Brunel University's Director of Creative Writing, Matt Thorne, has been given the green light for his film Eight Minutes Idle.
The feature-length film will be an adaptation of Matt's award-winning novel of the same name. A dark and surreal romantic comedy, its plot centres around twentysomething Dan, whose problematic home life forces him to move into the call centre where he works. The story itself is semi-autobiographical, arising from Matt's own experiences of working in a call centre in his hometown, Bristol.
Speaking about the impending film project, Matt said "I've been working on the script for the last year and am really looking forward to seeing how it turns out. I'm working with a great team who have a sharp, funny and very visual sensibility that's perfect for the project."
Matt has taught creative writing at Brunel since 2007 and is the author of six novels, including Cherry, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also published an anthology, All Hail the New Puritans, in collaboration with fellow novelist Nicholas Blincoe and is a regular book reviewer for national papers, including the Independent on Sunday.
Eight Minutes Idle will be made under South West Screen's IFeatures digital filmmakking scheme and funded by BBC Films, UK Film Council and Matador Pictures. The film begins shooting in Bristol next spring for an autumn 2011 release.