In the midst of so much heartbreak as the world deals with Coronavirus, it’s quite poignant to have our film, about love and loss, continue to find appreciation and admiration.

Filmmaking is a collaborative endeavour and so there can be no success without thanking the many people who came together to make the film a reality. Cast, crew, Kickstarter supporters, post production – all played an important role and are due endless credit for their generosity of spirit.

However, as a writer-director, much of the inspiration for Rachel was very personal. At this time of year, when the cherry tree outside my apartment blossoms, life always feels tinged with sadness – the tree is beautiful but I planted that tree in memory of my dad, who passed away at just 41 years of age as a result of lung cancer. Seeing the cherry tree in full flower is always a bitter sweet moment that reminds me of him and marks the passing of time.

Nonetheless, the secret to the enduring meaningfulness and success of Rachel is that it is a tale born of shared human experiences and it therefore resonates across nations, races, faiths, genders, sexualities and ages.

At the end of the film there is a dedication. I knew what I wanted to say with that dedication but somehow I just couldn’t find the exact words. But, in the creative process of editing the film, Trace Taylor and I talked much about life and loss and, though we are very different in many ways, we found much that we have in common. So, in the end, it was Trace who came up with the particular and absolutely perfect wording of that dedication.

“For those we have loved and lost”.