A former Fife miner is considering a career change after being nominated for a Scottish BAFTA.
Joki Wallace, 58, of Dunfermline, can hardly believe how his life has changed since he was plucked from obscurity to take a leading role in The Happy Lands an acclaimed film depicting Fife during the 1926 General Strike.
The Happy Lands is set to be shown at the Cameo cinema in Edinburgh on Wednesday and there are two screenings at the Lochgelly Centre next month.
Director Robert Rae brought real events to life by drawing on the stories of residents in Fife’s coal mining communities.
Mr Wallace, who worked down the pits for 30 years, had initially volunteered to help with research, but found himself playing one of the main characters, Dan Guthrie.
His performance saw him shortlisted for a BAFTA in Scotland new talent award.
Mr Wallace, who works as a technical assistant for Carnegie College in Rosyth, said: “I wasn’t really expecting that, but a lot of things have happened that I wasn’t expecting.
“I went along at first because I was really interested in history. I thought I could do a bit of research.
“Once I got there, they wanted people to play a cameo in it and I thought I’d give it a go. I went to a wee acting class and thought, I’m quite enjoying this.
“If I’d told my dad I was going to be an actor, he would have told me to grow up. That was just the way I was brought up. I would love to do more, but it’s, like, am I really good enough? But to be nominated, somebody thinks I am.
“I’m going to make a short film just to get back into it and I need to get an agent.”