Short Documentary (11 mins)
Winner ‘Best Short Documentary’ Antenna Documentary Film Festival
Director, Producer, Cinematographer & Editor: Rainer Kelly
Sound Design & Mix: Ramsay De Marco
Colourist: Daniel Stonehouse
Original Music Composed by: Nic Ryan-Glenie
Music Performed by: Nic Ryan-Glenie & Sara Glenie
Title Design: Julia Pattenden
Sarah Ward and Bec Matthews are a multi-award winning queer creative couple that collaborate, perform and live together. A snapshot of their excessively busy pre-pandemic lifestyle contrasts the following scenes in which we witness a day in the life of their adaptation to a new found existence amid an arts industry in turmoil. An intimate portrait from wake til sleep we see how they have transitioned from adult theatre performers to online children and family performers. Their working and romantic relationship blends and merges, when weekends, mealtimes and bedtimes become places for brainstorming sessions. Surviving cancer and living with chronic anxiety and a borderline personality disorder, Sarah is creating a show where she plays herself for the first time and explores the idea that she doesn’t really know who that is. Sarah and Bec’s mental health has been up and down throughout the pandemic, though their love and support for each other has seen them through these lockdowns with as much grace as possible. Apart from that one time when they left cat vomit on the floor for a whole week.
FILM INK
The Space Around You by Rainer Kelly for “pushing the artistic envelope and creating a touching portrait of love amidst the ruins of a life dedicated to making art, interrupted by a pandemic, lockdown and cancer. It is done with originality, a story covered with scars that joyfully paints them blue. It is colourful, wild, and pushes the limits of good taste while telling a universal, simple ‘love conquers all’ story.”
