City Rats probe London at East End Film Fest

Shot amidst the famous sights of East London, director Steven M Kelly's film features characters such as Jim, who lays the groundwork for a possible suicide by dropping melons from his office roof.

New Cross-born Tamer Hassan, who plays Jim, admitted he adopted a new persona to the characters he'd played in films such as The Business, Layer Cake and The Football Factory.

He said: "Jim is an ex-boxer who struck his wife in a mad rage three years ago. She left him and he couldn't deal with it so he's been on a downward spiral ever since.

"I went method on this one. Everyone's used to seeing Tamer in good suits, looking a bit GQ, but I put on a little weight, grew a bit of a beard and wore bad suits.

"I'd get drunk the night before shooting and turn up with a hangover and depressed. It was a tough one.

"For me, it was a career move. I get sent a lot of scripts where I'm asked to be the villain or a bit of a brute, but I always wanted to have a go at being something else."

The film appeared as part of the eighth East End Film Festival, which showcases work from local filmmakers until tomorrow (April 30).

While Tamer has appeared in Hollywood movies such as Batman Begins, he is still keen to keep producing films in his home city.

He said: "I love London. If I could spend my whole career shooting in London, I'd be a lucky man.

"We all aspire to go out to Hollywood. It's like a footballer going to Wembley. I've worked with Morgan Freeman, Jet Li and Bob Hoskins. It's a bit of a fairytale.

"Acting is a dream job. You get to dress up and be people and make money out of it.
"We all want to go out there and win awards, but I'll always come back here."

Co-star Ray Panthaki sported a distinctive blond Mohawk for his role as frustrated artist Dean, who becomes obsessed with a prostitute living next door.

Ray, who played Ronny Ferreira in EastEnders and appeared in films such as 28 Days Later, claims viewers will notice a distinctive East End flavour in the film.

He said: "It's very gritty and has a mish mash of those wonderful characters that you find in East London.

"It's set over 24 hours over the Summer Solstice, which I learned is the time of year that the most crimes and suicides take place."

Ray is also one of the figures behind the film's co-producers Urban Way Productions, an issue-based company which has released films such as Kidulthood.

He is currently working with the BBC on a project called Who Cares?, which explores the plight of children looking after their terminally-ill parents, and is planning a film on the Asian community in East London.

He said: "I've been a Londoner all my life. I'm very passionate about projects in London.

"Films can educate people, and that's the foremost thing. We've also discovered some great writers who have gone on to do some amazing things."

City Rats premiered on Friday as part of the East End Film Festival. Go to eastendfilmfestival.com. It is available to buy on DVD now.