Knocker

Log: An abattoir worker reaches breaking point as the cost of killing for a living starts to affect her home life.

DANNI works as a knocker in an abattoir. The one tasked with firing the bolt gun that kills the animal. It’s a lonely job, with early starts and long hours. The relentless pace leaves her aching and sore as she numbs the pain with pills. At home, life grows difficult with her carefree younger brother, HENRY, who lives a completely different existence. As Danni’s workload increases, Henry’s behaviour grates, and cracks begin to show. When a petty argument escalates into a violent outburst, she realises how desensitised she has become. But tomorrow the killing awaits, and the production line waits for no one.

  • Jamie Delaney
    Director
    I Woke Up Like This, The Cope, MJ
  • Freddy White
    Writer
    Ablution, Hertz
  • Nancy Ryan
    Producer
    Ocaso, My Shoes, Your Feet, Class
  • Becky Bishop
    Producer
    Rise
  • Laura Morgan
    Key Cast
    "Danni"
    Culprits, See How They Run, Black Mirror
  • Robbie O'Neill
    Key Cast
    "Henry"
    Adolescence, Boiling Point, The Salt Path
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 22, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    14,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jamie Delaney

Jamie Delaney is an Irish writer and director drawn to the hidden feeling beneath the surface of things, whether in genre-tinged films, intimate human stories, or work that turns its attention to the margins.

His short films have been BAFTA long-listed and screened at international festivals including SXSW, Fantasia and Dublin International Film Festival. His recent scripts have been selected for development by the Torino Film Lab and Interfilm Berlin script lab.

Jamie’s commercial and advertising has been recognised with a Cannes Lions Silver, Clio Best Director Award, Creative Circle Gold and Kinsale Sharks New Director Award.

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Director Statement

Knocker is a social drama that shines a light on the invisible workers this country relies on. In some abattoirs, a knocker can process around 2,500 animals per day, roughly one every twelve seconds. All day, every day. This is the story of one of those people, trapped in a violent system, where those who feed the nation pay the price.

We are all connected to the industrialised food chain somehow, and yet we are so far removed from it. Oblivious to the working conditions, unrelenting quotas and psychological breakdowns that can occur to those inside it. This is not a story about the ethics of eating meat or killing animals. It’s about the human cost of an £11 billion UK industry ($1.5 trillion globally) that is hidden in plain sight. One we all know, but can’t face.