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Modern Films is pleased to announce the acquisition and release of the documentary BLUE BAG LIFE which won the Audience Award at the BFI London Film Festival.
It also won the Audience Award at the Hainan International Film Festival and is in the Film Forward Competition at the upcoming Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival.
The campaign will roll-out in partnership with the production team including three co-directors Rebecca Lloyd-Evans, Lisa Selby and Alex Fry, co-writers Josie Cole and Lisa Selby, and producer Natasha Dack-Ojumu of Tigerlily Productions.
Named after the twisted offcuts of blue plastic bags that some dealers wrap heroin in, BLUE BAG LIFE is the story of love, motherhood and addiction – showing the life of a mother in active addiction through the eyes and experiences of Lisa, the daughter she abandoned as a baby. Told through intimate home videos, phone calls, diaries and photographs, it is a deeply personal odyssey illuminated by the uncompromising portrait of a life touched by drink and drug addiction. Although it does not shy away from the rawness of darkness and pain, it is highly emotional and full of empathy for those we love unconditionally and without judgment, championing hope over despair.
With such a strong creative force behind it, the film will be programmed as an event-led release throughout the month of April. Talent will accompany the film and host Q&As at most screenings, including a run in Nottingham where Lisa Selby is based and is an Artist and Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University.
Eve Gabereau of Modern Films says they are “humbled and honoured to be bringing this film to audiences, to witness the destructive nature of addiction alongside the beauty and strength of love on the big screen. It sits well alongside two other great theatrical documentaries of the year: All the Beauty and Bloodshed and Last Flight Home, while also having its own distinct voice, impact and visual style.”
The Blue Bag Life collective says ‘We’re really looking forward to engaging with audiences across the UK and sharing our unique experience of making this film, which also celebrates wider themes of love, resilience and loyalty.’
The film was co-financed by the BFI Doc Society Fund awarding National Lottery funding. Impact outreach and awareness-building will be in support of @bluebaglife, an Instagram space and community for shared stories about drug and drink addiction, mental health and love.