Impact 50

An initiative of the London Screenwriters’ Festival.

The premier of the film The Impact is taking place in London on 31st May 2022. Tickets here: https://impact50film.com/
I first got involved with Impact 50 in 2015 when Chris Jones launched a challenge. The premise was that an asteroid was hurtling towards earth and on impact would mean the end of the world. As writers we were asked ‘Can you tell a story in a two page script?’ These stories would be about how people coped with knowing they were going to die. Well 2,800 scripts were submitted from writers throughout the world.
Let’s face it, if you tried to sell a screenplay consisting of 50 separate incidents it would be almost impossible with questions asked, who is your main character? What is their character arc?
When the time came to make the films the response was huge. Short films were submitted from the United Kingdom, America, France, Greece, Portugal and South Africa.
It has been a monumental task for Chris and his team from the London Screenwriters’ Festival to whittle down the scripts and then view the 100 short films that were made, choose 50 of them then edit them into a cohesive story. Surprisingly considering the film consists of independently made short films there are several plants and payoffs.
Chris pulled out all the stops and asked Joe Eszterhas, Basic Instinct, to write the opening scene. The President is played by Olivia Williams, The Sixth Sense, who sets the scene for the brave, sad and funny reactions of people from throughout the world as they hear about the fate of the planet. Somehow the impossible happened. These short films made independently from each other were pored over and assembled to make a cohesive film. All the more extraordinary as they were written, filmed, edited and acted mainly by unknown talented enthusiasts following a dream offered to them by the inspiration of Chris Jones.
This film would never have seen the light of day without the dedication of the editors: Vicky Tolidou, Giovanni Todeschini, McKayla Cox and Chris Jones. They have woven the stories together to give continuity and meaning to an inspired creative idea from the irrepressible creative mind of Chris Jones.
The premier of this film is on 31st May. Tickets here: https://impact50film.com/

If you want to see the two films we made but which were not chosen, click here.
Norah’s Ark – https://vimeo.com/241976783
Up Up and Away – https://vimeo.com/270947874

Rita Wheeler