November 1 2006
Media Release

The Short Route to the Top

The leap from showcasing her first low budget short to premiering her first feature film at the same film festival took four short years for Cardiff-born director Helen Grace, who puts her success down to a mixture of her fascination with the whole process of making films, her sheer determination and a great deal of chance. Are you Ready for Love', a feel-good British romantic comedy which revolves around the London speed dating scene, premieres at the Cardiff Film Festival on Sunday 12 November at Cineworld, Cardiff at 6.30pm and boasts a galaxy of stars including Ed Byrne, Andy Nyman, Jodie Marsh and Denise Van Outen. Helen will also take part in a Q&A session following the screening along with lead actor Andy Nyman (‘Severance’).

Working with stars is not something new for Helen, as she put Chico on the big screen well before his X-Factor fame. Chico had an idea for a short film, and collaborated with Helen on the script and the production in 2004, to make the BAFTA Cymru nominated short, Winner Takes All - the tale of a cocky stranger who enters a rowdy bar and accepts a challenge to win a pot of money.

Helen, who studied law at Cambridge University, turned to directing comedy and drama, after several years directing a range of TV network programmes and two years as a producer on ITN's News at Ten. Helen has also directed plays at the Young Vic and Soho Theatre in London and is an experienced screenwriter, chosen for the Script Factory’s Talent list, and a recipient of the European Commission’s Media New Talent award.

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Landing the directorial role on Are you Ready for Love' didn’t happen through the usual hiring channels. She met the film’s producer Trudy Sargent at a screening, and they got talking about their own film ideas. Trudy was developing a project about dating, and Helen offered to help with the script, and it led, somewhat organically, to Helen directing the film when Carnaby Films offered to finance the project.

Helen said, "Getting your films, whether as shorts or features, shown at major festivals such as Cardiff is crucial to gain the exposure needed for recognition in the film industry and a fantastic showcase for emerging talents. Showing Are You Ready for Love? in my hometown is a big thrill and hope it may at least provide inspiration for other budding filmmakers in Wales who may be starting out and despairing where the next opportunity is coming from.

"In a relatively short time, but with a considerable amount of sacrifices, and even larger overdrafts, I am now showing my first feature film to paying audiences. I am still on a big learning curve and my next film promises to have a bigger budget, involving a number of different financiers, and what could seemingly be daunting to the casual observer is a challenge which I feel fortunate to be able to experience."

Sarah Howells, Director, Cardiff Film Festival, "We first became aware of Helen’s work when we chose to show her first short film in 2001 and again with Winner Takes All in 2004. Here we are in 2006 and Helen is already premiering her first feature film. I am proud the Festival has enabled to act as an important stepping stone for filmmakers from Wales and beyond and shows what can be achieved if you believe in yourself, your films and have a little bit of luck is on your side."