Film: A Smile for Her
Director: Daniel Keeble
Writer: Daniel Keeble
Actors: David Streames, Charlotte Luxford, Linsey Turner
Synopsis: A dedicated husband must summon his inner strength to recover a cherished keepsake that is slipping further from his grasp.
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds ahead of the Southend Film Festival, I got a chance to ask Writer-Director Daniel Keeble a few questions about his film ‘A Smile for Her‘.
A Smile for Her will be playing at the Southend Film Festival on Saturday 7th June at 6:30pm as part of the Mostly Made in Southend Part two.
Q. Your film ‘A Smile for Her’ has been selected to play at the Southend Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. A short story of a man searching for something on the mudflats around a coastal town. A film that poignantly explores family, perseverance and death, how we’re forced to grapple with loss and approach uncertainty with a sense of time overtaking the past. ‘A Smile For Her’ has no dialogue, relying only on a beautiful musical score (by Andrew Hind) and a cast of incredible actors (David Streames, Charlotte Luxford and Linsey Turner) to carry the story.
Q. How did the idea for the film come about and What were your inspirations when writing the script?
A. The process for this film started several years ago for me. Often frequenting the beach in Southend-on-Sea, it isn’t uncommon to see tiny figures far out on the mudflats whenever the tide was out. Perhaps day trippers exploring the land, someone searching for cockles, or a metal- detectorist. I’d often wonder what would that chap with a metal detector was searching for, all alone, in the cold.
I know how it feels alone, out on the foreshore, away from the noise of a busy town…the silence is breath taking, so I wanted to tell a story without dialogue, relying on the beautiful, otherworldly visuals to present themselves.
Q. What were some of the influences for the look and style of the film?
A. The cinematography was influenced by films like ‘Decision To Leave’, ‘Arrival’ and ‘The Tree of Life’. But more importantly, I turned to Disney Pixar short films, of all things (which don’t rely on dialogue) on how to effectively edit and craft a short film that is engaging and emotional.
Q. Were there any elements of the original script which were adapted during filming?
A. There’s a boat scene, which is quite short in the script. But because we shot so much lovely footage, that scene is longer. It adds a lot more to the film now.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments whilst making the Film?
A. Every moment was my favourite. I love making films, so every scene is a joy to shoot. The whole experience with this cast and crew was my favourite experience.
Q. Did you experience any issues whilst making the film?
It rained on the morning we wanted to film on the boat, so had to delay that. Classic. We shot on the Broomway, known as one of the most dangerous paths in the UK. Access is limited, and it was closed
off when we intended to film. Classic. The weather, the tide times, the wind…all the elements meant filming ran from October 2024 through to February 2025. For such a short film, that’s a LONG TIME!
Q. What do you hope people will take away from the film
A. It’s a bittersweet story, tackling issues that affect us all; how to deal with grief, and how to be there for your family in challenging times. ‘A Smile For Her’ is about loss and hope, and is perhaps the most personal film for me so far in my career. I just hope people ‘feel’ something when watching it.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are working on?
A. Working on a slate of feature films with ARK Pictures. It’s a long process, but I’ve made enough short films now. Time to step it up!
Q. If someone is looking to get into filmmaking, what advice would you give them?
A. Keep your passion alive, let it fuel your journey. Without passion for filmmaking, you’ll struggle to get anywhere in this ever changing industry.
A Smile for Her will be playing at the Southend Film Festival on Saturday 7th June at 6:30pm as part of the Mostly Made in Southend Part two.
You can find out more about the festival and purchase tickets for ‘A Smile for Her’ here:
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
