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THE CITY
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BRISTOL Meet Bristol actor Stewart Wright
Taking Bristol global A locally made film has been selected to play at Toronto’s Caribbean Tales International Film Festival, which is going digital for 2020. Carnival, directed and produced by the award-winning Stuart Napier, tells the tale of an absent mother, Rochelle, returning to visit her young daughter, and with a cast of a thousand extras the story unfolds in the vibrant, colourful world of the St Pauls Caribbean Carnival. It’s a testing time for Rochelle, who must prove she has moved on from her shady past in order to keep her ties to her daughter and build a future for both of them. While at the carnival she meets a man from this past chapter and must decide whether she wants to be a different, responsible mother or go back to her old life. Caribbean Tales, founded by award-winning filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, aims to enrich and promote culturally diverse film and television content for audiences around the world. "Filmed during St Pauls Carnival’s 50th year anniversary, we are very proud to have premiered a UK film screening during our first digital carnival – Spirit Up! United at Home,” says St Pauls Carnival’s executive director LaToyah McAllister-Jones. “The film captures the rich heritage of African Caribbean people and the complexity of our stories, with the iconic Carnival as the backdrop! Taking Bristol global; what's not to like?” “I’m delighted Carnival has been included,” said actor Nadia Williams (Broadchurch, Extras), who plays Rochelle. “It was a privilege to have filmed in the heart of St Pauls Carnival, and it’s thrilling to know that Toronto will get a taste of Bristol's rich Caribbean culture.” Ed Browning (Poldark), who plays Darren, added. “The film is an excellent showcase for Bristol’s pride in its Caribbean community and how it enriches the culture of the city as a whole. Bringing that to an international audience is such a great achievement. “It’s a beautifully honest story too, and that’s very important.”
10 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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SEPTEMBER 2020
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No 192
Small Axe is a BBC costume drama set in late 1960s to mid-1980s London and it’s out later this autumn. It is a drama anthology comprising five original films by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen. Each tells a different story involving London’s West Indian community, whose lives have been shaped by their own force of will, despite rampant racism and discrimination. I play a teacher in the film titled Education. I enjoyed learning guitar for my role and absorbing myself in ’70s music. It was a thrill to work with Steve McQueen on his first project for TV and contribute to such a timely and powerful piece of work. If I’m at home the day starts early, usually with one of our boys jumping on my head. I’ll try and escape at least some of the mayhem by taking our dog for a walk around Victoria Park. By 9am I’m trying to piece my thoughts together over a coffee. I’m most productive in the mornings so this is when I’ll be learning lines, writing, sending emails, or reading scripts. I might fit in a trip to the gym or a yoga class before one of us picks up the boys at 3pm. Under normal circumstances, I could be in London for meetings a couple of times a week, or away working in theatre or on a TV or film set. Those days are quite different; I’ll wake up in a hotel, theatre digs or, where possible, my motor home. I had a nice role in Bollywood film Jungle Cry which premiered at Cannes in 2019 and is set for international release early next year. The film tells the real-life story of a group of Indian street kids who surprised the world in 2007 when they came to the UK and won the Junior Rugby World Cup. I play Paul Walsh, the coach who inspired the team to play.
Image: Ruth Crafer
Nadia Williams plays Rochelle
When I was around 30, I landed the role of PC Mark Mylow in Doc Martin, filmed in Cornwall. They provided cottages for the actors and I fancied a change, so I gave up my flat in London and lived down there for two years. I loved the space, tranquillity and nature but realised ultimately that I was a city person. I’d enjoyed working at the Bristol Old Vic before so headed up here to try it out as a place to live. I fell for the sense of community and creativity, and the city’s progressive outlook. I’ve lived in South Bristol now for 15 years. My wife Celia and I are raising our family here and we feel very much at home.
Creatives I admire include Esther May Campbell as a filmmaker, Craig Edwards for his theatre directing and Extinction Rebellion for their creative approach to protest. During lockdown I was involved in a series of short comedy films called Housebound. The directors sent the scripts to the actors and we filmed ourselves at home before it was all edited together. There are 14 10minute episodes on YouTube. I’ve also been falling back on my previous youthwork and playworker experience in an attempt to engage our five-year-old and three-year-old boys, who’ve been with us at home. I set up an Instagram account sharing ideas around this: @playworkdad. I’m part of a curry club working its way around the city’s curry houses. Our next stop is Nutmeg in Clifton. I rarely travel far for a drink, so The Victoria Park pub gets most of my custom with its family-friendly atmosphere and great beer garden. n
Jungle Cry is set for release early next year
