Act of Grace

Dating back as far as at least the 1920’s there have been numerous films associated with or having a connection with Liverpool. Ferry Across the Mersey (1965) to Shirley Valentine (1989), Dancin’ Thro The Dark (1989) to Alfie (2004).
Films have ranged from low budget productions to significant undertakings and box office hits including major Hollywood players.

Act of Grace is sure to become one of Liverpool’s blockbusters and stars a number of home grown actors.
Written by Alan Field and Marc Pye, Act of Grace tells the story of how a family’s code of honour is under threat, and an ancient way of life is knocked off its axis by one small boy…..

Dezzie needs respect more than he needs his father’s love and a reprieve from the beatings dished out to him on a daily basis. But Dezzie is a skinny snot-nosed kid from the back streets of Salford and like hundreds of others before him his life is already mapped out….and it’s not looking good.

Yasin needs an identity. Unexpectedly orphaned and plucked from the stability of life in Hong Kong he now finds himself in an alien environment, a world full of hostile strangers, where the only links to his culture lie hidden amongst the hundreds of fourth generation faces in Manchester’s Chinatown.

Ringo Tsang wants it all. As lieutenant of the new wave of hard-edged Hong Kong immigrants he believes the Chang family have gone soft, lost their edge, lost their identity…lost their respect. The time is right for a takeover and he’s set his sights on becoming Grand Dragon. No one, but no one is going to stand in his way.

Kai Chang wants to protect his Godson; the only remaining boy in the Chang dynasty. Ensuri ng the child’s protection above all else is paramount. Will Manchester provide him with the shelter he needs or will the tentacles of the rising Lau family squeeze the life not only from the boy, but also from a code of honour that goes back for centuries?

The Story
When Dezzie befriends new boy Yasin at his school, little does he know his life will take an unexpected turn that will ultimately shape his future. Having witnessed the perpetual racist taunts and bullying to the quiet Chinese newcomer, Dezzie, no stranger to beatings himself, stands up to Yasin’s persecutors and wins the respect, not only of his tormentors, but more importantly of Yasin. Dezzie takes Yasin under his protective wing and they become firm and loyal friends until Yasin’s Godfather Kai Ching arrives to take the teenage Yasin back to Hong Kong. Ten years pass without a word until Yasin, aged twenty five, comes back to Manchester to find his friend Dezzie and offer him a lucrative position at his side within the family firm. But this is a firm with a difference: Dezzie, the only white man to do so this side of the Atlantic, is to be a Triad member and run the family business in Manchester, Liverpool and the rest of the UK.

And here the story begins, just as Yasin was once thrust into the weird and wonderful culture of Manchester, Dezzie quickly rises through the ranks to become a linchpin in the world of the Chinese Triads, a world of family values and feuds, legal and illegal activities of the underworld, but also a world of beauty, love and above all…respect. But as the friend’s journey progresses side by side a firm wedge of hate and betrayal is soon to drive them apart…and against each other.

Act Of Grace stars:
Leo Gregory (Octane 2003, Green Street 2005, Stoned 2005, Reverb 2007, Class 2007 pre-production, Daylight Robbery post-production)

Jodie Latham (Ruby Blue 2007, Shameless, The Street, Holby City)

Jennifer Lim (Hostel 2006, Rogue Trader 1999, Dirty Sexy Money 2007, Code 46 2003, Pizza Girl 2005) and

David Yip (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1984, View to a Kill 1985, Hamlet 1996, Entrapment 1999, Doctor Who, The Chinese Detective, Brookside, Arabian Nights, The Bill, Casualty)

Writer-Producer Alan Field
Directed by Noreen Kershaw
Producer Bob Cullen
Writer Marc Pye

Supporting Actors Chrissy Rock, David Schofield, Ciaron Griffiths, Christine Tremarco

We met Alan Fielding, Writer/Producer, during filming at Liverpool’s Chinatown. Sitting with Alan and Bob Cullen (Producer) the atmosphere is so laid back. I got the impression Alan, Bob and Noreen Kershaw (Director) are friend’s first, colleagues second.

Bob has previous experience writing for The Everyman, turned restaurateur he met Alan in his restaurant and coincidentally are both from Cantrel Farm (Stockbridge Village for the younger generation). ‘A lot of investment has come from friends and family, contacts and friends of friends’ says Bob. The whole project will complete for less than £200k. A real achievement as the final production will be taken to Cannes!

Alan is a modest individual. His passion for writing is simply about creating a story, and seeing it acted out on screen. His inspiration for this project came from reading a fictional novel that transpired to be true.
Accolades from The BAFTA’s and an Emmy to boot from his award winning The Street (2007) which Alan co-wrote with Jimmy McGovern ‘It’s not about the awards, though they recognize what we achieved, a local backstreet award means just as much’ and he really means it. Talking about script writing ‘I think more discipline would be required for writing a book’ says Alan ‘with my work I have the benefit of seeing it acted on the screen. The visual aspect is the final product’.

‘When I’m writing I have an idea about the characters. But they develop constantly as the story develops. I don’t have a full insight into the character at the start. Even the actors I choose or hope to play the characters, doesn’t happen until the script is finished’.
He goes on to explain how Leo Gregory thought the part was his when first hearing about the film, before it was even offered.

Alan is a true Liverpudlian, with real values. Act of Grace is not a stereotypical ‘Triad Gangster’ movie. ‘The trailer helped develop the characters and we were careful not to turn it into a gangster movie. We wanted to stay true to Chinese culture, no guns, but knifes for the violent scenes. Even then we concentrate on faces and expressions, not a violent act itself, not all blood. In essence it’s a love story. Not just in a conventional sense but also about a close friendship of two boys, and how they look out for each other’

‘All the trades have brought so much to this film. It’s not unusual for certain trades on film sets to down tools specifically at contracted times, no matter what’s going on. It hasn’t happened on Act of Grace. Even the ‘sparks’ stayed late if we ran over time!’

‘I already have my next project in mind, but prefer to see a current script through to the end before starting work on the next one. Some writers will work on 2 or 3 projects together in case one falls through, but I’d rather one not to affect the other. My personal vision of how a scene should look is important and sometimes a Director’s eye can take over. Working closely with Noreen has been brilliant. If we imagine a scene differently I have to accept Director’s may see it different but it always works well in the end’.

Act of Grace is being taken to Cannes Film Festival in May this year and should prove to be a blockbuster. Keep a look out for it this spring.

We would like to thank Alan and Bob for their time and wish them success with Act of Grace.

First published in magazine issue - February 08