Jason Bradbury chats with HERO Mag about ‘My Sweet Prince’

To mark the internet’s 30th birthday, the BBC and BFI launched ‘Born Digital’, a series of 11 short films exploring the first generation raised under its influence. Among the commissioned films was ‘My Sweet Prince’, Jason Bradbury’s 12-minute short blending his teenage VHS diaries with a fictional story about a boy seeking comfort in an online connection. Hero Magazine speaks to Jason about the experience.

At the click of a button I could escape the confides of the tiny island I lived on and go anywhere, chat to anyone. Fall in love with a boy from Vienna. Become obsessed with an androgynous boy from Brighton. I sometimes wonder if my generation had it best, that we had the benefits of the offline and online world.

Right now I think the feeling of loneliness that some people are experiencing from the internet is the result of being expected to be in both worlds simultaneously. As a society we haven’t figured out how to do that. I don’t doubt that a balance can be struck, I believe in the positive potential of the internet, but it’s a difficult time. We’re kind of at the point where we need to define what our relationship to the internet is, and whether it’s going to work alongside the offline world or replace it.

One of the beautiful and most surprising things about the reception of My Sweet Prince so far has been the amount of people of all sexualities and backgrounds who say the film depicts their exact experience growing up too. It sounds lame but I do genuinely think we’re all more alike that we care to admit.

Head to Hero Magazine for the full interview!