British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

White Lightnin'

Synopsis

Deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia, where every man owns a gun and a moonshine still, in a battered trailer, abides living legend Jesco White, 'the dancing outlaw'. As a boy Jesco was in and out of reform school and the insane asylum for taking drugs, stealing lighter fluid and for his wild behaviour. To keep him out of trouble, his daddy D-Ray taught him the art of mountain dancing – a frenzied version of tap dancing to wild country banjo music. After his daddy’s murder at the hands of a pair of drunken rednecks, the crazy but charismatic Jesco out on his daddy’s shoes, danced his way round the bars of the county where he met the love of his life, Cilla, who happened to be twice his age and half his height. The odd couple tried to settle down but tortured by the thought of his daddy’s killers still at large, Jesco’s demons resurfaced. This is his story.

Details

Year
2009
Type of project
Features
Running time
90 mins
Format
35mm
Director
Dominic Murphy 1st Feature
Producer
Eddy Moretti, Shane Smith, Suza Horvat, Igor A Nola, Robert Bevan, Samantha Horley
Co-Producer
Eddy Moretti, Shane Smith, Suza Horvat, Igor A Nola, Robert Bevan, Samantha Horley
Editor
Sam Sneade
Screenwriter
Shane Smith, Eddy Moretti, based on an original story by Dominic Murphy, Shane Smith
Director of Photography
Tim Maurice-Jones
Production Designer
Ivo Hušnjak
Sound
Paddy Owen
Composer
Nick Zinner
Principal cast
Edward Hogg, Carrie Fisher, Muse Watson, Owen Campbell

Genre

Drama

Categories

Fiction

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Film & Music Entertainment

142 Charing Cross Road
London

Sales Company

The Salt Company International

2nd Floor, Unit 19
Tileyard Studios
Tileyard Road
London
N7 9AH

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.

Cassy and Jude Cassy and Jude

Director: Dominic Murphy

Year: 2012

About twin sisters faced with separation after one gets married.

Literary Adaptation Drama
Female character standing in a dimly lit cathedral. My Heart Is Not Mine

Director: Salina Khan

Year: 2026

A hopelessly romantic bisexual author revisits the relationships that shaped his life while reflecting on his autobiographical book My Heart Is Not Mine. Torn between love, faith, and self-worth, he confronts the emotional imprint left by one man and two women who each claimed a piece of a heart that never fully belonged to him.

Drama LGBTQIA+ Romance Woman Director
A close up of a woman looking down with a black background and "Nobody's Daughter" written in yellow Nobody's Daughters

Director: Juan Pablo Bedoya

Year: 2026

Santo is a respected religious clockmaker and moneylender in his village. He exploits families in debt by using charm and kindness. When they cannot repay him, he persuades them to send their underage daughters to work as maids to pay off the debt. Ultimately, he sexually enslaves them and throws them out on the street when they become pregnant. His latest victim is Cira, an 11-year-old blackberry picker whose mother has pawned their home and land. After Santo's death, Maria Luisa, one of his victims, with the help of Fernando, his childhood friend and lawyer, fights for justice. After a long court battle, justice has finally been served, but not for everyone. Based on a real story.

Drama