At a difficult crossroad, Ellie must conquer her demons and push aside the opinions of those around her, if she is ever going to get a chance to live her dream of being a professional ballet dancer.
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Hiraeth, meaning to long for something from the past or a past that never was, centres on a ballerina and how her passion for dance defines her. It explores her struggles with pursuing her passion whilst being surrounded by people who believe it’s just a hobby and not a serious job, alongside the difficulties of pursuing a career in the arts. Whilst this narrative focuses on ballet, the basic premise, of being made to feel that your job is not viable or even valuable, is universal to individuals across all areas of art industries. How the government addressed those of us working in the industry over the last year, is one of the more recent occurrences that make this narrative all the more vital to be told.
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A Word From The Producer
This film is extremely personal to me. Having grown up going to the Theatre, Cinema, Ballet and Opera, I have been lucky enough to have always been surrounded by the Arts industry and I feel extremely connected to it. It is a huge part of what makes me, me. Last year when the pandemic first hit and we were put into the first lockdown, I turned to the Arts more than ever as a source of comfort and hope. It kept me going. However, I was deeply hurt by the release of the ‘Rethink, Reskill and Retrain’ campaign and the implication us creatives need to look for ‘viable’ jobs. As a creative and someone who has such a personal connection to the Arts, this felt like a direct attack on not only my chosen career path, but a personal attack on who I am. With Hiraeth, I aim to address the importance of pursuing one’s dream and a career in the Arts, reinforcing both its importance in society as well as the role it plays with regards to keeping people going. If this past year proves anything, it’s that we need the Arts and they are without a doubt not shown the credit or service they deserve.
A Word From The Director
When Milly first approached me to direct her short film, I was incredibly excited. The tale of someone finding the courage to follow their dreams is one as old as time, but the way Milly wants to tell the story connects with me on a deeply personal level. Dancing has played a big role in my life since the age of 3 and I considered following it as a career on many occasions. Although I decided it wasn’t the path for me, it has always meant a great deal, and I feel very privileged to have been asked to tell the story of someone searching for the courage to follow their dream in Hiraeth. Now more than ever, after a year of dancers, artists and performers being told to retrain for a different, more realistic career, it’s important to me to be a part of a film that encourages holding onto hope, despite the obstacles. My hope for this project is that we can craft a story that will inspire those who took the safer path rather than following their passion and those whose self belief may be faltering, and remind them all that it's still possible.
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In order to make this project a reality, we ideally need to raise (deep breath) £10,000. We drew up multiple budgets and this is the figure we managed to get it down to without compromising the quality or essence of the film.
One of the most important things for Hiraeth, is getting the right locations, and what better way to capture the essence of the arts than by filming in a theatre? Alongside shooting at Pineapple Dance Studios in Covent Garden, our locations make up for a large chunk of our budget and without them, the film simply wouldn't convey what we hope it to. We will be working with a wonderful choreographer and some fantastic professional ballerinas, who need a lot of time and space to put together the dances that run throughout the film, and so rehearsal spaces for that also make up a large amount of our budget, alongside paying our cast.
The remainder of the budget will be split between production design, allowing the hiring of certain equipment, and paying our crew (and covering their travel and food expenses). Although many of us make films because it's what we love to do, we would love to be able to pay our crew fairly for their time, so that they can afford to continue bringing their skills and expertise to films such as ours. This is something we will not be able to do without your help to reach our funding target.
The arts are so incredibly important, especially now after they has been missing from our lives for so long, and it's important to us that we present the arts and the world within it with the grandeur, honesty and beauty that it deserves. We want to do the arts justice, and everyone within it that has struggled so much this part year. With your help, no matter how small, we aim to reach our target and be able to capture the essence of the arts; the hope and perseverance that it takes to stay true to your passion, no matter where the road may lead.
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We know things are tight at the moment and we understand that not everyone is able to financially support us, but there are other excellent ways you can help us for free if you can't contribute or if you have and want to support us further!
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If you feel as passionately as us about our short film Hiraeth, tell your family, friends and work colleagues about us and our fantastic project and how they too can help get our film made. Word of mouth really helps!
Thank you!