Isle of Wight and Hampshire hospice charities, Mountbatten Isle of Wight and Mountbatten Hampshire are thrilled to announce that ‘Without Mountbatten’ has been named as a finalist in the 2025 Smiley Charity Film Awards – dubbed the charity film Oscars!
This year’s awards received an overwhelming number of entries, generating over 50 million additional views across all submissions.
Testament to the power of our story
To be named a finalist is a testament to the power of our story and the dedication of our supporters.
Competing in the prestigious £15-£50 million category alongside national charities such as Samaritans, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Parkinson’s UK, and Children with Cancer UK, Mountbatten’s film shines a spotlight on the urgent need for funding to support our hospices as NHS contributions struggle to meet the demand for our services.
Recognised by the British Film Institute (BFI) and IMDb, the Smiley Charity Film Awards is the world’s largest cause-based film campaign, celebrating films that inspire positive social change.
Hartley: Being recognised at this level highlights the significance of our film
Mountbatten CEO Nigel Hartley, MBE, said,
“Thank you to everyone who has watched, voted, shared, and championed ‘Without Mountbatten’, helping our message reach a national audience.
“Being recognised at this level highlights the significance of our film and the vital role hospice care plays in our communities.”
What happens next?
Mountbatten’s film will now be reviewed by a panel of expert judges, who will determine the winning films in each category. The winner of the People’s Choice Award will be decided by the votes cast in the public vote.
As a finalist, Mountbatten has been invited to the red-carpet awards ceremony at indigo at The O2 in London, on Thursday, 20 March 2025. This prestigious event will bring together charities, filmmakers, and supporters to honour the incredible work being done across the sector.
About ‘Without Mountbatten’
Created in collaboration with Isle of Wight-based NOSY agency, Without Mountbatten takes a bold and visually striking approach to highlight the essential role of hospice care in our communities, posing the vital question: Who will support families living with death, dying, and bereavement if Mountbatten cannot?
Set in a dimly lit industrial building, the film features patients, staff, and volunteers reflecting on the irreplaceable support they have received. Their words are punctuated by the visual metaphor of bright yellow balls dropping into a glass tube—each one symbolising a life changed by Mountbatten’s care, and £30,000, the cost of running each of our hospices for a day. What would they have done without Mountbatten’s support during their darkest times?
Support hospice care
Mountbatten Isle of Wight and Mountbatten Hampshire are separate charities working in partnership to provide expert 24/7 inpatient, community, and palliative end-of-life care across the Isle of Wight, Southampton City, and large parts of Hampshire.
In addition to end-of-life care, our services include rehabilitation, enablement, and psychological and bereavement support for patients and their families. Every day, we support around 4,000 people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, serving a population of 791,000. Care is delivered in people’s homes as well as in our hospice buildings in Newport, Isle of Wight, and West End, Southampton.
Thanks to the generosity of our communities and the dedication of our volunteers, our services remain free of charge to those who need us. However, with growing funding challenges threatening these essential services, we continue to call for NHS support to ensure that no one faces death, dying, and bereavement alone.
News shared by Jax on behalf of Mountbatten. Ed
