Winner Rhode Island International Film Festival. Nominee Celtic Media TV/Film Festival - Swansea .

Selected for Academy rated festivals at PALM SPRINGS, NEW ORLEANS, CLEVELAND, RHODE ISLAND.

 

Also selected for the following International Film Festivals: ReelHeART (Toronto), Belfast, Fort Myers(Florida), Puerto Rico, Fastnet(Cork), San Jose, Marbella, International Human Rights-Barcelona/New York/Paris, Lima(Peru). Family Voices-National Conference-Ireland.

 

A boy who wants to be a StandUp comedian. His father finds his recording of his Standup routine. Dad decides to step into his son's shoes. Totally the wrong decision.

 

“Truly remarkable, hard to take but in the end something magnificent” Darryl MacDonald CEO Palm Springs FF.

 

“Exceptional and Brave” George Marshall CEO Rhode Island FF

 

“Deserves to be seen by everyone” Helen Wells CEO Fastnet Cork FF.

 

"STANDUP had audience tweeting they were in tears" Clint Bowie Chief Programmer New Orleans FF.

 

Philip McTaggart (whose young son took his life) is the founder of PIPS, he spent a lot of time explaining matters to me. He founded PIPS to support families after suicides and also to educate the public about the warning signs of suicide.

 

STANDUP is aimed at getting people talking. Philip introduced me to many families and their stories are the essence of STANDUP. Philip told me at our first meeting that his wife in despair told him "you know there is more than one way to kill yourself". His wife was upset at how his son's death was affecting him.

 

So often I was going to give up trying to make the film, I am a stills photographer but I remembered the people who had told me their stories, reliving the horror of suicide and to have asked them to do that and then do nothing was not an option.

 

STANDUP at their national conference -they so want people to try to understand them and to help.

 

Two weeks after we finished shooting, the main news reported the suicide of a father, his son had taken his life the previous month.