Keep Calm & Carry On
First-time filmmaker Nick Rowland writes exclusively about releasing his electrifying debut, Calm With Horses, just as the pandemic took hold…
As I started to see news of the virus taking hold in Europe in January and February, it started to dawn on me that the timing of our film was going to hit just as the virus took hold in London. What do you do in that situation? I was so conflicted. It was too late to halt the release, and we still had to go out there and promote it. But it felt weird having to advise family and friends to stay at home rather than go out and see it. It was heartbreaking to have the release cut to just a handful of days after a six-year journey making the film… I just try not to dwell on it. I had spent my whole life dreaming of having a movie release in cinemas and I have no idea when another chance will come around again. But I am thankful the film still found a great audience on VOD and it was a thrill to see so many critics and audiences alike appreciating and supporting the film. There was nothing we could have done to change the situation so I just need to be thankful we were even able to finish the film and get it out there in some capacity. I worry for other young filmmakers who were in the middle of filming or about to start their first features. I have no idea what the landscape will be now going forward, but I hope the support is still there for new voices.
Overall though, it’s been a year with so many positives, and, having time to reflect, I think our film benefitted in many ways from the lockdown. I think more people have been taking chances on smaller unknown films and watching more things than ever before. A small film like Calm With Horses probably stayed in the conversation and consciousness of the public longer than maybe it would have done in a normal year. Seeing how many people have found the film on Netflix, for example, has just been a huge thrill for me. I had made peace with the thought the film was going to end up being a lost film of the Covid pandemic. To find a big audience six months down the line has been a really lovely surprise.
But the less we talk about the American title change, the better… NR CALM WITH HORSES IS STREAMING NOW ON NETFLIX.