In celebration of the launch of The Weekend Movie, the cast and crew are heading to a school near you. The Weekend Movie School Tour will be taking over the city on Tuesday 26 April, bringing the brand- new urban British comedy to the attention of Birmingham’s students.

The independent film stars a wealth of young and diverse talent, both on the screen and behind the scenes. Its leading trio – composed of Joivan Wade, Percelle Ascott and Dee Kaate – are well-known for their viral YouTube series, Mandem on the Wall, as well as featuring on E4’s drama-come-comedy, Youngers. The film is directed by renowned producer and director, Sheridan De Myers, who has worked on projects such as Thinking Out Loud (2015), Alchemy: The Gold Plate (2016) and upcoming Money and Grime (2016). The Weekend Movie, which has been touted as the ‘Inbetweeners’ meets ‘Friday’ and ‘House Party’, depicts a scenario in which three lifelong friends chance upon a huge sum of money one summer and decide to spend the weekend like never before; in a whirling blaze of flash cars, casinos, champagne and luxury. However, the money’s notorious owners soon catch up with them and demand the money back, resulting in a series of side-splitting plots as they work out how to make back the cash. During the school tour, the cast and crew will give students an exclusive sneak-peek of the trailer, before using the movie’s key themes as discussion points. These will provide pupils with an insight into the film and acting industry, as well as valuable knowledge about the attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe, and prepare for life and work in modern Britain. The programme will assist with developing key PSHE skills and attributes such as resilience, self-esteem, risk-management, team working and critical thinking. The tour aims to reach pupils from many different races, religions and economic backgrounds, promoting diversity within the arts. Speaking about the importance of diversity, De Meyers said:

“Our aim as film-makers is to tell compelling stories that inform, educate, entertain and resonate with the masses, whilst creating positive stereotypes regardless of age, race or gender. We want our images and ideas to disrupt and engage to make people think, feel and reflect.” The film is set for release in Autumn 2016 and, ahead of this, the talented cast and production company has launched a crowdfunding campaign. Running Films and The Big Agency hope to raise the £100,000 necessary to ensure that the film can have a nationwide cinematic release. Investors can pledge as little as £5 to the project, receiving rewards associated with the film in return. These range from Associate Producer credits and dinner with the main cast, to exclusive merchandise and fun props from the film.

The campaign has launched on Indiegogo and will run for one month. In the first 24 hours, over £20,000 has already been pledged: http://igg.me/at/theweekendmovie. Commenting on the campaign, De Myers added:

“The Weekend Movie filmmaking journey has had many highlights, but to me the prospect of us being able to show the movie to a nationwide audience will be the most magnificent part of the experience, as it will allow us to promote diversity to a so many people in such a positive way.”