British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

Son of Rambow

Synopsis

A nostalgic trip back to the 1980s, Son of Rambow is an inventive valentine to an era where, for the first time in history, young minds had access to technology that allowed them to create their own stories while paying homage to their larger-than-life heroes from the movies that inspired them. Will, who isn't allowed to watch TV or go to the movies, expresses himself through his drawings and illustrations until he finds himself caught up in the extraordinary world of Lee Carter, the school terror and crafter of bizarre home movies. Carter exposes Will to a pirated copy of the first Rambo film, First Blood, which blows his mind wide open. Against his family's orders, his imaginative little brain begins to flower in the world of filmmaking. Will and Lee become popular at school through their films, but when a French exchange student, Didier Revol, arrives on the scene, their unique friendship and precious film are pushed to the breaking point. Garth Jennings and Nick Goldsmith, aka Hammer & Tongs, the creative visionaries behind The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, utilise a vast array of visual techniques to perfectly capture the moment in time when anything was possible and dreams could be recreated with a home video camera, a few props, and a ton of imagination.

Details

Year
2008
Type of project
Features
Running time
94 min
Format
35mm
Director
Garth Jennings
Producer
Christian Baute, Michel Reilhac, Peter Nadermann, Meinolf Zurhorst
Co-Producer
Christian Baute, Michel Reilhac, Peter Nadermann, Meinolf Zurhorst
Screenwriter
Garth Jennings
Director of Photography
Jess Hall
Principal cast
Will Poulter, Bill Milner, Jules Sitruk, Charlie Thrift, Jessica Stevenson, Neil Dudgeon

Genre

Children’s Drama

Categories

Fiction

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Hammer & Tongs

Holborn Studios
49-50 Eagle Wharf Road
London N1 7ED
UK

T +44 (0)207 684 0011

post@hammerandtongs.net

Sales Company

Paramount Vantage

www.paramountvantage.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.

Suggest amendments

See also

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

A young girl is lying on the grass staring up at the sky in front of her house, in the background her mother stands at the front gate of their house looking towards her. Paper Plane

Director: Saoirse Ronan

Year: 2026

When a defiant young girl stages a silent protest, refusing to return home until the disruptive presence of her father is gone, her mother must decide whether to follow her or let her go. Official Selection, Venice International Film Festival - in Competition Orizzonti Corti

Drama Woman Director
A woman in white shirt, in a red corridor looks off camera to the right with a surprised expression. Aurora

Director: Rita Osei

Year: 2024

Aurora, a perimenopausal vampire, is on a quest to kill a habit that won't die! Official Selection 2025, Final Girls Berlin, Germany (International Women's Day screening) Official Selection 2025, Romford Horror Film Festival, Essex Official Selection 2024, Tweetfest, London Official Selection 2024,Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival, London (Opening Night Gala) (Nominated Best Director and Actress Short Film) Official Selection 2024, Haunted House Fear Fest, New York (Winner Best Director, Cinematography, Actress, Supporting Actress in a Drama) Preview screening 2023, 225 Film Club Festival

Black Drama Horror
A Talent For Murder A Talent For Murder

Director: Anton Corbijn

Year: 2026

A mysterious young man from a New York publisher is sent to Switzerland to persuade the renowned writer Patricia Highsmith to write one final instalment of the Ripley anthology. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2026 - World Premiere

Thriller