And it begins…

Back in April, I decided to take a leap of faith and went to the Vision du Réel film festival to dip my toe into the documentary world. I was lucky enough to talk with producers, film makers and distributors who all told me “go make something!”

The rest of April and May was all about getting my ducks (or should I say, my toes) in a row.

First I need to set on a topic for this first project so I decided to dive into a question that's been nagging me for years: why do our shoes, the things we wear every day, seem to cause so much trouble? The Stupid Shoes project was born.

Then, as June rolled around, things really started to take shape. We locked down our main participants – the incredible people whose experiences form the backbone of this story – and plunged into research.

We started reaching out to some seriously smart people, the kind who can untangle centuries of footwear mystery and tell us how we ended up here. And yes, amidst all that, we even managed to sketch out our very first storyboard. It felt a bit like mapping a treasure hunt, only the treasure is healthy feet and the 'X' marks the spot where common sense got lost!

July was on us so fast, and suddenly, the story that's unfolding is already so much wilder, funnier, and more poignant than I ever expected.

So, what's next for "Stupid Shoes" as we stride (barefoot, whenever possible) into the next phase?

• We're off to the Barefoot Tradeshow in Offenbach tomorrow to discover what’s going on with that corner of the industry.

• The hunt for our missing voices continues. We're still looking for that elusive traditional shoe company brave enough to chat about their design philosophy (ON shoes, we're looking at you, give us a call!). And also, a sociologist who can unravel our deeply complex, often illogical, social relationship with shoes. If you know someone, please send them our way!

• And finally, the artistic challenge: narrowing down this incredible, sprawling storyline. It's like having too many delicious ingredients – the trick is to blend them into a perfect, compelling dish.

This fascinating journey has just begun, and believe me, the story of "Stupid Shoes" is far from what you might expect.

Get ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about your feet... and your footwear!

Every morning we put on shoes, with many of us not thinking about it 2x. This film is about that moment.