Andrew acted as Producer and Script Editor on this project and the first review comes in from Movie Muser:
Take a glimpse at the new Brit short championing over-50s in film
It’s always good to see people trying to challenge the status quo in films, and one of the biggest problems in the industry is ageism. A couple of months ago we wrote about how rare it is for mainstream films to concentrate on older characters, and it’s just as bad behind-the-scenes, where if you haven’t made your name by the age of 40, the battle becomes much, much harder. However it seems strange that with an aging population, film isn’t trying to address what is becoming an ever bigger and more cash-rich block of people.
It seems a 47-year-old screenwriter and producer from Manchester called Janet Harrison feels the same way. So rather than just accepting things as they are and that the only thing anyone is interested in is young people, she set out to make a short film, largely using people over 50 both in front of and behind the camera, with the result being Master Motivator.
The likes of John Henshaw (59), Mr Motivator (58), and Phoenix Nights actress Enid Dunn (65), along with director Noreen Kershaw (59), all gave up their time for free to make the six-minute short a reality. The tongue in cheek message of the film is that anyone can achieve great things at any time of life and this is mirrored by two of its stars, John Henshaw, previously a bin-man who only started acting at 40 and Enid Dunn, who entered the profession at the tender age of 54. The film tells the story of a care home assistant, who has a secret ambition to become a motivational speaker.
Master Motivator will premiere at the Manchester Comedy Store on July 14th before heading off on the festival circuit. While even the makers admit the low budget film is a little rough around the edges, all credit has to go to them for challenging the ageist stereotypes.
Andrew Oldham's Boneyard 