Saying that the past year was gruelling for the United Kingdom would be an understatement. Tension is still running high over Brexit, hate crimes and terror attacks. It is in this context that debutante directors Ralph Briscoe and Jay Stephen made their film (above), making a case for inclusion and unity.
My Turtle Dove is a “patriotic film celebrating the diversity and tolerance in modern day Britain”, and the filmmakers’ love letter to modern day Britain. Interestingly, the title means “love” or a “sweetheart or beloved mate” in cockney English.
The centrepiece of the film is a love letter to Britain from a former lover. “Do you remember when we met? There was this soft music in the air, an armful of different accents, and languages and I remember looking at you and seeing this colourful kaleidoscope...”
The film was shot over five days by a diverse crew across various locations in the UK, including the Brighton Pride and Notting Hill Carnival. Some of the filming took place at scenes of hate crime, like Finsbury Park, where a van drove into a crowd of worshippers near two mosques, and along the Brighton Promenade, where two homosexual men were assaulted.
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