MOTHER’S DAY (2024)
A short film commissioned as part of the Ffilm Cymru Beacons scheme.
Selected for the 2024 BFI London Film Festival, Bolton International Film Festival, Birmingham Film Festival and long listed for The British Short Film Awards 2024.
Ffilm Cymru Wales has selected six new short films to progress into production through their Beacons scheme, supported by BBC Cymru Wales and BFI NETWORK with funding from the National Lottery. These six shorts from distinctive new voices in Welsh film tell cinematic stories through multiple languages and creative forms, including live-action, animation and documentary.
Mother’s Day, by Emily Burnett
A space-loving young boy must navigate a new world when his mum suddenly suffers a mental health crisis and his gran returns from the Caribbean to take care of him.
Written and directed by EMILY BURNETT, the cast includes TALITHA WING and ANITA REYNOLDS.
Emily is an alumna of BBC Writer's Room Welsh Voices and Literature Wales' Professional Development Programme and was recently commissioned to write for GALWAD. Cliff Edge Pictures’ LAURA SOUTHGATE produces with CRAIG ROBERTS and ADRIAN BATE as Executive Producers.
““I am so excited to bring this very personal story to life with such an extraordinary team of humans. Ever since I started writing I’ve been yearning to tell this story of resilience, love, growing up mixed race in Cardiff…and flying saucers. We hope it will offer a new perspective on the complexities of a child’s experience navigating a parent’s mental health.””
““It’s a tribute to the creatives involved with Beacons that the shortlist has such terrific range. They will be seen across the UK on BBC iPlayer and BBC Cymru Wales couldn’t be more proud to support this next generation of talent.””
““It’s always exciting to see the sheer range of creative ideas coming through from Welsh talent and we had an incredible response to our call for applications this year. We can’t wait to see how the 12 short film projects develop over the coming months.”
”
Mother’s Day was selected as part of the 2024 BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL.
Our film screened on Wednesday 9 October at the Soho Curzon.
The screening formed part of the ‘Family Ties’ programme exploring the complexities of family relations and personal identity in uniquely funny, often tender and sometimes unsettling shorts from new UK talent.
Mother’s Day was part of the official selection for the BOLTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2024.
Our short received its World Premiere on Saturday 5 October at the Light Cinema.
The screening formed part of the ‘New Arrivals’ programme - discovering the fresh voices of new filmmakers and celebrating emerging talent. The films selected were praised for their innovative storytelling and diverse perspectives.
We were thrilled to form part of a bold new pool of talent making their mark on the film circuit.
Mother’s Day is part of the official selection for the BIRMINGHAM FILM FESTIVAL.
The film was screened on Wednesday 13 November at the Curzon Millennium Point.
Tyler Rocha (EMRYS) was nominated for Best Young Male Actor at the festival awards.
Mother’s Day has been longlisted for the BRITISH SHORT FILM AWARDS 2024 in the following categories:
Best Welsh Short Film
Best Director - Emily Burnett
Best Cinematography - Ryan Eddleston
We’re honoured to have been selected amongst a wealth of British talent.
The awards ceremony will be held on the 30th of January 2025 at Rich Mix, in London.