It’s funny timing that the year I left the film industry is the year that the right people were founding the kind of projects that might have made me stay. In 2019, the year I decided to step away from a life in production, the actor, activist, and general renaissance woman Victoria Emslie (Downton Abbey, 12 Monkeys) started Primetime, a globally vetted platform intended to help find and hire women and non-binary people working above and below the line in the entertainment industry. And though Primetime has been doing great work towards its goal of gender equity across and throughout every department for six years, I only first learned of it when Emslie announced the Empower Fund at Cannes in 2023. The Fund would be a community-based initiative championing women and non-binary filmmakers by removing barriers to access financing, in-kind support and star power. The financing would come from Primetime, Bournemouth Film School’s Funding Futures program, and with in-kind support from HAWK London and Grand Central; the star power would come from actor Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who, Broadchurch) who would help select the winning project that she would then voice or act in.
Evie Jones’s Truckload was that winning project, a semi-autobiographical comedy-drama that Jones wrote in which she played Lizzie, a 20-something moving back to London and out of the care of her mum Sarah (played by Whittaker) after a near-fatal traffic accident a year earlier. Jones’s script beat out some 100 entries to the Fund’s first call for submissions and then many, many more to win a spot in the Tribeca Film Festival’s Mind & Body short film program this year. Since its world premiere in New York City on June 6, the film has also been selected for the BAFTA and Academy-qualifying Edinburgh International Film Festival, BAFTA-qualifying Bolton International Film Festival, as well as the BIFA-qualifying Women X Festival. It’s clear that Truckload has something special. After attending its screening in New York several weeks ago, I understand why.
The film tackles an often over-generalized and insensitively-portrayed subject with complexity, nuance, and color. The authenticity in its storytelling is undeniable. It exudes heart, humor, compassion and grit, all qualities that I experienced firsthand in my interactions with the people who made it. When I met Jones, director Aella Jordan-Edge and producer Arpita Ashok outside of their 9pm screening on a night in early June, I was exhausted after a long shift at work and nervous to intrude on their moment. I needn’t have been though. They opened their moment to me, literally widening the circle they stood in to include me in it. They greeted me with kindness and curiosity, and each of them separately but unanimously invited me to come along for celebratory drinks a few blocks away.
I was on my way towards the subway after making the (admittedly wrong, but very introverted decision) to decline the offer and head home to sleep when I realized I hadn’t actually yet met Emslie, who also is a producer of the film in addition to being an actor and the founder and CEO of Primetime and with whom I had been emailing back and forth for weeks in anticipation of this evening. Pushing thoughts of slumber and my early impending morning out of my mind, I marched myself back towards the venue in search of the woman in the fantastic pink sequined suit I had seen among the crowd earlier. I would at least say hello. She was sitting on a stoop changing her shoes when I did, and she immediately stood up and went in for a hug with a huge smile on her face and an enthusiasm to meet me that I knew was real. “Are you coming for drinks? Walk with me!” Maybe it was that her genuine excitement for the moment was contagious, or maybe it was just the sparkles from her suit. But suddenly I was very awake and quite happy to be. Off we went.
She and I entered the Roxy Bar with a friend of hers we’d met up with along the way and found Jones and Jordan-Edge seated center at a round table with Ashok, the three of them surrounded by friends and fellow filmmakers including Pablo Léridon, the director of the French short Little Monsters - another one of the films on the Mind & Body line-up - with whom Jones was in deep conversation. The space around the table was full and seemingly at capacity, yet upon seeing us arrive, once again the circle opened. Some chairs scooted back as others were procured from nearby and added to include and welcome us latecomers. Drinks were ordered, some second rounds and some non-alcoholic. It’s a detail that may seem negligible to some, but after having spent years in the industry around people who insisted that if you didn’t drink, it didn’t count, being amongst filmmakers who didn’t balk at opting for an NA option allowed me to release a decade-long held breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
Emslie and I connected over being neurodivergent women in entertainment; Ashok and I bonded over making a career change (for her, law; for me, television production) to try something new. I chatted with their friends from film school back in England (who were coincidentally also in Tribeca to screen their short) and their friends who were just there to support. Three hours, excellent conversation, and one japanese rice beer on my part later, the night came to an end. Astoundingly to me, they were apologetic that we hadn’t gotten to talk more. They had to go to bed (a feeling I related to), but would I like to set up a Zoom call in the next week or so to really talk about the film? Yes, absolutely, of course I would. I headed back to my home in Queens, buzzing from the night the entire journey, a feeling I was able to keep going for a while thanks to the MTA doing its best to turn a 30 minute trip into a 90 minute one. A film screening, an unplanned-for second location, and subway delays made for a quintessential New York City night.
A couple weeks later, we met again, this time via Zoom. They were back in the UK, seemingly much more well-rested than the last time I saw them, and I was in northern Maine the morning after my friends’s wedding, decidedly not as well-rested. We chatted for an hour about their time in New York, at Tribeca, and my questions about Truckload. It was a lovely and thoughtful conversation, a lot of which I have left out of this print interview to avoid spoilers.
Truckload is a frank, funny, and heartfelt portrayal of Jones’ real-life experience. It’s a story of disability told by a disabled person and a team of people as committed to authentic representation and creative integrity as her story demands. As you’ll read below, inclusion and accessibility were not surface level, but considered and incorporated throughout production. It is a film made by kind, talented people who care, and it shows. We at Read The Room are honored to close it out by sharing this special film and these filmmakers with you. Please enjoy my conversations with Truckload writer and star Evie Jones, director Aella Jordan-Edge, and producers Arpita Ashok and Victoria Emslie.
++ This interview is the result of two conversations, one via email and one on Zoom. They have been combined and lightly edited for conciseness and readability. ++
Helena Emmanuel: Congratulations on a successful Tribeca Film Festival! How was your experience? It looked like you all were making the most of it!
Aella Jordan-Edge: I had the best time! Can we just start with saying this is Evie's first film festival ever?
Evie Jones: Yes, and it just so happened that it was Tribeca! A big one for the first one! I didn't know what to expect. But the amount of fantastic creators and filmmakers that we met who had a very similar outlook in terms of the content that they want to be seeing on screen felt very affirming. That was great. That was my favourite bit.
Aella: For me, I've been doing the short film festival circuit in England for a couple of years, so it was really awesome to go to America and be reaching more of a global audience. I loved that we screened three times and did a Q&A after each one. I also met Spike Lee, and he congratulated us on the film!
We were especially impressed with the Mind & Body programme. We loved all the shorts. We got close with the other directors and that all felt very supportive, and it was just really lovely to connect with other filmmakers. I loved attending the panels and hearing from different filmmakers about their journey from shorts to features, as I’m co-writing my debut feature at the moment. We also went to an accessibility panel with the disabled filmmakers as well and got to speak to them afterwards. It was generally just a really supportive, fun, connective atmosphere.
HE: That’s fantastic!
Evie: The Mind & Body slate was just so good. All of the films worked so well together. We were really proud to be part of that block.
HE: Truckload is the winner and result of The Empower Fund, an initiative launched in the summer of 2023 at Cannes that aims to champion female and non-binary filmmakers. Victoria, as Founder and CEO of Primetime, how did it feel to be in Tribeca almost exactly two years after that announcement, celebrating the Fund’s first project?
Victoria Emslie: The idea for Primetime emerged from the activist circles I was spending time in, surrounded and bolstered by action-driven, fearless women and non-binary folk. As a multiply-neurodivergent myself, I revel in dismantling social constructs with others and exploring the edges where impactful, meaningful and sustainable change might take place. The time for talking was evolving into the time for action. Over the course of a year, after identifying some of the barriers most faced by marginalised filmmakers, I set about putting together a fund which would serve as a vehicle to address some of these roadblocks. These consisted of access to finance, in-kind support and star power.
Joining forces with strategic partners who understood this vision was essential for its success; and we couldn’t have achieved what we have without the support of Jodie Whittaker, Will Shutt at Funding Futures, Camille and the team at HAWK London and Mark and his team at Grand Central. Beyond filming, we know that visibility for marginalised voices and their stories is still one frontier which needs readdressing, and so working with some of the top BAFTA and Academy Qualifying festivals from around the world, is an integral part of the fund’s strategy to create and support the project and its filmmakers to be platformed at this level.
With ten of the Truckload filmmaking team attending the premiere in NYC at Tribeca, supported by a travel and accessibility grant for our writer and star, Evie Jones from British Council and BFI, this has been a moment we’ll never forget. Every single person working on Truckload put their heart and soul into making this film and it was a joy to see everyone being celebrated together on such a renowned global stage.
HE: Truckload won out of 100 submissions for the Fund and was then chosen out of a record number of shorts submissions for Tribeca this year. It clearly has something special, and after seeing it, I’d agree. What about it stood out to you among all the other scripts?
Victoria: For me I’m drawn to exploring films based on true life as they always touch a part of our shared humanity in a nuanced and unexpected truthful way. This is one of the reasons why Primetime exists; to give power to underrepresented voices to tell their own stories. When you meet Evie in person, she radiates star quality; her writing is nuanced, full of wit and raw and she is the only person who could have led this film. By her side Aella and Arpita, two powerhouse female voices who not only knew the story, but are invested in bringing Evie’s story to life with the ambition she has for it. During the shortlisted interview process, it was evident that this tight-knit team are a force; bound by Aella and Evie’s shared childhood and their parents’ relationship who came before them.
This wasn’t just a film. It was about friendship and family, both onscreen and off. This wasn’t about representation; it was about expanding our current understanding of stories which we never see told. A big part of the selection process was also Jodie’s egoless generosity to be involved in the chosen project in any way, big or small. As soon as she read Truckload, it was a project she knew had to be championed. Watching Evie and Jodie on set was like watching two friends who have worked together for years; and I know this is only the beginning of the Truckload journey.
HE: Aella and Arpita, what made you want to be a part of this project?
Aella: Evie and I grew up together, we used to perform make believe shows for our family every holiday. When Evie said she’d written a script post-accident about her recovery, I asked to read it and immediately fell in love with Lizzie and the Truckload world. I felt audiences would too. Evie’s personality oozed off the page and the script was chock full of tenderness, hope and joy despite, or perhaps inextricably linked to, the life-changing and challenging circumstances the script was written in. This balance of light and dark, funny but also tugging on heartstrings appealed to me. I’m particularly drawn to what is not being said and the use of humour as a coping mechanism meant there was a lot of room for subtext. Truckload is my third short exploring a mother daughter relationship - I think my own Mum, who is also incredibly supportive, is a bit like “alright enough already!” My final reason, as you can tell I’m brimming with them, is that I hadn’t really seen a story like this on the big screen. My vision for Truckload was to bring Lizzie’s internal world to as many audiences as possible, even better if this could be in the cinema. Diversity of bodies on screen, telling stories that haven’t been told yet, from characters who traditionally haven’t been given the spotlight - this is something our whole team feels very passionately about.
Arpita Ashok: Aella told me about this story just before we graduated from film school and I had such a strong feeling that this should be our next collaboration. When I met Evie and read her script, I was absolutely certain of it. Evie’s humour, voice and talent were undeniable.
Aella’s ability to portray complex human relationships, particularly mother-daughter ones, honing in on small moments that betray years of history, making you laugh one minute and cry the next, made her so well-equipped to bring Evie’s story to the screen. As a producer, it was exactly the kind of project I wanted to bring to an audience. In my previous life as a lawyer, I had spent years doing pro bono work to advocate for the rights of the most marginalised women and girls across the world; I became a filmmaker to use storytelling to platform marginalised stories and eventually change our world in doing so. I felt that this was not only a brilliant story of hope, but an intersectionally feminist one, that I had never seen on screen. I wanted to change that. The fact that the film has resonated so widely, and will have its world premiere at Tribeca in New York, is absolutely thrilling for us.
HE: That touches on one of the specific things that I really appreciated about Truckload. Something that I feel I have seen very little of on screen, even in media about disability, are actual disabled bodies. Often the day-to-day of the disability is glossed over or just referred to. Not to give too much away, but in the film there’s a close-up shot of Lizzy’s leg and a scene of her in the bathroom. Was showing the physical reality of your disability in such a way your intention from the beginning?
Evie: Yeah, I'd written it in. I hadn't written in the shot [of the leg] - that was a combination of Essi (cinematographer Essi Hyrkki) and Aella that got that. But I had written in the bathroom shot, definitely. It's the first time you see her alone. I wanted an audience to see what she was living with, the body that she lived in. And also from a political standpoint, like you said, bodies like plus size, disabled bodies are not seen on screen.
It was very important to have that, and I wanted people to see the truth of it. 'Cause I'm like, I have to live with it, so let's show people the truth of having a disabled body. I’m also very privileged in a sense that most times I can hide it from the world. And there are many people that can't hide it from the world, even if they wanted to. But at the end of the day, when you come home, that's what you've got. Even if you've hidden it all day, you're still coming home to that. And so that's what I wanted to show.
HE: When speaking to Variety you mentioned the writing process was somewhat cathartic. When and how did you approach telling your story? What kind of creative choices did you have to make, if any, to adapt your lived experience into a narrative to share with others?
Evie: I started writing Truckload over three years ago. Truthfully, it began because I’d returned to auditioning and kept finding myself in an impossible in-between—either too disabled or not disabled enough for the roles available. So I decided to write something so specific that only I could do it.
There are a few moments of fantasy and imagination woven into Truckload—these were my absolute favourite parts to write. At a time when I was struggling just to manage basic day-to-day activities, letting my imagination run wild felt like a release. It’s the same kind of escape the character of Lizzie experiences.
While the film takes place over the course of a single day, in reality, moving back to the city took months of rehab, organisation, and hard work. The time scale is compressed, but the emotional truths remain.
During my recovery and adjustment to life in a new disabled body, humour and laughter became invaluable coping mechanisms—for me and for the people around me. That’s something I really wanted to highlight: life is funny, friends and family are a loveable nuisance, and trying to get the care you need out of the health system is often farcical.
HE: Aella, what was it like to direct a version of the events that you watched Evie experience and that you in your own way were quite close to? From photos shared on the film’s crowdfunding campaign, it seems that you were there with Evie through her time in hospital and throughout recovery.
Aella: I supported as best I could during that time but it was in the middle of Covid so visitors at the hospital were limited, then she was at home up North in recovery for best part of the year so I wasn’t hugely involved in Evie’s “new normal” and the day to day of what she was going through. I knew the facts of what happened and had my own emotional response, but I was quite shocked when I read the script. It placed the reader (and would place the viewer) right in Lizzie’s headspace in the way that only a film really can. It showed me rather than told me. And I felt I understood more about what Evie had been experiencing from reading the script than I had from watching from the sidelines or from her trying to tell me. I felt a strong pull to bring that experience to film audiences.
HE: On a similar note, Evie, what was it like to have Aella telling this story?
Evie: Having seen Aella’s work develop over the years we’d known each other I took her a script hoping for some advice on how to develop it into something more, never expecting her to want to direct it, when she showed interest I was over the moon. Her aesthetic and focus on the emotional integrity of a story was exactly what Truckload needed.
It was genuinely even better than I could have imagined, the trust and understanding we have with each other meant that I felt so entirely safe sharing what is actually one of the most vulnerable experiences of my life.
HE: We of course would be remiss not to mention Jodie Whittaker’s involvement with the Fund and her role as Lizzie’s mum Sarah. Victoria touched on it briefly earlier, but what was it like to have Jodie on board?
Evie: Jodie truly took the time to get to know me. She made an effort to understand not only my experience, but also that of the people closest to me, especially my mum. I’ll forever be grateful for her support, generosity, and compassion throughout the entire process.
Getting to share the screen with such a phenomenal actor was unforgettable. The heart and warmth she brings to Sarah is so nuanced—she captures such a complex range of emotions. By the end of the film, you’re not only reflecting on Lizzie’s journey of becoming disabled, but also seeing it through Sarah’s eyes: the perspective of a mother watching her daughter go through something so life-altering.
Aella: I echo Evie’s statements on this. Jodie could not have been more engaged and more generous with her time. She cared about this project and it was a joy to see Evie glowing in that professional working relationship but also in their off-screen connection.
The first time I saw Jodie and Evie together was on zoom and even then it was electric. Their similar senses of humour, Northern (British) accents and their attitude to life - it was as if they’d already known each other for years already. It was like a perfect piece of casting that was just meant to be.
Arpita: Jodie was and continues to be an absolute champion for this story. Her phenomenal talent as an actor goes without saying; her development and portrayal of the role of Sarah was such an anchor for the film. But apart from the sheer technical skill, Jodie also brought a personal engagement and energy to the project that gave us all the confidence that we could achieve something really ambitious. She is such a special collaborator to work with and brought her whole heart to the project – it’s something that shines throughout the film, right up to the final scene, where we step entirely into Sarah’s world.
Victoria: As this was Primetime’s inaugural fund, it was important not only to find star power, but someone who would have an open heart to come along this journey with us. And Jodie did just that. She was hands-on at every stage of the process and you can see this translating into the powerful and dynamic relationship Sarah and Lizzie have onscreen. In Jodie, we not only found an unparalleled performance onscreen, but an incomparable champion off screen. I will never be able to express my gratitude to her for believing in Primetime’s mission the way that she did so wholeheartedly and for the love and care she poured into Truckload and its team. Watch this space.
HE: That powerful and dynamic relationship that the two of them have really is the heart of the film. What was it like to have your real-life mum watching it with you at the Tribeca screenings?
Evie: She'd seen it at home once - I sent it to her before the cast and crew. She's always been very supportive and said “you write your experience, go for it!” Which is fantastic. I think what I realized, it's what the film's about as well, is that the accident didn't only affect me, it affected all of those around me. So we had a lot of conversations after that about reflecting back on that time together.
At the end of the day, it's meant to be sort of a love letter to my mum and then also parents of disabled adults. It's a complex relationship - when you have a kid you expect them to grow up and leave. Then when the adult's still incredibly dependent on you, even though they're desperate for their independence, it's a tricky but very loving relationship. I love my mum! It's not tricky! It's fine! She's chill.
Aella: Yeah, that [relationship] was always something that we really loved and knew people would be drawn to. It's so specifically about Eve's experience, but it's also relatable.
I think I said to someone at one of the Q&As, it's like there's the universal within the specific. And I think the beauty of the story is that we are bringing authentic representation of something that's not very seen on screen enough, and at the same time, you know, it's like opening it up and cracking it open and showing that this is a human experience that lots of people can relate to at the same time.
HE: Speaking of authentic representation, it’s so important that representation of the disabled community, especially on screen, is as multi-layered and diverse as possible, as there is no one-size-fits-all experience of disability. Did you have any specific layers that you wanted to represent? Is there a piece of your experience that you wanted to make sure would not be left out?
Evie: I can't speak to the experience of being born disabled, but I did want to show how profoundly your treatment by the world changes when you become disabled—it's a minefield. From friends and family to complete strangers and even medical professionals, the shift in how you're perceived and treated is stark. Your relationship with others changes, and so does your relationship with yourself. It was important for me to highlight not only the physical changes, but also the psychological challenges I faced. Becoming disabled impacts every aspect of your life—not just the physical barriers, but also the mental and emotional ones. Above all, I didn’t want this to be seen as a sad story. This isn’t "trauma porn," and I don’t live a "sad" life. My life is full of hope, joy, and meaning, and that’s what I wanted to represent.
HE: Accessibility and inclusivity in filmmaking is something that’s really important to us at Read The Room, so we were excited to see that one of the requirements for any film seeking funding through the Empower Fund is that the team had to meet BFI’s diversity standards! Could you talk about how the production met those standards? Was it important to you to ensure the production was inclusive both on and off screen?
Arpita: The subject matter of this film meant that we could and would not simply pay lip service to equity, diversity and inclusion. This is the real life story of Blackburn-born and bred Evie Jones who suddenly became part of the most under-represented group on screen. It is also a love letter to parents who support their disabled children.
In our earliest development conversations, Evie noted that the disabled community is the only marginalised group that anyone can become a part of at any age. With this film, we wanted to give voice to those who experience disability first-hand, as well as those whose lives are affected by it, like parents such as Sarah who take on a role they never expected to. We wanted this story to serve an audience with experience of disability. But we also wanted it to resonate with a wider audience who can relate to the universality of the experience of how to cope and how to hope when life doesn’t go as planned.
Both in front of and behind camera, our team was made up of diverse filmmakers, bringing a range of experience from a range of backgrounds. We specifically reached out through networks for disabled creatives to offer them roles on the film. We were conscious of the particular accessibility and inclusivity needs of each of our crew members, ascertaining this far in advance of the shoot in order to make adaptations to allow everyone to feel safe, supported, included and able to do their best creative work.
Victoria: Part of the Empower Fund application was encouraging filmmakers to carefully consider who made up their teams and to support them, assisted by Primetime’s granular search functionality, to find and hire members who align with their projects. We asked that at least 50% of the lead creative team were women or non-binary, and the same was encouraged for the HODs and crew. Truckload was helmed by a team of queer, neurodivergent and/or disabled, female individuals and it was clear how this contributed to both the working environment on set and to the film that we have today. I sit on BAFTA’s Disability Advisory Group and roadmapped the submission process to be as accessible as possible. From scholarship places, video submissions, extensions for parents and caregivers over school holidays, I was on hand 24/7 to guide people through the application process and to help reduce the barriers to entry which traditionally gatekeep the voices we need to hear from more within our Industry.
Aella: It was a five day shoot, and it was hard to get the whole film done in five days, but we needed that five days. We couldn't have done any in any less and we'd deliberately tried to schedule it in a way where there'd be time for breaks. If Evie or anyone needed a bit more time to get ready for something or something was a bit too much….There was always the possibility that Eve might be triggered by what she was acting. She'd never acted having a panic attack before. She'd never acted having flashbacks. And there’s a scene that was very physical and we were aware we'd only have a limited amount of time to do it, but we needed to make sure there the access needs were scheduled into it.
Evie: Which I was very appreciative of 'cause you don't wanna feel like a burden, but I never did feel like a burden on the shoot. It was very much supportive of everyone's access needs, cast and crew. [For the panic attack], everyone was checking in with me at all times. But I think it was important to have it in there because it is easily 50% of the recovery period and post leaving hospital. The mental side of recovery when becoming disabled is equal, in my opinion, to the physical side of it.
HE: Ultimately, what do you hope audiences take away from Truckload?
Evie: I think the beauty of Truckload is that yes, it does represent a very specific experience, however it also has the universal challenge of overcoming adversity and change in your life. And for people - both disabled and non-disabled, to see a disabled body on screen and laugh with them.
Aella: Even when someone seems to have a different lived experience to you, we are all human. The human experience is the human experience. And that's the magic trick a good film plays. For 19 minutes of Truckload audiences will empathise with complete strangers and by the end realise even with all our glorious diversity, we’re not so different after all.
Arpita: Truckload will make you laugh and it will make you cry. It is an individual story of resilience that says something mighty and universal about the power of the human spirit and the power of community. I hope it gives people hope.
Victoria: I want financiers to see that investing in marginalised voices and their stories are universal and lead to creating change in our society, one screening at a time, one conversation at a time, one action at a time.
Words: Helena Emmanuel (she/they)
For more content on disability representation in film and inclusive filmmaking, check out these other articles from us:
Artistry and Inclusivity in 'Before We Sleep'
A Compassionate Approach To Film
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