Hope Dickson Leach’s debut feature film “The Levelling” has been acquired by Monterey Media. The film premiered at TIFF back in September.
Set in Somerset, England, “The Levelling” follows trainee veterinarian Clover Catto (Ellie Kendrick, “Game of Thrones”) who, according to the official synopsis, “returns to the farm where she grew up after hearing news that her brother Harry (Joe Blakemore) has died — what appears to be a suicide. Finding the family home in a state of horrendous disrepair following the 2014 floods that devastated the area, Clover is forced to confront her father Aubrey — about the farm, the livestock and, crucially, the details surrounding Harry’s death. Clover’s discoveries send her on emotional journey of reckoning — with her family, her childhood and herself.”
In October, Dickson Leach was named the inaugural recipient of the IWC Filmmaker Bursary Award, presented at BFI London. The award was designed to recognize and support a British writer and/or director towards the beginning of their career, offering them financial freedom to pursue future projects.
“Winning this means everything — my life has just changed in two minutes,” commented Dickson Leach. “Being a mother of two children and a filmmaker is really tricky and I’ve now been given the gift of time.”
As a result of her strive for balance in parenting/filmmaking, Dickson Leach co-founded Raising Films, which works towards making the film industry more parent-friendly.
When Dickson Leach spoke with Women and Hollywood during TIFF, she cited Jane Campion and Kelly Reichardt as inspirations, and spoke of her experience as a female director.
“I don’t think there is one thing that can be done to increase the numbers of women directors, but every single one of the things that people say need to be done should be adopted,” she said. “It’s going to be gradual. Given my own experience, I’d like to see more older women being embraced in the industry, and more conversations around what parent filmmakers need in place to make their work.”
A U.S. theatrical release for “The Levelling” is planned for early spring.
