The Little Things

I have been close friends with our producer, Paul Woodward, for years now and, in my opinion, he is the beating heart of this project. His son Kalel, to whom the film credits as the inspiration behind it, was cared for at Derian House Children’s Hospice for seven years before he passed away in 2019. Paul wanted to create something as a means of giving back to Derian, and all the other children's hospice charities across the United Kingdom - ‘The Little Things’ is the product of that.

When I was approached by Paul to direct this film back in early 2023, I was admittedly very apprehensive due to the importance and sensitive nature of the topic that he wanted to explore; children’s hospice care, and I wondered how I could really connect with it as an outsider, someone who has been lucky enough to not require on the services of one thus far.

However, after Paul organised for me to visit Derian House in Lancashire, England, my eyes were soon opened up to what a bright, warm and happy environment a children’s hospice could be like. The walls were colourful, families were chatty and children’s laughter echoed through the corridors as I was taken on a tour of the establishment. I felt quite embarrassed, as all of my preconceptions of what an organisation like Derian House must be like just washed away. It was a humbling moment that served as the perfect inspiration for my connection to the film, and thus my overall aim became to enlighten audiences to what a children’s hospice actually does for the families involved with them and highlight that these places help create memories to cherish and bring quality of life to children and their families, in a non-medical setting. I wanted to present the families and staff as regular people, breaking down any walls that audience members may have built in their minds between the people involved in these incredible places and connecting with them on a human level.

Despite being asked on numerous occasions, Derian House have never allowed anyone to create a documentary about their work before. I believe that they trusted our small team due to Paul’s personal connection to the charity, and I am incredibly grateful to have been entrusted with the opportunity to bring their stories to the big screen. We also would not have been able to do so without all of the support that we received through our crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, the encouragement and financial backing from the community to bring this film to life was amazing. I hope that Derian House, our crowdfunding backers, Paul and his family are all proud of the finished film.