Varun Chopra and Sara Dunlop team up for MENCAP
The Corner Shop directors and Don't Panic document the struggles of Emily, dealing with the hope, joy, heartbreak, and overwhelming 'nos' associated with learning disabilities.
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Credits
View on- Agency Don't Panic/London
- Production Company The Corner Shop/London
- Director Varun Chopra
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Credits
View on- Agency Don't Panic/London
- Production Company The Corner Shop/London
- Director Varun Chopra
- Post Producer Black Kite Studios
- Sound King Lear Music & Sound
- Creative Director George McCallum
- Executive Producer Jennifer Clare Houlihan
- Creative Jake Moss
- Creative Ada Rose
- Director Sara Dunlop
- Executive Producer Tessa Mitchell
- Production Manager Katie Scott
- Producer Philip Whalley
- DP Evelin Van Rei
- Producer Hazel Gibson
- Colorist George Kyriacou
- Sound Design Diana Amado
- Producer Natalie Curran
- Producer Suzy MacGregor
Explore full credits, grab hi-res stills and more on shots Vault
Credits
powered by- Agency Don't Panic/London
- Production Company The Corner Shop/London
- Director Varun Chopra
- Post Producer Black Kite Studios
- Sound King Lear Music & Sound
- Creative Director George McCallum
- Executive Producer Jennifer Clare Houlihan
- Creative Jake Moss
- Creative Ada Rose
- Director Sara Dunlop
- Executive Producer Tessa Mitchell
- Production Manager Katie Scott
- Producer Philip Whalley
- DP Evelin Van Rei
- Producer Hazel Gibson
- Colorist George Kyriacou
- Sound Design Diana Amado
- Producer Natalie Curran
- Producer Suzy MacGregor
Juxtaposition in editing is probably one of cinema's most powerful tools, and, in this cracking new film for charity Mencap, it's used to great effect in presenting the contrasts at the heart of a life lived with a learning disability.
Following the true story of Emily, Be The Yes juxtaposes adorable archival footage of her youth with the daily discrimination, inequalities and barriers she faces.
Developed by Don't Panic and utilising the talents of two The Corner Shop directors - Varun Chopra and Sara Dunlop - this powerfully presented story forces the audience to address the power of positivity.
“In the lived experience groups we ran with Mencap, one word surfaced again and again: ‘No’,” said George McCallum of Don’t Panic. “For many families, this one simple word echoed through every single part of their lives, a constant barrage of limits, refusals, and barriers. But stories like Emily’s show how transformative a single ‘yes’ can be. Our job was to tell her story, and the insight felt by 1.5 million families, in the most compelling and honest way possible.”
“Mixed media felt like the most honest and evocative way to tell Emily’s story,” added Chopra. “The home videos gave us an intimate patchwork of her childhood memories, but left out the pain, in particular, the rejection she faced after her diagnosis. My job was to fill in those gaps and make her experience and her memory whole. A tactile, mixed media approach felt like an apt choice to represent her resilience and the impact of Mencap’s work.”
“The film is designed as a rallying cry for the public to take action,” said Mary O’Hagan, executive director of fundraising at Mencap. “By donating to Mencap, supporters can quite literally ‘be the yes’ for someone with a learning disability: funding the vital support that help people like Emily lead the lives they choose. Be The Yes stands as a call to action to the UK public to challenge their assumptions, recognise the barriers people with a learning disability face every day, and choose to make a difference by turning ‘no’ into ‘yes’.”
