We were so delighted to have talented young film maker Ella Vincenzi as part of the team on our project for WHO. She documented the process and has made a lovely short film of our journey. It was great to reflect on the process while we were going through it and was a really helpful way of bringing perspective to any challenges as well as constantly connecting us back to our core purpose in making it. Click here to see the film.
Great to see the film coming together… still work to do on graphics, grade and sound, and finalising credits… but its getting there!
We have found a fantastic warehouse location to film this project – in Bermondsey, London. It used to be a victorian tannery and is full of atmosphere. Its great to see everything coming together and particularly exciting to hear the fantastic music filling the spaces as we work from Tunde Jegede and Renu, and to have the youngest member of the team – our actress Ulrika’s 4 month old baby girl Maitreya – on set with us today. What an honour!
Having interviewed health care workers from all around the world we transcribed all the interviews, and then set about doing a thematic analysis. Once we had established the key themes that came through, we began to write a script. This was a long process! The first script was over half an hour long, and after numerous discussions and a lot of soul searching we have managed to cut the script down to 15 minutes. Its heartbreaking to lose some of the stories but we hope to be able to honour these in other ways. The script is now approved by WHO so we have cast 3 fantastic actors, found a brilliant musician – Tunde Jegede – to collaborate with, and begun rehearsals….
We are very excited to be collaborating with The WHO and The Presencing Institute to listen to the stories of change makers at all levels in the health sector worldwide and to create another storytelling film. We will take the key themes from these conversations and weave a narrative from their stories to shed light on what it means to be a change maker. Through the power of storytelling this film will inspire other potential change makers and provide inspiration for change.
So pleased to be screening “Life Growing Up” with GHFF online program, alongside the brilliant documentary 5B. Its followed by a Q&A.
Life Growing Up won best film in the Long Form under £5m category at the Charity Film Awards from a shortlist of 18 films. It was a surreal affair as the whole ceremony was broadcast live on Youtube during lockdown and we were watching at home, but big celebrations here when we won! Credit to all the amazing young people who shared their stories with us. Their courage has changed the way people think and feel about young people born with HIV. We couldn’t have made the film without their stories.
We are delighted to announce that we have just heard that we are finalists in the charity film awards for our film “Life Growing Up” – the true stories of young people in the Uk growing up with HIV. Please vote for us here… there is still time! And tune in to watch the Live digital broadcast of the virtual awards ceremony on Tuesday 21st April at 7pm by going the Charity Film Awards website.
We are so excited to announce that Life Growing Up, our film about the stories of young people growing up with HIV, has been shortlisted for the Charity Film Awards. The second stage of voting starts now, so please add your vote here.
Great to watch Life Growing Up Screened at the Global Health Film Festival with co-writer Danny Scheinmann and producer Tamsin Herbert, and was honoured to be part of a panel discussion following the screening.
Sarah Sutcliffe 