Carl Roberts 
Doug Rao’s feature-length debut, Dirty Boy, received four nominations and will premiere at the 33rd Raindance Film Festival. The trailer is here.
Mystic Dream Story Studio and Stone Hill. In association with Saint Halo Productions, are delighted to announce that their psychological cult thriller, DIRTY BOY, will celebrate its UK Premiere at the 33rd Raindance Film Festival on 22nd June. The film has been nominated for four awards at the festival. The Best Performance in a UK Feature (Graham McTavish). Best UK Feature. Best Director of a UK Feature (Doug Rao) and Best UK Cinematography.
FEATURE LENGTH DIRECTORIAL DEBUT
DIRTY BOY marks Doug Rao’s feature-length directorial debut, which he also wrote and co-produced. The film stars Stan Steinbichler (Zero Chill, Vienna Blood, Eismayer). Susie Porter (Gold, Wentworth Prison, Cargo). Honor Gillies (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) and Graham McTavish (The Witcher, Outlander, The Hobbit). The film was produced by Giles Alderson (The Stranger in Our Bed, Wolves of War, The Dare). Sarah Ann Grill (Slammer, Solitary) and Marek Lichtenberg (The Final 45), who also stars in the film.
PREMISE
Raised in an oppressive cult, a reclusive schizophrenic discovers that the cult leaders are framing him for a series of ritualistic murders. He must prove his innocence by saving their next victim and destroying the evil sect from within.
Commenting on the film’s upcoming UK Premiere at Raindance, writer and director Doug Rao said;
“I’m thrilled that Dirty Boy is having its UK premiere at Raindance; it’s the perfect home for a film this strange, subversive, and emotionally unhinged. Raindance has always championed wild, independent voices, and Dirty Boy is certainly that. As star Graham McTavish dubs it, it’s: ‘The bastard offfspring of The Sound of Music’. To be screening in the heart of the West End, a million miles from the isolated world of the movie, feels strangely right. I can’t wait for the UK to finally meet our twisted little bastard offspring of a film.”
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
“Dirty Boy was written from a place of intense darkness – and I wanted to find the light and the humour within it. I want to explore the sense that complex understandings are often borne out of suffering. I wanted to experiment with identity as a fluctuating concept – can anyone really define themselves as one persona when there are so many versions of ‘the self’?
Isaac in Dirty Boy has created an ‘alter’ that his subconscious has formed to process forgotten traumas – but which one is really him? As someone says of Isaac’s tendency to blame his alter for his bad behaviour: ‘He’s you, you asshole, he’s you!’ In Dirty Boy, we also explore both the beauty and the villainy that religious doctrine can inspire.
I am delighted with the level of cast I have for my debut feature and getting to work in such a stunning place as the ‘Ausseerland/Saltzkammergut’ in Austria, famously used as a backdrop for The Sound of Music and Spectre adds unbelievable value to the look of the film – a paradisiacal backdrop to a dark fable.”
CREDITS
Distributed By: Raven Banner & Firebook Entertainment
Produced By: Mystic Dream Story Studio, Stone Hill & Saint Halo Productions
UK Premiere: 22nd June
Directed By: Doug Rao
Producers: Giles Alderson, Sarah Ann Grill & Marek Lichtenberg
Cast: Graham McTavish, Susie Porter, Stan Steinbichler, Honor Gillies, Alice Lucy, Ruaridh Aldington & Olivia Chenery
Running Time: 96 Minutes
Cert: TBC
Dirty Boy will premiere at the 33rd Raindance Film Festival on June 22nd.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
