Experiencing Interruptions?

The First Time I Never Met You

John, a grieving scientist inadvertently rewinds time and finds himself at his very first date with his late wife, Esmé. But can he win over the woman who fell for the man that John no longer is?

  • Eric Kole
    Key Cast
    "John"
    Django (2023), World on Fire (2023), Manhunt (2021), , We Were The Lucky Ones (Coming Soon)
  • Renee Bailey
    Key Cast
    "Esmé"
    Call the Midwife (2023), Mood (2022), Rebel Cheer Squad (2022)
  • Osy Ikhile
    Key Cast
    "Lucas"
    Citadel (2023), Black Mirror (2017), Childhood's End (2015)
  • Eric Kole
    Director
    Hold (2014), Fifty Pence (2013), Not Far from the Tree (2014)
  • Eric Kole
    Writer
    Hold (2014), Fifty Pence (2013), Not Far from the Tree (2014)
  • Reine Issa
    Producer
    Farah (2022), Parallel Universes (2017), Mother (2015)
  • Eric Kole
    Producer
    Hold (2014), Fifty Pence (2013), Not Far from the Tree (2014)
  • Michael FIlocamo
    Director of Photography
    Screw (2023), Class (2023), You & Me (2023)
  • Collette Creary-Myers
    Production Designer
    Villain (2023), The Overcoat (2021)
  • Ellie Johnson
    Editor
    Burial (2022), I Love You I Hate You (2021), P!nk: What About Us (2017), Fifty Pence (2012)
  • Joseph Alexander
    Original Music
    The Rev (2021), Andy Murray: Resurfacing (2019)
  • Chee Yen Wang
    VFX Producer
    The Book of Clarence (2023), Dangerous Waters (2023), Glass Onion (2022)
  • Ludo Fealy
    VFX Supervisor
    The Greatest Showman (2017), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
  • Paul Branch
    VFX Supervisor
    Heineken's the Chase (2015)
  • Stephanie Faucher
    Production Manager
    AP Dhillon: First of a Kind (2023), Earthstorm (2022), Alien Worlds (2020)
  • Ben Plimley
    1st Assistant Director
    The Draw (2024), Time Won't Heal (2023)
  • Paul Stuart
    Sound Recordist
  • Laurent Plancel
    Stunt Coordinator
    Get Millie Black (2024), The Marvels (2023), The Batman (2022)
  • Hermes Contreras
    1st Assistant Camera
    The Shepherd (2023), The Sandman (2022), The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022)
  • Domingo Simon
    2nd Assistant Camera
    Call the Midwife (2020-2023), The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021)
  • Charles Maddocks
    2nd Assistant Camera
    This Christmas (2022)
  • Mimi V
    Wardrobe Stylist
    Hold (2014)
  • Maria Monteiro
    Hair & Make-Up
  • Lara Jensen
    Art Director
    Phoenix Rise (2023), The Magic Flute (2022)
  • Mike Peel
    Prop Maker
    Tolkien (2019), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
  • James Walker
    Prop Maker
    ManFish (2022)
  • Jennifer Kerr
    Colourist
    The Devil on Trial (2023)
  • Cliff Reeves
    Sound Designer
    A Bit of Light (2022), Fifth Gear Recharged (2021-2023)
  • Jamie Stitson
    2D Lead
    Glass Onion (2022)
  • Matt Hutchins
    2D Lead
    Glass Onion (2022)
  • Elena Shurkus
    3D Artist
    Geodesy (2020)
  • Willow Bidwell
    Spark
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Drama
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 44 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 7, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    19,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • 27th European Short Film Festival of Bordeaux
    Bordeaux
    France
    March 15, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Paris in the Dark Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    April 14, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Sunderland Short Film Festival
    Sunderland
    United Kingdom
    May 11, 2024
    U.K. Premiere
    Official Selection / Honorable Mention
  • Kingston International Film Festival
    Kingston
    United Kingdom
    June 21, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Clap de Paname Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    June 28, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival
    San Diego
    United States
    July 27, 2024
    US Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Lytham International Film Festival
    Lytham Saint Annes
    United Kingdom
    August 24, 2024
    Official Selection / Best Original Score
  • Greenwich Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    September 21, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Aesthetica Short Film Festival
    York
    United Kingdom
    November 6, 2024
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Eric Kole

Eric Kole is steadily establishing himself as a multi-disciplinary actor, writer and director.
In 2023, Kole appeared as a series regular in the Sky TV/Canal+ western drama series DJANGO.

Kole wrote, directed, and starred in the 2012 short film FIFTY PENCE, which received several nominations during its film festival run, including Best Drama at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival. Kole has since written, directed and starred in a handful of short films, with THE FIRST TIME I NEVER MET YOU being his latest.

His previous television credits include ITV’s MANHUNT: THE NIGHT STALKER, and BBC/PBS‘s World War II period drama WORLD ON FIRE. Kole is also set to appear in Hulu’s period TV drama WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When a relationship comes to an end, whether it be as a result of a break-up, a betrayal, or worse… a death. It can be very easy to fall into the temptation of re-writing the history that led to the loss. Stuck in the bargaining stage of grief, you may find yourself attempting to negotiate with your memories, subconsciously attempting to manifest an emotional reality in which said loss wouldn’t hurt as much.

“If the love wasn’t so strong in the first place, the pain shouldn’t be either… right?”
A true feat of cognitive dissonance: good memories become sour, positive experiences inspire cringe.

But what happens to the changes that outlive those connections? To the personal growth that resulted from those now tainted experiences? To the tangible by-products of the events that created those memories? Do they get written off and disappear into the ether, as though they never existed?

The First Time I Never Met You offers a cautionary perspective of what could be at stake when one rejects their journey through grief and denies acceptance.

To quote Alfred Lord Tennyson, “ ’tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”.
This film is my interpretation of how those two ideas weigh up against each other.