Saving Art
Instead of telling his newly diagnosed five-year-old son that he has Leukaemia; Brian tells Arthur that the chemotherapy will give him superpowers. In a battle to keep them both positive, Brian is haunted by his lie as he struggles to find hope.
Interview with Writer/Director Remi R.M. Moses
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
My 5-year-old niece was diagnosed with Leukaemia in 2015. I found myself confused and hopeless that doctors could just one day tell a person they were going to die, let alone a five-year-old. Luckily, she gained remission after 30 days of chemotherapy but one of the most inspiring things to come from her experience was the act of love shown by her parents. To fight this darkness with happiness and joy when people can so easily and justifiably shrink. The stories I would hear from the children's ward were those of pure innocence, where kids had no idea what was going on and made up stories about their illnesses (a lot of the time, because of their parents)... The thought of adults projecting their own preconceptions and fears of cancer onto their kids inspired me to tell this story about what happens when you choose to fight the darkness with joy.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This film deals with the dread of cancer but explores it with tenderness and honesty. It's an example of how to be present and joyful when children lose hope. I think it's important to enthuse parents with unapologetic imagination in order to give children another form of medicine.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I think a lot of people can understand how easy it is to think of cancer as a death sentence and just how dreadful it can be to feel like terminally ill people are on a ticking clock. We all face existentialism at some point in our lives, and it grounds us a lot of the time. This is really just an examination of how adults can project their fears onto kids and from the darkness, how easy it is to tell little white lies to protect them from the truth. Exploring those little lies and using them as fuel for imagination and wonder was key to making this story a cathartic experience.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I wrote the script in 2016 and it was very raw, almost like a biopic in some ways. When I was coming towards my graduation film whilst at film school, I revisited the story and did a few heavy redrafts. I think film school taught me to be more clinical with scene selection and pacing, so in pre-production, I think I went up to 12 drafts of the script. Then, as you film, the script changes because you realise some dialogue doesn't work or the blocking isn't as you planned, and things evolve on the fly. Then again in the editing room, things evolve, scenes get cut, scenes also shrink or stretch because you experience the story in a new way. Even after it's finished, I'm exploring and imagining new things I could do with the storytelling.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
It's been very positive and in every screening, people are crying their eyes out. It's unreal to me because when I wrote it, I was crying and knew that this was the feeling I wanted to share with people. So to have this reception almost years later is surreal.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I would say it challenged me. The conversations that have sparked from people seeing the film have always been interesting. People open up about their experiences with cancer or losing loved ones and how they managed their emotions and happiness during a time of pre-grief.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
This film embodies a kind of tender and subtle hope that I think permeates through every frame. I want people to look at children with cancer with more hope and kindness because their survival rates are higher than ever. I really am keen on having as many screenings as possible to get more people to experience this story.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
To my knowledge, this is one of the only films/stories about a black British father and son that centres around cancer. Even doing research for this film was difficult because there are no references for what black chemo hair looks like. So I think representation really matters. I can't imagine what it must be like being a young black boy/girl who is losing their hair and has no point of reference for what solutions there could be. A lot of cancer stories are sad and heartbreaking, and you have to be truthful when exploring this illness, but this film is about inspiring hope and I want that to be seen by as many people as possible.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would love to be able to screen this for children and adults alike, who are going through situations like this in hospitals around the world. I think it's universal in its themes of love and hope. This film could inspire a new way to think/approach cancer.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Is it ok to lie to kids about their health in order to protect them from an existential crisis?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are currently developing the feature-length script of Saving Art and looking to start finding collaborators and funders next year.
Interview: January 2024
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Saving Art
Instead of telling his newly diagnosed five-year-old son that he has Leukaemia; Brian tells Arthur that the chemotherapy will give him superpowers. In a battle to keep them both positive, Brian is haunted by his lie as he struggles to find hope.
Length: 15:00
Director: Remi R.M. Moses
Producer: Victor Nauwynck, Jing Zhao, Dami Adeyeye
Writer: Remi R.M. Moses
About the writer, director and producer:
A graduate of The London Film School, Remi is a black British-born filmmaker who likes to tell stories about disability, invisible illnesses/struggles and intimately complicated queer relationships. He has an affinity with intimate black stories, often told from his own experiences growing up in a Caribbean household. When it comes to visual storytelling, Remi has a very poignant and romantic style.
Key cast: Michael Salami, Pierre-Laurent Vawah, Niamh Lewis, Oxa Hazel, Alex Walton
Looking for: film festival directors, distributors, journalists, sales agents
Twitter: @RemiRMMoses
Instagram: @rmmosesuk
Website: www.rmmoses.co.uk
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Slamdance - January 21st & 24th (Park City) // London Film School Graduate showcase at the BFI Southbank - January 24th