Anyone who has been following the long saga of the ‘Greys Inbetween’ reboot will have some idea of the journey it has been. It was odd though, in the summer, when I suddenly decided the reboot was a worthwhile use of my time, it never occurred to me that it might not be.
I was convinced when I wrote it and more so once I’d made the film that it was something I was proud of, that it stood on its own two feet. I guess I should need that conviction if I was ever going to spend the time and effort it requires to get the film to the finish point of eyeballs on a screen.
So after 21 years, it’s all the more satisfying to have finally managed it. I mean, with ‘Offending Angels’, I did manage to get the film into several film festivals and witness audiences enjoying the film, but with the sales agency collapsing under me shortly after signing them at Cannes, to never getting the film to its audience.
Then, for the same thing to happen to me ten years later with Greys, was galling, to say the least. I got horribly ripped off believing the silver tongue of a bullshit LA sales outfit who also robbed the film of a proper launch and all that goes with that.
Cut to 13 years on and really, I guess it was just a shift in my own attitude towards what might be possible, what opportunities might now be open to me and Greys, with the seismic shift in online distribution models as much as attitude towards stories of colour.
So not only was it gratifying to get the film accepted by FilmHub, but also then quickly picked up by three channels for dissemination worldwide. What I also decided to do was enter a couple of festivals.. again, something robbed from me in signing that distribution deal, back in 2009. Film festivals cost, so it was never a question of entering very many.
I was also limited by the year of production being a factor on many applications. So, in an era when festivals are inundated with entries, it was hugely satisfying to be informed yesterday that in the Depth of Field International Film Festival, Arthouse Film category, Greys had garnered recognition for Direction, Lead Actress and Original Score.
My congratulations to Natasha Bain and Composer, Jim Pinchen.
You gotta celebrate the wins.
