The Programme
“I felt the writing was peeling into my heart like a stranger breaking into my house but I allowed it to happen?”
- 2 Shades Magazine
They are here to learn your emotions... whatever it takes.
So Crocodile presents The Programme - the first short film from award-winning writer and director Sam Grierson. The film premiered this Spring in Digbeth, and was an Official Selection at the New York International Women’s Film Festival and Sykehouse Film Festival, with a nomination for Best Actress for Michelle Jeram (BBC Granite Harbour, Liar, Eastenders, The Split). The Programme has also just won Best Thriller at Paris Women Fest as well as being nominated for Mental Health Experience category at the Little Venice Film Festival.
The work began after a two-year writing hiatus triggered by the devastating loss of Sam’s best friend to suicide. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, the resulting film sparks reflection and reshapes perceptions, encouraging an understanding of the intricate layers of grief and the complex intersectionality of neurodivergent experiences. Sam is LGBTQIA+, autistic and ADHD. Grierson’s film exposes us for believing in stereotypes, exposes society for marginalising people, and displays in no uncertain terms that everyone deserves to be centre stage. A neurodivergent subject encourages us to examine universal fears. Megan Black’s haunting soundtrack skilfully captures the film's dark undertones while infusing it with heart and grit.
Filmed in a dystopian Digbeth and anonymous Millenium Point in Birmingham, The Programme immediately stands out from the norm. It centres someone over forty, they’re non-binary, and neurodivergent. Labels people assume knowledge of, and think they understand. However, to The Programme - Drum (Jeram) is a number, a resource to be mined, to teach its AEI – Artificial Emotional Intelligence – about loneliness and incident 6.2. The role was written for Jeram.
Audiences find the prosaic dialogue immerses them in the intricacies of the character's thoughts and emotions, creating a unique and thought-provoking viewing experience. We watch Drum’s interrogation by the machine, and with them, learn about their thoughts, feelings, relationship with themselves, and those around them. At no point do any of Drum’s “categorisations” lessen or weaken them. They are strengths, a point of difference. There’s eloquence and pain in the discussion, someone who’s been told they don’t feel, describes in heart-breaking detail exactly how they do. These themes of grief and loneliness are a vessel, encouraging us to scrutinise our own reality and the societal constraints on the role of artificial intelligence. The Programme challenges us to question preconceptions of neurodivergence, and ultimately asks that of the main character, Subject 3756A/b1, themselves.
Sam elaborates, "from the outset, assembling a diverse cast and crew across various spectrums of difference was a priority. To authentically portray stories of diversity, I believe in seeking out distinct voices and perspectives. It's through this deliberate selection that we can then focus on homing in on the shared experiences and emotions that bind us all together. My aspiration for the film is that it serves as a powerful emotional catalyst, prompting viewers to reassess their perspectives on differences. Ultimately, I aim for The Programme to be more than just a film – a force for meaningful reflection and a driver for positive change in how we perceive and embrace differences. Working in collaboration with Bader Media Entertainment CIC was the key to turning this project from a vision into a reality.
Sam Grierson is an award-winning writer and director who is autistic, ADHD and gay. Sam has previously written and produced plays tackling later life autism and ADHD diagnosis and queer themes starring Miriam Margolyes, Lesley Joseph, Jane Asher, Sharon Morgan, Lorraine McIntosh, Richenda Carey and Heather Peace. Sam won the Anna Kennedy Autism Hero Award for the Arts in 2022 and has a podcast Daring to be Different where they interview neurodivergent and queer people who have stood up and made change happen. Sam is also a public speaker on Leadership, Change, Audacity and Disruption.
The Programme is due for general release on 7th November 2024. Watch trailer here.
