Project Detail

Bill Douglas My Best Friend

Peter Jewell/Bill Douglas BDCMI

Synopsis

The story of the extraordinary friendship between Scottish film maker Bill Douglas and his lifelong companion and collaborator Peter Jewell.
Bill Douglas was Scotland’s finest director, celebrated by the likes of Lynne Ramsay, Lenny Abrahamson, Satajit Ray and Yuliya Solntseva. In his short career he made four films: an autobiographical trilogy about his appalling childhood – MY CHILDHOOD, MY AIN FOLK, THE WAY HOME - and COMRADES, an epic about a momentous moment in English history. Every shot in these films is an art work and every sequence a poem. Bills life was turned around in the Egyptian desert when he met the man who would become his lifelong friend, Peter Jewell. The two men had very different backgrounds but they formed a unique bond that channelled a tremendous creative energy. In this film Peter reminisces about the life he shared with Bill in their tiny Soho flat filled with cinema memorabilia. Their shared love of the movies led them to start experimenting with an 8mm camera. Peter’s memories and musings about the legacy Bill left behind are illustrated with these never-before-seen short films.
Official Selection Venice International Film Festival 2023 - Venice Classics - World premiere

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Details

Year: 2023
Type of project: Features
Running time: 78 min
Format: 2k
Director: Jack Archer 1st Feature
Producer: John Archer
Executive Producer: Clara Glynn, Mark Thomas
Editor: James Alcock; Edit Assistant: Noora Lappalainen; Online Editor: Chas Chalmers
Director of Photography: Jack Archer; Additional Camera: Dan McKay, Jordan Sellers
Sound: Rob MacNeacail
Composer: Scott Twynholm
Principal cast: With contributions from: Peter Jewell, Brian Cox, Lynne Ramsay, Lenny Abrahamson, Dr. Phil Wickham
Associate Producer: Andy Kimpton-Nye