Put on a Face

In response to a humorous and heartfelt letter that he sent to his son in high school to wish them good luck in their GCSE exams, M.J Connor decides to respond to their Dad’s letter by surprising him with a documentary they made about their relationship with him and their mental health. M.J suffers with MADD (Mixed and Anxiety and Depressive Disorder) and Combined ADHD. In the film, they use dramatisations and scenes where they talk directly to their Dad in order to get him to understand what they go through on a daily basis, but to also thank him for everything he’s done for always being there and supporting them every step of the way.

This documentary short-film follows the story of The White Bus Cinema based in Southend-on-Sea. They keep the process of projecting real celluloid film alive by showing films from their archive of over 3,000 films, ranging from Super 8, 16mm, and 35mm prints. The film argues why it's important to continue the shooting and projection process of film in our current age of digital shooting and projection in modern Hollywood, amidst the chaos of studios removing films from their streaming services.