Headway Cardiff's 1920s-inspired silent movie

Service users from Headway Cardiff and South East Wales created this incredible 1920s-inspired silent movie.

We spoke to Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Pearce about their service and the movie.

Headway Cardiff and South East Wales

“Headway Cardiff and South East Wales serves around five hundred brain injury survivors each year with a range of services. Services include one-to-one information and outreach; welfare benefits advice; a counselling service; walking and wheeling groups in four local parks across the area; family and friends’ meetings as well as trips and treats.

“We also run an Independence and Wellbeing Centre at three different locations throughout the week, which came together to create the silent movie.

“When people come into contact with us, they comment on the warmth and caring that emanates from our staff, volunteer and student placement team, along with the supportive community our service users have created.”

Our 1920s-inspired silent movie

“We were staging a fundraising Prohibition Ball complete with live jazz, dancers, and casino tables. We wanted our service users to contribute to the event so that guests could understand the importance and relevance of the charity they were supporting and donating to. We knew our service users might find it intimidating to talk in front of an audience so decided it best to pre-record their contribution. We struggled to think how we could make this in keeping with the theme and alighted on the idea of a silent movie.

“With the help of a workshop session with the local Theatre in Education Company, Spectacle, we explored with participants from our Independence and Wellbeing Centre the traditional elements of the silent movie and how these could be made relevant to the theme of brain injury and their own stories.

“The stars of our movie all attend our centre, and all their stories are different, but they are all bonded by their brain injuries. Some live at home with their families or partners and children, some live on their own, some in supported living. Their ages range from their twenties to sixties. They have had their brain injuries from a variety of causes including road traffic accidents, assaults, and illness. Some have worked, some haven’t had that opportunity, and in one case they still work two days a week at a funeral director.

“Most share a wicked sense of humour. Some get on and some not so well. Football can be very contentious! They are like any family but all root for each other and want each other to succeed.

“The group came up with the idea of the villain being a memory thief who stole their memories and caused havoc, and of our centre becoming a Speak Easy for the setting.

“We provided costumes and props so they could develop their characters. Our team worked with the service users to create a storyboard for the movie. Staff shot and edited the video and developed the captions. We then moved from silent and black and white to colour and sound for them to come out of character and talk about the impact of brain injury on them individually.

“We held a premiere in our centre so the group and our team could see the final version before the ball. Everyone was so proud of what they had created together. It was very uplifting and moving.”
Darren, one of the on-screen pool players said:

It was a brilliant experience and so interesting to see how it transformed from us taking part to being on screen. When I saw it, I thought, ‘Whoa, it’s amazing, I could be a movie star!

Related information