Film-maker Tom hooks a national award

A reel success — Tom Marshall with his certificate

Movie director Danny Boyle, from Bury, is top dog in the film business these days — and one Oldham man is determined to follow in his footsteps.

A film noir based on a phantom “sky hook” — which flies around popping red balloons while two detectives follow in hot pursuit — doesn’t sound like an obvious hit.

But it caught the eye of judges at the Leeds Young People’s Film Festival, securing university student Tom Marshall the national young film-maker’s award 2009.

And for Tom (19), who hails from Moorside and attended Counthill School and Blue Coat Sixth Form as well as Oldham Music Centre, it might just be his first tentative step on the road to future stardom, with plans to make it as a famous director.

He said: “There were 13 entries, including ours, and there were some really fantastic pieces, so we would have been over the moon with a runners-up place.

“When they announced us as the winners, our jaws were practically on the floor we were so surprised.

“Members of BAFTA were on the judging panel, as well as Frank Cottrell Boyce, who wrote the script for Danny’s Boyle’s ‘Millions’ and has worked on films including ‘24-Hour Party People’, so to get their seal of approval is hugely flattering.”

Tom’s winning film “Sky Hook” is the first major venture for his production company, Teapot Productions, which he set up with fellow York St John University student Anna Bennett Squire, who is also studying for a BA in film and television production.

Tom and Anna were delighted to receive a certificate and £250, after the pair battled to get “Sky Hook” together on a shoestring budget, persuading actors to work for free and borrowing vital equipment.

They filmed scenes on the streets of York and edited them down beforesubmitting the finished product to judges last December.

Tom said: “The film is in black and white apart from these red balloons, which get popped by this Sky Hook, which keeps disappearing.

“Two detectives are hunting down the Sky Hook. It’s quite contemporary, in terms of the use of technology by the characters, but really it’s intended as a timeless piece.”

And Tom’s ultimate big screen inspiration? “Lord of the Rings” director, Peter Jackson.

He said: “I first got interested in film when I watched a documentary about how the ‘Lord of the Rings’ film was made when I was 11 and I was transfixed. I really wanted to be at the heart of that fascinating process.”

Tom’s award-winning film ‘Sky Hook’ can be viewed on the Internet at www.youtube.com