Carol Morley left school at 16 with few qualifications. She returned to education taking A-level night classes, and later an MA in independent film, going on to make many shorts and features. With her latest film 7 Miles Out, in competition at the BFI London Film Festival, we caught up with Carol to find out more about her film, adapting novels, and her advice for aspiring filmmakers.

Can you tell us about your film?

7 Miles Out is a coming-of-age film telling the story of a young woman coming to terms with the death of her father and finding solace in music, friendship and love. The backdrop is the 1980s’ Manchester music scene.

How did you go about adapting your novel for the big screen?
It was Michael Winterbottom who suggested I turn my autobiographical novel 7 Miles Out into a film. Writing a screenplay is hard! I had adapted a book before so I thought that adapting my own book would be easier, but it involved the same amount of labour! The screenplay has some of the same episodes as the book, some of the same characters, and most definitely the same themes, but a film is a very different proposition. It has to be a translation of the book, not a description.

Why did you want to make 7 Miles Out?

I wanted to make the film for many reasons, including wanting to see young women on screen celebrating and owning their own musical lives. Also to show that experiencing a tragedy can lead to deeper meaning in a life, and to acts of creativity that are very positive. The soundtrack is the soul of the film, both the commercial tracks and Carly Paradis’s score. It is crucial.

What’s it like having your film at the LFF and what’s next?

We launched Dreams of a Life and The Falling at LFF and so it has a very special place in my heart. It’s a wonderful festival and very accessible for audiences to buy tickets. It’s also great to be in the Official Competition for Best Film. I’m looking forward to securing a release, I love going around the country with our films and meeting and talking to the audiences.

Any advice for aspiring filmmakers or people looking to break into the industry?

I think the secret of any route in is to work very hard and to know that filmmaking is a lifetime apprenticeship. I met producer Cairo Cannon early on and I really believe it’s wonderful to have great people to collaborate with and grow with. So my advice for aspiring filmmakers would be to look for all the places/networks that you can go to find people you want to make things with. Make your own opportunities as much as you can.

Some of Carol’s other films include The Alcohol Years, Dreams of a Life, The Falling, Out of Blue, Typist Artist Pirate King. Her short films Everyday Something and Madness of the Dance were made with support from Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network (FLAMIN).