Private Project

Attrition

Supernatural drama set in the British trenches of WW1. Along with the rest of his platoon, young Private Edwin Childs fears imminent German gas attacks. As the dreaded attack begins, how much will Edwin give of himself in the ultimate act of compassion towards his fellow men?

  • Kelly Holmes
    Director
    Family Portrait, Dolls, The Grab
  • Kelly Holmes
    Writer
    Family Portrait, Dolls, The Grab
  • Anne Beresford
    Producer
    Dear Mr Shakespeare, Mouth to Mouth, Antartica: The First Dance
  • Charles Paviot
    Producer
    Family Portrait, Bug, Catharsis
  • Lewis MacKinnon
    Key Cast
    "Edwin Childs"
    Victoria, DragonHeart, Doctors
  • Jack Roth
    Key Cast
    "Harry Stokes"
    Bohemian Rhapsody, Britannia, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  • Edward Hogg
    Key Cast
    "Stanley Barnes"
    Taboo, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Jupiter Ascending
  • Jack Parry-Jones
    Key Cast
    "George Anderton"
    Bang!, Our Girl, Moon Dogs
  • Til Schindler
    Key Cast
    "Felix / German Soldier"
    Genius, The Misanderists,
  • Thomas Farthing
    Key Cast
    "Stretcher Bearer"
    Family Portrait
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    War, Drama, Fantastic, Supernatural, Horror, Period Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
  • Runtime:
    22 minutes 35 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 9, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    60,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Kelly Holmes

Kelly Holmes has been writing and directing shorts, and crewing on films over the past ten years in the UK and beyond. She has screened her short films THE GRAB, DOLLS and FAMILY PORTRAIT in international film festivals worldwide, winning several awards including Best Film and Best Directing awards, as well as technical awards and special mentions.

Her Scottish short film FAMILY PORTRAIT, a Victorian family drama about death portrait photography, is currently on the film festival circuit. The film was shot in the historic Pollok House in Glasgow, and stars Allison McKenzie (Line of Duty, Beowulf) and Douglas Russell (Outlander, Let Us Prey). FAMILY PORTRAIT has recently won the Paris Courts Devant postproduction prize, which includes a broadcast contract with France 3, working in conjunction with French co-producer Arts Premiers.

Kelly has just completed her Creative England Emerging Talent/BFI and France 3 funded short ATTRITION, a WW1 supernatural drama set in the 1915 gas attacks. The film stars Edward Hogg (Taboo), Jack Roth (Bohemian Rhapsody), Lewis MacKinnon (Victoria) and Jack Parry-Jones (Our Girl). ATTRITION was shot in the Khaki Devils location used in productions such as 'Downton Abbey' and 'Journey's End'.

Taking sabbatical from her job as a university lecturer to concentrate on directing, she shadowed Douglas McKinnon (Line of Duty, Outlander) on the set of ‘Sherlock: The Abominable Bride’ (Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman). Kelly has also been recently mentored by Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio, Duke of Burgundy) and James Kent (Testament of Youth, The Aftermath).

Kelly also has a background working in live television and she is a graduate of Screen Academy Scotland’s MFA in Advanced Film Directing and she also holds MA and BA degrees.

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Director Statement

ATTRITION is a film that explores universal ideas - humanity, compassion and sacrifice - within the intense setting of a WW1 trench under a gas attack. Exploring heroism through male vulnerability was a driving force in writing and directing the film, to create a war film with a different kind of bravery forefronted in the narrative.