top of page

ICE CREAM & DOUGHNUTS

A  Short  film  by  reece  lipman
SYNOPSIS
Ice Cream & Doughnuts (Official Poster Dec 2021 - 4-3 size).jpg

During a trip to the seaside amusements, Robbie (Jamael Westman) and Emily (Anita-Joy Uwajeh) imagine their future lives together. However, one conversation leads them to realise that they may not be on the same path after all.

Written & Directed by Reece Lipman

Produced by Niccolò Cioni & Max Marlow

Executive Producers- Lucas A Ferrara and Jan Pace

Full IMDB Page Listing

Festivals

Horsetooth International 2021 (USA)

Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival 2021 (USA)

Little Wing Film Festival 2021 (UK) - BIFA Qualifying

Disappear Here Film Festival 2021 (Ire)

Yonkers Film Festival 2021 (USA)

Newport Beach Film Festival 2021 (USA)

Norwich Film Festival 2021 (UK) - BAFTA & BIFA Qualifying

Poppy Jasper Internatonal Film Festival 2022 (USA)

Santa Fe Film Festival 2022 (USA)

Crystal Palace Film Festival 2022 (UK)

Sonoma International Film Festival 2022 (USA)

Awards   &   Nominations
2021 WINNER - Little Wing Film Festival - BEST SCREENPLAY.png
2021 NOMINEE - Little Wing Film Festival - BEST DIRECTOR.png
2021 GCUFF LAURELS_Audience Choice Short Film_edited.jpg
2021 WINNER - Disappear Here Film Festival - BEST SHORT FILM INT.png
NFF-LAUREL_Nominees_V1_1-08-650x650.png
2021 NOMINEE - Little Wing Film Festival - BEST UK FILM.png
2021GCUFF LAURELS_black.pptx.png
OFFICIALSELECTION-LittleWingFilmFestival-2021 (1).png
NFF21_OS_Laurel_Black.png
BAFTA Qualifying logo.png
HIFF Laurel 2021.png
Festival   Laurels
OFFICIALSELECTION-DisappearHereFilmFestival-2021.png
2021 Awards Laurels BLACK - OS copy.png
OFFICIALSELECTION-YoFiFest-2021.png
OfficialSelection-CrystalPalaceInternationalFilmFestival-2022.png
OFFICIALSELECTION-SantaFeFilmFestival-2022 (Black).png
PJIFF-2022-Laurels-(Official-Selection-Black).png
film  stills

(Scroll for more)

Director's  StatEment

I first had the idea for 'Ice Cream & Doughnuts' a few years back when walking along Southend Pier. The idea of that long walk back seemed filled with possibilities for a different kind of love story and thus, 'Ice Cream & Doughnuts' was born.

The experience of making the film was amazing. As a huge Hamilton fan, working with Jamael Westman, the original London Hamilton (who I saw perform as Hamilton in the West End 3 times, including exactly 1 year before shooting) was an incredible experience. As was working with Anita-Joy, who was fresh off of her acclaimed run in Cyrano De Bergerac in the West End opposite James McAvoy. Having a cast of this calibre pulling together to bring to life this special story was beyond what I could have imagined. Moreover, against the backdrop of COVID, where many of us had been out of work for months, having the chance to bring a group of people together and make something again was a huge boost at a time when we all needed one.

As a director, I’m fascinated by our connection with memories. It is something I have explored previously but my intention for this film was to take those ideas and look at them through a more mature lens.

 

The film is effectively a coming of age tale for your late 20s. So many films focus on the coming of age that happens as you transition from your teens into adulthood, but in your late 20s there is another significant change that happens. You've started to get over that late adolescent anxiety, you've got a better understanding of who you are and what you want out of life and the relationships that you form, especially your romantic relationships, might just be the ones that last forever. And that's what 'Ice Cream & Doughnuts' is about; taking that next step in life.

As such, the themes presented in the film are universal. The actors were encouraged to make the characters their own and to use their experiences to keep everything authentic, grounded and real. We have 2 joint leads, with no one characters story taking over the other and for that to work we needed to ensure that both characters were believable and real. Moreover, with memory a key theme it would be remiss of us to not explore how the characters experiences growing up shaped the decisions that have led them to this point. This allows for some playfulness stylistically which is why the nostalgia of the beach, the arcades and the last of the late summer sun is so integral to the film.

I always aim for a sense of magical realism in my work to express emotions in unexpected ways. Here the seafront itself becomes a character, showcasing those nostalgic troupes which bring out the overarching concepts about family, the past and ultimately, Robbie and Emily’s future desires. Shifting between the nostalgic glow of neon arcades and postcard summer colours, to the emptiness of the late evening as the sun goes down, the pier itself changes as the film progresses. Real life infects the film and the magic disappears.

Our relationships are fundamental to the human experience. I’ve made films about the joyful anticipation at the start of a relationship, the pain of a relationship cut short and even a fantasy about finding your ‘soulmate’. I see this film as a direct evolution of my previous work, continuing my growth as a filmmaker without losing my desire to tell the stories that excite me. That is, human stories; those which all audiences have lived and can connect with emotionally.

CAST  AND  CREW

Robbie - Jamael Westman

Emily - Anita-Joy Uwajeh

 

Written & Directed by Reece Lipman

Produced by Niccolò Cioni & Max Marlow

Executive Producers - Lucas A Ferrara and Jan Pace

 

First Assistant Director - Micha Oates

Casting By - Lucy Amos

Director of Photography - Angela Zoe Neil

First Assistant Camera/ Focus Puller - Sam Cooper

Second Assistant Camera - Oliver Barwell

 

Gaffer - Charlie Wilkins

Spark - Peter Barnes

Grip - Bryony Morgan

Sound Recordist - Matt Wilkinson

Boom Operator - Carrie Higgs

Hair and Make Up - Charlene Williams

Production Assistants - Annie Copping, Sophia Merzouk, Vitoria de Souza

Editor - Amber Saunders

VFX Supervisor - James Pratt

Colour Grade by Goldcrest Films 

Digital Colourist Digital Intermediate - Sara Buxton CSI

Head of Production Digital Intermediate - Rob Farris

Digital Intermediate Producer - Emma Liu

Sound Designer / Sound Effects Editor -Chris Howard

Dialogue Editor / Re-recording Mixer - Harrison White

Composer - Maxwell Marlow

Ice Cream and Doughnuts

Music and Lyrics by Harriet J. Woodcock

Performed by Jamael Westman

Secrets

Music and Lyrics by Tabi Gervis & Maxwell Marlow

Performed by Tabi Gervis

Produced by Maxwell Marlow

Free

Music and Lyrics by Tabi Gervis & Maxwell Marlow

Performed by Tabi Gervis

Produced by Maxwell Marlow

Script Editor - Leonardo Rizzi

Stills Photographer - Alfred Barwick

Camera and Lighting Equipment - Direct Digital

 

Special Thanks

Sussex film office

Camille Brayer

Cecilia Cioni

Dilys Freeman

Jemma Gallagher

Karen Gallagher

Pietro Greppi

Michael Lipman

Sara Lipman

Itziar Marañón

Stacey O'Shea

Lorraine Palmer

Ollie Rillands

Andrea Scarso

Alexei Slater

Lisette Stalbow

Tony Stalbow

Christina Tencheva

bottom of page