Short Film 'Sparrow' Is a Powerful Examination of a Young Couple's Relationship

Cut+Run's rising star Meg Thorne has lent her editing skills to Sparrow, a short film that recently enjoyed its premiere at a sold out screening at this year's BFI Flare, London's LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Two years in the making, the powerful short was directed by Ali Kurr, and follows a young couple as they examine their relationship amongst the flickering lights and empty attractions of an old fairground at a Skegness beachside resort.

“It's very rare that you get the opportunity to watch your work on such a big screen, with such a large audience,” says Meg. “It was an incredible experience witnessing first-hand the reactions to a project I’ve worked on. There was an excitement and buzz about it; I’m thrilled that Ali achieved the level of recognition she deserved.”

Work on Sparrow, which was graded and finished at Cut+Run sister company, Jogger Studios, began two years ago. In fact, Ali had a rough cut in place before the project came to Meg at Cut+Run. “I challenged myself to start again from scratch," says Meg. "I went through all the rushes, made my own selects and didn’t watch Ali’s cut until I’d completed my own. It was so interesting to discover how different our approaches were and how differently the stories played out.”

“I love storytelling; it’s what made me want to become an editor. When editing any project, it’s essential to confidently know all the rushes back to front. However, working on a short film requires you to think outside the box a little more. There are so many different routes you can take to get to your final story. When not restricted with time limits and a rigidly storyboarded structure, you have more opportunity to put your stamp on something. Ali is a fantastic director and is always up for collaborating and hearing ideas on how I’d tell a story; we make a great team.”

“Meg can edit a film to exactly where I want it to be,” says director Ali Kurr. “Even if it’s a route that is totally unexpected. We spent our time teasing the footage and playing with the sequential orders, so we ended up with the most emotive performance possible. I trust her so much that she has often taken projects in directions I would not have wanted to, and they end up being exactly what I wanted.”

Having already made the official selection at BFI Flare and the London Short Film Festival, Sparrow will continue on the festival circuit throughout 2019.