Unrest

Morning All,

Foggy, lucky moo, is starting his week-long cruise on the Cunard Liner- the Queen Elizabeth today. He is going to touch his paws down in Sicily, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Split, Venice and the Messina Straits. Loads of mileage! Whoop!

While he is away I am working hard promoting my screening of Unrest on November 16th in Portsmouth. All information about the event can be found on mefoggydog.org. I felt I should write this blog as I am not sure some people know what to expect from the film. It has been hyped up by the M.E community, rightly so, but I feel that I should clarify that it is not a medical training video. It is not an A.B.C account of what M.E is.

It is a story. A love story. A love story between two people who are very much in love. One of those people has severe M.E. Yes, it is a documentary and everything you see on screen is factual but it is not rammed full of M.E clinical data or information.

Let me clarify, I have not seen the film yet. I have read a number of reviews and every reviewer has pointed out that it is a wonderful, visual, powerful film that may not meet the expectations of some M.E sufferers who are hoping that it will address some of the political rubbish that comes with M.E. I

*Foggy* I'm flying!!!

am glad that it isn't a hit you around the head with a bat, political blame-game movie. If it was, the M.E community wouldn't get much engagement with the wider public. I believe that Jen Brea is of the same mindset as me. Storytelling works. It draws people in and creates empathy and awareness. It creates an interest in people that may not know anything about M.E and could point them towards further learning and understanding.

On day one of being Foggy's P.A, I decided to avoid the political-ness that surrounds M.E. Personally, I don't read anything that is ranty or political. All that does is alienate people and won't lead to progress. Yes, I'm angry. I just choose to be outwardly positive and forward-thinking in the hope that it leads to progress. So, I built a story. Foggy's life story. He had a 'birth', he has a best friend, he has Team Foggy and I created a character who loves flying, has an ego, and loves cuppa teas (milk 2 sugars). I tell the M.E experience from a human perspective. I chose to run awareness content alongside that. So I avoided strong-arm tactics in terms of awareness but gently put nuggets of M.E info into followers minds as they followed Foggy's exploits. Videoing myself looking rubbish with a croaky voice is kinda the norm now. I might be verbalising about Foggy's latest exploits but how I LOOK is also telling a story. We don't have to be fact, fact, fact to get the message across. Visual representation of the illness is powerful...just as it is.

Think of Unrest in the same way as Philadelphia in the 80s. It was the story of a HIV/AIDS sufferer. There were no lectures, no scientists talking to cameras (Unrest has a bit of that). But, it was groundbreaking in terms of bringing the worlds attention to the HIV/AIDS issue. Philadelphia was a drama and not a documentary but the storytelling method is the same.

Please come along to the screening if you are able to. It will certainly be eye-opening for many in the audience.

Love Sally 
and Foggy (OBVIOUSLY)
xxx

Please donate via mefoggydog.org - All money raised goes to M.E research. Thank you x