Traumatic children in care movie scoops awards

A Kent-made film taking a savage look at how putting young children into care can go tragically wrong has won two major awards.

Hell’s Pavement is the harrowing story of little Aimee, starting when she is 11.

The plot follows five years of her life, and her downward spiral is shown so graphically that judges at the recent Beloit International Film Festival in the US gave it three awards; the Josh Burton Special Merit Award, the Ken Hendricks People’s Award; and an Emerging Filmmakers Award, beating more than 140 other films from 22 countries.

It had already been warmly greeted at the Glasgow Film Festival and the World Fostering Conference in Dublin last year and has also been shown in Canterbury and will be on more UK screens this year.

The film is based entirely on the Kent production team’s personal experiences of working with the public, private and voluntary care sectors. It was written and produced by entrepreneur Keith Gorman.

Mr Gorman, from Sittingbourne, said: “My mother was a foster parent and I ran a fostering company myself until I sold up and used the profit to make Hell’s Pavement.

“I was at a conference recently talking about the film, and a social worker said I was damaging their industry. But then a young man stood up. He said he had been through the care process and pointed out that children die, but social workers don’t.

“That sort of ended that debate.”

The film stars Pauline McLynn, of Shameless, plus Connor Byrne from London’s Burning. Aimee was played by 11-year-old Keeki Bennetts, now 19.

Aimee is removed from the care of her mother by well-meaning professionals.

Following her first encounter with the social care system through a range of foster placements, it ends in a haunting climax and explores how so many good intentions can end up causing irreparable damage.

Mr Gorman said: “It is a true story of tragedy, but it really shouldn’t be.”

See www.hellspavement.com for details.