Dear Elizabeth
Synopsis: A box of handwritten letters takes us on a journey through a young man’s national service, as he courts his wife to be. Years later, over the pandemic lockdown, his children re-read their late Father’s letters, to their Mum, Elizabeth, providing a much needed connection, while she is in isolation during her final days.
Director Statement
'Dear Elizabeth' is a personal film, that became both a cathartic way to deal with the finality of losing both parents, and also a joyful way to connect with the past.
Elizabeth Carmichael was my Mum. She is in a care home in Scotland when the pandemic begins. As she is in isolation, our only way of communicating in 'person' is via FaceTime. Remembering the box of dusty love letters we found in the attic as kids, my siblings and I begin reading my Dad's letters to her. Beginning in 1955 when my Dad was on his National Service, in both Malta and Cyprus, his handwritten letters weave a tale of both squadron life, and a yearning to be with his sweetheart. My parent's love story brought us all joy, laughter and tears, and provided a much needed connection to navigate the emotionally challenging time, and the painful separation that came with it.
Director Biography - lorna carmichael
Lorna’s wanderlust as a child was fueled by whimsical family adventures with her Dad. Daydreaming of sparkling oceans, Lorna left Scotland, after studying architecture at Glasgow School of Art, to explore sunnier lands. Always travelling with a camera, happenstance threw her into the world of visual storytelling. A sucker for Romeo and Juliet, she was thrilled to work on Baz Luhrmann's epic 'Australia' as her inaugural feature film. Combining her love for adventure and film, she camped under the stars in the Australian outback, and then back in the film studios she was thrown into Visual Effects, where she worked alongside great directors and cinematographers helping create their vision on the film set. Lorna's film resume includes Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, War Machine, Ali and Nino & The Night Manager. 4 continents, and many serendipitous journeys later, Lorna is a photographer and filmmaker based in Vancouver, Canada. Her photographic practice, influenced strongly by her work in feature film, is primarily focused on portraiture, street and photojournalism.
As a filmmaker she has been a creative collaborator on many films and television shows. “Dear Elizabeth" is her first independent short documentary.