We are thrilled to say that Her Majesty is an official selection of the Academy Award qualifying HollyShorts screenwriting prize 2020.
Now we need your help to raise our final £5000 in order to complete post production and begin submissions to film festivals around the world!
The Story
A young woman stands in the English countryside early one morning. Her dress, which appears to be that of a young queen, dances in the wind. She begins reciting the royal address given by Queen Elizabeth on her twenty-first birthday to an imagined audience. Whilst walking hurriedly, she trips and falls at the feet of a young boy, Billy.
Over breakfast, she asks Billy to help her on her quest to deliver her birthday address to her subjects. Billy agrees after she suffers a bout of confusion in front of the café’s customers.
The pair embark on an adventure, culminating in the young lady delivering the royal address to an enthusiastic reception from her subjects. In reality, she recites the speech to a collection of passersby, but to her, it is a great victory. In her elation, she wanders off. Billy loses sight of her and rushes back to the only place he knows she may turn up – their home, a council flat in the suburbs.
The audience discovers that we have been alive in the delusion of an old woman suffering from dementia and delusions, who believes she is the young Queen Elizabeth herself. Every day, she embarks on a delusional journey; and every day, she is accompanied on that journey by Billy, her grandson, who often skips school in order to care for her. The film ends as the pair settle into their dysfunctional evening routine as they await the return of Billy’s mother who works long shifts as a nurse. Billy makes his grandmother – who he refers to as Her Majesty - a cup of tea and plays her favourite video: Queen Elizabeth II’s twenty-first birthday address, televised from Cape Town in 1947.
What Is The Money For?
Our goal is to raise five thousand pounds. This money will go towards completing post production and paying our post production team, albeit minimally, for their incredible skill.
From poster design to editing, to score and sound design, there are so many components required to complete a high-quality film. Further down the line we will also need to invest in marketing as well as entry to film festivals.
The hardest part is done. We have sucessfully shot a beautifil film we are all so proud of but now we need a final push in order to bring it over the finish line.
We feel extremely passionate about this story and with your support we can share it with the world.
The Team
Director/Associate Producer: Rebekah Fortune
Rebekah set up production company Seahorse Films in 2011 with long-time collaborator and writer Peter Machen to develop a slate of films that combine creativity with commerciality, and that actively encourages more opportunities for women both in front and behind the camera. Something Blue was her first short film which was selected for film festivals around the world, it was also selected by Channel 4 for their shooting gallery. Rebekah’s micro-budget feature “Just Charlie” has received numerous awards including The Audience Award at Edinburgh International Film Festival and The Cannes Film Festival Ecrans Junior Award, it has appeared in festivals worldwide and was nominated for 2 BIFA’s. Just Charlie has secured international distribution in the USA, Canada, China, Taiwan, and Theatrical Release extensively in Europe s. Just Charlie is currently ***** rated on Sky Cinema where it premiered on 16/04. The film has received exceptional reviews around the world. Rebekah has just completed a short film for BFI NETWORK which combined animation and live-action to explore the world of a young woman with Autism.
Rebekah has several other projects at various stages of development including “The Plough” a magical coming of age romance, and “Barren” a post-apocalyptic female-driven Western. Along with several TV series.
Writer/Producer/Young Elizabeth: Carmela Corbett
Carmela Corbett is an actress and writer who sings. She graduated from The Juilliard School in New York City in 2012. Most recently she starred as Sheila Birling in Stephen Daldry’s critically acclaimed production of An Inspector Calls in London’s West End and as Viola De Lesseps in the Los Angeles premiere of the stage adaptation of Shakespeare In Love. On-screen, she has appeared as Olivia in Mississippi Requiem alongside James Franco and Beth Grant, which premiered at the Nashville Film Festival in 2018; as Lola in the BBC series Undercover; and in the final season of the highly popular Mad Men.
Carmela currently has two television series she has written in development in the USA, one of which, Daughterhood, is a comedy about a dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship and the pilot was shot in September 2019. Carmela acts in this alongside Evan Handler and Emmy Award winner, Carolyn Hennesy and Cecilia Albertini directs.
Barbara Marten: Older Elizabeth
Barbara has most recently wrapped on filming A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES for Sky One. Recent credits include RUTHERFORD & SON at the National Theatre, MRS WILSON for the BBC, opposite Ruth Wilson, the feature film THE TURNING alongside Mackenzie Davis, AN INSPECTOR CALLS at the Playhouse Theatre West End, RIVIERA for Sky Atlantic and SANCTUARY. Barbara is well known for the critically acclaimed and award-winning play PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS which transferred from the National Theatre to Wyndhams West End and then onwards to New York where it played at the St Ann’s Warehouse.
Executive Producer/Composer:
Pete Townshend
Associate Producers:
Sir Geoffrey Pattie
Tuema Pattie