The Language of Grief
The Language of Grief – Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds
The Stroud Film Festival is delighted to present an exploration of the way we talk about love, life, death and bereavement. Stroud film makers, charity founders and bereaved parents, Jimmy Edmonds and Jane Harris have curated a diverse selection of documentaries for this unique festival event on Saturday 7th March at Open House, 7.30pm. ‘The Language of Grief’ evening will include a discussion of each film with its film makers who will each present their work on the night.
‘Almost Heaven’ (75mins) is directed and presented by Carol Salter, winner of Best Documentary, British Independent Film Awards 2017. Carol is an award-winning documentary director who specialises in telling intimate stories from around the world.
The film follows Ying Ling, a 17-year-old girl far from home, as she trains to become a mortician in one of China’s largest funeral homes. An intimate, tender and life-affirming portrait of a young woman on the cusp of adulthood. The film is a poignant reflection on death and the fragility of life, but also a reminder of what it is to be young and alive. It’s a tender elegy to first love, friendship and the importance of caring for the dead. It has screened right across the globe and we are thrilled to be able to share it with you as part of the festival.
https://almost-heaven-film.com/ www.carolsalterfilm.com
‘Laid Bare’ (8 mins) directed by Adam Hale. In this short film, bereaved mother Anne-Marie Cockburn offers an exquisite and moving video portrait following her daughter’s death.
In July 2013 Anne-Marie Cockburn’s 15-year-old daughter, Martha, spent the afternoon in an Oxford park with friends. There she took a half gram of pure crystallised MDMA (ecstasy) which killed her.
‘In the very moment I watched the life slip away from my beautiful girl, the words “I have a future and I have a life” came into my head - they were loud and they were clear. I was confused in that moment as to why those words would appear, but they stuck and in time became my mantra.’
Anne-Marie met Jimmy and Jane during one of The Active Grief Retreats organised by their charity The Good Grief Project. The project exists to provide bereaved parents with an understanding of their grief through the positive actions of activity and creativity.
https://thegoodgriefproject.co.uk/about/
Anne-Marie continues, ‘Creativity has played a key part in my healing. I had an idea to project photos onto a white t-shirt I was wearing as I wanted to show the world what bereavement feels like. I made a short film about Martha (with my friend Adam Hale), it is a real labour of love. The end result astounded me - Adam’s interpretation is both beautiful and powerful.’
‘Lessons in Grief’ (18 mins) directed by Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds. Here at the Stroud premiere, they share an insider’s view of two bereaved parents at they negotiate their way through the Mexican festival, Day of the Dead. This short film highlights what they learned from visiting Oaxaca during this festival of death. It raised all sorts of questions for them about the alternatives to a ‘stiff upper lip’ cultural approach to death.
Jimmy and Jane founded the ‘Good Grief Project’ charity to support parents experiencing grief. Their own journey of loss followed the tragic death of their son Joshua in 2011. In response to their joint grief and using their filmmaking skills, they embarked on a road trip to the USA to meet other grieving parents. The result of this extraordinary journey can be viewed in their documentary ‘A Love that Never Dies’. Since its world premiere in London in 2018, the film has been screened in over 50 cinemas all over world to huge acclaim. ‘A Love that Never Dies’ has now been released online and can be viewed via Amazon and Vimeo. https://thegoodgriefproject.co.uk/our-films/
‘Neither a depressing film nor a sentimental one. The smorgasbord of grief laid out here, in all its variety — wit and humour, shame and defiance — is a testament to life.’ FLIC EVERETT in THRIVE GLOBAL
Jimmy and Jane have always enjoyed being present at their screenings - to share their journey, to answer questions and to hear the many and varied stories of grief that the film provokes for its audiences.
Here at the Stroud Screening of ‘Lessons in Grief’, Jimmy and Jane would like to share thoughts of their work and personal experiences of grief during an audience Q & A shared with their fellow filmmakers.
If you would like to know more about their films, retreats and work with bereaved parents, or make a donation, please do not hesitate to contact them via:
https://www.facebook.com/thegoodgriefproject/
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgriefproject/
https://twitter.com/GoodGriefProj