The Sky, Spread Over Everything Begins Its Festival Journey

We are delighted to announce that The Sky, Spread Over Everything, a short film written by Nina Berry and marking the directorial debut of Welsh filmmaker Ellie Rose, has officially entered the international film festival circuit. A lyrical meditation on the invisible nature of grief, the film continues Ellie’s artistic exploration of emotionally rich stories shaped by silence, memory, and the delicate complexity of saying goodbye.

Ellie Rose is a Welsh director whose work spans both theatre and film. Her practice centres on intimacy, loss, and the quiet power of human connection. Originally trained as an actor, Ellie holds an MA in Acting from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and a BA in Performance from the University of Salford. After nearly a decade of performing, she moved into directing in 2019. Since then, she has developed a reputation for female-focused storytelling and a collaborative creative process that blends emotional nuance with bold visual language. Committed to inclusive practice, she builds teams that reflect the diverse world her stories speak to.

In her director’s statement, Ellie reflects on the way grief reshapes the everyday:

“Grief rarely enters a room loudly. It lingers in the corners, folds itself into ordinary moments, and quietly rearranges everything we thought we understood. With The Sky, Spread Over Everything, I wanted to explore the invisible weight of grief—not the moment of loss itself, but the space it leaves behind, and the quiet rituals of saying goodbye that often go unnoticed by the world.”

This is not a film about death in the conventional sense. Instead, it lingers in the in-between spaces: unfinished conversations, emptied rooms, and the fragile ways absence leaves its mark. The narrative is intentionally minimal, following characters whose goodbyes are contained in quiet gestures - folding clothes into boxes, parking a car, or watching light fall across a room. These are moments that might seem too small for cinema, yet they hold entire worlds.

Visually, the film embraces stillness and softness. Static frames, natural light, and lingering close-ups allow time to stretch, inviting the audience into an atmosphere of intimacy and reflection. Ellie describes the film as an attempt to create something that feels like “a whisper that stays with you.”

Featuring performances from Leila Hill, Helen Goldie, Órla Jones, Mark Rogerson, Ethan Walton, Nerea Idigoras, Carmen Kissiel, Sylvia Garrick, and Dean Brunton, the film is carried by a remarkable ensemble cast. Behind the camera, the project was made possible by a dedicated creative team, with producing by Jordan Tweddle, cinematography by Chris Chapman, music composed by Helen Lyon, sound by Kerry Ward, editing by Elisa Cherene Holliday, and colouring and finishing also by Chris Chapman, alongside invaluable support from Joshua Collinson, Rob Heselton, and Siobhon Kayley.

The Sky, Spread Over Everything is a delicate work of cinema that honours the quiet rituals of loss and remembrance. As it begins its journey through film festivals, it carries with it Ellie’s belief that short films can hold immense emotional density, offering audiences moments that resonate long after the final frame.