Today Mecca Film Developments Ltd. & Munro Films are thrilled to announce the hilarious and contemporary comedy EATEN BY LIONS will be released in UK Cinemas on 29th March.
The film stars some of Britain’s best-loved comedians alongside bright new British acting talent including Screen International’s 2018 ‘Star of Tomorrow’ Antonio Aakeel (City of Tiny Lights, Tomb Raider, The Hungry, Skins), BAFTA & Emmy award-winning Asim Chaudhry (Black Mirror, People Just Do Nothing,) Britain’s Got Talent’s Jack Carroll, actor and producer Johnny Vegas (Still Open All Hours, Benidorm), Kevin Eldon (Game of Thrones, Hot Fuzz) and Vicki Pepperdine (Getting On, Camping).
Following its successful World Premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2018, the film also showcased at the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival, where it won the Lebara Play Audience Choice Award for Best Film. Written by David Isaac (Coronation Street, Not Going Out, Life of Riley) and Produced by the Award-winning Hannah Stevenson (In Another Life), Flickering Myth called director Jason Wingard’s second feature film “sweetly funny” with a “fast pace, likable characters and laugh per minute ratio…it scores highly in the entertainment stakes”. Wingard’s first feature In Another Life, where he first teamed up with Producer Hannah Stevenson, won Best UK Feature at Raindance Film Festival 2017 and went on to win the BIFA Discovery award.
EATEN BY LIONS tells the heart-warming story of half-brothers Omar (Antonio Aakeel) and Pete (Jack Carroll), who were raised by their Grandma after their parents were tragically killed by lions in a bizarre accident. When their beloved Gran passes away, they embark on a life-changing journey to find Omar’s birth father. What follows is a funny and touching journey of self-discovery for both boys…in Blackpool. The Choudray family represent a truly contemporary example of modern multicultural Britain, but what will the brothers make of their eccentric newfound family?
EATEN BY LIONS will also be released On Demand & DVD by Lightbulb Film Distribution later this year.
Director Jason Wingard said: “The story is essentially about the importance of family. I wanted the viewer to forget about incidentals such as race or disability and focus on the characters. It’s an attitude we applied to everyone in the film really. The story deals with big contemporary issues (class, diversity, disability, inter-racial relations, foster and adoption, sexuality, love, life and death) in a sharp and often irreverent way. A comedy with heart without skimping on laughs.”
Johnny Vegas said: “It’s a very relatable story about searching for something…like we all do, and the realisation that what you think you’re looking is often right in front of you.”
Jack Carroll said: “I loved the warm, yet still cutting-edge nature of the comedy, the expertly drawn characters and the positive message at the heart of the story. I’m playing a sarcastic, semi-annoying disabled teenager. This role was a huge stretch for me.“
