# animate! › Films › Dear Nelson by Sarah Cox › all › synopses › direction & collaboration › full production credits › film stills › tools & processes › format & distribution › background material

Canonical: https://animate.org.uk/films/dearnelson/all

Discovery terms: 2000s animation, live action and animation, digital animation, love, long-distance relationships, letters, literary adaptation, filmmaker, animation director

The following is the archived page text; discovery terms above are separately sourced metadata.

Archive status: restored in 2026; historical calls, deadlines and services are closed.

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**Dear Nelson** a film by Sarah Cox

2001, 5 min 32 sec

![Dear Nelson, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/dearnelson01.jpg)

### animate! synopsis

Algren and no De Beauvoir makes Nelson a sad boy in these letters from America. An affair to remember, with distance – initially – no object (plane mailing in fact) in these continental correspondences, monochrome messages that style the times and texts of greats.

### one sentence synopsis

A short film based on letters written by Simone de Beauvoir.

### short synopsis

A short film based on letters written by Simone de Beauvoir in Paris to Nelson Algren in Chicago between 1947 – 1956.

The film takes five moments from their long distance relationship and charts the emotional progression from heady excitement to cool detachment.

### key credits

**director**
Sarah Cox

**Simone de Beauvoir**
Julia Rayner

**director of photography**
Kieran McGuigan

**animation**
Layla Atkinson

**editor**
Rod Main

**music**
Pierre Archimbault
Oliver Davies

**producer**
Daniell Susijn

### Sarah Cox

#### short biography

Sarah Cox studied at the Royal College of Art. She teaches animation and has worked in commercial animation as director at Picasso Pictures.

### animate! films by this artist

[3 Ways to Go](https://animate.org.uk/films/3waystogo/)

[Dear Nelson](https://animate.org.uk/films/dearnelson/)

#### artist’s website

[The World of Arthur Cox](http://www.worldofarthurcox.com/)

The production company run by directors Sally Arthur and Sarah Cox

### a film by Sarah Cox

### direction

**director**
Sarah Cox

### based upon

**actual credit**
adapted from

**title of original material**
"Lettres á Nelson Algren"

**author**
Simone de Beauvoir

**type of adapted source material**
in book "Beloved Chicago Man"

**copyright**
© Editions Gallimard

### cast in picture

**Simone de Beauvoir**
Julia Rayner

### voice-over

**Nelson Algren**
Mac Macdonald

### live-action personnel

**director of photography**
Kieran McGuigan

**camera operator**
Rory Moles

**gaffer**
Barry Read

**production assistant**
Serena Jenks
jamie Marshall

### image personnel

**animation**
Layla Atkinson

**graphics**
Shelley Pellegrin

**titles**
Ian Cross

**visual effects**
Danny Etherington
Mark Holden

**telecine operator or colourist**
Max Horton

**rostrum camera**
Nick Summers
Peter Tupy

**editor**
Rod Main

### sound personnel

**music**
Pierre Archimbault
Oliver Davies

**sound designer**
Pierre Archimbault
Oliver Davies

### production personnel

**post production**
Julia Wigginton

**producer**
Daniell Susijn

### support

**primary funding**
Arts Council of England/Channel Four

© Sarah Cox 2001

[![Dear Nelson, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/dearnelson01.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/dearnelson01.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

### technical

#### process summary

The film combines black and white live action with traditional and digital animation to create five seperate moods.

### master copy format

**colour or black & white**
colour

### video distribution format

**video format**
BetaSP

**screen aspect ratio**
4:3

**video standard**
PAL

**sound type**
stereo

### distributor

LUX
[info@lux.org.uk](mailto:info@lux.org.uk)
+44 (0)20 7503 3980
[www.lux.org.uk](http://www.lux.org.uk/)

**Dear Nelson** film, stills and other materials © Sarah Cox 2001