From the care system to the red carpet – this powerful new film celebrates the everyday heroes who choose empathy over exclusion.
Milton Keynes, UK. 3rd June 2025 –
Re-Story Your Life, a short documentary based on the lived experience of multi-award-winning international speaker
Jaz Ampaw-Farr, has received the Programmer’s Choice Award at this year’s Diversity in Cannes Film Festival.
The nine-minute film, directed by Susanna Wright of Nosco Films, is already being hailed as a “must-see” for educators and changemakers, as it shines a light on the often-invisible acts of compassion that change the trajectory of a child’s life.
Filmed with raw honesty and poetic clarity, Re-Story Your Life explores how five teachers helped rewrite Jaz’s future — from abuse and exclusion in the UK care system to standing ovations on global stages. The win in Cannes not only recognises a powerful piece of filmmaking but also reframes teachers as transformational figures in the wider cultural imagination.
Why Now?
With schools facing rising pressures and educators leaving the profession in record numbers, Re-Story Your Life lands as both a timely tribute and a rallying cry. It challenges the notion that heroism requires grandeur, instead presenting a powerful truth: sometimes, saving a life looks like showing up.
Ampaw-Farr, now one of the UK’s most sought-after keynote speakers, has delivered over 3,000 talks to audiences from TEDx to the ExCeL Arena. Her lived experience — from trauma to transformation — makes her voice urgent, authentic, and relatable. As calls for trauma-informed practice and human-first leadership grow louder across sectors, this film meets the moment with clarity and heart.
“I didn’t set out to be inspirational — I just wanted to assert educators as everyday heroes,” said Jaz Ampaw-Farr. “This film is both harrowing and hopeful. It’s a love letter to the people who saw past my behaviour and into my potential. The fact that their impact has now been recognised on the world stage? That’s everything.”
Background
Produced by Nosco Films and brought to life by award-winning director Susanna Wright, Re-Story Your Life combines intimate voiceover with striking visuals and archival footage to trace Jaz’s journey from a childhood of violence and neglect to becoming a voice for hope and belonging. The film poses a question that echoes long after its final frame: What if one teacher had the power to save your life?
The documentary is now being screened at major UK education and leadership events, with private viewings available for trusts, schools, and corporate organisations focused on inclusion and wellbeing.
What Next?
The Cannes win comes just ahead of the release of Jaz’s new book Because of You, This Is Me, launching this month with the UK leg of her book tour at the Inspiring Leadership Conference (12 June) and the Festival of Education (4 July), where her award-winning short film will also be screened.
In July, Jaz will be awarded two honorary doctorates — from Hull University (15 July) and Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln (30 July) — in recognition of her outstanding contribution to public life and education. She will also debut her first stand-up comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (20 August) as part of
The Glitter Challenge, raising funds in honour of the late writer Jo Fletcher Cross.
ENDS
