carl trained at the Everyman Youth Theatre and his since taken part in numerous film, television and theatre productions. His film and television credits include: Annie Russell's Dancing Through The Door; Between The Lines and Black And Blue for BBC, amongst many others.

Carl's theatre credits include the musical Carmina Burana at the Everyman Theatre and Fall From Grace at the Liverpool Playhouse.

Carl is a member of the dance group, Emotion, which currently has a single at number 3 in the US charts.

Carl says: "Working with Goldie was definitely an experience. He goes from one extreme to the other - you never know what he'll say next. And Bowie? That was a major experience!"

Kevin John Harvey
(Snake)

Kevin trained at the Everyman Youth Theatre. His film and television credits include: Willy Russell's Dancing Through The Dark; Dog Day Morning for the Bournemouth Film School; Channel 4's Hearts And Minds; and The Lenny Henry Show for BBC1.

His theatre credits include: That Golden Moment, As You Like It and The Crucible at the Everyman Theatre; These Are Our Fish and Erin's Daughter at the Unity Theatre; and Aggamemnon at Carmel College, amongst many others.

Kevin says: "I play Snake, one of the henchmen, who gets hot on the way to a party. The dying scene is with Bowie who I thought was a really sensitive guy, really tuned in. Goldie's a very interesting person to be around: full of energy, a bit of a tyrant!"

Graham Bryan
(Pat)

Graham's film and television credits include: Macbeth On The Estate, Preston Front and Casualty for BBC, and Respect for YTV. His theatre credits include: Noise at the Soho Theatre; Down In The Valley and Love & Spare Parts at the Midlands Arts Centre; and Harvington Fair at the Edinburgh Festival. His next project is a short film to be directed by Junior BAFTA winner, Wade Jacks.

Graham says of his character: "Pat's the baby of the firm. He's a smack head and he'll do anything for a hit."

Adrian Pang
(Steven)

Adrian's film and television credits include: Peggy Su for BBC Films; Nightwatch for AM Films; Trauma and Lovejoy for the BBC; Fragile Heart for Channel 4; and The Knock for LWT.

His theatre credits include: Hamlet, The Glass Menagerie and Little Shop Of Horrors at the Singapore Repertory Theatre; Philip Hedley's Sleeping Beauty at Theatre Royal, Stratford East; The Men's Womb at the Edinburgh Festival; and The Magic Fundoshi at the Hammersmith Lyric which won the 1993 London Fringe Award for best comedy.

Adrian says of his character: "Steven is a Triad chief with delusions of grandeur. He's obnoxious and smarmy and eventually dies in a bloody massacre!"

Jaim Draven
(Geeg)

Since graduating from drama college, Jaim has appeared in The Bill for Thames Television and Larry Tate's Danny's Story. His theatre credits include: Time Flies, Jesus Of Nazareth, The Wind In The Willows, The Pearl and Our Day Out, amongst many others.

Jonathan Chan-Pensley
(Chinese Attacker)

Jonathan recently graduated from the University of Luton with a degree in performance. He has since played roles in Roger Spottiswoode's Tomorrow Never Dies and David Innes Edward's Thieftakers for Carlton Television.

Jonathan says of acting: "In what other job do you get to fire automatic weapons and be licked by Goldie!"

Paul Chan
(Chinese Attacker)

Paul trained at the Manchester Metropolitan University School of Theatre. Since then, he has worked on a number of theatre productions. His theatre credits include: a national tour of Waiting For Godot; The Snow Queen at the Unity Theatre; Abominable Aloysius and Masquerade at the Rathbone Theatre, Liverpool; and workshops of Titus Andronicus and The Right Size, amongst many others.

Paul says of the film: "It has been great fun, if a little cold and wet sometimes!"

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24th February 1998 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EVERYBODYLOVESSUNSHINE

JAC Publicity & Marketing Consultants Ltd.

Principal photography started February 21 on Everybody Loves Sunshine, a hard-hitting gangland drama directed by newcomer Andrew Goth from his award-winning original screenplay. Starring drum & bass phenomenon Goldie and David Bowie (Basquiat, Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence), the cast also includes Rachel Shelley (Photographing Fairies) and Clint Dyer (Shopping), with Goth himself playing one of the lead roles.

Everybody Loves Sunshine is produced by Joanne Reay. Goth's script won the 1995 European Script Fund Award and the 1996 Carl Foreman/BAFTA Award.

Set against a backdrop of Manchester's club scene, Everybody Loves Sunshine is an explosive account of gang warfare, exploring the violent yet glamorous world of the G-men, with their sharp suits, gleaming guns and flashy cars. Feared but idolised, hated but respected, these gangsters will stop at nothing to have absolute control in their territory.

Warlords Terry (Goldie) and Ray (Andrew Goth) have been inside, and in their absence the rival Triads have grown stronger and more daring. When one of their number is brutally killed, the gang members, led by Bernie (David Bowie) want revenge and turn to Ray and Terry for direction. However, prison has changed Ray: he wants out of the gang in order to go legit. But Terry, driven by an obsession far beyond friendship, is determined to make sure that Ray never leaves...

IAC Holdings is co-financing the picture with the Isle of Man Film Commission and BV Film International. IAC is also handling international sales, with deals already in place in several major territories including Italy (Triumph), Benelux (RCV) and Scandinavia (BV Film). Everybody Loves Sunshine has also been sold in Brazil (Top Tape), Mexico (Gussi), Russia (Soyuz) and Malaysia (Sunny Films).

Drawing on the talents of the artists involved in the production, Sunshine will deliver a soundtrack album exploiting the film's strong contemporary music and club links. The album will be an eclectic mix of music, including a number of original Goldie tracks written especially for the film.

Everybody Loves Sunshine will shoot for five weeks on location in Liverpool and the Isle of Man.

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16th April 1998

HOW BOWIE AND I HAD A SINGALONG, BY VINNY

The Manchester Evening News

After filming scenes for a movie with pop icon David Bowie in the Isle Of Man, actor Vinny Davies tells me this picture with his superstar pal is just one prized memento he has of them working together.

"There is film of us singing a duet, but it doesn't appear in the movie," says Vinny, who worked with David earlier this year on Andrew Goth's violently stylish Everybody Loves Sunshine, a thriller controversially based on Manchester's Moss Side, and due to be premiered in London.

Vinny explains that, in between takes, he sang with David for the benefit of another film crew, who spent days shadowing the stars of the £2m movie. "It was my idea to do a duet, and David happily went along with it, says Longsight-based Vinny, who tells me that in the film he helps the real-life pop star run a crime syndicate. "Everyone on the set thought I was a bit cheeky to ask David to sing with me, but it was a big surprise to everyone when he really got into it and enjoyed himself."

Not as big a surprise as David's questions during a break in filming. Says Vinny: "He suddenly started quizzing me about Blackburn, of all places, and wanted to know if it was still there.

"When I assured him it was, he explained that as a youngster he spent a few years in Blackburn with his grandparents and has very fond memories of the place." Obviously a good start for the person recently named by Business Age magazine as the richest man in British rock, with a personal fortune in excess of half a billion...

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28th April 1998

ON THE ROAD TO STARDOM

The Manchester Evening News

As a pretty young girl walks down the street, a big black limo screeches to a halt and out leaps a large film director, yelling "I want you to be in my movie." It never happens in real life, does it? Except in the case of Chorlton six-former and model Joanna Natasegara, that is, who, to her astonishment, landed a role in the controversial Moss Side thriller, Everybody Loves Sunshine, in just that way.

"I thought he was chatting me up," says Joanna, 17, who was walking through Chorlton when the film's director, Andrew Goth, spotted her as he drove by - and popped the classic question.

"I've heard that one before," said Joanna, a pupil at Withington Girls' School - and told him to ring the Boss agency, where she's on the modelling books. Months later, she was called to a casting session at Sir Paul McCartney's "Fame" school in Liverpool and offered a role in the violently stylish £2m movie, which stars pop icon David Bowie

Joanna, who is half-Indonesian, plays a student, the best friend of female lead Rachel Shelley, and hopped over to the Isle Of Man for location shooting. "David came over and introduced himself to me," she says. "He's a really nice guy and a superb actor. I thought he looked fabulous for his age."

She says she's also been promised a part in another Manchester movie, 'The Van Boys' - and the beauty has brains to. She'll be taking her A-levels next summer - in English literature, religious education... and Ancient Greek.

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16th February 1998

EVERYBODYLOVESSUNSHINE

The Manchester Evening News

The filming of the Goldie/Bowie movie Everybody Loves Sunshine starts Thursday on the Isle Of Man, at The Mill Studios, Laxey, which is going to be transformed into Moss Side, Manchester for the £2 million movie. The film company The Mission have requested copies of the Greater Manchester Police insignia for use in the film.

One of the cast, Vinny Davies says of the film "There's bad, there's evil, there's wicked, and then there's Goldie.".... Sounds like a scary film not for the squeamish! The film should hit our screens later this year.

Created: Aug 1998 © Paul Kinder

Last Updated: 9/10/98