When a tormented naval officer returns home to Liverpool, the city’s streets become a landscape for redemption and atonement as he is forced to confront his past.
Growing up in Liverpool Football Club’s 1970’s heyday, 10-year-old Jay and his best friend Sean spend their days playing football in the backstreets of marginalized Liverpool, gripped by the rise of celebrity footballer Kevin Keegan who becomes their hero. When tragedy strikes, it changes their lives forever. We follow Jay’s journey as he returns home after 25 years and explore the ramifications of childhood trauma into adulthood.
BEING KEEGAN is a psychological, coming of age short film spanning three decades in Liverpool. Starring BAFTA nominated Stephen Graham (THE IRISHMAN, THE VIRTUES, BOARDWALK EMPIRE, THIS IS ENGLAND) and a host of emerging Liverpool, UK talent. The film is Directed and Produced by award winning and BAFTA shortlisted filmmaker Stephanie Zari, written by award winning playwright Jilly Gardiner and produced by Creative England/BFI supported Producer Jennifer Monks.
Directors Vision
As kids, we all dreamed of being the latest pop star or sports hero. No matter the era, rich or poor, a child’s magical ability to hope is universal. What happens when those dreams turn to nightmares and hope turns to despair? “Being Keegan” uses the rise of the celebrity footballer as a vehicle to depict the magic and optimism of childhood and how those dreams can be shattered through traumatic events. I connected immediately with Jilly Gardiner’s screenplay and saw the opportunity to produce a story addressing a generation of children, now adults, affected by juvenile pain beyond their control.
