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The Wounds We Keep
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TYPE: Narrative Short
GENRE: Drama
STATUS: Pre-Production
LOGLINE
A motivated young drama facilitator begins a new job in a mens’ prison, where she strikes up an intimate connection with one of the inmates.
SYNOPSIS
LILY is a drama practitioner running a new course in a mens’ prison. There, she has an instant connection with LEON - an attentive but shy man taking part in her course. Over the course of Lily’s drama exercises, the pair become increasingly intimate and Lily probes deeper into Leon’s life.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
THE WOUNDS WE KEEP is all about isolation and moments of connection. The film’s tone takes its cues from romantic dramas such as EQUALS and LIKE CRAZY by Drake Doremus. We will shoot primarily on long lenses, isolating the principal characters from their backgrounds and packing the frame with bodies. Long lenses will also increase the tension and intimacy of Lily and Leon’s moments of intimacy, using a shallow depth of field and focusing on tight details; eyes, hands, hair, lips. This film will not be drab and desaturated like most prison dramas. Instead, I plan to heighten the natural prison colour pallette of fluorescent blues and teals, adding moments of contrastic warm tones to highlight the moments of intimacy and connection. Lighting will start from a place of naturalism, with practical prison lights, before exaggerating it slightly to create a heightened atmosphere. For most roles we intend to cast people who have lived experience of the UK criminal justice system. We have partnerships with organisations including Big House Theatre Company, whose alumni include Adam Deacon, Jasmine Jobson and Ed Skrein, and Synergy Theatre, who run acting and writing workshops for people in prison. Working with non-professional actors with lived experience is a key passion of mine and something I’m looking to explore and practice further during my time at NYU. We’re partnering with these organisations to work with actors that have shared life experiences and to ensure the film treats these topics sensititvely. Throughout my career, my passion has been for telling stories of social impact. THE WOUNDS WE KEEP is based on mine and Ella’s experiences working in UK prisons over several years. The film is inspired by the regular abuse and discrimination we witnessed, but also the complicated relationships we would sometimes see develop between staff and men who were incarcerated. As a result, we want to make a film that explores the blurry lines that occur in these very genuine, human relationships, whilst also exploring the consequences of well-meaning actions in such a high-stakes, broken environment. This short is also the basis for a feature film currently at treatment stage, which I would look to develop after NYU as my first feature.
KEY CREW
Owain Astles - Director/Co-Writer
Owain Astles is a filmmaker from Bristol, UK. Owain’s work focuses on social impact and participatory filmmaking across narrative and documentary. Owain’s work has screened at multiple BAFTA and BIFA-qualifying festivals and he is a member of BAFTA Connect. Currently Owain studies on the Grad Film programme at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in New York.
Before attending NYU, Owain worked in London prisons for several years, running a filmmaking programme. He has created work for BFI Network, BBC Arts and Netflix and in 2018 gave a TEDx talk on his own experiences of homelessness.
Owain is a passionate advocate of film for social change. His work aims to challenge social structures, champion abolitionist ideals and celebrate community and connection within marginalised spaces.
Ella Church - Co-Writer
Theatre maker, ex-prison officer and academic, Ella’s career has been dedicated to exposing the structural issues of the UK’s criminal justice system.
Whilst working as a prison officer Ella advocated for survivors of domestic abuse, completing her thesis on women’s pathways into crime and the damaging cycles of abuse they face. She went on to implement the Freedom Programme, a trauma recovery group. Ella spoke at the House of Lords and 10 Downing Street on the continued abuse against women in prison and burnout among prison staff.
Ella is a Creator at Glasshouse Theatre, an abolitionist theatre in prisons company Ella co-founded in 2019. Their work specialises in the use of theatre as a therapeutic tool to educate others and critically examine and dismantle systems of oppression.
Anton Vicente Kliot - Co-Producer
Anton Vicente Kliot is a producer born and raised in New York City by two independent filmmakers. Anton has produced and co-produced over a dozen short films including LOOK AT ME (2020) by Nika Fehmiu, DALY CITY (2024) by Nick Hartanto, and HOWL (2024) by Sara Crow. His films have shown at the Tribeca Film Festival, the Sarajevo Film Festival, and the Woodstock Film Festival among others. Anton works on a range of genres and styles, from dark and absurd comedies, to tender family and coming of age stories. He is a current MBA/MFA candidate in the producing program at NYU, a joint venture between the Tisch School of the Arts and Stern School of Business.
Sophie Seyd - Co-Producer
Sophie Seyd is a director and producer based in New York City. She most recently lived in London where she cut her teeth in high-end drama television. She received her BA in Literature and Philosophy and is currently an MFA candidate in the Graduate Film program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Sophie is of English and Iraqi-Jewish heritage and was raised in Melbourne, Australia. She is fascinated by the fractures and eccentricities within people, their relationships, and the places they inhabit. She is drawn to stories that deal with adversity and transformation and is especially inspired by film’s capacity to connect us to our humanity.
Sophie is a proud recipient of prestigious scholarships from BAFTA and Screen Australia.
Pablo Mejía - Director of Photography
Pablo Mejía is a filmmaker from Texas whose voice is inspired by character-driven stories from underrepresented communities. The child of two immigrants from rural Mexico, their visual tone seeks to invoke a sense of nostalgia whilst inspired by contemporary cinema.
Pablo is currently an MFA candidate at NYU’s Graduate Film Program, where they recently directed Equipo no. 3, a documentary short following sugarcane work- ers in Mante. They are currently in development for the feature film, Torres, which follows Pablo’s grandmother as she questions the aspirations of her late husband—a progressive political leader wrongfully murdered in the late seventies—and her journey raising six children alone in rural Mexico. Pablo is a 2024 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow for their studies at NYU.
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