Experiencing Interruptions?

7 times 7 times 7

On a desolate bus stranded on a dark country road, three lives collide, revealing a shared tragedy that will force them to confront their past and the lingering pain it holds.

  • Anderson West
    Director
    The Book of Love, Diembe, Family Ties
  • Anderson West
    Writer
    The Book of Love, Diembe, Family Ties, Dentures
  • Anderson West
    Producer
    The Book of Love, Diembe, Family Ties, Dentures
  • Luke Walton
    Producer
  • Alicia Charles
    Key Cast
    "Sarah"
  • Akiel Dowe
    Key Cast
    "Darren"
  • Mia Hulme
    Key Cast
    "Mae"
  • Ben Halford
    Director of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 53 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 20, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Alexa 35
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Anderson West

I am an award-winning writer/director who has worked for over a decade as a writer/director and producer, making short films, commercials and documentaries for brands, charities and museums across the UK. I am also a part-time lecturer in Film Production at Staffordshire University.

As a teenager, I moved from the sunny isles of South Florida to a council estate in Stoke on Trent in the early 2000s. My American and British dual heritage gives me a unique perspective. It has influenced how I approach my stories, many of which touch on cultural identity and belonging.

I have a multi-genre approach to storytelling, and my 2016 short film Diembe was about a young Kenyan boy migrating to the UK. This was an award-nominated and internationally screened short. My previous short films, Family Ties (2022) and The Book of Love (2023) are currently in festivals. The Book of Love won Best Film and Best Screenplay at the Black River Film Festival in June 2024. Family Ties is about a father and son who suffer a deadly accident while hiking. The Book of Love is a Romantic Comedy about a guy pretending to like books to impress a librarian he fancies, only to find himself falling in love with books himself.

My latest film, 7x7x7 (A Pitch Film Fund Finalist in 2023), is about three strangers stranded on a nighttime countryside bus that are unknowingly connected by a tragic hit-and-run that occurred months previously. The film is due to premiere in October 2024.

I have also co-wrote and developed Dante’s Inferno, a Sofian Francis-directed short film, which will be released in late 2024 as a proof of concept for a television series. I am a three-time finalist of the Pitch Film Fund www.enterthepitch.com (Final 10 in 2019,2023 and Runners Up in 2020). I am also developing a feature-length film about the 1919 Liverpool race riots, The Motherland, my 2020 Runner-up in the Pitch UK.

I am a Staffordshire Arts Collective Kwanzaa Collective UK member and co-founder of the Staffordshire Film Collective.

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Director Statement

This film is a personal excavation of a period in my life, over a decade ago, where my actions caused significant emotional pain to others, and the subsequent rejection of my attempts to make amends plunged me into a year of profound depression and near-suicide. This film is, in essence, my attempt to process and understand that experience.

It’s a story about the difficult truth that even when we take full responsibility for our actions, forgiveness might not be forthcoming. The themes of the Lord’s Prayer, which offered me solace during that dark time, are woven throughout the narrative. You’ll see characters grappling with temptation, seeking daily strength, and confronting the ‘evil’ within and around them, all through the lens of forgiveness.

I chose to tell this story using a hyperlink cinema structure, drawing inspiration from films like ‘Crash’ and ‘Babel’, to connect seemingly disparate storylines. This approach allowed me to explore the interconnectedness of our lives and the ripple effects of our actions. Whilst I’ve experimented with this style in earlier projects, this film delves into a much darker territory. The central question I wanted to explore, and one I hope resonates with you, is: after witnessing the character’s actions and their subsequent journey, can they be forgiven? And, more importantly, can we forgive ourselves?

As with all my films, this was shot in my hometown of Stoke-on-Trent and the Staffordshire Moorlands. The support of the local community and creative network was essential in bringing this ambitious story to life. This film is more than just a story; it’s a piece of my own journey, and I hope it sparks reflection on the complexities of forgiveness and responsibility within you.