Experiencing Interruptions?

A Sober Dance

After standing trial for the murder of his unit, a mentally unstable soldier is exiled to the front lines of an otherworldly war. His harrowing journey is made worse, by the constant flippancy of his mysterious companion; a macabre musician with a dark sense of humour.
The pair set off to the end of the world and to the heart of a war, that has already taken so much of the soldier's sanity.
A stark portrayal of PTSD, mental health issues and the various coping mechanisms of soldiers and civilians during wartime. Set against a low fantasy, Lovecraftian backdrop.

  • Owen Hurrell
    Director
  • Ed Kitchen
    Director
  • Owen Hurrell
    Writer
  • Ed Kitchen
    Writer
  • Owen Hurrell
    Producer
  • Ed Kitchen
    Producer
  • James Weight
    Producer
  • Edward Hayter
    Key Cast
    "Crim Snar"
  • Clara Veci
    Key Cast
    "Chester"
  • James Rushton
    Key Cast
    "Reverend Archie"
  • Jack Mortell
    Key Cast
    "Merchant Jack"
  • Owen Hurrell
    Art Director
  • Edward Kitchen
    Editor
  • Adrian Leung
    Music By
  • David Gerard Lawrence
    Music By
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Low Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Drama, Light Horror, Post Apocalyptic
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 48 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 2, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital Super 35mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Hastings Rocks International Film Festival
    Hastings
    United Kingdom
    April 23, 2022
    Hastings Premiere
    Best Sci Fi - Winner
  • Hastings Rocks International Film Festival
    Hastings
    United Kingdom
    April 23, 2022
    Hastings Premiere
    Best Drama - Runner-Up
  • FantaSci Short Film Festival
    Orlando, Florida
    United States
    May 14, 2022
    Fantasy Short - Official Selection
  • Oregon Short Film Festival
    Portland, Oregon
    United States
    May 28, 2022
    Dark Drama - Finalist
  • Beyond the Curve International Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    May 19, 2022
    Best Short Film - Nominee
  • Screen ATX
    Austin, Texas
    United States
    May 21, 2022
    Narrative Short - Honourable Mention
  • Indie-Clips Short Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    June 18, 2022
    Best Short Film - Official Selection
  • We Make Movies International Film Festival
    Los Angeles, California
    United Kingdom
    October 5, 2022
    Sci-Fi/Fantasy Short - Official Selection
  • Brighton Rocks Film Festival
    Brighton
    United Kingdom
    July 22, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Repton Filmfest' 22
    Repton
    United Kingdom
    July 8, 2022
    Drama - Official Selection
Director Biography - Owen Hurrell, Ed Kitchen

[As a team]
As a creative team they have the perfect mix of fun and mass appeal, crossed with depth and heart. Over the 10 years that they've been collaborating, they have developed an ability to seamlessly elevate each other's works to another level. This leads to dynamic, compelling and intricate stories.
Their work has clear social themes and messages, without feeling preachy. Because of this they're able to make people think about issues the world is facing, without alienating the audience or taking them out of the experience.
They believe that when you tell a story, it can't just be a story of its time, for it to truly resonate it must be a timeless story.
There is nothing they’d rather do.

[Owen Hurrell]
Trying to write his way to freedom.
As a writer, director, producer, cinematographer, actor, web developer and graphics designer on countless corporate videos, he has developed the ability to weave even the most mundane product, into an interesting and thought provoking piece of content.
Now turning his talents to his own IP, writing, directing and producing his own short film, entitled 'A Sober Dance'. Taking it from concept to completion in just 4 months. As well as writing and preparing pitch decks for countless other projects, across a wide range of genres.

e: owen@thefullmetalpackage.com

[Ed Kitchen]
Runs on coffee, whiskey and books.
He writes, directs, and edits, with exceptional passion and commitment, and enjoys carving a story out of interesting subjects. A Sober Dance is his third short after two earlier comedies 'The Vault' and 'Norman' both in (2016).

e: edtheeditor2@gmail.com

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

From concept to completion in 4 months for £10,000, A Sober Dance was created for many purposes.

Firstly, It's a story that needs to be told and now is the right time to tell it. In the post covid world, where mental health issues have touched people, that previously didn't even believe they existed. A story that helps people understand what they may be going through is paramount. With the current state of global affairs, people need ways to process their thoughts and feelings comfortably.
Without preaching and forcing your views on them, simply offering similarities in characters that allow them to see themselves and their situation objectively. Leading to a deep connection with the source material,as well as a glimmer of hope, that eventually everything is going to be ok.

Secondly, it was produced as a community project with the local people of Rutland, UK as a way to alleviate some of the stresses of the last couple of years. Bringing back the community spirit that, before Covid, was prevalent in the rural areas of England.

Lastly, Owen has a deep personal connection to the underlying message in this project.
Many of his friends and family are currently serving, ex-forces or unfortunately passed due to one of the above. He's seen a lot of PTSD first hand and has always been there for people struggling.
As such we made the bold choice to make the film with 90% PTSD sufferers and people afflicted with other such mental health disorders (depression, ADHD, anxiety etc) as well as developmental conditions such as autism.
This was very important to Owen, as he felt it would be disingenuous to simply tell a story highlighting an issue. When you could use the vehicle to directly help an underrepresented community. So what you see is more than simply a short film, it was the beginnings of a healing and understanding process for the entire cast and crew.

Funded and produced entirely by Owen, Ed and their company Full Metal Package. The tight turnaround meant that they had to step into many, many roles. However never ones to shy away from hard work, they powered through in order to give the people involved something they could be proud of.

After a stream of love for the world and story, the idea is being converted into an hour long TV pilot. With the aim of pitching it to SVOD and/or broadcasting platforms.