Producers: Matthew Steggles & Joshua Eley

Director: Matthew Steggles

Writer: Matthew Steggles

 

Log line

In a dystopian future a British 13 year old girl, now a refugee struggles within the confinement of the back of a lorry as she longs to reconnect with her father. Cramped together with her grandparents and refugees from the isle of Britain, tensions stir as they cross borders to seek out a new home in a more sustainable climate.

 

Director's Statement

Climate change is happening and the environmental disasters across the world are only getting worse each year. I felt a strong desire to create a film that had the themes of climate change. Environmental refugees are real, but I knew if I could flip the stereotype on its head, i.e. what if British civilians were the climate refugees, would the western world take more notice? What occurs in this film could happen to Britain and their lives could change – which is currently happening to millions of people across the world. Hopefully by the end of the film, the audience would feel a sense of empathy for the real people in these hostile situations.

 

The film focuses on a young girl, Sophie, who longs to be with her father. Sophie has been forced into a distressing scenario, and I felt a desire to ensure that the audience feels empathy to Sophie – this could be your grandchild, if we don’t act now! What particularly intrigues me was the development of character through this coming of age film. How this young girl, frightened and selfish, is harrowingly challenged and becomes a stronger force of nature by the end of the film. The film is short, which limits the transition of Sophie’s development, but a key moment, such as her concern for her grandfathers’ cough, is the beginning of her independence. Strong female characters have been at the forefront of my slate of work for the past few years, and for me, I would love to delve deeper into the story of this character, and to unravel this ambiguous ending.

 

Hosting the film entirely within a confined space opened up the opportunity for a sense of audible creativity. This intrigued my interest in exploring the use of tension and boredom, through a form of sound. Sometimes what we don’t see can lead to character’s imaginations running rash, ultimately revealing a characters true inner self.