In his first year at university, Alex decides to seek support for his mental health. But getting the help he needs proves to be far more difficult than first expected. A story of bravery and resilience, this short film shares an insight into the experience that many young people silently endure.
Genre: Drama, Medical | Run Time: 22m 38s
Directed by: Hugo Kilner | Starring: Brandon Regan
Release Date: October 16, 2023
W A T C H T H E F I L M
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T R A I L E R S
TEASER TRAILER
OFFICIAL TRAILER
C A S T & C R E W
CAST
Alex: Brandon Regan
Receptionist #1: Georgina McKay
Harry: Kiran Palmer de Juan
Student Wellbeing Representative: Niamh Walton
Pre-recorded Response: Milla Hall
Automated Response: Will Morley
Receptionist #2: Olivia McKeown
Flatmates: Sam Bateman, Finlay Ross,
Brodie McDonough
Receptionist #3: Will Hicks
Student: Patrick Higbee
Mens Sana Receptionist: Annabelle Fernando
Client: Hugo Kilner
Voicemail: Ivan Sebag-Montefiore
Receptionist #4: Thomas Swanser
Wellbeing Network Receptionist: Lorenzo Allchurch
CREW
Written and Directed by: Hugo Kilner
Produced by: Hugo Kilner, Sam Bateman
and Finlay Ross
Executive Producers: Lorenzo Allchurch,
Ivan Sebag-Montefiore, Florence Davies-Collins
Director of Photography: Hugo Kilner
Edited by: Hugo Kilner
Score created with: Filmstro Pro
First Assistant Director: Sam Bateman
Script Supervisor: Miah Bhabutta
Production Assistant: Will Hicks
Stills Photographer: Amelia King
T H E M A K I N G O F
HK: It’s hard to pin-point exactly when any concrete development on Gridlock actually started. All I know is that I wanted to make a short film whilst at uni and I was already nearing the halfway stage of my time here. So, in my second year, I knew that I had to try and just get something off the ground. Soon, I started thinking about what was really important to me and after speaking to so many people who felt similar about this subject matter, I knew I had to make this film. The problem is, finding people who will actually give you such a huge amount of their free time was harder than I thought. But somehow I was able to find two of them – Sam and Fin – to come on board as producers.
But those guys coming on board was obviously just the start. Finding a cast posed an even bigger challenge. In fact, when we put out an initial casting call, a grand total of one person turned up! But eventually, over time, the pieces started to fall into place. We found Brandon through Fin and Kiran through Sam. Soon after, I approached Georgie and Niamh. That whole process took about two months and every day I was convinced we just weren’t going to find the right people. But they all sent in amazing auditions and before we knew it we had our principal characters in place. Then, with our start date rapidly approaching, we were able to bring Miah, Will and Amelia into the fold. Without those guys’ dedication and generosity, well, plain and simple, we would’ve been absolutely screwed.
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We started shooting at the beginning of March. Were we fully prepared? Probably not. But we learnt a hell of a lot during those few weeks (we shot for 9 days in total across two and a half weeks). If you’re interested in a more detailed rundown of our production, click here to read a PRODUCTION DIARY. I won’t bother diving too much into the editing process because no one wants to read that (unless you actually do in which case drop us a DM and we’ll give you all the gory details). But like any film no matter how long or short, it was a very challenging process. The film also changed quite drastically during this period. Major plot points were removed and a couple of new ones were added in. The same goes for the scoring process. But eventually, three months later, the film was done.
At this point though, we were all in separate cities, and because we’d never done anything like this before, we didn’t actually have much of a distribution plan. And yet, here we are now. If you’re actually reading this that means the film has actually come out and people have actually watched it and we couldn’t be happier!
I’ve already said it but it’s worth saying again and again. This film couldn’t have been made without the extraordinary level of dedication from our cast and crew. They turned up and went well beyond what was asked of them. But they’re not the only ones who need to be thanked. I haven’t even mentioned all the people who’ve given their insight and advice over the past year. Or all the people who’ve come up to us and messaged us that they’ve watched the film. Or those who’ve been there every step of the way. You know who you are. To all of you - thank you, thank you, thank you.
