A Fitting Tribute
Encyclopedia
A Fitting Tribute is a 2007 British
Britishness
Britishness is the state or quality of being British, or of embodying British characteristics, and is used to refer to that which binds and distinguishes the British people and forms the basis of their unity and identity, or else to explain expressions of British culture—such as habits, behaviours...

 short film comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...

 drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...

 directed by Daniel Cormack and starring Sally Bretton
Sally Bretton
Sally Bretton is an English actress best known for appearing in television sitcoms including the BBC's Absolute Power, Channel 4's Green Wing, the BBC's The Office, and, most recently, the BBC's Not Going Out....

, Thomas Nelstrop
Thomas Nelstrop
Thomas Nelstrop is an English actor.-Early life and career:Born in York and growing up in Hebden Bridge, Thomas gained a B.A. degree in Actor Musicianship at Rose Bruford College in 2002 and has since garnered a successful acting career...

 and April Nicholson.

In 2010, A Fitting Tribute was selected for preservation by the British Film Institute's National Archive
BFI National Archive
The BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was originally set up as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955 its name became the National Film Archive, and in 1992, the...

.

Plot

In flashback, Niall (Thomas Nelstrop
Thomas Nelstrop
Thomas Nelstrop is an English actor.-Early life and career:Born in York and growing up in Hebden Bridge, Thomas gained a B.A. degree in Actor Musicianship at Rose Bruford College in 2002 and has since garnered a successful acting career...

), a local news reporter, recalls visiting his mother's grave, as he smartens up in a toilet mirror. His colleague Tammy (Sally Bretton
Sally Bretton
Sally Bretton is an English actress best known for appearing in television sitcoms including the BBC's Absolute Power, Channel 4's Green Wing, the BBC's The Office, and, most recently, the BBC's Not Going Out....

) knocks on the toilet door to hurry him up and as they walk to the car she instructs him on the art of the 'death-knock': knocking on the doors of the recently bereaved to obtain quotes and pictures of the deceased for the newspaper. Niall's poor track record has put his job on the line and Tammy has been detailed to improve his hit-rate. When they reach the house of Mrs Wright, who has lost her son in a car accident, Niall goes in first while Tammy waits outside. Before Niall can introduce himself and launch into his spiel that Tammy has prepared for him, Mrs Wright (April Nicholson) interrupts him - "I know who you are" - and ushers him into the house. There she ropes him into unstacking the dishwasher as Niall tries in vain to broach the subject of the bereavement against the sound of a fire alarm which has been set off by the cigarette Mrs Wright is smoking. Mrs Wright appears baffled by Niall's requests for pictures and instead offers him some soup telling him they will look at some pictures "in the morning", much to Niall's surprise. She then leads him upstairs to the bedroom and encourages him to get some rest. Trapped in the bedroom, Niall examines the dead boy's belongings and finds himself playing with his toys. Meanwhile, Tammy waits outside taking a phone call from her boss at the newspaper, to whom she explains that Niall "is still in there, so he must be doing alright". Whilst playing with a light sabre, Niall knocks off a shelf-load of items and as he picks them up, he finds a photo of the dead boy. Mrs Wright, alerted by the noise, appears behind him and embracing Niall, she tells him: "it's been a long day: time for bed." Tammy knocks at the door and attempts to talk to Mrs Wright about the accident in which her son was killed, but Mrs Wright replies that her son is in his room and that there must be some mistake. Closing the door, she is nonetheless shaken by Tammy's insistence that her son is dead and she climbs the stairs to the bedroom where she finds Niall tucked up fast asleep in her son's bed. She kisses him on the cheek and switches out the light.

Cast

Sally Bretton
Sally Bretton
Sally Bretton is an English actress best known for appearing in television sitcoms including the BBC's Absolute Power, Channel 4's Green Wing, the BBC's The Office, and, most recently, the BBC's Not Going Out....

 was cast as 'Tammy' after the director saw her performance in BBC TV series The Office
The Office (UK TV series)
The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...

and A Fitting Tribute was the first short film she had agreed to appear in since leaving drama school: "“The script was really intriguing and the writing flowed very well, plus I knew that Daniel’s previous short film (Amelia and Michael
Amelia and Michael
Amelia and Michael is a 2007 British drama short film directed by Daniel Cormack, starring Anthony Head and Natasha Powell and executive produced by Richard Johns....

) had been really well-received". Bretton was cast alongside "rising star" Thomas Nelstrop
Thomas Nelstrop
Thomas Nelstrop is an English actor.-Early life and career:Born in York and growing up in Hebden Bridge, Thomas gained a B.A. degree in Actor Musicianship at Rose Bruford College in 2002 and has since garnered a successful acting career...

 with April Nicholson completing the cast after returning to acting following a career break.

Production

The screenplay for the film was partly based on Ben Clover's real-life experiences of death-knocks as a reporter for the South London Press
South London Press
The South London Press is a bi-weekly tabloid newspaper based in Streatham, South London, covering local news within the London boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Wandsworth....

and production started after the project won a funding award from the Lewisham
Lewisham
Lewisham is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...

 Film Initiative with Will Briggs, stepson of the comedian Malcolm Hardee
Malcolm Hardee
Malcolm Hardee was an English comedian, author, comedy club proprietor, compère, agent, manager and "amateur sensationalist"....

, acting as co-producer.

Filming was completed on the day of the deadline for the UK Film Council Completion Fund
UK Film Council Completion Fund
The UK Film Council Completion Fund is a major UK short film funding awards scheme, funded by the UK Film Council, and managed by Maya Vision International...

 which "provides finance and support for short films that show outstanding potential but lack the funds to finish." Despite being only a rough assembly, the film won a completion funding award: "the completion fund was what we wanted the most really...it's actually, apart from Cinema Extreme
Cinema Extreme
Cinema Extreme is a major UK short film funding awards scheme, created in 2002. The scheme is funded by the UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund and Film4 and managed by The Bureau with the aim "to seek out and develop filmmakers with a distinctive directorial voice and cinematic flair"...

, the only nationwide UK Film Council
UK Film Council
The UK Film Council was set up in 2000 by the Labour Government as a non-departmental public body to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee governed by a board of 15 directors and was funded through sources including the...

 short film funding scheme. It has a massive profile here at Edinburgh
Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival...

...It's a brilliant scheme to get on."

A Super 8mm intro sequence, self-shot by the director Daniel Cormack on the then recently discontinued Kodachrome
Kodachrome
Kodachrome is the trademarked brand name of a type of color reversal film that was manufactured by Eastman Kodak from 1935 to 2009.-Background:...

 film stock, was added subsequent to principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....

.

Festivals

In addition to a short theatrical run before the feature presentations at the Broadway Theatre
Broadway Theatre, Catford
The Broadway Theatre, Catford is a theatre on Rushey Green, Catford in the London Borough of Lewisham. A grade II* listed building, the theatre was built in 1932 and is an outstanding example of Art Deco design...

 and the First Past the Post
UK Film Council Completion Fund
The UK Film Council Completion Fund is a major UK short film funding awards scheme, funded by the UK Film Council, and managed by Maya Vision International...

 screenings at the Curzon Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...

, A Fitting Tribute screened on the festival circuit
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...

 from its world première
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...

 at the Edinburgh International Film Festival
Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival...

, US première
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...

 at the Palm Springs Shorts Fest
Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films
The Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films held annually in Palm Springs, California is the largest film festival for short films in the United States....

 and European première
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...

 at the A-list Warsaw International Film Festival
Warsaw International Film Festival
Warsaw International Film Festival , also known as the Warsaw FilmFest, is a film festival held every October in Warsaw, Poland. The festival has been held every year since 1985....

  in 2007 through to 2009 having been selected for the British Council's
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...

 International Short Film Festival Support Scheme.
Edition Festival Programme Title Venue Date Time Country Première Status
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...

61st Edinburgh International Film Festival
Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival...

First Past the Post Cameo Cinema,
Screen 1
}
|| 14:00
|| UK
|| World
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....


|-
| 13th
|| Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films
Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films
The Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films held annually in Palm Springs, California is the largest film festival for short films in the United States....


|| Showdown
|| Camelot Theaters,
Theater 2
||
|| 14:30
|| US
|| US
|-
| 23rd
| Warsaw International Film Festival
|| Short Films 1
|| Palace of Culture and Science,
Kinoteka 7
||

|| 11:00
13:30
|| Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...


|| Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...


|-
| 8th
| X'08 International Disability Film Festival
|| Director's Showcase: Daniel Cormack
|| BFI Southbank
BFI Southbank
BFI Southbank is the leading repertory cinema in the UK specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films and is operated by the British Film Institute.-History:...

,
Studio
||
|| 15:50
|| UK
||
|-
| 2nd
| Shooting People
Shooting People
Shooting People is an international social network for independent filmmakers that was founded in 1998 by Cath Le Couteur and Jess Search. With over 35,000 subscribers in the UK and NY, members share resources and knowledge to get their films made and seen....

 Split Focus at the BFI
BFI
BFI may refer to:* Benefit Fraud Inspectorate, a UK government agency* The IATA airport code for Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington* British Film Institute, a British charitable organisation...


|| Split Focus: Daniel Cormack / Kara Miller
|| BFI Southbank
BFI Southbank
BFI Southbank is the leading repertory cinema in the UK specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films and is operated by the British Film Institute.-History:...

,
Studio
||
|| 18:00
|| UK
||
|-
| 14th
| Bradford Film Festival
|| New British Filmmakers
|| National Media Museum,
Pictureville Cinema
Pictureville Cinema
Pictureville Cinema is a cinema auditorium located within the National Media Museum in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.Pictureville is one of the best equipped cinemas in the world. It is equipped for 35 mm, 70 mm, 2K resolution and Cinerama projection. The cinema features Dolby Digital EX, DTS...


||
|| 16:00
|| UK
||
|-
| 6th
| Wood Green International Short Film Festival
|| Drama Session One
|| Cineworld
Cineworld
Cineworld Group plc is a cinema chain operating in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Jersey. The chain consists of 78 cinemas; 76 of which are located in the UK and one each in Ireland and Jersey. It is the second-largest cinema operator in the UK with 801 screens, and the owner of...

 Wood Green
Wood Green
Wood Green is a district in north London, England, located in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated north of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater London.-History:...

,
Screen 3
||
|| 21:30
|| UK
||
|-
| 5th
| The End of the Pier International Film Festival
The End of the Pier International Film Festival
The End of the Pier International Film Festival is a not-for profit independent film festival based in West Sussex, England. The festival began in 2002 and showed work by local film makers, but it has since grown to showcase shorts and features from all over the world...


|| Short Drama Competition: Director's Special Mention
|| Regis Centre,
Alexandra Theatre
Alexandra Theatre, Bognor Regis
The Alexandra Theatre is a 364 seat auditorium in the British town of Bognor Regis showing a variety of entertainment from comedy to drama to pantomime....


||
|| 14:00
|| UK
||
|-
| 8th
| Nickel Independent Film Festival
Nickel Film Festival
The Nickel Independent Film Festival is an annual film festival held in St. John's, Canada. The Festival was conceived in 2001 by filmmaker Roger Maunder to allow local filmmakers to exhibit their works of filmography...


|| Film Screening
|| LSPU Hall
LSPU Hall
The LSPU Hall is a large wooden structure in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Located on 3 Victoria Street it is currently the home of the Resource Centre for the Arts '. The name comes from a previous owner, the Longshoremen's Protective Union.- History of the location :Like many other...

,
Theatre
||
|| 19:30
|| Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...


|| Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...


|-
| 1st
| Swale Film Festival
|| Industry Q&A Session
|| Avenue Theatre,
Cinema
||
|| 18:00
|| UK
||
|-
| 13th
| Portobello Film Festival
Portobello Film Festival
The Portobello Film Festival is an independent international film festival based in London, which annually premiers over 700 new films, including features, shorts, documentaries, music films and animation. Additionally, workshops and talks with top film directors are also featured. Admission to...


|| London Filmmakers Convention - Day 2
|| Paradise Bar,
Private Dining Room
||
|| 18:00
|| UK
||
|-
| 4th
| Busho Budapest Short Film Festival
|| Informational Screening 1
||
||
|| 12:00
|| Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...


|| Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...


|-
| 16th
| Raindance Film Festival
Raindance Film Festival
Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates from various cities including: London, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin and Brussels...


|| Prior to the feature presentation of Goliath
|| Cineworld
Cineworld
Cineworld Group plc is a cinema chain operating in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Jersey. The chain consists of 78 cinemas; 76 of which are located in the UK and one each in Ireland and Jersey. It is the second-largest cinema operator in the UK with 801 screens, and the owner of...

 Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue is a major street in central London, England, named after Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, that runs in a north-easterly direction from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus....

,
Screen 7
||
|| 19:00
|| UK
||
|-
| 9th
| HDFest NYC
|| Prior to the feature presentation of Foreign Devils
|| Sony Wonder Technology Lab
||
|| 19:30
|| US
||
|-
| 9th
| Filmstock International Film Festival
|| Short Film Weekend 10
|| The Hat Factory
The hat Factory
The hat Factory is an arts facility in the centre of Luton, England that seeks to develop the arts in the town and surrounding region. The hat Factory opened in April 2004, and includes theatre, music, comedy, dance and film programmes....

, Screen One
The Hat Factory
The hat Factory
The hat Factory is an arts facility in the centre of Luton, England that seeks to develop the arts in the town and surrounding region. The hat Factory opened in April 2004, and includes theatre, music, comedy, dance and film programmes....

, Basement
||

|| 16:00
18:10
|| UK
||
|-
| 7th
| Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...

 Film Festival
|| Short Films Six
|| Odeon
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...

 Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...

,
Screen 2
||


|| 19:00
11:00
11:00
|| UK
||
|}

Critical Response

Natascha Kaufman of Time Out London reviewed the First Past the Post theatrical screening of the UK Film Council Completion Fund
UK Film Council Completion Fund
The UK Film Council Completion Fund is a major UK short film funding awards scheme, funded by the UK Film Council, and managed by Maya Vision International...

 slate at the Curzon Mayfair:

“A gripping collection of nine short films that all project an effective message with a shower of creativity and originality. Each film possesses a unique quality to touch and captivate with a lasting impression in no more than 15 minutes...'A Fitting Tribute' is a satirical story about a young journalist who is confronted with an unusual circumstance when he meets a grieving mother. Akin to the standard of directing the acting too is a far cry from amateur; nine little gems that all twinkle with artistic imagination.”

Awards & Nominations

Rank Award Awarding Body Nominee Year
Winner Emerging Filmmaker Award Nickel Independent Film Festival
Nickel Film Festival
The Nickel Independent Film Festival is an annual film festival held in St. John's, Canada. The Festival was conceived in 2001 by filmmaker Roger Maunder to allow local filmmakers to exhibit their works of filmography...

Daniel Cormack 2008
Winner Best Story / Screenplay Award Nickel Independent Film Festival
Nickel Film Festival
The Nickel Independent Film Festival is an annual film festival held in St. John's, Canada. The Festival was conceived in 2001 by filmmaker Roger Maunder to allow local filmmakers to exhibit their works of filmography...

Ben Clover 2008

External links

  • Actaeon Films Official Production Company website
  • A Fitting Tribute at the BBC Film Network
    BBC Films
    BBC Films is the feature film-making arm of the BBC. It has produced or co-produced some of the most successful British films of recent years, including An Education, StreetDance 3D, Fish Tank, Stage Beauty, A Cock and Bull Story, Nativity! and Match Point.It aims to make strong British films with...

  • A Fitting Tribute at the British Council
    British Council
    The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...

     British Films Directory
  • A Fitting Tribute at the Complete Index to World Film
    Complete Index to World Film
    The Complete Index to World Film is an online database of information related to movies. Citwf, compiled online by Alan Goble and Valan Publishing since 2004, is a Guinness Record as the world's largest published film-related database, with over 694,400 title entries.In 1990, The Complete Index to...

  • Dazzle Films Official Distributor website
  • Maya Vision International Official Production Company website
  • UK Film Council Official Production Company website
  • Lifesize Pictures Official Production Company website
  • Lewisham Film Initiative Official Production Company website
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