Cert TBA
80 mins
BBFC advice: TBA
I vow that in my retirement (at least nine years away) I will get to more film festivals.
Time constraints mean that I have attended too few but when I do, I absolutely love them.
Such was the case on Tuesday when I visited the Derby Film Festival at Derby Quad.
Ok, I admit I am biased towards Quad because I know the staff and am really keen for their festival to be a success.
But the truth is that their selection of Rob Brown's Sixteen was a masterstroke. It was such a pity that so few people turned out to watch it along with a question and answer session with the director.
Brown revealed that his movie, which is part crowdfunded, cost only £57,000 to make.
I have seen literally hundreds of films which cost a heck of a lot more and were not nearly as good as this.
Sixteen has a wonderful spark - not only in its original storyline but in a vibrant cast.
Roger Jean Nsengiyumva plays Jumah, a former Congolese boy soldier, who lives on a London council estate with his adoptive mother (Rachael Stirling).
Jumah has difficulty expressing himself because of what appears to be post-traumatic stress disorder related to the conflict in his homeland.
Most of the time he appears quiet and unsure but occasionally a very violent temper erupts.
And then he and a friend witness an incident of savagery which transports him back to his childhood.
Sixteen is an example of top-quality story telling from a director whose career will surely blossom.
Nsengiyumva is excellent in the lead role and is given splendid support by Stirling, Rosie Day and Fady Elsayed.
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 8/10