With a focus on bullying in sport, the film takes its name from Aguska Mnich, a five-time world freestyle football champion. As well as playing a pivotal role in the film, the Polish freestyler and Guinness World Record holder attended the premiere, arriving in style in a stretched Limousine with director Tristan Loraine (pictured, right), executive producer Herb Jackson Jr and other members of the cast and crew.
Speaking to AAH at Everyman, Aguska said it was a pleasant surprise to hear that the film would be named after her. ‘Tristan called me and asked if I could help with a scene in the film, involving a team of young female footballers. It was good fun, as I could show off my ball juggling skills and teach them a trick or two. Doing the skills was the easy part though – the hard part was learning lines! I always try to pass on my passion and experience to young people and it’s good to see more girls playing football now. Some are even practising freestyle as well!’
Also starring in Aguska was Chelsea FC and Canadian international Ashley Lawrence, who gave up her time to play the role of a football coach, while legendary actor Simon Callow injected theatrical flair to scenes depicting the young lead character’s home life, several of which were filmed at Sedgwick House on the outskirts of Horsham. However, most of the young cast were recruited locally, giving talented young actors the chance to work with an award-winning production company.
Local football clubs and organisations supported the film too, most notably Horsham Sparrows FC, with chairman Simon King and several players from Sparrows’ girls’ squads attending the premiere. Broadbridge Heath FC and Horsham FC were involved in the project too, with on-pitch action and changing room scenes shot at the two local stadiums.
One young actor to shine was rising star Tegan Muggeridge from Crawley, in the lead role of teenager Melissa, who is bullied both for her wealthy background and lack of talent on the football field. Tegan’s first experience of the big screen came in 2022 in the Warner Brothers’ film, A Christmas Story Christmas. When she heard about auditions for Fact Not Fiction Films’ latest project, she jumped at the chance to be involved.’
She told AAH: ‘I originally went for the role of Lizzie the bully, as I knew it would be a challenging part, but ended up cast as Melissa. The character resonated with me as I too experienced bullying during sports at school. I had to brush up my on my football skills for the role, although my character isn’t supposed to be a good player, so it didn’t matter that I’m not very skilful! I did 13 keepy-ups in training, but the cameras were shooting at the other end of the pitch at the time!’
‘It has been great to be involved in Aguska and I’m also proud to have been a part of the project, as it raises awareness of lobular breast cancer, which (Tristan’s wife) Dr Susan Michaelas has, as well as issues surrounding bullying. I could relate to the character, having experienced bullying myself. I’ve been knocked down and got back up again!’
BEST OF CHUMS
If Tegan’s words have triggered an ear worm of Tubthumper, a hit song by anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba in 1997, then that’s no coincidence. A strange yet enjoyable quirk of Aguska is the appearance of the band’s lead singer, Dunstan Bruce. Dunstan makes several cameo appearances and when the film ended to the tune of his most enduring anthem, it sparked an impromptu singalong at Everyman. Tristan Loraine revealed that the singer’s role was actually expanded at the behest of executive producer Herb Jackson Jr.
Dunstan attended the premiere and told the audience that he was proud to have supported a film with a strong anti-bullying message and helped raise awareness of charity partner, Kidscape. He said: ‘Tubthumper was a hit over 25 years ago and since then has taken on a life of its own. I’ve been fortunate to have been part of its success. There are occasions when, as a band, we’ve allowed companies to use the song, as we’re being well paid. Other times, there’s an opportunity for the song to be used for a worthwhile cause. When Tristan told me about the project, the money was not important, as they wanted to use the song in a positive way. There should be more people like him, as the way he has brought people together is incredible.’
Tristan was keen to deflect any praise on to his young cast, who were enjoying their moment in the spotlight. Tristan said: ‘While we were filming, Georgiana Spencer was wondering around making her own videos for TikTok, and she had such enthusiasm that we thought it would be a good idea to include her in the film, and she was fantastic! We needed somebody with good football skills to play the role of Lizzie, our bully, and we received hundreds of audition tapes. When we saw Skye Kilgallon’s submission, we knew she was perfect as she could not only act, but do stepovers! Her family travelled from Glasgow to be involved in the project.’
‘As for Tegan, she had already demonstrated her talent in a Hollywood film, so we contacted her about the role and she was delighted to be involved. Since then, she has taken on an active role at FNFF, co-ordinating conferences for our next project, This is Your Captain Speaking, focusing on the air quality on airplanes, an issue close to my heart.’
In addition to Aguska, the audience also enjoyed a screening of Fact Not Fiction Films’ latest aviation drama, Angel Fleet. Filmed around West Sussex, including South Lodge Hotel, Farlington School and Coolham Advanced Landing Ground, Angel Fleet tells the story of a lost aviator and the grief felt by his family.
It features scenes of Europe’s last airworthy ‘Flying Fortress’ B-17 bomber and recently scooped an award for Best Score in a Short Film at LA’s Golden State Film Festival. The theme was composed by Moritz Schmittat and performed by Budapest Scoring Orchestra, with support from Big Notes Choir in Horsham.
The short film saw Tristan again teaming up with American actor/producer Herb Jackson Jr, while the cast includes Darcey Jacobs, Millie Lewis, Jessica Hilliard and Shaun Morton, further demonstrating the film company’s support for rising talent.
Fact Not Fiction Films now hopes to showcase the short film at leading festivals. Herb Jackson Jr said: ‘It was incredible to receive the news that Angel Fleet had been accepted at the New Media Film Festival and won awards at the Independent Film Festivals. It’s always nice to receive awards, but in future we hope to submit films to some of the leading festivals, such as Tribeca, South by Southwest and Sundance, to showcase them to Hollywood audiences.’
Further information:
To find out more about Aguska, Angel Fleet and other projects visit www.factnotfictionfilms.com
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