On International Women’s Day, details of film Duty Free have been released.
Award-nominated documentary director and former CNN and MTV reporter, Sian-Pierre Regis movie Duty Free will be released in UK cinemas from 25th March following its acclaimed festival run at Doc NYC, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and Miami Film Festival.
Upon its international debut, the film was one of the most talked-about documentaries of 2021 – featured on CBS News, USA Today, Forbes, PEOPLE as well as going viral on Facebook, where countless families saw themselves reflected in the touching story of mother and son – Rebecca and Sian-Pierre.
Arriving in time for Mother’s Day, Duty Free is a heartfelt testimony to the sacrifices many parents make for their children and the irreplaceable bond between mother and son. Director Sian-Pierre Regis was raised by his British immigrant mother Rebecca (originally from Liverpool) living in Boston. After having worked for over forty years as a housekeeper to provide for her sons and using the entirety of her savings to put them through college, she was unexpectedly fired at 75.
Her wealth of experience and years of service are left null as employers refuse to take on older workers. Frustrated at the plight of his mother amongst an estimated 25 million Americans who face ageism in the employment pool who do not have enough money to get through retirement – filmmaker Sian-Pierre Regis captures their experience and age discrimination in the workplace in his latest feature documentary.
Aware of the global caregiving crisis – where unemployed baby boomers are left out of communities and have little to no financial support – Sian-Pierre was determined to make the uncertain years ahead into an opportunity for Rebecca to live the life she missed out on as a single mother working full time.
What follows is an uplifting adventure as the director takes his mother on a journey to do all the things she never could when working as a housekeeper to support him, from skydiving to dance lessons. Audiences across America are particularly moved by the bucket list items in the film that bring Rebecca back to her hometown of Liverpool, where she reunites with family and confronts her past.
A rally against the universal issue of ageism, and an uplifting adventure brought about by familial love, the production has already received international acclaim ahead of its UK release. The film opened in 30 cinemas across the USA, was the #2 most-watched private screening in AARP history, and a #1 Apple News Trending Topic on Mother’s Day 2021. It debuted on PBS’ Independent Lens (Nov ’21).
Duty Free in UK cinemas from 25th March www.dutyfreefilm.com
