Private Project

Shell Island

Frank reconnects with his old friend Nelson, who suffers from locked-in syndrome, through innovative technology that allows them to meet in a digital world. As they revisit their past, Nelson begins to push Frank to confront a buried truth that could change everything.

Shell Island stars Corin Silva (BBC's SAS Rogue Heroes) and Stanley Rawlings (BBC's Boiling Point).

  • Joe Simmons
    Director
  • Joe Simmons
    Writer
  • Stan Rawlings
    Writer
  • Corin Silva
    Writer
  • Almaz Abu Rish
    Producer
  • Al Eales
    Producer
  • Corin Silva
    Key Cast
  • Stan Rawlings
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 11, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Isle of Man
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Joe Simmons

I am a Yorkshire filmmaker with a passion for human stories set in the worlds of Science Fiction and Horror. I like narratives that make the audience question the world as it is, and wonder about where, as a society, we are going. I tend to make work that combines my interests in philosophy, psychology, modern technology and folklore whilst striving to achieve a recognisably present day aesthetic.

Directors UK Inspire Program 2023 (Mentor Tom Shankland), Finalist at Enter The Pitch 2023, Finalist at the Jewish Film Fund 2022, BFI Funded 2021, Rejavik Talent Lab 2019, Represented for Commercials with Ballistic @ Great Guns

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Director Statement

As far back as I can remember I have always been fascinated by the brain. Our brain is where we are as individuals, and how we experience what it means to live as a human. This fascination motivated a younger me to want to understand how different characters think via acting and performance, that pull to performance would later warped to writing and directing. However, before I pushed towards a career in filmmaking I completed a degree in Philosophy. A subject which has massively shaped the content I look to make and the tone I strive for in my work.

When I was studying my Philosophy degree my favourite module was the Philosophy of Psychology. In that module, we studied “broken” brains and how brain damage affected our perception of the world, and since that time it has been a topic I have found myself interested in. It is amazing to think how complex and reactive the brain can be, and how different the picture of the world can be from inside one head to another.

Locked In Syndrome is a condition in which an individual has complete paralysis of all voluntary muscles except for the ones that control the movements of the eyes, and has a very low rate of recovery. It is a condition correlated with a poor standard of life in which a brain is functional, where a person is still present, but can’t respond. With Shell Island, I wanted to explore what modern science could provide to support individuals with Locked In Syndrome and see whether there was a way for them to still live a human life via futuristic technology.

Inspired by science fiction films like The Matrix and TV shows like Black Mirror, the film tackles topics like digital existence, transfer of consciousness, and virtual reality, as well as tackling themes like love, death, and betrayal.