Introduction:
Connect 4 is a comedy/drama following one man’s attempt to become the youngest ever Connect 4 World Champion. Not only will he have to overcome a 3-time Russian Grandmaster, but the overbearing presence of his childhood tormentor.
Set under the dim lights of a northern working men’s club, the wacky world of competitive Connect 4 provides the setting for an exploration of overdemanding parenting.
Inspiration:
Writer Matt Green has long been inspired by comedies that capture the unique sense of humour native to the north-west of England in such shows as Phoenix Nights. The desire to then pair broad northern accents and obscure references with the bizarre comedic stylings of director Edgar Wright is what led to Connect 4 being born. What if the seriousness of chess in “The Queen’s Gambit” was layered onto another game, with the tongue remaining firmly in the cheek throughout? Let’s give it a go, we thought. We love the idea of comedy for comedy’s sake, and this is the mindset we followed throughout.
The Process:
The film was shot in Wigan and Bolton across four consecutive days in February 2025. Filming the toilet scenes were definitely the biggest challenge. Cramming the cast and crew into the toilets all day took quite a bit of Tetris work throughout.
Then the issue of capturing audio with flushing urinals and echoey tiles made for one of the most frantic days in our sound engineer’s career. We do like to push the boundaries of what is possible. Everyone was sick of the smell of toilet cleaner by the end of the day. Filming was nearly stopped when another toilet in the building flooded, with a creeping stream of water approaching the set whilst filming continued. But as always, the show must go on and we got done what we needed.
The only other bump in the road was setting the fire alarm off in the working men’s club due to “excessive haze”. Despite assurances from the management this wouldn’t happen, there was still a frantic rush around to stop the racket so production could continue.
What It Means to Be a Finalist:
Worcester Film Festival has meant so much to us ever since we screened our first short in the festival’s inaugural year.
We’ve been drawn back every year since due to the amazing community that developed here. So much so that many collaborators on Connect 4 met at the festival. It was always the hope that we could share the finished product at Worcester and we’re so excited that we’re going to be able to very soon.
Where to Watch / Follow:
There will be an online release of the film next year, but in the meantime, you can keep up to date with developments via our Instagram page @connect4_film
You can visit the involved production companies’ sites below:
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