Private Project

Breaking Blood

In present‑day London, a support group meets to help women and their partners cope with severe pre‑menstrual episodes that lead to shocking, sometimes illegal consequences. As members share their stories in a calm, therapeutic setting, the line between illness, responsibility, and absurdity becomes hilariously and disturbingly blurred.

  • Karen Connell
    Director
  • Karen Connell
    Writer
  • Nathan Wiley
    Producer
  • Karen Connell
    Key Cast
    "Martha"
    Half Bad, Vikings
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 29 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 14, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Karen Connell

Karen Connell is a writer, director, and performer developing original comedy projects that blend dark humour with social satire. Her work explores heightened emotional realities, often using absurd or surreal premises grounded in recognisable human behaviour. Breaking Blood is a proof‑of‑concept short created as the foundation for a larger television series, reflecting her interest in character‑driven storytelling and bold, unconventional comedy. Karen’s creative background spans performance and writing, and she is focused on developing distinctive, voice‑led projects for television and film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Breaking Blood was developed as a proof-of-concept short as part of a comedy tv series, like Derry Girls but in a hospital. Having worked clinically as a dietitian, and heard all sorts of things in a clinic when one on one with women, I noticed hormones coming up as major game-changers in women's lives - their diets, relationships, spending...many women feel at a loss in the face of a hormonal surge. As a woman myself, so many funny (or lethal) stories come at me from a hormonally challenged woman, to breaking up with someone, or breaking down with someone, all in the name of breaking blood. I love this piece so much, it makes me laugh every time, the absurdism of it all yet with the truth kind of seeping out. Men trying to support their partners through difficult moments, often feeling like they lose their partner for a few days until she's settled down again. And from a larger frame, my time in California and the gender wars orbiting around me has made me rethink accountability and behaviour, responsibility and the changing dynamics of womanhood, or what it means to identify as a woman today.