Sweetheart (2021 film)

Sweetheart is a British coming-of-age film written and directed by Marley Morrison in her feature film debut. It premiered at the 2021 Glasgow Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award.^[1] Distributed by Peccadillo Films, the film had a theatrical release on 24 September 2021.^[2]

Sweetheart
Poster
Directed by	Marley Morrison
Written by	Marley Morrison
Produced by	Michelle Antoniades
Starring	Nell Barlow Jo Hartley Ella-Rae Smith Sophia Di Martino Samuel Anderson Tabitha Byron
Cinematography	Emily Almond Barr Matthew Wicks
Edited by	Keelan Gumbley
Music by	Toydrum
Production companies	Hazey Jane Films Bohemia Film SUMS Film and Media Film London
Distributed by	Peccadillo Films
Release date	3 March 2021 (2021-03-03) (Glasgow)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Cast

• Nell Barlow as AJ
• Jo Hartley as Tina
• Ella-Rae Smith as Isla
• Sophia Di Martino as Lucy
• Samuel Anderson as Steve
• Tabitha Byron as Dana

Production

Principal photography took place in 2019, wrapping that October.^[3] The project received support from Film London's Microwave scheme.^[2]

Reception

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10.^[4]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
2021	Glasgow Film Festival	Audience Award	Sweetheart	Won	[5]
	Inside Out Film and Video Festival	Best First Feature		Won	[6]
	Frameline Film Festival	Best First Film	Marley Morrison	Nominated
	Outfest	Outstanding Performance in an International Narrative	Nell Barlow	Won
	Merlinka Festival	Best Feature Film	Sweetheart	Nominated
	British Independent Film Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Jo Hartley	Nominated	[7]
	Breakthrough Performance	Nell Barlow	Won
	Douglas Hickox Award	Marley Morrison	Nominated
	Best Debut Screenwriter		Nominated
	Breakthrough Producer	Michelle Antoniades	Won
2022	London Film Critics Circle Awards	Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker of the Year	Marley Morrison	Nominated

References

1. Gilbey, Ryan (9 September 2021). "Introducing Marley Morrison: 'I've told you more than anyone in my life for five years'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
2. "Film London's Microwave funded Sweetheart secures distribution deal and September release". Film London. 5 May 2021. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
3. Dalton, Ben (18 October 2019). "First look at Film London Microwave feature 'Sweetheart' as production wraps (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
4. "Sweetheart". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
5. Rosser, Michael (8 March 2021). "'Sweetheart' wins audience award as online-only Glasgow Film Festival reveals figures". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
6. Hipes, Patrick (7 June 2021). "Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival Winners Include Turkey's 'Love, Spells And All That', UK's 'Sweetheart'". Deadline. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
7. Ramachandran, Naman (3 November 2021). "'Belfast,' 'Boiling Point' Lead BIFA Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2021.

External links

• Sweetheart at IMDb