A new uplifting feature film, made in Northern Ireland, takes a look at a local south Belfast group called The Skyway Club, who work with adults with learning difficulties.
Featuring members of the club playing fictionalised versions of themselves, the film - called Spin Off - tells the story of how they become table tennis masters and made it to the Special Olympics.
Packed with real heart and soul (just take a look at the trailer above!), the film was directed by Belfast-born director Michael McNulty.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Michael said: "I've been working with the Skyway Club for about 10 years now. They're a group who are based in Ballynafeigh Community Centre on Ormeau Road.
"They originally got in contact with me about making a series of short films. The idea was to remake classic movies in the club, as well as try to incorporate people in the local Ballynafeigh community. We made a few short films and they won a lot of awards for that 10 years ago.
"Then, to celebrate their tenth anniversary, the club made ten more short films, which were shown at an event in February 2019.
"They've been making films every so often and everyone in the club really enjoys it. We've basically been shooting these films in one room, with a green screen, sometimes over the course of a day."
While the short films were great, Spin Off is a full feature film. It follows the club as the battle adversity, prejudice and tough challenges to become table tennis masters who can compete in the Special Olympics.
"Linda Lavery, who runs the club, said to me that we had a budget after having done the 10 films last year. So I thought, maybe we should make a feature film.
"We were playing around with the table tennis tables, then we were also doing some research and saw that the Special Olympics were coming to Berlin in 2023, so I thought of this mockumentary idea for a film. The way it evolved, we set the film in 2023, just ahead of the Special Olympics."
Members of Skyway Club are mostly older and have a range of different needs, but it's clear to see from the trailer that the entire cast shines on screen thanks to brilliant acting, a sharp script, and Michael's excellent directing.
Now, the film is set to premiere at the Belfast Film Festival.
"We're all over the moon about it being brought to the big screen," says Michael. "Stephen Hackett, of the Film Festival, was involved with some of the shorter festivals, so he was very responsive to what we were doing. It's been great for the whole group."
Spin Off will premiere at Movie House - City Side, on November 19. There will also be an online event, which you can find out more about here.
You can find full details on the Belfast Film Festival here.
