Jon King
Director Screenwriter Author
My Screenplays
STICKS AND STONES
A Film For Jack
LOGLINE
Documentary filmmaker BEN FINNAN travels to the occupied West Bank seeking answers following the untimely death of his aid worker brother in Gaza.
SYNOPSIS
Devastated by news of his brother JACK’s death in a Gaza air strike, 30-year-old documentary filmmaker BEN heads to occupied Palestine, camera in hand. He’s on a promise: to honour his brother’s dying wish and make the film he vowed he would never make, about a situation he believes will never change.
Ben never did understand what drove his younger brother to become an aid worker, especially here, in Balata Refugee Camp, this God-forsaken breeding ground for terrorists. But as daily he becomes more immersed in life inside the camp - the guest of community elder HAJ IBRAHIM and his welcoming Palestinian family - the more his world view is challenged.
And the more his relationship with ELLIE deepens.
Toughened by her six months already spent in the camp, 24-year-old American aid worker Ellie is not at all what Ben is expecting to find here. Gutsy, independent, boyishly attractive, she captures Ben’s eye from the outset...
...But not his heart. Wrong place. Wrong time. Though lovers in spirit, the sexual tension fizzing between these two highly complex characters remains unconsummated throughout, even though the attraction between them simmers as together they witness the horrors served up by the military occupation.
Against this backdrop of suppressed love, sordid oppression and squalid, hopeless resistance, Ben continues to throw himself headlong into the daily routines of the agency workers—walking in Jack’s footprints, doing what Jack did, seeing what Jack saw: filming it. In so doing he comes more and more to understand what motivated his brother to give his life to such a seemingly senseless cause.
As the story unfolds, Ben’s unlikely friendship with SAMI, a 19-year-old Palestinian ‘stone thrower’, develops in the film’s subtext. At first Sami is mistrustful of Ben, and Ben in turn sees Sami as a budding ‘terrorist’. But the empathy enforced upon Ben by his experiences in the camp ultimately makes him see things differently, and when he saves Sami from being arrested by the army for throwing stones, and is arrested himself in the process, Sami starts to see things differently, too. As a result, the dynamic between these two rival protagonists is finally recast.
In the end, Sticks And Stones: A Film For Jack is not only a story of human injustice and cultural subjugation. It is a story of human triumph over adversity. And ultimately, of transformation.
True, Ben wins Sami’s respect and gains closure on the death of his brother. Conversely, Sami win’s Ben’s respect and gains a brother in all but name.
But in the process, the lives of both these seeming adversaries are irrevocably changed.
* * *
I should just add that, though the film tackles potentially explosive issues, it has been painstakingly researched, first-hand. I have friends in Israel. I have friends in Palestine. I visited both places (and got my hands dirty there) while doing the prep work for this script, the writing of which was funded originally by Southwest Screen and the now defunct UK Film Council. The events and characters in the film are drawn solely from my experience of staying in the Occupied Territories, and in particular Balata Refugee Camp, where the film is set.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
THE CUT-OUT
a pawn in a deadly game
LOGLINE
It's August 1997. I'm tipped off about an imminent high-profile assassination that I'm told will be made to look like an 'accident'. Days later, when Princess Dian is killed in a perceived 'accident', my world is turned on its head. I set out to find answers, not yet realising I'm already a marked man ... BASED ON A TRUE STORY
SYNOPSIS
November 1996: I'm at my desk, in my office, when the phone call comes. I'm 40 years of age, a successful journalist and major-release author. Life is good. I answer the call...
...An American voice, male, instantly engaging. He tells me he has some information. There's nothing unusual in this. I'm an investigative journalist and I receive any number of similar calls from would-be informants in any working week. We arrange to meet...
...Fast forward nine months to August 1997: It's the fourth time I've met the US Special Forces vet and CIA runner whom I now refer to as The American. He's given me good information thus far, but nothing to prepare me for what he's about to tell me on this occasion...
...'Someone big's about to get hit,' he says. 'They'll tell you it was an accident. You'll know it wasn't.'
The weeks and months that follow unveil a sinister world of smoke and mirrors - smoke obscuring the answers I crave, mirrors reflecting the many faces of a conspiracy I am convinced is unfolding around me.
Who else knows what The American told me? Who is he working for? Who set me up? Why?
I have no answers. Not yet. All I know at this stage that is I've been told something I wish I’d never been told...
...And that, in consequence, I'm a walking target.
'They'll tell you it was an accident. You'll know it wasn't.'
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
NICKED!
a jilted lover, a football-mad copper,
the most audacious robbery since The Italian Job...
...and the biggest coverup in sporting history to boot
A riotously funny comedy-drama
based on an unbelievably true story!
]]LOGLINE]]]]]]]]]]]
A lovelorn libertine steals the European Cup in a fit of blind revenge, and a hapless copper conspires to cover the crime up in order to realise a lifelong dream. Based on an unbelievably true story.
SYNOPSIS
PRESENT DAY: West Bar Police Station in Sheffield is being shut down, its personnel relocated.
During the clearing out process a set of incriminating photographs dating from 1982 is unearthed, and retired police officer Mick Greenhough is one of three former coppers hauled into their old place of work to answer questions.
Where did these photographs come from?
Why wasn’t the Chief informed about them?
Who is that mystery person in that photograph there, the one in the Birmingham City football shirt standing next to PC Mick Greenhough?
And more’s the point:
Why is he holding what looks for all the world like the European Cup?
The three coppers clearly harbour a secret, then.then..
Rewind to --
MAY 1982: 28-year-old PC Mick Greenhough arrives for work and what he believes will be another routine nightshift at West Bar Police Station. But as Mick is about to discover, this night will prove anything but routine.
One hundred miles south, in a pub near Birmingham, Aston Villa players celebrate last night’s European Cup success by signing autographs and allowing fans to have their photos taken with the famous trophy, which is on display for the evening in the pub. But it’s not only Aston Villa fans who are present.
28-year-old Birmingham City fan Adrian Reed is also here, and unbeknown to everyone else, Adrian plans a celebration all his own. Before the night is out, for reasons we will later learn, Adrian will steal the cup from under the noses of all present and take it on an adventure-filled road trip to Sheffield ... where, ultimately, he will run headlong into PC Mick Greenhough.
Once acquainted, our two protagonists will conspire to pull off the biggest, most unlikely coverup in sporting history.
And in the process, each will realise an implausible dream.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
WHEN I'M FAMOUS
LOGLINE
A gritty, realist view of Britain's disaffected youth as 19-year-old Noah struggles against the odds – and his bandmates – to escape the dead-end world of the Job Centre and become famous.
SYNOPSIS
Noah’s the lead singer in a band. He’s nineteen, disaffected, unemployed. He lives at home with his mum and his mum’s latest fella. Noah doesn’t like his mum’s latest fella. Noah doesn’t like his life. He doesn’t like being on the dole and he doesn’t like the idea of getting a job, either. Noah just wants to get out of here.
Noah just wants to be famous.
Which is why next Thursday’s gig at the Starlight Club is so mega. The head of IndieTone Records digs the band’s latest YouTube video and has agreed to come and see them play live. A major record deal is on offer if Noah and the boys impress. This is Noah’s big chance.
But there’s a problem.
Or rather, three problems: Noah’s bandmates, all of whom are accidents waiting to happen: each of whom must overcome their own life-defining crisis if the gig is to happen at all.
Will bass player Ska get the better of his out-of-control drug habit and clean up?
Will drummer Taylor be true to himeself and resolve his relationship problems?
Will gangsta-cool MC and keyboard player Jamroi survive the cruel fate life has dealt him and save his younger brother – and himself – from gangland retribution?
And more’s the point: will our lead protagonist Noah sacrifice his dream in order to help his bandmates in their hour of need?
As the film’s closing scenes ultimately reveal, the answer to all these questions is ‘yes’. Ska cleans up. Taylor fesses up. Jamroi survives his karma. And ultimately Noah chooses friendship over ambition, even though it means he could miss out on his one big chance to realise his dream...
...But then an unexpected turn of events changes everything as Noah is offered a second chance.
When I’m Famous is a gritty, realist view of Britain’s disaffected youth, their dreams and aspirations, the obstacles they face in making those dreams reality ... and the sacrifices they must make in order to achieve them.
My Screenplays
STICKS AND STONES
A Film For Jack
LOGLINE
Documentary filmmaker BEN FINNAN travels to the occupied West Bank seeking answers following the untimely death of his aid worker brother in Gaza.
SYNOPSIS
Devastated by news of his brother JACK’s death in a Gaza air strike, 30-year-old documentary filmmaker BEN heads to occupied Palestine, camera in hand. He’s on a promise: to honour his brother’s dying wish and make the film he vowed he would never make, about a situation he believes will never change.
Ben never did understand what drove his younger brother to become an aid worker, especially here, in Balata Refugee Camp, this God-forsaken breeding ground for terrorists.
But as daily he becomes more immersed in life inside the camp - the guest of community elder HAJJ IBRAHIM and his welcoming Palestinian family - the more his world view is challenged.
And the more his relationship with ELLIE deepens.
Toughened by her six months already spent in the camp, 26-year-old American aid worker Ellie is not at all what Ben is expecting to find here. Gutsy, independent, boyishly attractive, she captures Ben’s eye from the outset, but not his heart. Wrong place. Wrong time. Though lovers in spirit, the sexual tension fizzing between these two highly complex characters remains unconsummated throughout, even though the attraction between them simmers as together they witness the horrors served up by the military occupation.
Against this backdrop of suppressed love, sordid oppression and squalid, hopeless resistance, Ben continues to throw himself headlong into the daily routines of the agency workers—walking in Jack’s footprints, doing what Jack did, seeing what Jack saw: filming it. In so doing he comes more and more to understand what motivated his brother to give his life to such a seemingly senseless cause.
As the story unfolds, Ben’s unlikely friendship with SAMI, a 19-year-old Palestinian ‘stone thrower’, develops in the film’s subtext. At first Sami is mistrustful of Ben, and Ben in turn sees Sami as a budding ‘terrorist’. But the empathy enforced upon Ben by his experiences in the camp ultimately makes him see things differently, and when he saves Sami from being arrested by the army for throwing stones, and is arrested himself in the process, Sami starts to see things differently, too. As a result, the dynamic between these two rival protagonists is finally recast.
In the end, Sticks And Stones: A Film For Jack is not only a story of human injustice and cultural subjugation. It is a story of human triumph over adversity. And ultimately, of transformation.
True, Ben wins Sami’s respect and gains closure on the death of his brother. Conversely, Sami win’s Ben’s respect and gains a brother in all but name.
But in the process, the lives of both these seeming adversaries are irrevocably changed.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My Screenplays
STICKS AND STONES
A Film For Jack
Documentary filmmaker BEN FINNAN travels to the occupied West Bank seeking answers following the untimely death of his aid worker brother in Gaza.
Devastated by news of his brother JACK’s death in a Gaza air strike, 30-year-old documentary filmmaker BEN heads to occupied Palestine, camera in hand. He’s on a promise: to honour his brother’s dying wish and make the film he vowed he would never make, about a situation he believes will never change.
Ben never did understand what drove his younger brother to become an aid worker, especially here, in Balata Refugee Camp, this God-forsaken breeding ground for terrorists. But as daily he becomes more immersed in life inside the camp - the guest of community elder HAJ IBRAHIM and his welcoming Palestinian family - the more his world view is challenged.
And the more his relationship with ELLIE deepens.
Toughened by her six months already spent in the camp, 26-year-old American aid worker Ellie is not at all what Ben is expecting to find here. Gutsy, independent, boyishly attractive, she captures Ben’s eye from the outset, but not his heart. Wrong place. Wrong time. Though lovers in spirit, the sexual tension fizzing between these two highly complex characters remains unconsummated throughout, even though the attraction between them simmers as together they witness the horrors served up by the military occupation.
Against this backdrop of suppressed love, sordid oppression and squalid, hopeless resistance, Ben continues to throw himself headlong into the daily routines of the agency workers—walking in Jack’s footprints, doing what Jack did, seeing what Jack saw: filming it. And so comes more and more to understand what motivated his brother to give his life to such a seemingly senseless cause.
As the story unfolds, Ben’s unlikely friendship with SAMI, a 19-year-old Palestinian ‘stone thrower’, develops in the film’s subtext. At first Sami is mistrustful of Ben, and Ben in turn sees Sami as a budding ‘terrorist’. But the empathy enforced upon Ben by his experiences in the camp ultimately makes him see things differently, and when he saves Sami from being arrested by the army for throwing stones, and is arrested himself in the process, Sami starts to see things differently, too. As a result, the dynamic between these two rival protagonists is finally recast.
In the end, Sticks And Stones: A Film For Jack is not only a story of human injustice and cultural subjugation. It is a story of human triumph over adversity. And ultimately, of transformation.
True, Ben wins Sami’s respect and gains closure on the death of his brother. Conversely, Sami win’s Ben’s respect and gains a brother in all but name.
But in the process, the lives of both these seeming adversaries are irrevocably changed.
* * *
THE CUT-OUT
a pawn in a deadly game
It's August 1997. I'm tipped off about an imminent high-profile assassination that I'm told will be made to look like an 'accident'. A few days later, when someone of global renown is indeed killed in a perceived 'accident' - Princess Diana - my world is turned on its head. I set out to find answers, not yet realising I'm already a marked man.
BASED ON A TRUE STORY
November 1996: I'm at my desk, in my office, when the phone call comes. I'm 40 years of age, a successful journalist and major-release author. Life is good. I answer the call...
...An American voice, male, instantly engaging. He tells me he has some information. There's nothing unusual in this. I'm an investigative journalist and I receive any number of similar calls from would-be informants in any working week. We arrange to meet...
...Fast forward nine months to August 1997: It's the fourth time I've met the US Special Forces vet and CIA runner whom I now refer to as The American. He's given me good information thus far, but nothing to prepare me for what he's about to tell me on this occasion...
...'Someone big's about to get hit,' he says. 'They'll tell you it was an accident. You'll know it wasn't.'
The weeks and months that follow unveil a sinister world of smoke and mirrors - smoke obscuring the answers I crave, mirrors reflecting the many faces of a conspiracy I am convinced is unfolding around me.
Who else knows what The American told me? Who is he working for? Who set me up? Why?
I have no answers. Not yet. All I know at this stage is that I've been told something I wish I’d never been told...
...And that, in consequence, I'm a walking target.
* * *
WHEN I'M FAMOUS
you're either famous or you're not
A gritty, realist view of Britain's disaffected youth as 19-year-old Noah struggles against the odds – and his bandmates – to escape the dead-end world of the Job Centre and become famous.
Noah’s the lead singer in a band. He’s nineteen, disaffected, unemployed. He lives at home with his mum and his mum’s latest fella. Noah doesn’t like his mum’s latest fella. Noah doesn’t like his life. He doesn’t like being on the dole and he doesn’t like the idea of getting a job, either. Noah just wants to be famous.
Which is why next Thursday’s gig at the Starlight Club is so mega. The head of IndieTone Records digs the band’s latest YouTube video and has agreed to come and see them play live. A major record deal is on offer if Noah and the boys impress. In short, this is Noah’s big chance.
But there’s a problem.
Or rather, three problems: Noah’s bandmates, all of whom are accidents waiting to happen: each of whom must overcome their own life-defining crisis if the gig is to happen at all.
Will bass player Ska get the better of his out-of-control drug habit and clean up?
Will drummer Taylor be true to himself and resolve his relationship problems?
Will gangsta-cool MC and keyboard player Jamroi survive the cruel fate life has dealt him and save his younger brother – and himself – from gangland retribution?
And more’s the point: Will our lead protagonist Noah sacrifice his dream in order to help his bandmates in their hour of need?
As the film’s closing scenes ultimately reveal, the answer to all these questions is ‘yes’.
Ska cleans up. Taylor fesses up. Jamroi survives his karma.
And ultimately Noah chooses friendship over ambition, even though it means he could miss out on his one big chance to realise his dream...
...But then an unexpected turn of events changes everything as Noah is offered a second chance.
When I’m Famous is a gritty, realist view of Britain’s disaffected youth, their dreams and aspirations, the obstacles they face in making those dreams reality, and the sacrifices they must make along the way.
* * *
NICKED!
a jilted lover, a football-mad copper, the most audacious robbery since The Italian Job...
...and the biggest coverup in sporting history to boot!
When a lovelorn libertine steals the European Cup in a fit of blind revenge, a hapless copper conspires to cover the crime up to realise a lifelong dream
A riotously funny comedy-drama
based on an unbelievably true story!
PRESENT DAY:...
West Bar Police Station in Sheffield is being shut down, its personnel relocated.
During the clearing out process a set of incriminating photographs dating from 1982 is unearthed, and retired police officer Mick Greenhough is one of three former coppers hauled into their old place of work to answer questions.
Where did these photographs come from?
Why wasn’t the Chief informed about them?
Who is that mystery person in that photograph there, the one in the Birmingham City football shirt standing next to PC Mick Greenhough?
And more’s the point: Why is he holding what looks for all the world like the European Cup?
The three coppers clearly harbour a secret, then...
Rewind to --
MAY 1982...
28-year-old PC Mick Greenhough arrives for work and what he believes will be another routine nightshift at West Bar Police Station. But as Mick is about to discover, this night will prove anything but routine.
One hundred miles south, in a pub near Birmingham, Aston Villa players celebrate last night’s European Cup success by signing autographs and allowing fans to have their photos taken with the famous trophy, which is on display for the evening in the pub.
But it’s not only Aston Villa fans who are present.
28-year-old Birmingham City fan Adrian Reed is also here, and unbeknown to everyone else, Adrian plans a celebration all his own.
Before the night is out, for reasons we will later learn, Adrian will steal the cup from under the noses of all present and take it on an adventure-filled road trip to Sheffield ... where, ultimately, he will run headlong into PC Mick Greenhough.
Once acquainted, our two protagonists will conspire to pull off the biggest, most unlikely coverup in sporting history.
And in the process, each will realise an implausible dream.
* * *
DISCOLSURE CAFÉ
follow the money
A conspiracy theorist walks eyes-wide into a real-life conspiracy when former City investment banker-turned-Podcaster, Tyler Watt, is tipped off about UK foreign aid money being diverted into offshore accounts that service MI6 black ops...
SCRIPT IN DEVELOPMENT ... MORE SOON...
THE CUT-OUT
a pawn in a deadly game
LOGLINE
It's August 1997. I'm tipped off about an imminent high-profile assassination that I'm told will be made to look like an 'accident'. A few days later, when Princess Diana is killed in a perceived 'accident', my world is turned on its head. I set out to find answers, not yet realising I'm already a marked man...
BASED ON A TRUE STORY
SYNOPSIS
November 1996: I'm at my desk, in my office, when the phone call comes. I'm 40 years of age, a successful journalist and major-release author. Life is good. I answer the call...
...An American voice, male, instantly engaging. He tells me he has some information. There's nothing unusual in this. I'm an investigative journalist and I receive any number of similar calls from would-be informants in any working week. We arrange to meet...
...Fast forward nine months to August 1997: It's the fourth time I've met the US Special Forces vet and CIA runner whom I now refer to as The American. He's given me good information thus far, but nothing to prepare me for what he's about to tell me on this occasion...
...'Someone big's about to get hit,' he says. 'They'll tell you it was an accident. You'll know it wasn't.'
The weeks and months that follow unveil a sinister world of smoke and mirrors - smoke obscuring the answers I crave, mirrors reflecting the many faces of a conspiracy I am convinced is unfolding around me.
Who else knows what The American told me? Who is he working for? Who set me up? Why?
I have no answers. Not yet. All I know at this stage is I've been told something I wish I’d never been told...
...And that, in consequence, I'm a walking target.
New Paragraph
'They'll tell you it was an accident. You'll know it wasn't.'
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
WHEN I'M FAMOUS
you're either famous or you're not
LOGLINE
A gritty, realist view of Britain's disaffected youth as 19-year-old Noah struggles against the odds – and his bandmates – to escape the dead-end world of the Job Centre and become famous.
SYNOPSIS
Noah’s the lead singer in a band. He’s nineteen, disaffected, unemployed. He lives at home with his mum and his mum’s latest fella. Noah doesn’t like his mum’s latest fella. Noah doesn’t like his life. He doesn’t like being on the dole and he doesn’t like the idea of getting a job, either. Noah just wants to be famous.
Which is why next Thursday’s gig at the Starlight Club is so mega. The head of IndieTone Records digs the band’s latest YouTube video and has agreed to come and see them play live. A major record deal is on offer if Noah and the boys impress. In short, this is Noah’s big chance.
But there’s a problem.
Or rather, three problems: Noah’s bandmates, all of whom are accidents waiting to happen: each of whom must overcome their own life-defining crisis if the gig is to happen at all.
Will bass player Ska get the better of his out-of-control drug habit and clean up?
Will drummer Taylor be true to himself and resolve his relationship problems?
Will gangsta-cool MC and keyboard player Jamroi survive the cruel fate life has dealt him and save his younger brother – and himself – from gangland retribution?
And more’s the point: Will our lead protagonist Noah sacrifice his dream in order to help his bandmates in their hour of need?
As the film’s closing scenes ultimately reveal, the answer to all these questions is ‘yes’.
Ska cleans up. Taylor fesses up. Jamroi survives his karma.
And ultimately Noah chooses friendship over ambition, even though it means he could miss out on his one big chance to realise his dream...
...But then an unexpected turn of events changes everything as Noah is offered a second chance.
* * *
When I’m Famous is a gritty, realist view of Britain’s disaffected youth, their dreams and aspirations, the obstacles they face in making those dreams reality, and the sacrifices they must make along the way.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
NICKED!
a jilted lover, a football-mad copper,
the most audacious robbery since The Italian Job...
...and the biggest coverup in sporting history to boot
A riotously funny comedy-drama
based on an unbelievably true story!
LOGLINE
A lovelorn libertine steals the European Cup in a fit of blind revenge, and a hapless copper conspires to cover the crime up in order to realise a lifelong dream. Based on an unbelievably true story.
SYNOPSIS
PRESENT DAY:...
West Bar Police Station in Sheffield is being shut down, its personnel relocated.
During the clearing out process a set of incriminating photographs dating from 1982 is unearthed, and retired police officer Mick Greenhough is one of three former coppers hauled into their old place of work to answer questions.
Where did these photographs come from?
Why wasn’t the Chief informed about them?
Who is that mystery person in that photograph there, the one in the Birmingham City football shirt standing next to PC Mick Greenhough?
And more’s the point: Why is he holding what looks for all the world like the European Cup?
The three coppers clearly harbour a secret, then...
Rewind to --
MAY 1982...
28-year-old PC Mick Greenhough arrives for work and what he believes will be another routine nightshift at West Bar Police Station. But as Mick is about to discover, this night will prove anything but routine.
One hundred miles south, in a pub near Birmingham, Aston Villa players celebrate last night’s European Cup success by signing autographs and allowing fans to have their photos taken with the famous trophy, which is on display for the evening in the pub.
But it’s not only Aston Villa fans who are present.
28-year-old Birmingham City fan Adrian Reed is also here, and unbeknown to everyone else, Adrian plans a celebration all his own.
Before the night is out, for reasons we will later learn, Adrian will steal the cup from under the noses of all present and take it on an adventure-filled road trip to Sheffield ... where, ultimately, he will run headlong into PC Mick Greenhough.
Once acquainted, our two protagonists will conspire to pull off the biggest, most unlikely coverup in sporting history.
And in the process, each will realise an implausible dream.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
DISCLOSURE CAFÉ
follow the money...
LOGLINE
A conspiracy theorist walks eyes-wide into a real-life conspiracy when former City investment banker-turned-Podcaster, Tyler Watt, is tipped off about UK foreign aid money being diverted into offshore accounts that service MI6 black ops...
SCRIPT IN DEVELOPMENT ... MORE SOON...
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
DISCLOSURE CAFÉ
LOGLINE
A conspiracy theorist walks eyes-wide into a real-life conspiracy when former City investment banker-turned-Podcaster, Tyler Watt, is tipped off about UK foreign aid money being diverted into offshore accounts that service MI6 black ops.
SCRIPT IN DEVELOPMENT ... MORE SOON...
Contact Jon King
Email: kjon255@talktalk.net
Tel: +44 7450 468 333