ONCE UPON A TIME…
A young British Nigerian woman, Uju struggles to find a decent job. As her situation gets worse, she decides to take the drastic step of changing her ethnic name to an English one, hoping this will improve her chances. But on the night of her name change, she is haunted by a curious old woman who squats down heavily on her chest and whose presence forces her to question the significance of her name and her identity.
A STORY THAT NEEDS TO BE TOLD…
In Diaspora, you’re in constant flow between two identities. But what happens when one of these identities is treated as less worthy than the other and one which should be pushed to the background and if possible hidden away? And if your name reveals you as having this ‘pariah’ identity, what happens then?
The BBC recently did a programme on how a job seeker with an English sounding name was offered three times the number of jobs than one with a Muslim name, although they had identical CVs. We hope our film while being entertaining will also raise debate and conversation around this issue.
A STORY THAT NEEDS YOU…
Once An Old Lady Sat On My Chest proved its a story worth telling by winning second prize at the Encounters Film Festival Widening The Lens, a project supported by the BFI Diversity Fund and receiving £500 as a small kickstart to production. The project was also developed with the support of the B3 Talent Lab.
Your donation will go toward helping us with the several components of the production including:
- Super talented cast and crew
- Location costs
- Art Department
- Travel and catering for cast and crew
- Camera and lighting kit
- Music and Post Production
- Funds towards festival entry fees
Each and every contribution made is greatly appreciated. We have amazing perks to offer for your generous pledge so please spread the word and THANK YOU for your support!
WHAT YOU GET IN RETURN
In return for your generous support, you not only get the satisfaction of knowing you helped tell our story but you also receive some of the fantastic perks and rewards listed at the side including…
- Exclusive preview of the film
- Named in the credits
- Dinner for 2 sponsored by Chuku’s Nigerian Tapas restaurant
- Organic African skin care products sponsored by Shea Luxuries
- Encounters BAFTA qualifying film festival passes and more!
MEET THE TALENT
We are extremely excited and honoured to have award-winning actress Ellen Thomas on board playing the role of ”the old woman”.
Ellen is known for her role as Claudette Hubbard on BBC’s EastEnders and as Grace Olubunmi in the Channel 4 comedy, Teachers. Her other screen credits include: Basic Instinct 2, Johnny English Reborn, Doctor Who, Humans, Rev, Casualty, Holby City, The Bill , Ryan and Ronnie and Secret Laughter of Women. Theatre credits include: The Hotel Cerise by Bonnie Greer (The Royal Stratford Theatre) Egusi Soup, Tiata Delights, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (Almeida Theatre), Statement Of Regret, The American Clock and Fuente Ovejuna (National Theatre).
MEET THE TEAM
Candice Onyeama – Writer/Director/Co-Producer
Candice’s debut film HUSH which she wrote and produced was the winner of the Ideas tap funds short award. It has screened at the BFI, the BUFF International film festival, the African International Film festival and is scheduled to screen as part of the centerpiece showcase at the NFFTY film festival in Seattle. She is also the founder of Genesis Child films, a production company with a focus on stories by women of African descent.
Nicola Gregory – Producer
Nicola’s debut independent feature film Hard Time Bus won ‘Best Feature’ at the Hollywood Black Film Festival, ‘Best Festival Feature’ at the MVSA’s and was nominated for several awards at the American Black Film Festival, including ‘Best Film’, ‘Best Director’, and ‘Best Screenplay’. The film went on to secure distribution at the Cannes Film Market.She has a slate of films and two serial dramas in development set in the UK and Africa with her team at 2HOTFILMS, whose aim is to subvert stereotypes and present a balanced and manifold view of women and the Diaspora.
Benjamin Cooper – Director Of Photography
Ben has worked on a range of commercial and independent short films. His work has been screened and exhibited at galleries and festivals such as Portobello Film Festival (London), Parasol Unit (London), Lumens International Film Festival (Leeds) and Durham Beyond Film Festival (Durham) .
http://www.benjamindcooper.co.uk/
SHARING IS CARING!
Become griots for our story and help us spread the word! Please tweet, like, share on Facebook, Instagram, by text, e-mail, word of mouth and even carrier pigeon! ( you get the point ). The more people know about the project, the more they can get on board and help make it happen. So please become a part of our creative village and help make our film baby a reality. Thank you! xx