I have just stepped out from a small side street into Avenue
Mgr Théas and become frozen in a moment of cerebral chaos.

Lourdes has a reputation of affecting visitors in unusual ways
but I’m guessing not many like this. I have been here before.
Not physically, that I am sure of, but in my dreams.

When I was last in England I had a series of very lucid and vivid dreams, one of which involved me walking down a hill towards a small town. On the right were buildings of dark grey stone and wooden frames, on the left were trees. As the road plateaued out it divided into several interconnected side streets exactly as I am staring at now. Cars pass on either side but none show any signs of annoyance at my presence in the street, Lourdes is no stranger to someone with a vision.

I am here by invitation of Stéphanie’s parents, who are also big investors in the film. It is now six weeks since the debacle that was Phuket and four weeks to the day since the cast and crew screening in London. The two could not be more different.

The day started early. I wanted my father to come which meant travelling up from Wiltshire that morning. We left home at 7am, drove to Bath, caught the 8am train and promptly arrived back home courtesy of a detour 30 minutes later.

As we pull into Paddington I recognise some voices further down the carriage. Steve the
Stills photographer and a couple of mutual friends Ian and Paul. We catch up as we take
the conveluted public transport route as close to the venue as we can on a day when half
the underground network is shut. Time ticks by rapidly but eventually a combination of
buses, tubes, walking and a lift from my brother puts me at the venue only 5 minutes later
than planned.

I walk straight into the auditorium to the sound of Paul calling my name into a microphone.
I join him at the front of the screen and look at the audience. I am heartened to see so
many familiar faces, people who I have not seen since the shoot, people who worked on
a small section of the film, people who gave us money. There are a few of my friends from
my old Tai Chi class that we filmed at including Barry the Instructor. There are also a lot of
people I don’t recognise and one that wasn’t even born when we shot the film.

    Paul and I introduce ourselves and the film. It
  is then that I am aware of the absentees rather
  than those present, noteably Julie and Marc. Paul
  ends his introduction by presenting me with my
  own award from the Indie Spirit Film Festival, a
  beautiful diamond shaped glass etched design
  that reflects the light and casts rainbows on the wall.

I say my thank yous to the audience who helped make the film what it is. Paul and I may
have been the driving force behind it but it has taken the combined efforts of hundreds of
people to get where we are today.

Finally, three years after our first production meeting I sit and watch.

From the opening few seconds it is clear that all the hard work, heartache and frustrations have
been worth it. The film looks beautiful and sounds amazing, such a contrast the the washed out
compressed effort in Phuket. What strikes me is the amount of laughter. I never intended to write
a comedy nor did we ever think we were making one but the laughs keep on coming, mainly from
Marc and John’s performances in the office scenes.

By the time the end credits run I feel a sense of relief. Whatever happens from now on I am safe
in the knowledge that we have made a great film, one that everyone who worked on it can be proud of.

After the screening I get to meet many of the audience I didn’t recognise. Some are investors, some worked on the post production, some are friends or relatives of the crew, everyone it seems liked the film. There were a lot of tears at the end. My brother hugs me and says he is very proud of his little brother, I tell him he can’t have his investment money back just yet!

We have some photos taken and repair to a local pub where I try to talk to as many people as possible. For those of us who endured the trials of the shoot in France it a chance to look back with good souvenir on those difficult days.

In the weeks since then I have been back in France looking for work without
success. Whilst researching another script I stumbled across a wiccan
 prosperity spell and decided in desperation to try it. I sat in the river Aude,
my head burried under a small waterfall and performed the rite. A week later
I hear of a temporary freelance job at the radio station I worked at before we
shot the film. I means coming back to London.
 
So, Lourdes is a chance to spend a final weekend with my family. I will not
see them now for two months. If we don’t sell the film or get another one into
pre production in that time I will have a big decision to make. I hope I can find
a mircale here. In the film Callum throws away the heel of his hand made
Italian shoes, I have just done the same with my mass produced American
basket ball boots, these I feel are beyond salvation, hopefully I am not.

I light two candles, one for my family and one the film and, like everyone else
here, I hope…

Gaffer Jose Ruiz, Art Director Daniel "More Leaves" Nussbaumer & Sound Designer Axle Cheeng

With Music Supervisor Sam Crompton