The True Survivors of Suicide

“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage” – Seneca. Our film looks to unearth the impact of suicide on loved ones, they are the ones often left behind with lots of unanswered questions and a feeling of guilt when a loved ones life is lost to suicide.

  • Toni-Ann Robertson
    Director
  • Toni-Ann Robertson
    Writer
  • Tyra Ali
    Producer
  • Ava West
    Key Cast
    "Emily"
  • Ricardo Freitas
    Key Cast
    "Dad"
  • Evie Hornsey
    Key Cast
    "Young Emily "
  • Abby Richards
    Key Cast
    "Teenage Emily "
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Documentary, Experimental, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Family, Drama, Documentary
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 18, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    2,555 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • Vision Film Festival
    Hatfield
    United Kingdom
    May 24, 2018
    Award - ITV Film of The Year
  • Vision Film Festival
    Hatfield
    United Kingdom
    May 24, 2018
    Award - Zeiss Best Cinematography
  • Vision Film Festival
    Hatfield
    United Kingdom
    May 24, 2018
    Selection - Avid Post Production Sound Editing
  • Royal Television Student Awards
    London
    United Kingdom
    February 6, 2019
    Selection - Factual Category
Director Biography - Toni-Ann Robertson

Toni-Ann Robertson is a freelance filmmaker. Her 2018 final year film, “The True Survivors of Suicide” earned her an ITV Film of the Year Award, Zeiss Best Cinematography as well as being nominated for Royal Television Student Awards and Avid Post Production Sound Editing . The excellent grade contributed to her earning a first-class degree in Film and Television Production.

When she isn’t busy reading scripts and thinking of ideas to formulate her own film script, she is heading the events team for the youth in her church organisation – Elim International Church.

Toni-Ann loves nothing more than to read books and to watch an array of television and films to broaden her awareness of the intricacies in the different storytelling. She is currently in pre-production stage of a film she is making. Toni-Ann is in the research stage of a film script she aims to create and produce. She is cognizant that having different cultural experiences and meeting different individuals will aid her presentation of characters hence the audiences’ emotional connection.

She hopes to create and produce a suitable film script that will rival her previous film - The True Survivors of Suicide”.

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Director Statement

I wanted to create a film which would inspire and force people to have conversations about a very difficult subject. I wanted a film an audience could emotionally connect with. I believe this is strongly accomplished through our film which brings awareness to the issue of male suicide and most importantly how life changing losing a parent to suicide can be for a child. Male suicide rates remain consistently higher than female suicide rates, with the highest cause of death in men aged 20-49 being suicide. Mental health is often at the centre of many suicides. However, suicide still remains a taboo subject for men to speak about and mental health in men is a stigma which needs to be broken. This docudrama can at least help to begin the conversation. When the issue of suicide is spoken about, it is often the person who loses their life who is at the core of the conversation, but it is the family members who have to deal with the loss of that person, who are impacted and should be the focus. It is the family memebers who will have to pick up the pieces and through our dramadoc we can bring attention to their suffering.