British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

Holding On

Synopsis

London in the 1990's. A small time criminal is hired to commit a contract killing. Michael Banbury, a senior barrister, is murdered while visiting a brothel in a London suburb. Initial suspicions fall on Banbury's ex-wife, Susan Flint. Phil Henderson, a retired Detective Superintendent and old friend of Banbury's, becomes involved in the investigation to help Flint establish her innocence.


It soon emerges that the intended victim was not Banbury but Graham Rigg, the owner of the brothel and the well known head of a South London gang. While both Rigg and the police attempt to find who put out the contract, Henderson conducts his own enquiries with support from former colleague Walker.


As Henderson's relationship with Flint develops and his relationship with the official investigation becomes increasingly strained, he finds himself involved in an intricate web of gang war and police corruption. Increasingly it seems that criminals and lawmen alike are mere pawns in a deadly game devised by whoever's behind the original contract killing. But who's set to benefit from the bloody outcome?

Details

Year
1999
Type of project
Features
Running time
97 mins
Format
Super 16mm Kodak
Director
Afonso Reis e Sousa
Producer
Afonso Reis e Sousa
Executive Producer
Afonso Reis e Sousa
Director of Photography
Luke Cardiff
Composer
Richard Lannoy
Principal cast
Kenneth Colley, Douglas Fielding, Jan Goodman
Screen Writers
Robert Hamilton, Rhodri Nicholl, Afonso Reis e Sousa, Jezz Startup

Categories

Fiction

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Altered Perceptions 19 Castellain Road London W9 1EY UK T/F: +44 (0)20 7286 7862

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

A small, cute, orange blob character is sat in a simple flat pink environment, looking at the viewer. Above them is a text box, floating Poob

Director: AJ Jefferies

Year: 2026

POOB is ready to LEARN and have FUN! An exploration into control, detachment and agency in an abusive relationship.

Comedy
Comic book styling, hands reaching for a diamond through lasers Unseen Diplomacy 2

Director: Katie Goode, John Campbell

Year: 2026

You're a Secret Agent during a dangerous time, Evil-doers are plotting to destroy the world. Complete missions, manage your agents & use Intel to narrow down the plot and save the Earth. Play a real-life VR obstacle course using every inch of your room - you will run, roll, sneak & hack to victory!

Action Adventure Woman Director
Two girls in maroon school uniform sit against mustard yellow lockers doing homework and sharing an orange. Lady Macbeth Was Never a Girl

Director: Francesca McBride

Year: 2026

In the grey rhythms of a 1990s British secondary school, a student begins to sense a discomfort that has no name, just a feeling that the role they’re playing doesn’t quite fit. Through a missing pair of joggers, an unexpected line from Macbeth, and the quiet rituals of uniforms, registers, and school corridors, this film traces the first flickers of identity forming - not through revelation, but recognition.

Drama History LGBTQIA+ Scottish Woman Director