Private Project

Baggage

An old man returns to London with a suitcase of old belongings, intending to donate them to old friends. In the process, his life becomes entwined with the lives of several young Londoners, sending everyone, young and old, on a journey of reconciliation and self-acceptance.

  • J Taylor-Jones
    Director
    One Summer on Earth
  • Julio Calanche
    Writer
  • Harry Smith
    Producer
  • Stephen Wale
    Key Cast
    Doctor Who, Headmaster, Partners in Crime
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    28 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 13, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    4,350 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Arts University Bournemouth
  • The National Youth Film Awards 2022

    United Kingdom
    Best Producer - Harry Smith
  • Wolverhampton Film Festival 2023

    United Kingdom
    Best Student Filmmaker - J Taylor-Jones (nominated)
Director Biography - J Taylor-Jones

J Taylor-Jones is a non-binary filmmaker from Brighton, UK. Since an early age, they have been exposed to film and, naturally, they became infatuated with the medium. Inspired by experimental films from the 1960s and 70s, they incorporated film and video into their artistic studies, which developed into an interest in narrative filmmaking.

Inspired heavily by the movements of American surrealism, British social realism and the sensibilities of filmmakers working in the Thai new wave, J uses a style they call 'social expressionism' to highlight the peaks of beauty and strangeness in the small moments that make up life.

J has gained notable experience as a filmmaker, most prominently as a cameraperson for numerous documentary projects produced by Chalk Productions. They have also released their own documentary, 'One Summer on Earth', which has garnered acclaim at festivals around the world, being nominated for best British feature at the Lowestoft Film Festival and the global impact grand prize at the Student World Impact Film Festival, where J also received a nomination for the emerging film visionary award.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Baggage is an important film to me for many reasons. First, and foremost, it is a piece I am extremely proud of - one that I know everyone involved is proud of. The other most prominent reason, though, is that I am proud of its pride. Baggage, to me, has pride running through its veins, not only in the diversity of the cast and crew - in terms of race, sexuality, gender identity and faith - but the story itself is one of letting go of prejudice, especially that of the past, and letting yourself be yourself in your truest form, free of everything that once may have weighed you down.

From the beginning, I wanted it to be both happy and sad, to exist in the middle of a broad spectrum, and that is something I believe we achieved. I wanted the story to bring together the past and the present and to examine both times zones, not only to look at how far we've come in terms of acceptance, but also to ask if there is anything more we can do, to depict a society that still has to muster the courage to be itself.

I chose to grade most of the film monochromatically as a way to express a no-judgement existence. I wanted to depict each character with the same lens and, by subtracting colour from the equation, everyone starts from the same place; the simple makeup of black and white. I wanted to do this not as a way to ignore identities but to look past that and to see humanity plainly, to see these characters for their souls - who they love, who they believe in, their ancestors coming after the fact that they are living and breathing together in the frame - it's an equal ground that can only let its colour shine through when everything is right and everyone has found peace with each other and themselves.

Beneath the pride though, as stated above, Baggage is a film about real life, the conflict, the upset, the love and death. It hurts, it heals and it happens. I see so much of everyone who worked on it in there, I see so much of me. I hope you see something of you in there too.