It’s August 6th, 1962 – Jamaican Independence Day. Daisy, a young Jamaican arrives to the ‘Mother Country’ of Britain to start a new life with her husband, whom she has not seen for two years. However, she’s holding a secret, which if discovered, could jeopardize everything. Daisy must choose what she wants for her life.
Film Specifications
- Narrative Short
- 17 Minutes, 33 Seconds
- Country, United Kingdom
- Filmed in United Kingdom
- Languages: English
- Screening Date – Sat, June 8, 2019 Shorts Series Showcase C
- Time – 1:15 pm
- Location – AMC Empire 25
Director Annetta Laufer
Annetta is an award winning filmmaker who has created short films that have screened at national and international film festivals including Encounters Film Festival, ABFF/HBO, Aesthetica Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, Pan African Film Festival, Uppsala Film Festival and the Harlem International Film Festival in New York.
She won Best Film for her short ‘Winnie and the Duppybat’ at the BFM International Film Festival in the UK and was a HBO short film finalist at the American Black Film Festival in 2006. In 2007 her short ‘The Recording’ was nominated for Best Short Film at the London Short Film Festival, the East End Film Festival as well as at the Kodak Film Awards.
In 2010 Annetta was commissioned by B3 Media and UK Film Council to make her short film ‘Winking Man Rock’ which premiered at the Brief Encounters Film Festival.
In 2015 her short film ‘Scarlet’ won the Best Screenwriter Award at the Indian Cine Film Festival in Mumbai and was nominated for Best Writer at the Underwire Film Festival in London.
In 2016, Annetta’s dystopian SCI FI short film ‘Afro Punk Girl’ premiered at the London Short Film Festival 2017 and won Best Short Film at the Black International Film Festival 2017. It was also selected for ‘Film of the Week’ by SHORTS International, USA in January 2018, where Annetta appeared on ‘Filmmaker’s Spotlight’ to discuss her work.
Her latest film ‘The Arrival’, was made as part of a new Directors Diversity scheme sponsored by Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions.
As a storyteller, Annetta is very passionate about telling female-led stories and challenging people’s stereotypes and perceptions of women of colour. She is currently developing two feature films and a SCI FI TV series.
Director’s Statement
This film recounts the experiences of first generation Jamaicans as they struggle to adapt to their new lives in Britain, when racial tension were at a boiling point.
Inspired by the stories of my grandmother and her generation, I wanted to showcase the joys of their experiences in coming to the UK, as well as the difficulties the women in particular faced. This is a different kind of 1960s Britain that most of the time is not discussed or depicted.
And with the Windrush scandal causing national outrage in the UK i.e. deportations, grandmothers held in detention centres and people losing the right to housing and healthcare, I believe it is an important time to remember the stories and experiences of these Commonwealth British Citizens, who were invited to live here and helped rebuild a postwar Britain.
Film Credits
- Annetta Laufer, Director
- Annetta Laufer Writer
- Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, Producer
- Robin Whenary, Cinematography
- Naomi Ackie, Key Cast
- Anthony Welsh Key Cast
- Sharlene Whyte, Key Cast
