The moment our fandom had been waiting for a long time, finally happened last week. I am Urban has arrived – and will come to a cinema near you, soon. Some of you may already have read about this on other platforms or in the press, but I am Urban (the film some of us previously knew under the title Urban and the Shed Crew) was finally premiered on the 28th of September 2023 in London. At the premiere, Matthew Mitchell, producer of I am Urban, introduced the film and talked about the long road to getting the piece released.
After reaching out to me by e-mail, I had the pleasure of chatting with Matthew over the phone to hear more about the production and the plans for I am Urban. Unlike our earlier speculation that an entirely new team had taken over the film, Matthew has been involved in the making of Urban from day one and therefore was able to share insights about the production, the casting and the final product. Over the 9 years it took to get Urban released, he has closely worked with Bernard Hare, author of the memoir Urban Grimshaw and the Shed Crew upon which the film is based – through the whole process from pre-production to filming, post-production and reediting, to the new release.
The good news first: I am Urban is getting a wide theatrical release beyond the shores of the UK. The film is coming to cinemas in the UK from November 2023 with 20+ showings of the film already scheduled and more being added as we speak. An international release also on the cards. The plan then is to provide access to the film via TVOD, i.e. paid on-demand streaming providers such as iTunes, Apple TV or YouTube. I am Urban will then move on to an SVOD (subscription-based on demand video) platform like Netflix or Amazon Prime. This should hopefully enable everyone to access the film.
Of course, as fans we have learnt from bitter experience, that hard copies are often preferable to relying on streaming platforms for the content we love. I asked Matthew about plans for a DVD release. He says that is *not* off the table, depending on demand. However, *if* it happens, it will be a print run of limited numbers and not a huge release. In that case, the DVDs will be sold through the production itself, and we will hear about it via the film‘s official website IamUrban.co.uk, the Instagram account I_am_Urban_film or their facebook page I am Urban.
In the coming weeks, the promotion for the film should pick up. Due to the on-going SAG-AFTRA industrial dispute, Richard has so far not been able to support the film‘s promotion, but with a resolution of the strikes on the horizon, Matthew said that Richard will hopefully be on board for interviews on TV and in the press, too.
Beside the release details, Matthew explained to me that I am Urban is obviously still based on Bernard Hare‘s book but has been re-edited to represent the story better. He mentioned changes in sequence and in emphasis. The soundtrack has been altered, too.
We also briefly talked about Richard‘s involvement in I am Urban. Richard came to the project early on and had been highly recommended to Matthew by screenwriter David Wolstencroft who had worked with Richard on Spooks. From a fan’s point of view I was particularly pleased to hear Matthew’s praise of Richard. He said that not only were they thrilled to have a „superb actor“ (quote) of Richard‘s sensitivity and calibre on board, but that Richard is literally one of the „loveliest men“ in the industry.
Matthew and I chatted for half an hour on the phone and I have to say that he was super nice and very happy to answer all my questions. He talked at length about the obstacles in getting a film financed and released and is therefore thrilled to have seen the project through to its final release. He is very keen to bring the film out to as many cinemas as possible, for fans to watch it and to hear our response. Prior to our chat, I had e-mailed him a long list of questions. We did not get through all the questions during our chat but focussed on the release and only touched briefly on Richard. But Matthew has promised to answer my questions – diving into the production, the casting, the edit and Richard’s involvement a little more – in writing over the weekend. So hopefully I will be able to give you a few more insights in an upcoming post early next week.
For the moment, I‘ll leave you with the UK screen times as announced on the website. There are a few Q&A events connected to some showings, so keep your eye out whether Richard will be involved in any of them. And maybe our UK-based fan sisters will find a cinema near them that shows the film, and they can report back to us how they enjoyed I am Urban.
01 November 2023 – The Stag Cinema, Sevenoaks – Q&A Event
03/04 November 2023 – The Regal, Fordingbridge
08 November 2023 – Showcase, Bluewater, Kent
08 November 2023 – Showcase, Bristol
08 November 2023 – Showcase, Leeds
08 November 2023 – Showcase, Nottingham
08 November 2023 – Showcase, Peterborough
08 November 2023 – Showcase, Teeside
12 November 2023 – Regent Street Cinema, London West End – Q&A Event
15 November 2023 – Kavanagh, Herne Bay
22 November 2023 – The Chiswick Cinema, London – Q&A Event
30 January 2024 – Bridport Arts Centre, Dorset – Q&A Event
Guylty Pleasure 
Very nice news, I of course hope to see it here in Finland but probably streaming will be more of an option here.
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Yes, especially for fans in non-English speaking countries, the streaming option will be the likeliest source. Fingers crossed that the film will get sold to such platforms.
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Congratulations, Sonja and a big thank you for all this informations.
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Cheers, Graza – it was quite a surprise when Matthew got in touch with me. A great opportunity to receive the info straight from the source.
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Did Mr. Mitchell expound on what was involved in moving that “vast avalanche of rock” to get the film released? I for one would like to know why it took so long. That said, I am pleased as punch to hear that a DVD is *not* off the table. As long as there is still an audience for it, how can they ignore us? Did you come away with the feeling that a write-in campaign would help? So many questions. Thank you for being a conduit through which we might learn more.
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I can just tell you that he said that movie financing is notoriously fickle and difficult. Also, Covid put a big spanner in the works and delayed the release of I am Urban even further. They re-edited the whole film (working with all the material that had been shot originally), which also took time.
As for the DVD – it is on his radar now and my impression was that he has an open mind to a DVD release. That said, he did reply that DVD is a dying medium, so it is not a priority for them. As usual, these things depend on the commercial viability of the investment in a DVD run. I would imagine that he will take note of comments via their FB page or IG. That might give them an indication whether there is a large enough audience for a DVD release.
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Wow! That is special!! Thank you!
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It was great to talk directly to someone who is involved in the film…
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Great news! I’m hoping for streaming (but apparently I live in a difficult country to get streaming license for) but a dvd would be better! Keeping all digits crossed!
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I don‘t even have a DVD player anymore but I am hoping for you that they will actually release the film by DVD, too.
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How amazing that you could chat with Matthew Mitchell! Thanks for sharing, really interesting – particularly that Richard is supporting the SAG-AFTRA strike, good for him! It is tantilising to hear that the film has been re-edited with original footage and it is now an 18. Hope that means some of the ‘Famous Five’ kids adventure elements have lessened. Although I’d rather see more of glorious Richard it is good to see more emphasis on Anna Friel’s character in the trailer, she was fantastic.
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I was thrilled when he e-mailed me and offered to have a chat about the film! It‘s not that often that we as fans are given a ring-side seat.
Yes, I think they have changed the emphasis of the film and made it a bit more focussed on Urban rather than the shed crew. Anna Friel was great in the footage we have seen before, but so was Richard. I‘m sure he remains a main character in the film.
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Great news that there is finally movement on this. I just checked my records and I had talked to Neil Ouzman from Tribal Films about the delay in the then-imminent DVD release back in May 2019. This has been a long, loooong journey.
I for one am holding out hope for a DVD. Streaming is a fickle beast—there today and gone tomorrow (as those of us who saw the film the one and only time when you could by a streaming ticket via Blenheim Films have painful knowledge of), to say nothing of access and licensing issues in worldwide territories. And as fans of Mr. A‘s we know all too well that many of his works aren’t accessible any other way but DVDs. Physical media is a safety net.
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Absolutely right. We‘ve been burnt with various streaming platforms before. I don‘t have the option for a DVD anymore, but I really do understand why fans want a physical copy of Richard‘s work…
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Great job, G! You can now add investigative journalist to your long list of skills.
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Haha, well, this investigation fell into my lap, so I am not sure whether it counts… 😉
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My name is Urban and it is quite a common name here in Sweden. I wonder if the author was ever a Morrissey Solo forum regular who used to chat with me back in the day?
Probably not!
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