Amnesia of the Soul

Kyles anxiety threatens to tear his family apart, so he resorts to an experimental high tech therapy where he must confront his inner demons.

  • Mason Steele
    Director
  • Mason Steele
    Writer
  • Conor O'Brien
    Producer
  • Mark Arfur
    Key Cast
    "Kyle"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Thriller, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Drama
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 19 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 12, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    2,500 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Salford
Director Biography - Mason Steele

Mason is a writer and director who has been making his own films for over ten years. Inspired by a school play he was in when he was eight years old, he realised he could tell stories of his own and began filming what he could on a cheap video camera.
Several years later, an iPod touch and iMovie opened up the world of editing and Mason began making more complex shorts, learning every part of the process from writing to shooting, to editing, and casting his friends and family. He went on to study Film and TV over two years for his GCSEs, followed by two more years Studying Film and TV at a 6th Form college, where he achieved a Distinction Star in the subject.
Mason is in his final year studying for an Undergraduate degree in Film Production at the University of Salford. He has continued to hone his craft while studying and has written and directed a total of six short films whilst on the course - the sixth one being ‘Amnesia of The Soul’, a culmination of everything he has learned so far in his filmmaking career.

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Director Statement

As a film viewer, I have always been deeply engrossed by thrillers. I love the feeling I get when I cannot look away from the screen because I am so invested in the story. In the past, I have made mostly dramas, some with elements of sci-fi which is another genre that excites me. For my final film at university, I wanted to try my hand at making a thriller. What I had in mind was not just any thriller, but an ambitious short film with epic locations, concepts, and rich world-building. I was lucky enough to assemble a fantastic crew who were all up to the challenge.
The initial idea for the story was starkly different to what ended up in the final draft of the script and went through many changes until I realised that the story, I really wanted to tell was a very personal one. I grew up with an ex-paratrooper, a firefighter for a dad, who suffered from PTSD for much of that time until he tried hypnotherapy along with other unconventional techniques and became free of the painful grip of PTSD.

I believe this gave me a lot of unique experiences and perspectives growing up. I have also successfully moved beyond mental health issues of my own and I decided that I need to tell this story for me and my dad.
I tried to capture the essence of each of our experiences and combine them into one unique character, who just wants to move on, but does not know how. All he knows is he wants to fix himself for his loved ones, whatever it may take. This to me is a story about learning self-love and moving your focus from the past and future to the present, which is the only slice of existence we can ever truly experience. I hope that this film challenges ideas and preconceptions about PTSD and makes for a thrilling ride. I know the crew and I are all very proud of what we have produced.