(1 x 7’)

Festival Release

Made in 2008, released in 2013.

A personal self-portrait exploring the immediate emotional experience of getting clean from drug addiction, made from hundreds of hours of home video footage across 25 years. 

The second of three films in a self-portrait trilogy exploring childhood trauma manifesting in adulthood (The first film, award winning ‘The Ungrateful Australian’ and the third, critically acclaimed ‘How to Lose Jobs & Alienate Girlfriends’).

In early 2008, at 26 and two years clean, I was working through step six of the twelve-step program. My sponsor encouraged me to get creative, so I made a film. I poured all my emotions onto the screen, capturing the intense experience of step six. The original title was ‘Step Six,’ intended solely for my sponsor, Dave H. It stayed on the shelf until 2012 when I submitted it to festivals, renaming it ‘Grace’ for anonymity.

The film’s origin is crucial context: it’s a raw, instinctive expression of the buildup to surrender and change. I’m proud of its pure honesty. ‘Grace’ went on to play at numerous festivals worldwide, including the Warsaw Film Festival, Byron Bay International, St. Louis International, San Francisco Short Fest, and the Palm Springs International ShortFest.”

‘Your film reminds me f the kinds of things I fantasize about producing, so I salute you for actually doing it’ – Joe Williams, St Louis Post Dispatch