Life through a lens
NEVILLE THOMPSON BROKE FREE OF A LIFE CONSUMED BY DRUG DEALING, VIOLENCE AND PRISON TO BECOME A TALENTED FILMMAKER WITH THE HELP OF AN ARTS PROJECT AND NATIONAL LOTTERY PLAYERS
Growing up in a deprived area of Manchester, Neville Thompson never pictured himself rubbing shoulders with BBC directors and film crews at glittering award ceremonies. But the 47-year-old has come a long way since his teenage years, which were spent in and out of prison for drug dealing.
“I was always dead popular, I never caused any problems,” he recalls of his childhood, which was spent living with his grandparents in Rusholme. “But as I got older, this one person kept bullying me. I didn’t have anywhere to turn. My dad was a drug addict, so he was no help, and my grandad was too old to ask.
Neville then got involved with gang members at school. “They took me under their wing and my beef became their beef,” he explains. “But it worked the other way too, and their enemies became my enemies. I was only 16 and had taken on way more than I realised. I never expected to get involved in all that.”
Before long, Neville was selling drugs and constantly in and out of prison. Ultimately, it was a chance encounter during a stint on probation that finally broke the cycle.
“I got out in my twenties, after serving five years for kidnap, and as part of my release terms, I had to work with Odd Arts,” he says, referring to a therapeutic arts project that uses theatre workshops to reduce reoffending and help youths deal with conflict without violence.
Odd Arts is just one of thousands of music and cultural projects in every corner of the UK supported by funding from the National Lottery and its players. Neville built a rapport with the founder, Becky Friel, and the film he created with their help, Scratching the Surface, gives a history of violence and trauma in Manchester’s Moss Side through candid interviews, including ex gang members. It was shortlisted for the 2022 Criminal Justice Alliance Awards. “That was pretty good for a first documentary,” Neville smiles.
Now he’s created his own community interest company, Inner-City Escape, hoping to make more films and provide breakfast to deprived kids.
“Most of my life has been spent just being a criminal, so this is all new, but I’m embracing it.”
Each time you play The National Lottery you help support music and cultural projects across the UK, including 3,600* in Liverpool, home of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Now you can get involved in the fun by watching The National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome, available on BBC iPlayer from May 8 as part of a special show, Eurovision Welcomes The World.
* Based on figures from 1995-2022
National Lottery players support music and culture