COTTON WOOL
'A single mother (Leanne Best) suffers a devastating stroke leaving her teenage daughter (Katie Quinn) and 7-year-old son (Max Vento) to care for her, testing the family's strength to hold things together as their roles are reversed.
CAST AND CREW
Producer/Executive Producer:
Mark Quinn
Writer/Director: Nicholas Connor
Cinematographer: Alan McLaughlin (BAFTA winning DOP)
Music:
Benjamin Squires - Mary Poppins Returns, Spiderman: Homecoming
Leanne Best (Rachel) - Star Wars: Ep 7, Home Fires, Line of Duty, Cold Feet, Undercover
Katie Quinn (Jennifer) - Northern Lights, Think Of Me
Crissy Rock (Gerry) - Ladybird, Ladybird. Benidorm, Under the Skin
Kate Rutter (Marion) - I, Daniel Blake, Peterloo, Oranges and Sunshine
Max Vento
(Sam) - The A Word
Gemma North (Liz) - Peaky Blinders, Butterfly, No Offence, The Syndicate
INFORMATION
Running Length:
38 Minutes
Status: Released on 'Prime Video'
BBFC: 12A
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1
Camera:
Red Epic Dragon (Digital), Arriflex 435 MOS (35MM)
Lenses:
Cooke Speed Panchro
35MM Laboratory:
Cinelab London
Negative Format:
35 mm (Kodak Vision3 250D 500T) - 4 Perf and Redcode RAW (4K)
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
UK Film Review
The Best Short Film of 2018
‘Deeply emotive and humbling’
[Leanne Best’s] ‘showstopper performance as a stroke victim is superb’
‘Utterly enrapturing’ ‘Affecting and heartbreaking’
ScreenCritix ★★★★★
‘A heartwarming and eye-watering short film’
‘Guaranteed to make many a viewer shed a tear’
[Leanne] ‘Best is a revelation’
Film Threat ★★★★
'Cotton Wool is a heartbreaking message about the struggle young carers face when tragedy strikes. It also gives a glimpse into the care and recovery process for victims of strokes.'
'Whether the story applies to you or not, it’s definitely worth watching.'
'As Rachel, Leanne Best painstaking physicality is incredible and all-too-real.'
The Monthly Film Festival ★★★★½
‘It is a celebration of love and family devotion, an exercise of admiration for the beauty of a world that we ignore in our continuous fleeing for more or less important goals.
‘Cotton Wool’ is a short film that impresses with the force by which it surprises the deaf.
Caution Spoilers ★★★½
'Connor has crafted an absorbing film of wonderful performances that is searingly honest, yet finishes on a note of realistic optimism. '
The Mancunion ★★★★
‘Nicholas Connor’s latest short film is his most evocative yet’ [Leanne] ‘Best is sublime.'
FESTIVAL WINS / NOMINATIONS / SELECTIONS
72 Nominations, 45 Wins and 27 Festival Selections
London Film Awards
Winner - Special Jury Award
European Independent Film Awards
Winner - Best Director, Best Drama, Best Actress (Leanne Best)
UK Film Review - Annual Awards
Winner - Best Short Film of the Year
Nominated - Best Director of the Year
British Independent Film Festival
Winner - Best Supporting Actor (Max Vento), Best Supporting Actress (Katie Quinn)
Nominated - Best Short Film, Best Music
Los Angeles Film Awards
Winner - Best Picture, Best Drama, Best Actress (Leanne Best), Best Supporting Actress (Crissy Rock), Best Young Actress (Katie Quinn)
New York Film Awards
Winner - Best Picture, Best Young Filmmaker, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Editing, Best Supporting Actress (Crissy Rock), Best Young Actress (Katie Quinn)
New Renaissance Film Festival
Winner - Humanity Award for Film (Previously won by Oscar Winner 'The Silent Child)
Nominated - Best Actress (Leanne Best), Best Young Talent Narrative Short (Sponsored by Goldfinch Studios)
Global Independent Film Awards
Winner - Best Drama, Best Featurette, Best Actor Under 18 (Max Vento), Best Actress Under 18 (Katie Quinn)
IndieFlicks Short Film Festival
Winner - Director’s Choice Award
Madrid Independent Film Festival
Nominated - Best Featurette
Lift-Off Season Awards 2019
Nominated - Best Director
Gold Movie Awards
Winner - Best Featurette of the Year, Film of the Month, Feature of the Month
Nominated - Film of the Year
Unrestricted View Film Festival
Winner - Best Actress (Leanne Best)
Nominated - Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Short Film
Out of the Can Film Festival
Winner - Judge’s Choice Award 2018, Best Drama
Nominated - Best Screenplay, Best Lifestyle Project, Best Supporting Actress (Crissy Rock)
Little Wing Film Festival
Winner - Best Director
Nominated - Best UK Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Katie Quinn)
Manchester Screenplays and Shorts Film Festival
Winner - Best Actress (Leanne Best)
Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival
Winner - Special Mention
The Monthly Film Festival
Winner - Best Short Film, Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Actress (Leanne Best)
Nominated - Film of the Year, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing
Birmingham Film Festival
Nominated - Best Young Director
Southampton International Film Festival
Nominated - Best British Short Film, Best Director
Los Angeles Film Awards (Annual - Best of 2019)
Winner - Best Ensemble Cast
Nominated - Best of the Festival 2019, Best Actress (Leanne Best)
New York Film Awards (Annual - Best of 2019)
Winner - Best Narrative Feature, Jury President Award, Best Actress (Leanne Best), Best Duo (Katie Quinn and Leanne Best), Best Director, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Editing
Nominated - Best of the Festival 2019
BEHIND THE SCENES
