A Beautiful Dreamer

A film by Kelly Joanne Jenkins

How Beautiful Dreamer came to Lift-Off

Kelly Joanne Jenkins joined the Lift-Off Network and was selected for the Music Video Filmmaker Showcase with Shores. This stunning underwater music video went on to win Best Music Video at the Lift-Off Season Awards 2018. We are thrilled to be aiding her with this exciting project, that will be the first feature she directs and produces.

Beautiful Dreamer

Written by: Kelly Joanne Jenkins

Country of origin: Holland

Synopsis:An inspiring music documentary about the unique and vibrating life of a stammering Rock and Roll Star in search of success and self-acceptance, due to his stammer, named Rory Storm (Alan Caldwell). A working-class boy in the late fifties whose stammer disappeared through singing and who stood up to create a rock and roll stage for himself and many others, like his good friends John, Paul and George in conservative Liverpool. The Quarryman looked up to him and started by supporting Rory as a support act, later forming the Beatles. Both bands walked the same road to success in a difficult but interesting period of time in grey and dilapidated Liverpool.

The documentary will show the rise and fall of an outstanding character chasing his dreams in the face of adversity, the importance of self-acceptance and friendship in this process and how music acts as a universal tool for soulful and pioneering expression. With his revolutionary attitude, tremendous energy, unstoppable drive and his flamboyant, athletic appearance Rory kicked in the doors of the conservative music industry and paved the way for the roaring sixties music revolution to evolve. After a few years of hard work, courage and incredible stories Rory Storm and the Hurricanes were the number one band in Liverpool. Besides being a great sportsman too, he was The performer of Liverpool, ahead of his time and a great inspirer for youngsters, like the Beatles, to identify with, to dare to live their dreams and to stand for their own, unique identity. His brotherhood and warm-hearted family gave especially John, Paul and George and his band (including Ringo),a family home and a mecca to connect and create music that would later conquer the world. The Beatles even risked their lives to go and visit the house disguised in scarfs, glasses and hats in the height of Beatle mania. At the top of his career Rory turned down an offer from local Liverpool promoter Allan Williams to perform in Hamburg, so Allan sent the Beatles. A few months later Rory and the Hurricanes went even though. Both of the bands played together and slept on the ground, surviving in poor circumstances, performing 7 days a week, 10 hours a day for three months. The period was illustrated and photographed by iconic roaring sixties artists Klaus Voorman and Astrid Kircher who are both still alive.
But unfortunately a year later this big stage talent came to a downfall when Ringo Star left his band abruptly (1962) to join the Beatles after three years of unconditional companionship. Rory’s band collapsed and at the same time, he missed the boat to success with Brian Epstein. Rory couldn’t find a drummer to replace Ringo, for years the drummer kept on changing. Rory didn’t want to change his repertoire and write his own music whilst other bands around him did. Would have this window into Rory been too much of an extra vulnerability for him as an artist besides his stammer? After the lead guitarist Charles ‘O’ Brien collapsed on stage and shortly after died at the age of 26, Rory involved the band in 1967 after 10 years. He had to deal with questioning himself every day as to why the Beatles went sky high and the King of Liverpool lost his crown?

His stammer became worse and worse. Rory could not converse and therefore create a normal working life or relations. After his ex-girlfriend betrayed him he was even more in search for himself and love, not being able to express and to hold on to his identity on stage. He moved to Amsterdam to escape Liverpool and to become a disc jockey. He felt at his place in free, flamboyant Amsterdam. But after the loss of his loving father, he moved back to Liverpool and became depressed, together with his very depressive mum. It all led to a tragic ending. At September 27, 1972, Rory’s sister, Iris Caldwell, the ex-girlfriend of Paul McCartney for whom he wrote Yesterday, found her mum and brother died in their family home. Suicide was never proven for Rory, but his mum did commit suicide. Iris is now the only one remaining of the family. And Rory, aged 32, has become a forgotten legend.

About the writer,

Kelly Joanne Jenkins (31) is an award winning film director. She is deeply fascinated by story telling and has always felt the duty to connect people through film and art to create projects with a deeper meaning. Inspired by the world around her and with a genuine intuition she aim’s to inspire the audience, to enlarge their world and to give voice to unattended themes and humans that to her perspective need attention.

Kelly is an autodidact and gained her experience as an independent film director and in the AD department. She worked for directors like Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk) and Brian da Palma (Domino) and projects as Peaky Blinders and Symmetry (a dance – opera film in scientific research centre Cern) and many more.

This January, her most recent project; Shores, an artistic short film, has won the award for best music video in the Pinewood Studio’s in London from ten Lift Off Film Festivals all over the globe. Shores has also won the award for best cinematography at the international underground music video festival in Paris this February. Beside Shores she has directed a few short films and commercials as for example for the Van Gogh Museum. Her work has also been screened at BAFTA recognized Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Film By The Sea and Pleinbios in Rotterdam.