‘He had a big impact on people’s lives’ - film made by popular youth worker before he died to be shown on Mustard TV

A scene from the film Looking to Eternity. Picture: courtesy of NBCFY (Image: courtesy of NBCFY)

Looking to Eternity, an 80-minute feature film, was written and directed by Dan Lawrence - and inspired by his own story.

Mr Lawrence, who lived in Dereham, died on November 21, having been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in January, 2015.

It was shortly after this diagnosis that he decided to make the film.

His brother Ben Lawrence, who helped to make the film, said: 'It was Dan's dream to make a feature film.

'He was always interested in cinema and we had a You Tube channel which we ran together when we were younger.

'Dan saw the premiere at Dereham Cinema a couple of weeks before he died and he was really pleased with how it turned out.'

Looking to Eternity tells the story of John, played by Joshua Gould, 21, a 'grumpy' man given a path in life he doesn't intend, was made by a team of 22 children and teenagers and eight adults from North Breckland Youth for Christ.

Mr Lawrence said: 'John is diagnosed with terminal cancer and the film tells of how he goes on a journey of faith - discovering who he is.

'Some of the story is based on Dan's experiences and some is made up.

'It has been shown at a lot of churches and some DVDs have been sold.

'Several people have really been taken by it and it has opened up questions for people about their own lives - which is exactly what Dan wanted to achieve.

'He was such a strong character, the way he dealt with his illness.

'As a family we take a lot of comfort from the fact that he had a big impact on many people's lives through his film and his character.'

Looking to Eternity will be on Mustard TV tonight (Monday) at 9.30pm.

Do you have a Dereham story? E mail adam.lazzari@archant.co.uk or call our Dereham office on 01362 854701.