Her Majesty

Aim

A Poetic and nostalgic short Film exploring Dementia. Her Majesty is a story told with intimacy, whimsy and a large dash of magic.

The future Queen of England stands alone on an English beachfront, she must find a way to address her subjects. The year is 2019.

The Story

A young woman stands on an English beachfront 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 along the beach, she trips and falls at the feet of a young boy, Billy. Over breakfast in a greasy spoon café, 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 from a milk crate 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. 

Young Carers

In this intimate and troubling family portrait, we witness a grandmother’s dementia-driven delusions and the struggles of her young grandson, as he tries to cope with her fantasy life. She is lost in the bottomless pit of nostalgia and he must try to keep them both afloat. 

Ultimately Billy too clings onto Her Majesty’s delusions, finding it more bearable than the isolating reality of her bouts of confusion, amnesia, and nervousness. Better to deal with a Queen than be left with the shell of the woman who once cared for him. 

According to the most recent census (Office for National Statistics, 2011), there are almost 166,000 young carers (aged 5-17) in England.

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 will act in this alongside Evan Handler and Emmy Award winner, Carolyn Hennesy and Cecilia Albertini will direct.

                      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 Producers:

                                   Pete Townshend 

Associate Producers:

                                Sir Geoffrey Pattie

                                    Tuema Pattie

What Is The Money For?

Sadly, making a stunning film does not come for free! Our goal is to raise fifteen thousand pounds. This sounds a lot for a short but we really need to pay all our cast and crew, albeit minimally, for their incredible skill. 

From locations to catering to editing, there are so many components required but we are sure you know how expensive making a high-quality film can be. Set in 1947, Her Majesty also has the added element of period costume, hair, makeup and set design. We want this film to look as beautiful and authentic as possible and your help can make this possible!

Further down the line we will also need to invest in marketing as well as entry to high-end film festivals. We feel extremely passionate about this story and with your support we can share it with the world. 

This project successfully funded on 28th February 2020