Sensibility
The Howard's find themselves on the outskirts of London Society, however the unexpected arrival of a young eligible bachelor, and a Duke at that, offers the promises of a lifetime. The only thing standing in their way are themselves. Lady Howard must do battle with her cohort of un-married children if she is to stand any hope of capitalising on this once a season opportunity of bolstering the families standing within society.
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Ben KernowDirector
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Ben KernowWriter
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Ben KernowProducer
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Emma StansfieldKey Cast"Lady Howard"
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Rose ReynoldsKey Cast"Elizabeth Howard"
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Howard PerretKey Cast"Edward Howard"
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Chloe EndeanKey Cast"Jane Howard"
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Catherine PhillipsKey Cast"Mary Howard"
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Alun RaglanKey Cast"Lord Howard"
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Jenny BeareKey Cast"Servant"
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Emerson PikeKey Cast"Duke of Bedford"
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Thomas ShawcroftDirector of Photography
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Marion HarrisonProduction Designer
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Charlie ThorneEditor
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Chris BakerComposer
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Magda CassidyCasting Director
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Jonny Dry1st Assistant Director
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Leonardo Donadio2nd Assistant Director
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Andrea Clavijo1st Assistant Camera
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Andrew Brierley2nd Assistant Camera
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Leon LazaGaffer
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Adam PembertonElectrician
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Chris BakerSound Recordist/Mixer
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Hana BacklandBTS Photography
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Caroline EdwardsHair & Makeup Designer
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Lucie AllanoHair & Makeup Artist
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Yasmin BairdArt Department Assistant
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Ollie AndersenColourist
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Mark MaltbyOnline Editor
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Barbora BodlákováMusician
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Zoë CurnowMusician
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Comedy, Drama, Period Drama
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Runtime:14 minutes 2 seconds
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Completion Date:June 30, 2022
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Production Budget:15,000 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:2.39
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Bristol Independent Film FestivalBristol
United Kingdom
September 16, 2022
Best Short Film -
Cornwall Film FestivalCornwall
United Kingdom
November 16, 2022
Official Selection -
Birmingham Film FestivalBirmingham
United Kingdom
November 6, 2022
Nominated for Best Costume, Best Hair and Make up, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Production Design -
Worcester Film FestivalWorcester
United Kingdom
October 12, 2022
Official Selection -
Louth International Film FestivalDundalk
Ireland
October 1, 2022
Irish Premier
Official Selection -
Two Short NightsExeter
United Kingdom
February 16, 2023
Official Selection -
Ignite Film FestivalMalborough
United Kingdom
June 20, 2023
Nominated for Best Comedy, Best Production Design & First Time Director Award -
Lowestoft Film FestivalLowestoft
United Kingdom
October 22, 2022
Highly Commended -
Harrogate Film FestivalHarrogate
United Kingdom
Official Selection -
Romford Film FestivalRomford
United Kingdom
May 26, 2023
Nominated for Best Short Film -
St Andrews Film FestivalSt. Andrews
United Kingdom
December 4, 2022
Official Selection -
Earl's Court International Film FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
Official Selection -
Southport International Film FestivalSouthport
United Kingdom
Official Selection -
Mansfield Town Film FestivalMansfield
United Kingdom
July 15, 2023
Official Selection -
Sandbar International Film Festival
Ireland
Honourable Mention -
Swindon Film FestivalSwindon
United Kingdom
July 28, 2023
Official Selection -
Rusthall Short Film FestivalTunbridge Wells
United Kingdom
October 15, 2022
Best Live Action -
AltFF Alternative Film FestivalToronto
Canada
September 19, 2022
Best Film Finalist -
Ealing Film FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
Official Selection -
Luleå International Film FestivalLuleå
Sweden
Best First Time Short Film -
White Deer Film FestivalGrantham
United Kingdom
February 10, 2023
Best Director, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Set Design, Best Costumes & Best Production Design -
Cotswold Internationl Film Festival
United Kingdom
Best Comedy Short -
Sweden Film Awards
Sweden
Official Selection
Hailing from North Cornwall, Ben trained as an actor at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA), and has worked on both the stage and screen ever since. In 2018 he formed Ha Hum Ah Theatre and began developing his own body of work as both a producer, director and writer. Work for the company has included Moira Buffini's satirycal 'Loveplay' at the Minack Theatre, along with co-productions of 'A Dickensian Christmas' and 'Oh No It isn't!' with intoBodmin. 2021 saw Ha Hum Ah expand into the world of film with the creation of Ha Hum Ah Films. Sensibility marks Ben's film directorial debut.
He has recently been awarded this years FylmK award from Screen Cornwall to develop his next short which goes into production later this year.
It is safe to say that Sensibility isn’t your average short film for a first-time filmmaker. Many would argue that a period drama with elaborate costumes, locations and numerous characters possibly isn’t the obvious choice for one’s first dive into filmmaking. However it oddly felt like the right choice!
I have always been drawn by stories which have an epic or larger than life quality to them. I also can’t hide that I’m a big history geek and delving into a historical setting not only offers huge scope for play and story development as a storyteller, but also makes me feel like a kid in a sweet shop. For me that ability to transport an audience to another world or period in time is an exciting one. I also find that these explorations often give us an insight or a new understanding of our own world and time.
Sensibility was filmed entirely on location in Cornwall using a predominantly Cornwall and South West based creative team. Indeed I couldn’t imagine anywhere else to make this film, although I admit being a Cornishman makes me very biased!
Sensibility is as much an exploration of a genre as anything else. The period drama and in particular the regency love story have become firm favourites in popular culture. Mention the works of Jane Austen and there are few who have not heard of them. Their stories of courtship, social standing and victory through hardship resonate just as strongly now as they did over 200 years ago. Through this film I wanted to dissect this idea we have of the regency period and its archetypal stories of courtship and status.
Through the lens of a rather dysfunctional family, Sensibility explores a period in time and the people that inhabited it with a vibrancy and playfulness. Such an ambitious project of course wouldn’t have been achievable without a phenomenal team of creatives. I’m beyond thankful to every single one of them in helping to bring this story to the screen.