We’re always excited for a new Stephen Graham movie, and when you combine that with his Adolescence co-star Ashley Walters, then you know you need to clear your schedule to watch it straightaway.
Walters has made his directorial debut with Animol which landed rave reviews from its world premiere earlier this year at Berlin Film Festival. We called it a “must-see British drama” and now Digital Spy can exclusively reveal that Animol is being released in UK cinemas on 30 October.
Not only that, but we can share the brand-new UK poster and three new stills from the excellent movie, including the first look at Graham in Animol.
Sky
Sky
Related: Ashley Walters reunites with Stephen Graham in must-see British drama Animol
Animol is set behind the walls of a juvenile detention centre as Troy (Tut Nyuot) is thrown into a brutal world of gangs, loyalty and violence where he’s tested from the moment he arrives.
Paired with a volatile cellmate, Troy is forced to deal with daily threats and power struggles. However, an unspoken bond with fellow inmate Krystian (Vladyslav Baliuk) offers solace, before their growing connection becomes a dangerous vulnerability.
Graham plays a Welfare Officer tasked with supporting the young offenders, while Sharon Duncan-Brewster stars as Troy’s mother. Animol was written by Nick Love and produced by Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor and Tom Hawkins.
It was developed by Film4 in collaboration with Sky and the BFI. Ahead of its UK cinema release, Animol will receive its UK premiere at this year’s BFI London Film Festival on 11 October where it will compete in the First Feature Competition.
Sky
Sky
Related: “Brilliant” new British drama with Stephen Graham hailed as a “must-see”
“Just when you think you’ve seen everything that prison-set stories have to offer, something like Animol comes along, drawing new inspiration to push back against the systemic horrors of incarceration,” we wrote in our review.
Animol was hailed as “brilliant” by Time Out and “an impressive, confident debut from Walters” by Radio Times, while Screen International said that it “burns with raw, claustrophobic intensity”.
Animol is released in UK cinemas on 30 October. It receives its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on 11 October.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.