‘Till Death Do Us’ Part Pitch Film Fund Winner

Sat in an acting class back in 2010, when I was wrinkle free and my ovaries were firing on all cylinders, an inspiring American coach Bernard Hiller, challenged the entire class to start writing and producing our own work. The take-away advice was, “If you want to act – act. Stop moaning that your agent never calls and create your own work.”

I told myself this was a great idea if I could write, but I didn’t know the first thing about script writing let alone 12-point Courier font size. Bernard’s challenge stayed with me and it’s thanks to him I embarked on this unplanned adventure into short film making. It’s been the greatest idea anyone has ever given me (well that and IPL hair removal).  Creating my own work is fulfilling, empowering, a lot of fun and allows me to create challenging roles to play. 

I discovered ‘The Pitch Film Fund’ in 2011 thanks to an actor friend, (thanks Gazza).  The initial attraction was that I didn’t even need to a write a script, I just had to come up with a modern-day adaptation of a Bible story and make a two-minute pitch video in the hope of winning a generous production Award. Finally, those years of attending Sunday school would come in handy!   I chose the beheading of John the Baptist (not a comedy!) that I set in Scotland leading up to the vote for independence.  A young director came on board to shoot the pitch film trailer. Amazingly, he wasn’t scared off by my basic notes, written Blue Peter style, rather than a professional script.

Incredibly, I made the finals and pitched at Pinewood to some amazing industry judges including Oscar winner Nick Park. Even more incredibly, I made it to the final three!  Who’d have thought?! I was untrained but full of passion and energy. I was disappointed not to win after this exciting rollercoaster ride, but looking back, I’m really glad I didn’t win as it made me want to work harder, learn a bit about script writing and come back the next year with a bigger and better entry. I did return, all guns blazing, with an exciting pitch trailer based on Judas Iscariot and the betrayal of Christ (not a comedy!).  I got to the final three but missed out again. I was gutted and the blues set in. Luckily, I had discovered Reed Film competition (which sadly no longer exists) and this new challenge got me revved up.   I was able to channel my energy and feelings into making my first comedy short film, Ambition, – a three-minute film inspired by my failures and lack of acting success which celebrated Thomas Eddison’s, quote, ‘I haven’t failed, I’ve found 10,000 ways that don’t work’.  

I realised some years ago that it’s important to enjoy and appreciate the journey. Through entering The Pitch Film Fund, I’ve met some great film-makers whom I’ve collaborated with on lots of my short films. I have found my voice in comedy and having this annual challenge gives me an opportunity to develop my writing muscles and be creative. The Pitch team are so incredibly supportive and helpful to all who enter. They offer feedback, networking events and industry training sessions to help entrants through each stage of the process. 

Every year since 2011, bar one (when I was still rocking in the foetal position after another loss), I have kept entering The Pitch.  It became my holy grail.  The Japanese have a great quote, ‘Fall down seven times, get up eight’ which definitely helped fuel my determination. I love the challenge of adapting a Bible story – there are so many incredible stories within this collection of books which have inspired many Hollywood films. The more I explore the Bible and study it, the more comedy gold I discover. Stories of pooing in a cave, cutting off 200 foreskins to pay a dowry, tricking a whole town of men to get circumcised…what’s not to like?! There is no other short film opportunity in the UK that I know of which offers a £25k fund to the winner, together with production support. 

This year was my 11th entry in the Pitch Film Fund and the 5th time in the finals. Some friends thought this was utter madness to keep entering…but this has been a really positive focus for me mentally, through a lot of serious illness, operations and other life stuff. I always tried to listen to feedback each year in order to come back with something stronger the next. And yes, I also wanted there to be a Disney ending one day, to prove hard work and perseverance do pay off, so luckily kept the faith (thanks George Michael).

This year I was lucky enough to win the Comedy Production Award with my entry, ’Till Death do us Part’, a black comedy inspired by the biblical heroine Abigail. I still say lucky, despite a huge amount of hard work as I realise an element of luck is involved – which is the magic ingredient to winning. Pitching a film idea is like making a meal for a group of strangers, not knowing what their food preferences are or if they have any allergies. This year I was fortunate to dish up a story that an incredible panel of industry judges liked; award-winning producer, Hester Ruoff; Director of NFTS, Jon Wardle,  BAFTA winning writer/director Gbemisola Ikumelo and actress Indira Varma. 

Thanks to the judges and the Pitch Film Fund, I have won £25,000 to get the film made later this year including script development. After so many attempts, over so many years, I feel complete and utter relief!  Hard work and perseverance really did pay off, which is just as well, as between you and me, this was going to be my last attempt! Exciting times ahead, thanks to an ancient Bible story which is still so relevant and inspiring today. Someone pour me a glass of champagne!