Wayne Sullivan's Legacy
Wayne Sullivan was a friend, colleague, son, brother, uncle and nephew. He was a force for good and touched the lives of many. Heartbreakingly, he passed away last March after a long, hard battle with cancer aged just 37.
As an advisor to Mayor Sadiq Khan, he shaped city policies. As a thriving senior leader within the events, sport and culture sectors in London, Wayne used his position and platform to ensure those from marginalised backgrounds were able to share and achieve the same successes. In everything he did, Wayne not only fought for himself, but was also an advocate for young people, and for Black and LGBTQ+ communities.
You can read more about Wayne here:
Evening Standard Article
Voice Newspaper Article
Why a Short Film?
When Wayne knew he had little time left, he asked Michelle Jones, an award winning independent filmmaker and Head of Creative at the Greater London Authority, to create this film, and tell his story. It was his final wish.
Short Film Synpopsis
Based on true events, the film takes place a week before Christmas as Wayne hosts his friends for a night of food, games and conversation. All seen through the lens of the Black British experience, the bittersweet storyline celebrates the beauty in authentic friendship and the refuge it provides throughout Wayne's cancer journey, whilst being unable to escape the reality that time is running out.
The Film's Impact
Awareness about colon cancer has increased after the tragic death of Hollywood actor ‘Black Panther’ Chadwick Boseman, but many people are still unaware of what symptoms to look out for.
Wayne wanted his story to raise awareness about cancer in particular for young Black men. Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK and recent research shows that one in four Black men will be diagnosed with colon cancer in their lifetime.
Where Funds Go
We have been busy with pre-production, and our excellent team is all in place to commence filming now in February 2025 using the budget we have already secured.
The funds we are now raising will directly support the post-production process including editing time, sound design and festival submissions. Every donation brings us closer to creating a film that truly realises Wayne’s vision and honours Wayne’s legacy.
Our Award Winning Team
We have an excellent Production team with over two decades of experience Producing, Directing and Shooting similar narrative lead stories.
Our team includes:
Michelle Jones, Writer & Director — Michelle's most recent short film "Uncle" had global success featuring in 22 film festivals and picking up 11 awards. Her experience includes 20 years as Head of Creative for the Greater London Authority along with being headhunted for programs in partnership with Channel 4 and 4Skills.
Adi Alfa, Producer — Adi runs a production company called Media Worx, a black-owned independent company that has won the Prestigious Business Awards for Best video production company three years in a row (2020-2023). She has also had raging success with many wins at short film festivals.
Eric Myers, Cinematographer — Eric is an award-winning Cinematographer with 13 years experience shooting films, documentaries, commercials and numerous music videos for top UK artists. His reputation has been built on his completing visual language.
Pledge today to help us make Wayne’s wish a reality: to build him the lasting legacy he truly deserved, and raise awareness of colon cancer. Let’s keep his story alive.
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