In 2020 Mental Ideas helped co-produce a feature-length film, Transference: A Love Story with filmmaker and ambassador Raffaello Degruttola and Contro Vento Films. As well as directing, Raff stars in the film alongside Emilie Sofie Johannsesen.

Transference is a compelling bipolar love story of two immigrant nurses, one of whom has a secret that threatens to implode their passionate love affair. Set in London, the film explores themes of emotional isolation, denial, cultural displacement and mental illness and features a talented cast of character actors, including Silver Leopard award-winning Lotte Verbeek (‘Outlander’, ‘The Blacklist’), Simone Lahbib (‘Da Vinci’s Demons’, ‘Philomena’), Ania Sowinski (‘Men in Black: International’, ‘‪Eddie the Eagle‬’) and Christina Chong (‘‪Johnny English Reborn‬’, ‘Line of Duty’, ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’).

The film draws influence from Raff’s difficult relationship with his father, who struggled with a severe version of bipolar disorder throughout his life. You can hear Raff talking about his relationship with his dad and how it fuelled his creative work on our Mental Ideas Podcast for RTHK Radio 3.

The film was exec produced by Bill Bossert, co-produced by Sadie Kaye, Simone Lahbib and Emilie Sofie Johannsen, filmed by DP Simon Haynes and edited by Charlie Lort-Phillips. The film was privately screened in London and Italy in late 2019. In 2020 the film was shortlisted among 4 other films for the competition stage of the New York Socially Relevant Film Festival. Transference was placed runner up in the Narrative Feature category and received a Special Jury Mention from the judges.

The film was also selected for the 2020 Buenos Aires International Film Festival, Lulea Film Festival ,The Hague Global Film Festival, European Cinema Festival, Stockholm City Film Festival, Amsterdam World Cinema Festival and Arizona International Film Festival (postponed to April 2021) in the Dramatic Feature category. In April 2020 the film was offered distribution by 1091 Pictures/The Orchard. In June 2020 the film won Best Drama Feature Film at the International Anatolia Film Festival. It also won the Zoroaster Award.

In Nov 2020 the film was released and distributed globally by 1091 Pictures. In May 2021 it was made freely available on 1091’s YouTube channel, where it went viral and has had well over 20 million views.

EPK