Ismail Ismail and Jake Jacovides, both lifelong ‘Towners’ football fans from Enfield, have already had their production of The Spin premiered at the Belfast Film Festival.
Their movie also won ‘Best Irish Feature Film’ award at the Dublin International Comedy festival.
Now it’s due to be screened in 2025 at four more international film festivals in Toronto, Chicago, Rome and Bremen.
Isi and Jake have been friends since they met in Winchmore School’s sixth form back in 1980.
“The film is about friendship,” Isi explained. “So we can relate to the characters’ experiences.
“Now it is receiving such acclaim, like a wild dream compared to when we were just fooling around in Mr Brown’s maths class at Winchmore School!”
The pair, now in their 50s, went on to set up Foxsake Films production company with financial backers who are also Enfield Town supporters.
They started the company in 2023 as a group of entrepreneurs from business and the film and music creative industries brought together by longstanding friendship and a passion for movies. The team of professionals is already attracting award nominations.
The Spin is about two owners of a small record shop threatened with eviction by their scheming landlord. They head out on a last-resort road trip adventure to retrieve a priceless record that could answer their prayers and save the shop — if only it would go to plan.
The music-themed road trip has already gained some recognition, winning ‘Best Irish Feature Film’ at the 2024 Dublin International Comedy film festival. It is also being screened in the New Year at the Chicago Irish film festival, Toronto Irish film festival, Irish Film Festa Rome and the International Filmfest in Bremen.
The cast includes Brenock O’Connor from Game of Thrones, Tara O’Neill and Leah O’Rourke from Derry Girls and Owen Colgan from Hardy Bucks, alongside Kimberly Wyatt from the Grammy-nominated Pussycat Dolls girl group and TV presenter Maura Higgins.
