\n Phil Gwilliam\u2019s screenplay has progressed to the later stages of the UK Film Festival\u2019s 10 Minute Screenplay Competition, with the festival describing its contests as a route to industry recognition and, in some cases, production opportunities.\n<\/p>\n
\n UKFF says 14 previous winning and finalist entries have gone on to be produced, optioned and screened at major film festivals, with some winning multiple awards.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Last Tackle is a deeply personal story inspired by Phil\u2019s late father and uncle, both former professional rugby league players. It is rooted firmly in the culture and spirit of St Helens.\n<\/p>\n
\n Set against the backdrop of rugby league, it tells the story of a son and his ageing father, once a player, now living with cognitive decline as they return to an empty pitch for one final game together.\n<\/p>\n
\n For Phil, from Blackbrook, the piece is as much about St Helens and the generation of men shaped by the sport as it is about family.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: \u201cRugby league runs through my family and through so many families round here. It\u2019s about pride, toughness, humour, love, and not always saying what you feel.\n<\/p>\n
\n “That\u2019s really what the script is about. It\u2019s a tribute to my dad, my uncle, their teammates and the world they all came from.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Although it is the first screenplay he has written, The Last Tackle has already made an impression by reaching the quarter-final stage of the competition.\n<\/p>\n
\n Phil is now hoping to take the project further and bring the film to the screen.\n<\/p>\n
\n He added: \u201cI wanted to write something honest about fathers, sons and rugby league, especially in a town like St Helens, where the game means so much to so many people.\n<\/p>\n
\n “To have it recognised in this way, especially as my first screenplay, means a great deal.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n With judging still ongoing, The Last Tackle remains in contention as the competition moves into its later stages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Phil Gwilliam\u2019s screenplay has progressed to the later stages of the UK Film Festival\u2019s 10 Minute Screenplay Competition,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538048,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-538047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}