Award nomination for foster care film
by Hayley Robinson
hrobinson@thekmgroup.co.uk
A film about the life and trials of children in foster care
has been nominated for an award at a US film festival.
Hell’s Pavement, which was written by Keith Gorman, of School
Lane, Borden, tells the story of the life of an 11-year-old who is
removed from the care of her own mother by well-meaning
professionals attempting to protect her from further neglect and
abuse.
The film generated enormous interest among foster parents and
social workers from more than 30 countries when it was first
screened at the World Fostering Conference in Dublin last year and
following an overwhelming demand to allow a wider audience to see
the film it was shown at The Lexi Cinema in London in November.
Now it is up for Best Feature film at the Beloit International
Film Festival in Wisconsin which takes place on February 18.
Mr Gorman, who invested £500,000 of his own money into the film,
said: “There’s quite a crowd of us going and my wife Claire will be
joining me. It’s quite exciting.
“We thought it would only be of interest to the industry but it
turns out lots of people are interested in it.”
The UK Film Council has provided funding for five screenings
across Britain including one which was held at The Gulbenkian
Theatre in Canterbury on February 4. And hopes of the film
being shown on network TV could soon become a reality.
The father-of-two who owns Green Cabs in West Street,
Sittingbourne, said: “I can’t reveal anything at the moment but we
are very close to signing a deal.
“My ultimate goal is to change the public’s views of
fostering.
“My mum was a foster parent so up until I left home I’d had 63
foster siblings over the years.
“I’m not a screen writer, I simply worked with children and this
film is based on true life stories told through one
child.
“We now have a system more worried about the people working with
the children than the children themselves and in the end they
become more damaged than if they had been left in their own
families with the appropriate help.
“We wanted to raise awareness in the industry of the damage
being done to children and how we can improve it.”
To view a trailer of the film visit www.hellspavement.com
Monday, February 08 2010