Trailblazing UK Film Studio, Skint Film Company, to Premiere New Feature Film “Lottery” This Month
London UK, November 11th 2022: Independent film studio Skint Film Company was established from scratch by award-winning young Lancashire filmmaker Ryan J. Smith. Regarded as a trailblazing studio for the streaming age, “Lottery” marks the first of several film and documentary releases scheduled for 2022 and 2023.
“Lottery” is the first feature film by 24-year-old filmmaker Ryan J. Smith, a graduate of the MetFilm School in London. Shot entirely in Smith’s native Lancashire, the film follows the story of a young tearaway who wins the lottery but risks losing it all as he navigates life and relationships in the aftermath of fortune.
The film will premiere at the Regent Cinema in Blackpool on 18 Nov. 2022 and will be available on Amazon Prime and other streaming services this winter.
“After two years trying the traditional filmmaking route and pitching the idea for Lottery out to film production companies country-wide, I decided I needed to take matters into my own hands. The Skint Film Company was born,” said filmmaker Ryan J. Smith, commenting on the release.
“I want to inspire young filmmakers in the UK to believe in their dreams. There is another way to make films and create a stir in the streaming scene — and it is through rolling up your sleeves and just getting the job done. You can have the freedom to create the films you want and you can create exceptional films on a shoestring.
“People are often surprised that I continue to put my money where my mouth is, but there are no brakes on this train for me — it’s all or nothing. I’m here to make movies, not meetings. Blood, sweat, and tears, always.”
A Film Studio Challenging the Status Quo
Launching the Skint Film Company has been Smith’s way to engineer his own big break into feature films for online streaming and the film studio is now recognised as one that is shaking up the streaming scene.
Smith funded the production and filming of “Lottery” single-handedly by working as a photographer in a Botox clinic. With just £7,000 to turn his idea into a high-quality feature, he turned the prevailing industry view that big money is needed for filmmaking squarely on its head.
“It’s great working with Ryan, he works hard and he put everything together himself, which was bloody amazing,” said “Lottery” actor Mitchell Fisher.
The film studio is currently gearing up to shoot its second feature film “Talking to Ghosts” for a summer 2023 release, and will be releasing a catalogue of documentaries, shorts, and animated movies in the coming years.
About the Skint Film Company
Photograph by Olga Stefanska