The Nettle Dress (2023) Evaluation and cuttings
Campaign by tpr media consultants +44 (0)7974 428858 | sophie@tpr-media.com www.tpr-media.com
PR Overview
We were delighted to work with both Dartmouth Films and BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Dylan Howitt (Out of Thin Air) again, this time on The Nettle Dress, a modern fairy tale about the healing power of nature and craft. Textile artist Allan Brown spent seven years making a dress from scratch, using 14,400 feet of thread made from the fibre of locally foraged stinging nettles. In doing so, he relearned ancient crafts of foraging, spinning, weaving, cutting and sewing. This helped Allan survive the death of his wife, which left him and their four children bereft.
The Nettle Dress has been a word-of-mouth phenomenon and has been screened over 200 times and counting at cinemas across the UK and Ireland, winning Audience Awards at film festivals including Cinecity, Screenplay and Glimmerglass Film Days in New York. The film was also longlisted for the BIFA’s (British Independent Film Award) Best Feature Documentary, keeping good company with directors Errol Morris, Steve McQueen and Kevin Macdonald.
We carried out a national campaign across TV, radio and podcasts, as well as national and trade publications. Coverage highlights included a two-page interview in the Observer Magazine for the Self & Wellbeing section and a feature in The Big Issue. PA (formerly the Press Association) wrote a feature which appeared in the Independent and over 200 regional papers. As well as national papers, we placed a feature in Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine (a bi-annual magazine where “ecology, spirituality and social justice” meet) and Rake’s Progress (a contemporary print magazine looking at nature through the prism of art). The film was extensively reviewed across the nationals (Financial Times; Sunday Times; Guardian; Observer) and was featured in The Sunday Times ‘Critics Choice’, as well as tabloids (Daily Mail) and trade outlets (Sight & Sound; Total Film). The Nettle Dress was also mentioned in Screen Daily after the film was longlisted for the BIFA’s. There were interviews on national radio (Times Radio), regional radio (BBC Radio London; BBC Radio Sussex), as well as a bonus review on Kermode & Mayo’s Take, an interview on the Accidental Gods podcast and textile podcasts (The Long Thread podcast & Textile Talks). An interview on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme was due to take place but this was dropped due to the news agenda. Overall, tpr placed 250+ pieces of coverage, amounting to an Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) of £2.69M with an Opportunity to See (OTS) of 91.1M
Analytics Sum of Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE):
Sum of Opportunity to See (OTS):
Volume of Articles:
£2.69M
91.1M
301
National Features Reviews/Mentions Podcast Broadcast Regional
Radio and Podcast National & Regional Radio
Dylan Howitt and Allan Brown were interviewed by Jo Good on BBC Radio London’s Sunday Show 10.09.23
Dylan Howitt was featured on Times Radio’s Culture Panel - 20.10.23
Allan Brown was interviewed on BBC Radio Sussex 13.09.23
Radio and Podcast Podcast The film had a bonus review on Kermode and Mayo’s Take, a podcast consisting of film and TV reviews. (formerly on BBC Radio 5). Kermode said the film was “poignant and moving, meditative and weirdly hypnotic... a really lovely film, almost like a fairy tale except that it's true. The Nettle Dress will take you out of yourself, put you in a different place and make you appreciate life.” - 15.09.23 (Link here)
The Long Thread podcast features “interviews with your favourite spinners, weavers, needleworkers, and fibre artists from across the globe” and has 4000+ listeners a month. Anne Merrow, co-founder of Long Thread Media, interviewed Allan Brown for an hour-long episode. - 23.09.23 (Link here)
Accidental Gods is “a platform where we believe that another world is still possible, and that together, we can create a future we’d be proud to leave to the generations that come after us”. Presenter Manda Scott interviewed Allan Brown and Dylan Howitt; the episode is their most downloaded yet. - 13.09.23 (Link here)
Textile Talks podcast brings you the latest news, industry insights and inspiring interviews with leading Textile Artists. Gail Cowley, Founder and Director of The School Of Stitched Textiles interviewed Allan Brown. - 26.09.23 (Link here)
National Features
The Observer (549K weekly readers) covered The Nettle Dress both online and print (a double-page spread) for its Self & Wellbeing section.
See full article here
See full article here
The PA piece by journalist Anahita Hossein-Pour was picked up by the Independent (5.35M weekly readers), the Daily Mail (3M), Perspective Magazine and MSN as well as over 200 regionals.
See full article here
See full article here
“The very first day I filmed my friend Allan Brown picking nettles to make textiles it seemed like I was witnessing something a bit magical... it was a revelation – like discovering hidden treasure inside this plant we know so painfully well. The sense of wonder I felt that day never left me, and kicked off a documentary journey that lasted years. The end result was my film The Nettle Dress, which has been playing in cinemas all over the UK.”
Reviews
“A work of slow cinema… this is filmmaking that doesn’t cut corners and takes its time.” - Leslie Felperin, Financial Times
“The film has a lyrical dimension as a story of loss and solace.” - Edward Porter, The Sunday Times
“A testament to the positive, healing power of nature.” - Henry Bird, The Times Newsletter
A “gentle, reflective documentary.” - Cath Clarke, Guardian
“Captured with a lyrical sensitivity.” - Wendy Ide, Observer
Reviews
“Tender, meditative and magical.” - Isabel Stevens, Sight & Sound
“Dylan Howitt's poetic documentary can be counted as one of the best cinematic surprises of 2023.” - Mansel Stimpson, Film Review Daily
“A perfect little gem that tells a moral tale.” - Sarah Kent, The Arts Desk
Reviews & Mentions As well reviews and mentions in national and trade publications, the film was also featured in the followed outlets:
Regional We acquired 10+ regional pieces, including the Yorkshire Post and the Brighton Argus. There were 200+ regional pieces, many picked up from the PA piece by journalist Anahita Hossein-Pour.
See full article here
Regional Features & Mentions
Press Screening
In collaboration with Dylan Howitt, Martine McDonagh and the team at Dartmouth Films, we hosted a press screening at Soho House on 6 September. We invited key influencers and public figures from the craft community, botanists and herbalists, sustainable fashion activists and bloggers, as well as press from House & Garden and Rake’s Progress. Following the event, we sent press assets to attendees to maximise social media coverage, continuing with the film’s effective ‘word-of-mouth’ method of marketing. From this event, Rake’s Progress ended up featuring the film in their January/February issue. We had also invited Rebecca Desnos (160K followers on Instagram, 14K on her mailing list). While she did not end up attending, we sent her a link to the film which she promoted across social media and on her newsletter.