No Fare: The Sian Green Story

Hello once again. Before I start, just a few updates. Firstly, I've taken part in a mentoring scheme set by Screen Northampts, a film-making-related organisation based in Northampton. Basically, what happens is that Screen Northampts arranges for a staff member to mentor those who are pursuing a career in the film industry whether it be sound production, editing, writing and so forth. My main career ambition is of course writing and my mentor has offered me some great advice so far on which sources to try for script promotion ideas.

Also I've started some counselling sessions due to recent mental health issues. These related not only the impact that the lockdown had on me, but what has happened since then, residential life and work life. Either that or I maybe experiencing a quarter-life crisis. But that's another story for another time.

Last Friday evening, I was watching a documentary feature at the Phoenix in Leicester, my hometown. This film in particular contained a segment which brought back some memories. Five years ago, I was a volunteer videographer/photographer for a fashion show set up by a charity organisation known as the I Love Me Project. The purpose of the event was to justify the capabilities of people with various disabilities to achieve anything, to prove that they are as human as everybody else. In other words, and as they put it, to Disable Stereotypes for Disabilities. One of the people who took part in the fashion show was a lady named Sian whose leg was amputated following a collision caused by a cab driver which occurred during a vacation in New York City on August 2013. And this is what the film I watched is about.

The film was called No Fare: The Sian Green Story and was produced by Spoon Jar Films. It demonstrated the events that led up to that particular moment and what had happened since then, including how Sian coped with the injury, the culprit and his company's response, hearings from those close to Sian and how much Sian has achieve despite her injury. This is the kind of documentary that would get one thinking how difficult it must be to cope if one was to permanently lose a limb. In fact, when I saw what the culprit who was responsible for the accident had said, I did start questioning his motive. Not out-loud if you know what I mean, but first I heard that he had a harsh argument with a cyclist. Next thing, the cyclist was provoking him, causing the cab driver to deliberately hit the cyclist, but clearly not thinking straight before injuring Sian. I also wondered what the argument he had with the cyclist was about. But all in all, the documentary goes to show that everybody has a story and Sian certainly has had an eventful one.

What followed was a Q&A with Sian, the producer and the director and I can remember asking if there were any particular moments during the film-making process when a passer-by interfered with the production. They answered yes to that question, considering that they apparently came across a resident in New York who interrogated them on why they were pointing cameras. In fact, that had happened to me once when I was a 2nd Camera Assistant for a short film and I could remember that one night during the shooting when a stranger asked if they were filming him and/or his part of residence and it did make the situation feel rather awkward. Going back to the screening of No Fare, Sian had admitted that that was the first time she saw the film and that it has made her day.

And I have to agree that I had the pleasure in watching No Fare. The film is showing at another few theatres later on. I would very much recommend it for those who haven't seen it as I have found it to be inspiring.

Thank you for reading.