Our Films
A Love That Never Dies
A Love That Never Dies documents our journeys to Vietnam, India and across the USA – a trip made in honour of Josh who was also on his travels when he died.
Over a three month period we met and filmed with eleven families all of whom shared remarkable stories of living beyond the death of their child.
But not without facing some big big questions. How do we integrate loss? How can we ride the pain? How can I forgive? Above all, grief stories are love stories.
BEYOND THE MASK
GRIEF DURING COVID
Made entirely during lockdown, and with the lived experience of grief under the Covid restrictions at its core, Beyond The Mask explores many aspects common to both grief and the pandemic – the isolation, a sense of time stopping, the loss of confidence, the damage to mental health and of course mask wearing and the various ways we are having to adjust to our “new normal”.
“utterly beautiful and pertinent film”
“You have captured a moment in time that will resonate with people everywhere.”
“Ironically, watching this poignant film makes me feel less alone in my grief”
You can now watch BEYOND THE MASK totally FREE of charge. This is our gift to you. If you enjoy it, perhaps you could donate a token fee that will help us continue our work. CLICK HERE TO DONATE
LESSONS IN GRIEF
MEXICAN DAY OF THE DEAD
Following our road trip across the USA we travel down to Oaxaca in Mexico to meet with other bereaved parents as they prepare for the annual Day of the Dead celebrations.
Lessons in Grief is our attempt to find out how other cultures grieve. Mexico has many rituals and traditions around grief and loss and we wonder how these might help families coming to terms with death of a son or daughter … or not.
What we discover is that people’s approach to death (especially the death of a child) is not as straightforward as we had first thought.
Beyond Goodbye
Beyond Goodbye is our account of Josh’s funeral. It is both a tribute to him as well as a reflection on what it has meant for us to organize a fairly ambitious event in such a short space of time. Over 300 people attended, many of who were meeting for the first time.
We found that organising the funeral ourselves without recourse to a traditional funeral director was of immense value as we struggled to come to terms with our loss.
“Don’t shy away from this film because you’re afraid it will remind you of your mortality and make you cry. Because that’s exactly why you need to see it. Death is part of life and by averting our gaze we deny ourselves the chance to really live it.” (Nicola Dela-Croix – Funeral Celebrant)
Say Their Name
We produced Say Their Name for The Compassionate Friends – a peer to peer support network and a charity dedicated to supporting families after the death of a child.
The only film available in the UK made by and for bereaved parents, it provides an invaluable insight into what many have described “as every parent’s worst nightmare” and will give comfort to the newly bereaved, plus understanding to their friends and family.
“Such a moving film – sad but very powerful” Claudia Hammond, BBC Radio 4
This Is Purgatory
Jimmy made This Is Purgatory some years before Josh died as part of an arts project in our local town of Stroud in the UK. Nearby is a small wood called ‘Purgatory’ but nobody seems to know why.
“It does feel slightly odd watching this film now, given that its core question is what happens when we die,” says Jimmy.
“I started by trying to find out the origins of the name but ended up with a series of quirky character studies and a fairly lighthearted reflection on life now and the life hereafter. I’m not sure that I could make it now. That said, I’m still very proud of the film. It was fun to make and it still raises a smile”.
Gerry’s Legacy
One man’s story of dementia. Gerry Harris (92) has been admitted to a psychiatric ward for emergency respite care. His wife Pat has had a stroke and can no longer look after him.
There are no permanent beds available in any of the local dementia homes so Gerry must stay in hospital until one becomes free. His daughter Jane visits him regularly and is disturbed by the lack of care or understanding her father receives.
Filmed over a two year period Gerry’s Legacy is a disturbing insight into the progress of dementia and the hopes and fears of those who live with it.
