I have been excited about writing this blog post for months now! Having news that is exciting, that you have to keep a secret is a definite weakness of mine. I despise signing NDA’s that curtail me from screaming things from the rooftop, and anyone who knows me well, knows not to tell me anything that is remotely, well, secret! (Except serious matters, of course.)
Anyway, I have harped on about our first short film Sylvia enough that you all now know that we made this film on a shoestring back in 2018, with our poor family and friends being dragged along for the ride. Not to mention our kids! Ha, terrible parents. Well anyway, we have some bloody great and exciting news and that is, that this small, Norfolk and Suffolk produced short film has been acquired by Disney+ and is hitting every household across the UK and Europe - NOW!! That is around 20 million subscribing households, who can now all watch our small little film from their sofa!!
We never could decide on a poster!
It seems very apt that my last blog post was about the potential for something small, and seemingly insignificant, to make an impact and a difference. I wrote that not knowing that I would be able to share this news today, but it really strengthens my point that from the four walls of a small office you can create something that reaches into the lives of millions of people.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Sylvia will not be viewed by millions, but it certainly now has the platform to reach further than we could ever have pushed it. And like a child being dropped at University for the first time, I am SO bloody proud of this film and the immensely talented and wonderful people that bought it to life 5 years ago. From the incredible cast, (Jolie Lennon IS phenomenal, and deserves to be in demand!), to the crew, who worked so hard and for such long hours (you know who you are, we love you) and to every local business that supported us on our journey (especially Kevin and Carl for the bus, and Carolyn, the daffodil lady, for opening her garage for us and making us hot chocolate!). This is why we do this weird filmmaking thing, where we bat off rejection on a regular basis, question our life choices frequently and sacrifice family / wellness / mental health / money / holidays / routine etc etc - because one day, you might make something that makes all those sacrifices worth it.
Speaking of sacrificing ones mental health, today is Mental Health Awareness day - and I know from experience that when struggling with mental health this consumes everyday, not just one day a year. But we MUST talk about this. I received an email from the mother of Jonny Hamer in April of this year. Jonny was the incredibly talented musician who composed all the music for Sylvia, outside Dr. Hooks “Sylvia’s Mother”. But life became too much for Jonny and he suffered with Serious Mental Illness and took his own life in April this year. It had only been three weeks prior that I’d left him a voicemail asking him to call me, as I wanted to tell him about Disney+ and talk music rights. I never did tell him the news and the fact people everywhere will be hearing his wonderful music and he will never know, is devastating. Heather, Jonny’s Mum, is pushing to raise more awareness about SMI, as we all should be. We cannot afford to lose anymore wonderful people to mental illness. So please, if/when you watch Sylvia, pay attention to the music, because we must celebrate what Jonny achieved in his too short life.
If you bump into me anytime in the next 10 years, I am telling you in advance, that I will be bragging about this film and it’s family of creators, shamelessly, openly and like a proud Mother, for the foreseeable future. Please, let me have my moment, because my next steps are raising finance for our first feature and well…we all know that’s going to be a right breeze. But today, the impending bumps in the road can just hold on a second, and will not dampen our spirits! I am off to watch this bloody awesome film called Sylvia and listen to it’s bloody beautiful soundtrack…ON MY TELLY!
Huge thank you to Sabrina for allowing us to tell her story and to Network Ireland Television for getting Sylvia out into the world!!
Watch on Disney+ HERE
magical news for a magical film made by a magical family