Britain's Got Talent finalists Entity Allstars - with members from Bromley and Bexley - heading to cinemas in documentary Streetdance Family

The filmmaker, who has been creating documentaries with her partner Adam Tysoe for more than 20 years, told us: “I met the parents and families and I came back after the first couple of sessions and said to Adam ‘I think we are going to have to start filming these guys’.

“It was just a feeling I had. It was a world that I hadn’t really seen before. They were so passionate and so determined and serious. I thought it was fascinating and intriguing and interesting.”

The 20-strong under 16s dance group – which includes 15-year-old Keir Walsh from Bexleyheath, 14-year-old Bo Liston from Orpington and 14-year-old Max Newman from Bromley Common – is Entity Allstars.

They went on to challenge at the Hip Hop World Championships and made it to the finals of Britain’s Got Talent.

Read more:

• Bexleyheath mum proud of daughter as big screen debut awaits
• Bexleyheath sisters win dance championships in memory of dad
• Entity Allstars, which has members from Bromley, is through to the live final of Britain's Got Talent
• Youngsters from across Bromley and Bexley have said dancing at the live final of BGT was 'amazing' despite not winning

Debbie said: “We just knew that the families were interesting but we didn’t know what the journey was that they were going on. We just started filming.

“The more we got to know them the more we wanted to keep filming them.

“Then they started going on this really amazing journey. They started off in the UK and then it grew. We ended up in Italy with them and then we ended up in Germany with them at the World Championships.

“We weren’t expecting any of that to happen at all. We just had to keep going with it.

“The thing with documentaries, when you start on something you just have to keep going because it hooks you in.”

“The story is really, really extraordinary what happened to them.”

It’s a true underdog story and one whose appeal extends beyond the world of street dance.

Debbie said: “It is very much an underdog story.

“It is in the face of adversity – what it takes to dig in and keep going. It is the same story within any sport, within anything actually. I think that is something we all have to do to succeed.”

Of course, stories of people – especially sports teams – overcoming adversity are common in fiction films but there is something particularly powerful about seeing it play out for real.

Debbie said: “It is much more resonant when it is real life. A lot of people said the reason why they love it is because it is the real story.

“It is true. You can see it is true. It is proper real life. I think that is amazing, I don’t think we see that much anymore on the TV or in the cinema. You properly can’t help getting involved with the people.”

Streetdance Family works so well – and has been enthusiastically reviewed – in part because of the fascinating story but also because of the way the filmmakers got close to the other Entity families.

The crew consisted of just Debbie on sound and Adam on camera. Debbie said: “The other parents, mostly mums, were fantastic.

“They were an amazing group of women and they had a real camaraderie.

“The thing about competitions is that you do feel a sense of belonging. It is like an extended family.

“All these people who have all their stuff going on, they have a facility where they can share their stories and have support from the other families.

“We just became part of that really. In a way – and again it is something that happens in long range documentaries – we became part of the furniture.

“People get used to us being there and that’s when you get real life happening before your eyes because they are not acting up for the camera and that’s when you get the best material.”

Tickets are available for STREETDANCE FAMILY only in selected cinemas from May 27. You must book in advance to secure your screening. To find your local screening visit www.streetdancefamilymovie.com