Brexit and the Belgian Brits (BABBS)

Happy new year! A little good news at the start of 2022 is that HERE WE ARE has been selected for its first film festival. We are delighted that there is clear interest in our story, and grateful for your contributions to making this possible. If you wish to receive more updates please register via the First Move Productions website: https://firstmoveproductions.com/contact/

We did it! What a wonderful film premiere last night in Brussels. Louise Hilditch welcomed us all to Full Circle House. Anny Tubbs introduced HERE WE ARE and moderator Gillian MCLaughlin. After the screening, we thanked our contributors (most were present in person) for sharing their moving personal experiences. Gillian then invited panelists Emma Woodford, Fiona Godfrey and Anthony Valcke to reflect on the way forward for British Europeans, in a rich and thought-provoking exchange with other participants. We missed those of you who could not join. But we celebrated a community project that brought us closer together, thanks to you. And you are also most welcome to watch the film on https://vimeo.com/616236944 - we hope you like it! Take care and keep in touch! PS. The idea of a sequel (STILL HERE, 2026) is already taking root. Watch this space xx

Great news: our film - called HERE WE ARE - is ready. The inaugural screening and panel discussion will take place in Brussels on 16 October at Full Circle, see here for booking details (COVID safety rules apply) https://fullcircle.eu/event-4507572 None of this would have been possible without you and the contributors, hosts and crew who worked alongside us since the idea of making this film was first mooted on BABBS on 26 November 2020 (#BABBSmovie). So once again, thank you very much for your support. Also FYI later in October the film will be made more widely accessible for viewing on https://firstmoveproductions.com

We hope you are all enjoying the summer so far. We are hard at work in the post production phase of the film - cutting, editing, selecting the music score and all the other less glamorous but critical, painstaking elements of impactful documentary filmmaking. We are excited about the direction the film is taking and will keep you updated as its release date draws closer. We also look forward to unveiling the official film poster - hoping you'll love it as much as we do! In the meantime thank you again for all your support.

With filming complete here's another sneak peek into our project. Being on set together allowed us to express personal, heartfelt, thought-provoking perspectives. Many thanks to our hosts, including Kitty O'Sheas, to our crew and to our fantastic interviewees. Post-production is now underway. We look forward to sharing a documentary that reflects this milestone in British and European history...

That's a wrap on filming in Antwerp! The interviewees, venues and film crew made last Friday a great success - even the typically changeable Belgian weather was on our side... We’re delighted to share a few behind-the-scenes photos with everyone who made this project possible: again thank you wholeheartedly for joining us on this exciting journey! Stay tuned for more updates as filming resumes in a few weeks' time.

Hi again - we hope all is well! We haven't forgotten our donors, in fact we'd like to keep you posted on our filmmaking progress. We plan to share news on the BABBS Facebook page and send updates via this KissKissBankBank platform for as long as it remains available to us, or from info@firstmoveproductions.com (if you prefer not to receive e-news please email that address with UNSUBSCRIBE in the header). We're still busy with research, pre-production interviews and planning (as this 'establishing shot' of Emma illustrates), but aim to film selected contributors in April, in Brussels and beyond. With luck the film will be ready by the end of June - and of course we some of you await your e-posters too. Please bear with us and ... a bientôt!

With just a few days to go before the final deadline, our fundraising goal was met ... meaning this documentary project can now go ahead. Thank you so much for your support and generosity! Filming (Covid safely) and editing takes time, but our goal is to have a film ready by late June, so watch this space (and thanks again!).

FYI First Move Productions filmed award-winning photographer Mandy Barker (COVID-safely) last summer and recently finished a short documentary about her work raising awareness of marine plastic pollution. Hope you like the trailer https://vimeo.com/508495894 and that we can also reach this stage on our current project in due course.

Hello, we've already started researching numbers, locations and trends for Brits in Belgium, and looking at what changed in 2016-20. We are uncovering fun historic facts: definitely stories waiting to be told! With 64% of funds already raised and 16 days left to go, we all need to redouble efforts to meet our target. Please spread the word and encourage others to support this important project. Thank you!

https://vimeo.com/505563094 Hi, some of you wanted to know more about us and this indie project, so here's a short clip. We're still speaking to community members about their experiences and exploring stories to share in our short documentary film. The crew is on standby. We've reached 55% of our fundraiser target and extended our deadline to 24 February to get to 100% (funds only release once we reach this). Every little helps, so please keep spreading the word! Thanks!

🎥 🥁 Remember the band "TAKE THIS"?   TAKE THIS have kindly agreed to contribute one of their songs (and footage if needed) to our short documentary.   Check out their latest clips here - and FYI they plan a reunion gig in Brussels when the time is right: https://takethisback.online/ 🙏🌟 Please help us complete our crowdfund (we're at 49%) by spreading the word 🙏🌟

On 31 December when we assembled outside the British Embassy for the vigil, we started our filming adventure. The press was also present to hear what we had to say on that wet and sombre evening. Despite the chill and sadness we were together, which felt so right.