A FILM and theatre company that specialises in giving production and acting roles to women has been scouting the Brecon Beacons for locations for their a new movie.
Sheer Height is looking for settings for ‘O, My Friend’, a story about two estranged best friends who unexpectedly meet again after years apart, in a place close to their hearts. But a joyful reunion is disturbed by haunting memories and a past tragedy that can no longer be avoided. A fantasy drama set and to be shot on location in the Brecon Beacons, O, My Friend is an exploration of love, loss, and the power of female friendship.
Sheer Height, which is named after pioneering feminist Shere Hite, was set up by Jenny Wilford and Charlotte Couture five years ago. Jenny works as an actress, writer and producer, and has a base locally, as her parents moved to Brecon six years ago, following many years of holidays in the Beacons and Black Mountains. Charlotte’s grandmother was born and raised in Merthyr Tydfil, so both have family ties to the region.
Jenny now visits the area regularly, working remotely from her parents’ home.
“Getting to know the local area revived my emotional connection to the place as a kind of haven, a place for renewal and recovery, which in part formed the inspiration for the setting and story of the film.” She said. “The importance of place and its impact on a person’s emotions and wellbeing is something we wanted to bring out in the film – the idea that there is not only one place to call home.”
Charlotte said: “We formed the company five years ago to tackle the consistent lack of complex, compelling female roles on stage and screen, and with the desire to challenge perceptions and expectations of gender. Our core aim is to create, produce, and present female-driven stories with as many women behind-the-scenes as possible, offering a platform for emerging female creatives. After a number of years producing theatre, we are now working on our first short film project, O My Friend. O, My Friend depicts a friendship between two women – still rarely seen on screen – and aims to portray and celebrate female friendship in all its complexity.”
“Although the story has fantasy elements, at its heart is a very human story,” Jenny added. “It deals with grief and mental illness, and we hope the film will play a part in dispelling stigma and encouraging communication around mental health. We are utilising local companies in Wales to source crew, equipment, vehicle hire, insurance, accommodation and catering to give back to the local area, and are lucky to have the support and enthusiasm of neighbours and friends locally. Women are still drastically under-represented in all areas of the film and television industry, particularly behind the camera in more technical roles. Our aim is to inspire and encourage young women to pursue these roles and to redress the gender imbalance. As such we will be working with a predominantly female team – 10 out of the 13-strong cast and crew are women!”
Filming of O, My Friend is due to begin on April 29.