Anywhere But Here

Anywhere but Here was a lockdown project made as a creative outlet for myself.

It was an interesting challenge as I had to direct one of my actors remotely and also act in it myself due to lack of options!! 
 

Not only was I directing myself in a project, when I wouldn’t count myself as an actor, but I was also doing every other role! I managed to rope my sister into helping me (it was lockdown, she wasn’t doing anything else!) and I had to teach her how to focus pull as well as be a general pair of hands.

It required a green screen and a number of creative decisions to work around the lack of equipment and people! 
 

It was filmed in the drying area of my flat using natural light and my phone for sound! It really was just meant as something to keep the juices flowing and skills from getting rusty, but the story resonated with audiences and screened at a few festivals, and was even nominated for an award!

Anywhere But Here was nominated for Best Relationship Drama at Oregon Short Film festival and screened at Kingston, Orgeon and Flickfair film festivals.

I am so proud of this project, not only because it exceeded my expectations, but because I had the motivation and need to be creative, and make films during a period of time where it was so easy to do the opposite! Lockdown was hard for everyone and I struggled with it, so the fact I wrote, filmed and edited a short film during it, telling a valid story, that connected with people from another part of the world, is truly incredible!