Sian Green - the woman at the centre of our feature-length documentary, No Fare - made international headlines when she lost her leg after a New York taxi mounted the pavement and hit her in 2013. After seeing a preview version of the full documentary, BBC East Midlands Current Affairs Editor, Anthony Bartram, was keen to bring Sian’s story to a wider audience. He commissioned us to make a short ten minute film, focusing exclusively on Sian’s journey to recovery.
That film recently aired on BBC Inside Out and is available on the BBC iPlayer for a limited time. You can now find the transmitted version on YouTube here.
It was interesting to revisit the story and highlight Sian’s personal strength through adversity. This, along with the feature-length film, is the culmination of more than three years’ work to shed light not only on Sian’s ordeal but also on the inherent lack of justice for other victims of traffic violence in New York. According to Sian, her friend Keisha and multiple eye witnesses, the taxi driver who hit Sian did so after swerving to hit a cyclist after an argument escalated. We interviewed the taxi driver and he admits to losing his temper but feels he did nothing wrong. Some of his interview features in the BBC film, with the extended version appearing in the full-length documentary, where viewers will be able to decide for themselves - was this a tragic accident or the result of road rage?
No Fare: The Sian Green Story - now seeking distribution.
It’s just one of many powerful interviews from ‘No Fare: The Sian Green Story’, where we get to hear from parents who have lost their loved ones, lawyers fighting to change the system and advocates on both sides of the argument. Through an emotional story of recovery, with cinematic set-pieces and a cast of colourful characters, ‘No Fare’ is the story of one woman’s fight to rebuild a life ripped away by the reckless actions of one man and a system that doesn’t care.
We are currently seeking distribution for the 70 minute film, which will appeal to fans of modern, cinematic documentary storytelling in the same vein as Making a Murderer and The Central Park Five. If you have other questions about the making of the film or would like to talk about how we can bring the film to your platform, email wayne [at] spoonjarfilms.co.uk, or leave a comment below.