Syd Heather Freelance Filmmaker

Have We Met Before? is a short docudrama exploring the history of sex in the homosexual community across the last five decades.

Made as part of the BBC and BFI's Born Digital emerging talent scheme, the film screened at London's BFI on 12th March 2019, and was broadcast on BBC Four on Sunday 17th March, and thereafter on BBC iPlayer.

The film is also distributed by Peccadillo Pictures as part of their critically acclaimed anthology series for new and emerging queer talent, Boys on Film 22

You can find out more and watch it here: https://www.peccapics.com/product/boys-on-film-22/ 

Starring: Pierre Emö and Stanton Plummer Cambridge
Featuring: Hannah Almond, Jayson Benovichi-Dicken, Kane Surry, David Frias-Robles, Connor Williams, and Andrew Piper. 

CREDITS
Director, Writer & Editor - Oliver Mason
Producer - Syd Heather
Director of Photography - Emily Almond Barr
1st Assistant Director - Stu Laurie
Art Director - Juliet Bryant
Make Up & Hair - Diana Bruton
Costume Designer - Ellen Crawshaw
Costume Assistant - Simon Lewis
Costume Advisor - Susannah Buxton
Focus Puller - Chris Steel
Gaffers - Jonathan Moore, Arif Nadeem
Camera Trainee - Samantha Harris
Sound Design & Mix - Guy Chase
Sound Recordist - Charlie Hurst
Stills Photographer - Brendan Walker
Script Supervisor - Matthew Bates
Original Music by - Jeremy Warmsley
Assistant Editor - Hansel Rodrigues
Digital Film Colourist - Colin J. Foulkes
Graphic Design & Titles - Polari Studio
VFX Animator - Moira Lam
VFX Compositor - Benjamin Rozario
Quality Control - Sophie Bollard, Stuart Moore
Runners - Frank Hammond, Marco Violino, Leah Finegold

Production Executive for Plimsoll – Lucy Bilson
Production Managers for Plimsoll – Sarah Vaughton, Hannah Stansbridge
Associate Producer for BFI – Lily Slydel
Executive Producer for Plimsoll – Siobhan Logue
Executive for BFI – Gillian Scothern
Executive Producer for the BBC – Lamia Dabboussy

AWARDS
Trí Rivers Film Festival - won "Best Documentary" in 2020

FESTIVAL SELECTION
Fragments Film Festival
Vancouver Queer Film Festival
North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
aGLIFF - All Genders, Lifestyles, and Identities Film Festival
Deptford Cinema Film Festival
Norwich Film Festival
SQIFF - Scottish Queer International Film Festival
Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
InDPanda International Film Festival
Fringe!
Image+Nation
Cine Q Birmingham
Roze Filmdagen
Oxford Film Festival
Porn Film Festival Vienna
Barnes Film Festival
SHPFF (Shanghai Pride Film Festival)
Festival Face a Face St Etienne
Film Pride (Brighton & Hove)
Festival des Images aux Mots

The film is available forever and for free on the BFI Player archives here:
player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-have-we-met-before-2019-online

ABOUT THE WORK

Alongside writer/director Oliver Mason, we were selected as one of 11 winning producer/director teams from 400+ applicants to produce a BFI / BBC commissioned short film to celebrate 30 years of the Internet. These shorts would be single episodes of the "Born Digital" programme on BBC Four.

For this project, I was responsible for a wide range of creative and logistical tasks typical of producing whilst also successfully undertaking new challenges such as:

  • Delivering a project within 12 weeks from the conception that included a wide range of period-specific costumes, props and visual stylistic choices from the 1970s to the present day. 

  • Negotiating and clearing a wide range of period photo and video archive footage from the BFI and other stock/archive sources, with additional media clearances for individuals providing their own personal material.

  • Gained first-hand experience working with BBC editorial guidelines, compliance, and delivery assets required for TX sign-off via programmes such as Silvermouse.