1000 Days

No one is immune - Globally, close to 800,000 people die from suicide every year. One person every forty seconds. We don’t talk about it. Lets break that silence.
Sangeeta Mahajan lost her only son, Saagar, to suicide.
Clearly distressed Saagar sat on a bench at a station for over two hours. Not one person, reached out, and yet with his body on the tracks, photo’s were snapped to - TWEET!
What part do each of us play? As a society, what have we become?
Explored through her blog: written every day for 1000 Days. Can a Mother survive the unsurvivable? https://kidsaregifts.org/

  • Jeanette Rourke
    Director
  • Ron Bambridge
    Director
  • Jeanette Rourke
    Producer
  • Ron Bambridge
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    21 minutes 57 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 31, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    9,750 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 35mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16.9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Swindon Independent (International) Film Festival 2021
    Swindon
    United Kingdom
    WINNER - BEST DOCUMENTARY -2021
  • Compassion Film Festival 2021
    Colorado
    United States
    WINNER - ‘People’s Choice Award’
  • Women Over 50 Film Festival 2021
    Lewes - East Sussex
    United Kingdom
    WINNER Audience Choice Award.
  • Gold Coast International Film Festival 2021
    Great Neck New York
    United States
    Official selection
  • FestShortBerlin, the Berlin International Film Festival,
    Berlin
    Germany
    Official Selection
  • Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival 2021
    Atlanta
    United States
    Official Selection/Nominee
  • New Haven International Film Festival 2021
    Connecticut
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Waterford International Film Festival 2021
    Waterford
    Ireland
    Official Selection/Honourable mention
  • Brighton Rocks Film Festival 2021
    Brighton
    United Kingdom
    WINNER - Spirit Award
  • Real to Reel International Film Festival 2021
    North Carolina
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Kingston Upon Thames Film Festival 2021
    Kingston Upon Thames
    United Kingdom
    Official Selection/Honourable mention
  • LONG STORY SHORTS | International Film Festival 2021
    Bucharest
    Romania
    Official Selection/Nominee
  • Hidden Film Festival Worldwide 2021
    London
    United Kingdom
    Official Selection
  • Dorking Film Festival 2021
    Dorking
    United Kingdom
    Official Selection
  • Crossing The Screen
    Eastbourne, East Sussex
    United Kingdom
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Jeanette Rourke, Ron Bambridge

Jeanette Rourke - Ron Bambridge - Me and Thee Films

Jeanette Rourke is a Film and Theatre Maker, an Actor and writer, and the founder of Open Access Arts. Working to promote social inclusion in the Arts and Wellbeing: giving voice to the often, voiceless. Her first independent short film, ‘And you are?’ written and Directed by Jeanette in the years before meeting Ron, has been screened internationally, at over twenty festivals, wining nominations and awards.

Ron Bambridge is a multi award winning Photographer and now film maker and a partner in, Open Access Arts. His work has appeared in many books, as well as having his own books published, including one on Detroit, a personal documentary style series on the downturn and abandonment of the city.
He received the award of, Best Photographer, in the Association of Photographers Open Awards for his Detroit photography: just one of many international awards and accolades.

.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I - Jeanette - met Sangeeta Mahajan, at the Maudsley psychiatric hospital, in London UK, whilst I was there working with patients and psychiatrists, on a play about Mental Health. Meeting Sangeeta for the fist time, who is herself a Consultant, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation, we started to talk about Saagar, and the film idea was born.

Having recently joining forces with Ron Bambridge, who has worked as an international photographer all his life, we embarked on our biggest and most challenging project, our first joint, short film Documentary. With our combined technical skill and vision we made the perfect team.

This project that has been nearly three years in the making and at times almost impossible to ‘hold’. Often we would meet with Sangeeta to film and just hold her, as she cried.

I am a great believer in being open to the voice of the film, and allowing it to ‘tell you’ what it is. However, one thing I was clear about, was, that I didn’t want to make a film that was just a tribute to Saagar, but one that explored the larger social issues of our societal and personal relationship with suicide.
This film, which does pay tribute to this remarkable young man, is also a ‘call to arms’.

What can each one of us do, to lift the taboo of silence and talk about suicide. No one is immune.

Saagar sat on bench at the station for over two hours before putting himself under a train, despite clearly being distressed, not a single person, reached out.
The moment his body was on the tracks, the cameras came out to - TWEET!

I was horrified and truly distressed when I heard about the Tweet, raising the question - As a society, what have we become?

If you can be anything, be kind.