F r e e d o m

This idea came from researching Buddhist philosophy. I became interested in the way in which the followers of Buddha perceive freedom. My film explores how we as human beings are bound by our emotions and therefore, because of human  nature's desires and attachments, cannot be 'free' according to the philosophy of the Buddha. This prompted me to question what people mean by being 'free'. People I asked, usually answered in terms of being free to vote, or the freedom to choose a partner.

'Freedom' was funded by the Milllennium Commisson (photo of the awards ceremony) through the charity, Scope. One of the criteria for funding was to find work that does not promote religious beliefs. However I was fascinated by the Buddhist definition of freedom and was determined to explore the concept in my documentary. I therefore decided to examine the underlying principle of Buddhist philosophy, that teaches its followers to find true peace and happiness, through disregarding the emotional bondage of attachment to another person. Such bonds are common in our everyday life. A simple example of how such bonds become chains, is that a parent becomes emotionally disturbed when forced to live without her or his children. According to Buddhism, such a parent is not free in the true sense.

'Freedom' was a challenge to make since I was solely responsible for the whole production. In the process of researching the film, I had to broach difficult and intimate subjects, with people who were not known to me. It was vital to gain their confidence without either compromising the quality of the film, or abusing trust. This documentary includes interviews with two separated fathers who have been forced to have bare, minimum contact with their children, their emotions are revealed on camera. Also a mother expresses her anguish for her son in being forced to make the decision to send him away to a special boarding school that caters for his disability. 

'Freedom' seeks to answer the question, "What does it mean to be truly free?"


Screenings so far