Liverpool Ferry

Sarah must make a journey from Belfast to Liverpool to avoid a life she does not want. A journey that is against the law.

Under cover of darkness and without the knowledge of her parents, 17 year-old Sarah and boyfriend Jules set off to catch the Liverpool Ferry.

The young lovers spark with sharp banter and hot tempers, masking feelings too overwhelming and too deep to share. At their destination they must confront the reality of a choice that will change them both.

  • Lee Armstrong
    Director
    On Call
  • Lee Armstrong
    Writer
    On Call
  • Lindsay Fraser
    Producer
    Touch (Virgin Media Shorts Winner), Cygnus, Number 1 Fan, Hard Light
  • Saoirse Monica Jackson
    Key Cast
    "Sarah "
    DERRY GIRLS (Channel 4), URBAN MYTHS (Sky), BROKEN (BBC), THE FIVE (Red Production Company), UNPRECEDENTED (BBC4), HIGHER GROUNDS (Unclaimed Freight Productions), THERE YOU”LL FIND ME (Nook Lane Entertainment)
  • Ross McKinney
    Key Cast
    "Jules "
    ACK TAYLOR (Netflix), GAME OF THRONES (HBO), VIKINGS (History), THE PARTY (BAFTA nominated Short Film), THE TRUTH COMMISSIONER (Samson/Big Fish Films), THE FRANKENSTEIN CHRONICLES (ITV)
  • Lauren O'Rourke
    Key Cast
    "Nurse Lynn"
    THIS IS ENGLAND (C4), WHITE GOLD (BBC2), LINE OF DUTY (BBC2), INBETWEENERS MOVIE (Film 4), and DRIFTERS (E4)
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 2 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 2, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    22,500 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Sony Venice Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:89:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Norwich Film Festival
    Norwich
    United Kingdom
    November 2, 2020
    UK Premiere
  • Foyle Film Festival
    Derry/Lononderry
    November 21, 2020
    Northern Ireland Premiere
    Light in Motion Competition
  • Leeds International Film Festival
    Leeds
    United Kingdom
    November 12, 2020
    BFI NETWORK Showcase
Distribution Information
  • Omeleto
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet
Director Biography - Lee Armstrong

Lee trained at East 15 Acting School and is an award-winning writer, director and actor.

Lee won the 2019 BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Competition for LIVERPOOL FERRY. Lee wrote and directed his first short film, ON CALL, in 2017, which was nominated for Best Short Film at British Independent Film Festival, London Independent Film Festival, London Lift-Off Film Festival and was short listed for London Short Film Festival.

As an actor Lee has worked extensively across Film, Television, and Theatre. He worked with Christopher Nolan in his Oscar winning film Dunkirk, performed the lead role of Albert Narracott in the National Theatre's Olivier and Tony award winning show War Horse, and has worked for BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and SKY Drama. Lee is currently filming a series regular in CALL THE MIDWIFE.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In 2018, over 1000 women traveled from Northern Ireland to elsewhere in the UK to have a legal and safe abortion. This film remembers their story.

I was inspired to write Liverpool Ferry after a discussion with a close friend about the experiences of an abortion process. Both of us had been shocked to hear so many Northern Irish women in an abortion clinic in England. I went on to have conversations with a number of women, and Liverpool Ferry emerged from their real-life experiences. 

At the start of making this film, Northern Ireland had one of the strictest abortion laws in the world. Having an abortion, helping a woman have an abortion, or failing to report a woman who is planning an abortion, were all crimes that carried prison sentences.

On 22nd October 2019, the day we finished filming, abortion in Northern Ireland was decriminalised. Although a hugely positive step forward, there is yet to be real change on the ground, with provisions yet to match the services available in the rest of the UK.

The debate in Northern Ireland mirrors closely the continued struggle worldwide, where, for many women, the right to choose remains elusive, or has been threatened in recent years. In telling the story of a young couple, isolated and vulnerable in their hour of need, Liverpool Ferry hopes to be a voice of compassion in that debate.

Liverpool Ferry is structured so at the opening of the film the viewer is unaware of Sarah’s situation or the theme of abortion. The viewer has to catch up with the narrative as the couple embark on their journey.