One of the people who applied and was accepted with huge enthusiasm by us was Sophia Ramcharan. Sophia was an independent producer and director running her own company Stella Vision Productions. She also worked and was a much-loved colleague at Broadway Cinema in the Midlands and was known as someone who actively coached and mentored women, young people and BAME talent through various projects and organisations.
We were devastated to hear that Sophia had passed away in the early hours of the 7th February. She was a true advocate for change. Not just talking about change but doing the hard, often quiet work of taking real action and being a compassionate, bright presence in an industry that often falls short of fully supporting its workers. During our days with Sophia, we were impressed by her calm and wise demeanour. She was utterly steadfast with her humane and gentle approach. We were struck by how thoughtful and considered she always was. The experiences she shared with us were full of moments that demonstrated how she took the time to reach out to the people around her feeling left out, isolated or unheard. The fact alone that Sophia had taken the time to join our programme speaks volumes about her commitment to being a change maker and advocate for wellbeing and inclusion across the screen sector. She was passionate about ensuring that the film and TV industry meet their duty of care by creating psychologically safe environments for all workers.
It was our absolute honour to have Sophia as one of our very first Well Being Facilitators. She will always be a part of the 6FT From Family and we will try to embody her grace, wisdom and steadfast approach in all that we do. On joining the programme Sophia had said:
I find it a rewarding and exciting prospect to support the mental health and wellbeing of the crew and cast, and also supporting productions to meet their legal duty of care and to embrace that responsibility.
Here are some of the things her fellow Well Being Facilitators have said in tribute to her:
“I feel so sad but also so lucky to have known Sophia – even if it was for a short time. I recognised straight away, her humble and calm presence. I always looked forward to hearing her intelligent thoughts. I knew she would be someone to turn to for advice regarding the work we were doing. Always fighting for fairness, she will be missed by all of us.”
Karishma Bolakee
“Sophia joined my WBF Mental Health First Aid training and the thing that stays with me the most, as well as her compassion for others, is how her dry sense of humor really lit up the session. What a bright light to have lost. My heart goes out to Sophia’s friends and family.”
Jude Spencer, Founder Dolly Mental Health
“I cannot quite believe this news. Having only had the pleasure of meeting Sophia in November 2020, I already felt like I knew her for much longer, and immediately sensed that she had a calm, kind and compassionate soul. Life is fragile and can be taken from us in a moment’s notice, and Sophia’s commitment to continuing to bring about change within the industry was an inspiration and Sophia shall be remembered for this.”
Leo Anna Thomas, Director, Wellbeing Facilitator
You can read about Sophia’s Well Being Facilitator colleagues here. Please note that we have not yet adjusted this page as we’d like to leave Sophia here and are looking for the right words to reflect that she will always be part of our 6FT From family.
