'A SPLINTER IN THE EYE'

A SPLINTER IN THE EYE is a real-time political drama centred on the housing crisis in East London. The film follows Darren, a Junior Debt Enforcement Officer, as he and his colleagues enact an eviction order on an occupied property.

But as the officers deploy tactics of escalating brutality, the eviction enters a violent tailspin, forcing Darren toward a confrontation with the harsh realities of his new work.

A SPLINTER IN THE EYE is a graduation film from the MA Filmmaking Programme at the London Film School.

  • Harry Hayton Iles
    Director
  • Harry Hayton Iles
    Writer
  • Hollye Karina Swinehart
    Producer
  • Rashaun Wayne
    Key Cast
    "Darren"
  • Iago Montgomary
    Key Cast
    "Vincent"
  • Luke Aquilina
    Key Cast
    "Sean"
  • Lucy Wordsworth
    Key Cast
    "Deborah"
  • Peter Terry
    Key Cast
    "John"
  • Erika Sviderskyte
    Key Cast
    "Ana"
  • Kyle Malan
    Key Cast
    "Kyle"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 19, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    12,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - London Film School
Director Biography - Harry Hayton Iles

Harry Hayton Iles is a visual artist, filmmaker, and writer from the North Yorkshire Moors. Graduating from BA Fine Art at Goldsmiths in 2018, he initially pursued a practice in painting and video installation before transitioning into film in a series of documentary and experimental shorts.

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In 2021 he was awarded the Leverhulme Scholarship on the London Film School MA Programme and is currently developing a collection of narrative short and feature-length projects. His work is principally orientated toward subjects of class, community, regional identities, and socio-economic disparity in modern England.

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Director Statement

‘It is often easier to process the calamitous impact of the housing or cost of living crises in the abstract, through social statistics or news segments. But it is imperative to also view them as the personal, emotional stories they are. Filmmaking for me has always had an unparalleled capacity to articulate and represent such stories, providing a tangibility and human consequence that can so regularly be missed in wider political discourse.

My intention with A SPLINTER IN THE EYE was to create an unapologetically stark, formally ambitious piece of political cinema in service of this. A story of the complex moral framework that frequently underpins violence at the bottom of the economic order, and the tragic class dynamics that pit working people against each other to maintain it.’