Cara Mamma will be showing at a number of film festivals in 2024:
- 23rd March World Premiere at BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+
- 7th July at the Bristol Pride: Queer Vision Film Festival
- 26th-28th September at MiX Festival Internazionale di Cinema LGBTQ+ in Milan, Italy screened in person.
- 4th October at Newlyn Exchange Gallery in Cornwall – screened in person.
- 12th October at SQIFF (Scottish International Film Festival), Glasgow – screened in person. See full programme (we’re page 36) here, screened as part of the ‘Dear Future Self’ programme.
- 6th-9th November at Aesthetica Short Films Festival, York – screened in person and online. See full programme (we’re page 103) here, screened as part of the ‘A Family Affair’ Documentary 2 sections.
And we are thrilled it has also been released on The Guardian Documentaries.
Through candid personal letters exchanged over three years, Dear Mamma follows Naissa as he stands firmly for his independence and identity, and Daniela as she wrestles with her fear of losing a child.
As Naissa embarks on his professional dance career and proudly embodies his gender, his mother also embarks on a journey of understanding and acceptance of her son’s choices.
Director and Producer: Sky Neal
Protagonists and Letters by: Naissa Essart Nielsen, Daniela Essart
Editor and Sound Designer: Dara McLarnon
Cinematography: James Hughes
Additional Cinematography: Sky Neal
Choreography: Naissa Essart Nielsen
Main Contributor of Music: Bea Brennan
Post Production: Sound/Image Cinema Lab at Falmouth University
Executive Producers: Lindsey Dryden, Charlie Phillips
Executive Producers for The Guardian: Lindsay Poulton, Jess Gormley
A Guardian Documentary
Photo by Gabriella Piccaluga
