You may already be aware of this, but the last 12 months of my life has been enriched by a film 'Losing Us', that I am directing and editing. It has been a journey with so many eventful memories. When we set out to make Losing Us film with producers Lesley and Anton, we wanted to create more than a little short film - we wanted to create a story on and off the screen that we never forget.
I am proud to say that we have more than achieved what we set out to do, making a heartfelt film that everyone can be proud of and along the way, have created a team that is hugely supportive of each other's successes on our set and beyond.
Have a look at the behind the scenes photo slideshow to get a feel of what the film is going to look like and the people behind the project. These were taken during the five days of filming we did in early September of 2021.
Now, five months later, we are about to embark on filming the very last scene that will become the ending for Losing Us film.
To make this happen, we had the privilege of casting two extra actors. We had almost 160 people apply for roles and it was heartwarming to see the passion so many of them had for our project and the subject matter of the film. Finding the final two was not an easy decision, as we had so many talented actors apply.
Alex Quinn and and Richard Bobb-Semple and our final two and we are excited to meet them in person first time in just two days time on set, after zoom auditions and phone calls. They will be traveling from opposite sides of the country to the little Reepham in Norfolk where most of the film has been made and will be joined by our leading lady Vesarta Xhafaj who plays a 12 year old Elira.
(Behind the scenes photo of Vesarta with our other lead actor Harbin Mustafi)
Some short films are made almost like community projects where many people give their time and help to make it happen. Losing Us is a prime example of that. We have had the financial support of 165 people on various crowdfunding platforms from around the world (including the wonderful Stephen Fry), had 40 professional crew and cast members throughout the project, very kind 60 local extras donated their time and joined us on set, as well as a whole lot of local people in Reepham and the surrounding areas who helped us with props, locations, equipment and advice.
If you would like to become part of the Losing Us family and would like to support our film, you can still do that by leaving us a donation on https://ko-fi.com/losingus or by buying one of the Losing Us clothing items here. Any money we raise will go towards the post production of Losing Us and cover costs of music composing and additional sound recording, editing and so much more that every film needs to complete, before it can be shown to the world.
And to finish off this letter to you, I would love to share my favourite photo of my two comrades and me, who have been with me throughout this project, our wonderful producers Lesley van Dijk and Anton Kamillus. Without the continued support for each other and the unbelievable hours of work we all put into this project, this film would never have been made. Photo made in August 2021, on the day of one of our BBC radio interviews about the Losing Us project.
I hope this letter finds you well and safe, and that you enjoyed reading what our film team has been up to. Connecting with people is what any kind of creative projects and work are ultimately about so please feel to connect back with us on my website or any of the social media accounts and also check out LOSING US PAGE on my website here.
With the warmest greetings,
Teele
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