Project Detail

Mickey B

Synopsis

Mickey B is a world first, a feature film adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, made with serving prisoners as cast, in Northern Ireland's notorious maximum security prison, HMP Maghaberry.

Set in the fictional private prison of Burnam, where gangs run the wings, violence and drugs are the common currency.

Duncan, the number one drug dealer, is about to be released. Mickey B is the muscle collecting on his behalf.

The three witches take on the guise of three bookies, fixing the odds for their own ends. Ladyboy, Mickey B's bitch embodies the corrupting role of the queen of hate, scheming to reach the number one slot.

Shot in hand held close up with cold, razor-blue filters, an unrelenting claustrophobic intimacy draws us into this dark world of ashen, scarred faces and tattooed flesh. Casual everyday violence, bourn out of the prisoners’ first hand experiences, ensures gritty, authentic and visceral performances. The laconic, drawling voices snake the story through each unexpected shocking attack. The brutality of clipped street slang delivered at staccato pace punctuates the monotony of endless prison time. This is a Macbeth like no other.

Details

Year
2010
Type of project
Features
Running time
62 mins
Director
Tom Magill 1st Feature
Editor
Dean Hagan
Screenwriter
Sam McClean, Jason Thompson, Tom Magill
Director of Photography
Angus Mitchell
Production Designer
Lisa Stewart
Sound
Simon Wood
Composer
Dean Hagan
Principal cast
David Conway, Jason Thompson, Sam McClean, Robert Flanagan

Production Status

Production Company

ESC Ltd

Managed Workspace
109-113 Royal Avenue
Belfast BT1 1FF
Northern Ireland
UK

T+44 (0) 28 9024 3338

www.esc-film.com

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.

See also

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

Jack Slack and Rhino Fight Bedlam

Director: Jon Shaikh

Year: 2027

1750, Bedlam The worst place on Earth. Jack Slack, a bare knuckle carnival boxer, consumed with rage, fights his way in to the pits of hell to rescue his sister, Sarah from a lifetime of incarceration. Soon trapped and imprisoned himself, his rage and skill at fighting are noticed and he is singled out by the masters of the hospital for a special course of treatment. Meanwhile, Jack still has a plan, if he can only keep the madness at bay.

woman and man on a motorbike Aman

Director: Rahul Roye

Year: 2026

Preparing for gender-affirming surgery, a trans man discovers he is pregnant, forcing a profound reckoning with identity, masculinity, and fatherhood. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2026 - Short Cuts Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2026 - Competition

Ellie Jim & Adam Pearson Zero Intention of Living Quietly

Director: Edward Lovelace

Year: 2026

Defined for much of his life by other people's perceptions of his visible difference, actor Adam Pearson finds a new sense of possibility when he meets Ellie, a teenage girl living with the same genetic condition. As their unlikely friendship inspires Adam to confront the rules he's built to protect himself, he returns to the big screen and discovers that the hero he's been searching for may be himself. Official Selection Telluride Film Festival 2026 Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2026