THE ELECTRICITY IN ME

"A visceral portrait of Joan Stockdale, my Canadian birth mother. Built around a stream of consciousness one take performance, the film is a three dimensional reflection of her in me, an undoubtedly flawed mirror. What I do know is Ellora Torchia’s extraordinary connection with the character is wholly real; a living and breathing embodiment of my flesh and blood."

Joan is played by BAFTA Breakthrough, BIFA nominated and Screen International Star of Tomorrow actor Ellora Torchia (IN THE EARTH, ALI & AVA, MIDSOMMAR).

Shot on location in Punnichy, Saskatchewan (Canada) and Mile End, London (UK).

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ACTOR STATEMENT [ Ellora Torchia - Joan ]

"Sometimes you stumble on a secret and it chooses you to let it out... This is how I felt when I laid eyes on Joan’s diaries for the first time. An everywoman diary transforming itself before me into genius writing with every turn of page. I felt like I was holding an undiscovered Sylvia Plath in my hands. Joan’s writing is formidable and her story, shared through Mat's existence, even more so. I am honoured Mat trusted me with this story and humbled to have had the chance to hold on to it briefly and share this with you, trying to be fair to all the delicate threads woven together to make this story true. A brave mother, a brave son. A story about an unconditional love.”

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BACKSTORY

Joan Stockdale discovered she was pregnant by her professor, who she referred to as ‘my monster’, shortly before or during a University of Regina (Saskatchewan, Canada) theatre trip to London. She stayed to have her baby, giving her newborn son up for adoption.

After the birth, Joan made a new life in England, only occasionally returning home to visit family in rural Saskatchewan. She worked in Senate House as a secretary for the University of London — a job she was ambivalent about, at best.

She died of metastatic cancer at University College Hospital, in February 1987, at the age of 37.

Her diaries and letters were a key source for the script of THE ELECTRICITY IN ME, documenting wry and detailed reflections on life. By all accounts she was endlessly creative, did not suffer fools gladly, refusing to conform to family expectations and was fiercely loyal to those she loved.

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The backdrop to Joan’s story is Canada’s shameful post-war history of treating unwed pregnant women as societal pariahs.

“Their stories would not seem out of place in an episode of The Handmaid’s Tale: pregnant women shuttered away, violently restrained during childbirth, banned from looking at their babies — and, finally, coerced by social workers into signing adoption papers. More than a half-century after unmarried and largely non-consenting Canadian women were sent to maternity homes to give birth in relative secrecy, a report released by a [Canadian Government] Senate committee acknowledges a “disturbing chapter” in Canadian history, when the country’s adoption policies led to hundreds of thousands of unwed mothers being forced to give up their babies for adoption.”

The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/07/20/thousands-of-canadian-mothers-were-forced-to-give-up-their-babies-some-were-told-to-get-a-puppy-instead/

Report of The Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
https://sencanada.ca/content/sen/committee/421/SOCI/reports/SOCI_27th_e.pdf

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ELLORA TORCHIA BIO [ Joan Stockdale ]

Ellora Torchia is a British stage and screen actor who graduated from RADA in 2014. Ellora was selected as a 2021 BAFTA Breakthrough Brit and a 2021 Screen International Star of Tomorrow. 

Recent broadcast credits include GRANTCHESTER in which she plays new regular ‘Maya’, and INFINITI for StudioCanal.

Ellora’s other television credits include: THE NEVERS for Netflix; THE SPLIT for BBC; and BROADCHURCH for ITV. Her film credits include Ben Wheatley’s IN THE EARTH (for which she was BIFA nominated), Clio Barnard’s ALI & AVA, CRISIS opposite Gary Oldman, Ari Aster’s MIDSOMMAR, and Thomas Bidegain’s LES COWBOYS.

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FILMMAKERS

The stellar filmmaking team includes Emmy nominated Production Designer Adam O’Neill (PROMETHEUS, GLADIATOR, Sam Mendes’ EMPIRE OF LIGHT), 4x Vimeo Staff Pick Director of Photography David Foulkes, and noted Costume Designer Sara Burn, who has worked with prestige fashion clients including Kanye West. Music is by Rutger Hoedemaekers, who collaborated with Jóhann Jóhannsson on ARRIVAL and Oscar-winning JOKER composer Hildur Guðnadóttir on TRAPPED; his other projects include the upcoming Sundance Princess Diana documentary THE PRINCESS. Post-production is by London’s leading independent VFX and post-house, Black Kite Studios.

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CREDITS

Cast

Joan - Ellora Torchia

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Crew

Written & Directed - Mat Sheldon
Executive Producer - Neville Pierce
Producers - Mat Sheldon, Nileema Yesmin
Director of Photography - David Foulkes
Production Design - Adam O'Neill
Art Direction - Rosalind Grégoire
Costume Design - Sara Burn
Music by Rutger Hoedemaekers
Hair & Makeup Design - Elvis Schmoulianoff
Editor - Lucy Berry
Colourist - Richard Fearon
Visual FX Lead - James Marshall
Sound Designer + Supervisor - Anna Sulley
Re-recording Mixer - Pip Norton
Designers - Daniel Johns, Arthur Carey
Production Sound Mixer - Andrei-Tudor Grigore
1st AD - Joe Mulvihill
1st AC - Justin McGillivray
2nd AC - Jake Sheldon
Gaffer - Alex Gibbon
Electrician - Stephen Humphrey
DIT - Ash Daniyan
2nd Unit Director of Photography (Canada) - Aaron Bernakevitch
1st AC (Canada) - Nikhil Kumar
Location Scout (Canada) - Jess Richter
Production Sound Mixer (Canada) - Brad Martin
Harp & Violin - Margaret Hermant
Cello - Marine Horbaczewski
Recording Engineer (Music) - Fabien Leseure
Production Assistant - Zara Saeed
Transport - Wayne Huntley
Location Manager - Danny Ward
DIT & Playback - Mission Digital
Lighting - Ultralight UK
Camera - One Stop Films
Props - Classic Prop Hire Company
Logistics - XIX Logistics
Catering - The Caribbean Kitchen
Assistant Editor - Pete Kovacs
Edit Producer - Nikki Porter
Post & VFX Producer - Tamara Mennell
Foley Artist - Karolina Jedrzejczyk
Edit House by Final Cut
Post Production by Black Kite Studios
Design by Polytechnic
Recorded at Sound Disposition
Mixed at 5A Studios
Special Thanks - Cris Aragón, Jack Stew, Jenny Sheldon

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TECHNICAL

1.37:1 Academy / Color
Camera - Alexa Mini LF
Format - 4.5K open gate ARRIRAW
Sound - Dolby Digital 5.1
Running time - 10m 25s

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LINKS

Press Kit - https://bit.ly/3P68LWT
IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15693330
Production - https://www.AESTHETIK.film