How we made Human Traffic: ‘The first question I asked in the auditions was: have you ever taken drugs?’

‘I thought about all the films that first represented their subcultures and hoped that mine could represent ours’ … the cast of Human Traffic, with John Simm (centre). Photograph: Miramax/Allstar

Justin Kerrigan, director

I wanted to make a film about what me and my friends got up to on weekends. The 90s club scene was amazing. The rave generation was about love, the ecstasy worked and the music was underground – advertising hadn’t ruined it. Apart from the odd bad boy, the people were nice, eccentric characters who danced like loons all night.