20 May Inside The 11th annual Southend-on-Sea Film Festival
The 11th annual Southend-on-Sea Film Festival will open with the world premiere Simon Frith’s Under the Radar: The Mike Edmonds Story.
The film looks back on Essex-born actor Mike Edmonds’ incredible life and career. After appearing in his first movie role in Ken Loach’s Black Jack (1979), Mike went on to feature in a series of box office smashes; including Time Bandits, Star Wars, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? And Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Born with achondroplasia (dwarfism), Edmonds only discovered acting in his thirties but such was his talent that he toured with the Royal Shakespeare Company – not only that, he was both Jabba the Hutt’s expressive tail in Return of the Jedi.
Under the Radar is a frank, funny and affecting documentary, charting Mike’s childhood in Essex, his early breaks in film and his own perspective on the craft of acting. The film has contributions from fellow stars, including Colin Firth, Sir Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam.
