Smoke & Mirrors

A sweet story about a girl and a huge hideous, yet lovable monster.

Richard Paris Wilson, director: "When I travelled to Iceland in the beginning of this year I just fell in love with the place. It's just so enchanted and raw; there are myths and stories bleeding out of the mountains and moss fields. So when I got home I was just constantly looking for the right job to take me back. When I heard 'Never Forget You', I hoped that it would be the perfect fit. To me, the song felt like a story about love, but not a typical love story. There was no romance - it's more about the love you have for a pet or imaginary friend, and how deep that might be if they lived forever. So I wrote this very simple story about a little girl and her life with a monster, who nobody else ever met.

MNEK, Zara Larsson, rumble and the commissioner Ailsa Robertson were so great in supporting it. And our producer Stephanie Paeplow managed to find the most amazing fixer, Unnar Helgi Danielsson, who just unlocked the door to Iceland. The crew were absolutely incredible - I wish I could fly them everywhere (and I will try).  A special mention goes to Arni, our DOP, who was great.

Finally, I should definitely mention Jen Cardno - the monster creator, and Chris Fleming, who wore the suit. They were both heroes. I'll never forget running through Luton Airport with them as we held onto various parts of the Monster costume - we definitely got some odd looks there."