by Hayley Robinsonhrobinson@thekmgroup.co.uk

A film about the life and trials of children in foster care has been nominated for an award at a US film festival.

Hell’s Pavement, which was written by Keith Gorman, of School Lane, Borden, tells the story of the life of an 11-year-old who is removed from the care of her own mother by well-meaning professionals attempting to protect her from further neglect and abuse.

The film generated enormous interest among foster parents and social workers from more than 30 countries when it was first screened at the World Fostering Conference in Dublin last year and following an overwhelming demand to allow a wider audience to see the film it was shown at The Lexi Cinema in London in November.

Now it is up for Best Feature film at the Beloit International Film Festival in Wisconsin which takes place on February 18.

Mr Gorman, who invested £500,000 of his own money into the film, said: “There’s quite a crowd of us going and my wife Claire will be joining me. It’s quite exciting.

“We thought it would only be of interest to the industry but it turns out lots of people are interested in it.”

The UK Film Council has provided funding for five screenings across Britain including one which was held at The Gulbenkian Theatre in Canterbury on February 4. And hopes of the film being shown on network TV could soon become a reality.

The father-of-two who owns Green Cabs in West Street, Sittingbourne, said: “I can’t reveal anything at the moment but we are very close to signing a deal.

“My ultimate goal is to change the public’s views of fostering.

“My mum was a foster parent so up until I left home I’d had 63 foster siblings over the years.

“I’m not a screen writer, I simply worked with children and this film is based on true life stories told through one child.

“We now have a system more worried about the people working with the children than the children themselves and in the end they become more damaged than if they had been left in their own families with the appropriate help.

“We wanted to raise awareness in the industry of the damage being done to children and how we can improve it.”

To view a trailer of the film visit www.hellspavement.com