Movie News

Meadows admits 'listening' to NF

Mon 30 Apr 1:30 PM

Shane Meadows, director of '80s-set film This Is England - concerning skinheads and racism, has talked candidly about his own experience as a skinhead which inspired the semi-autobiographical film.

"It was an amazing and tragic time for me,’ he told Time Out. "On the amazing front, it was the best summer I ever had in my life. I’d joined this gang and was part of something special. I’m not ashamed to say I was a skinhead and I sometimes still think of myself as a skinhead in that original mould: someone who wears their identity on their sleeve and who’s not afraid to speak out."

Meadows went on to describe how he was initially drawn into the extreme right wing way of thinking.

"The National Front became more organised and more powerful and used skinheads as their foot-soldiers. It’s very easy to see what can happen when you’ve got three million people on the dole and right-wing politicians start doing talks in town halls and everyone’s looking for someone to blame.

"Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t sign on the dotted line, but I did sit and listen to these people and was thinking: Maybe this is the way."