Filmmakers Cath Shayler and Marianne Chase met whilst working as front of house staff at the Curzon cinema in Soho, London. They both shared a joy in comedically bad romances. As a result, their first collaborative project was born: Lovecard Fate.

Following a year that, for many of us, was spent sat indoors overthinking past relationships, Lovecard Fate is a hypnotic ode to The Bad First Date. Based on the real-life experiences of the directors and their close friends, the film tells the story of a girl on a first date that is doomed from the start.

She thought they were soulmates… But the stars had other plans.

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‍Cath: After spending many hours working at the cinema together, scooping popcorn, discussing films and admiring each other’s work, we took lockdown as an opportunity to make a film together for the first time.

We wanted to capture the dating experience and the excitement, embarrassment, disappointment and dangers that can come with it - and our friends had plenty of material for us to work with. I transformed their stories into a fairytale-like poem whilst Marianne starred and narrated the film. Made in lockdown from the bedrooms of our separate homes, we collaboratively directed the piece alongside a dreamy soundtrack composed by Robert Davey for the project.