Experiencing Interruptions?

Skewered

Opposing sexual appetites and dietary ethics bring a stagnant relationship to a theatrical and surprising crescendo as a heartfelt revelation confronts the elephant in the room.

  • Nick Ray Rutter
    Director
    Beside Himself, The World Turns, Myxomatosis
  • Nick Ray Rutter
    Writer
    Beside Himself, The World Turns, Myxomatosis
  • Ben Richardson
    Writer
    Last Man Back, The Boring Man
  • Noah Rutter
    Writer
  • Nick Ray Rutter
    Producer
    Beside Himself, The World Turns, Myxomatosis
  • Ben Richardson
    Producer
  • Jamie Clark
    Producer
  • Kiya Gervis-Bennett
    Producer
    The Batman, Loki
  • Barney Reisz
    Producer
    Black Mirror, Dangerous Liaisons
  • Hanako Footman
    Key Cast
    "Fleur"
    The Crown, Slaughterhouse Rulez
  • Graham Dickson
    Key Cast
    "Magnus"
    for Down from London, All My Friends Hate Me, Borderline
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    drama, comedy, horror, musical, dark, qirky
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 36 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 13, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Alexa
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Aesthetica Short Film Festival
    York
    United Kingdom
  • Malibu Film Festival
    Malibu
    United States
  • Norwich Film Festival
    Norwich
    United Kingdom
    November 19, 2023
  • Kerry International Film Festival
    Kerry
    Ireland
    October 19, 2023
  • Oslo Film Festival
    Oslo
    Norway
  • FilmQuest
    Utah
    United States
  • Coronado Island
    San Diego
    United States
Director Biography - Nick Ray Rutter

Nick Rutter’s award-winning films have been at Cannes Film Festival and on Netflix , Channel 4 and the BBC.

He studied for his MA at Goldsmiths College and also studied at London’s Panic Film School and the Brighton Film School. His break into directing came with a series of documentaries on the bands Madness, The Clash and The Sex Pistols.

Commercial clients include premium brands such as Tanqueray, Axe, Aviva, Google, Tesco and Heineken for which he won gold at the Epica awards and a bronze at the Cannes Lions.

His short 'The World Turns' won a Fuji Short Film award, and was nominated for a Shine award at Bradford International as well as selected for numerous screenings including Danny Boyle's shuffle Festival. Oscar-winning producer Gareth Unwin said it demonstrated "a distinct ability to craft a narrative, with a wonderful aesthetic".

His collaboration on double EMMY-nominated documentary Monty Python 'Almost The Truth' was screened in cinemas across the UK and USA before being shown on BBC2 and Netflix. As we as working alongside Monty Python Director Terry Jones on award winning documentary 'Boom Bust Boom Bust'.

Nick’s visually dynamic story-telling can be seen in several music videos. Melpomene was hailed as passionate and evocative by judges at the UK Music Video Awards. Some of his most recognisable videos for artist Lapalux, include 'Without You’, starring Natalie Tena (Harry Potter, About A Boy, Game of Thrones) which was awarded 1st place at the Smalls Film Festival. Other promos include artists, Vaults, The Staves and Rag and Bone Man with YouTube views reaching far into the millions.

Nicks series of successful Straight8 films, with screenings at the Cannes Film Festival, the London Film Festival and Channel 4 include the renowned spoof, 'The Yorkshire Rapper' and Straight 8’s hall of fame favourite 'From Russia with Monsters'.

Founder of Lamplight Stories, Nick is heading up a slate of long form narratives while making a series of experimental short films.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This script for 'Skewered' was inspired by an incident involving my brother and his then-girlfriend. One day, out of the blue, she called me up and spilled the beans about catching him secretly eating a meat kebab. Now, both of us were raised as die-hard vegetarians. His girlfriend told me he went into a full confession, pouring his heart out and begging her not to tell anyone, especially me. Well, that secret didn't last long. The very next morning, she couldn't resist calling me, knowing i'd find my brother's secret guilty pleasure hilarious, so naturally, I also couldn't keep it to myself. I started sharing the story with friends and colleagues, and as I did, it turned into a running joke about 'meat' shame. A guilt that vegetarians feel in a that kind of love-hate relationship. And naturally that developed into a film idea.

Of course, I had to wait for things to settle down before bringing up the idea of making a short film about the night. It took a solid ten years for my brother to see the funny side of it all. Finally, the time was right, and I approached him with the proposal. And i'm pleased to say, he was on board! We worked together on writing the script, and we laughed a lot. It was a bonding experience, I think it even helped my brother find some closure.

Oh, and by the way, my brother's now a vegan. Well, at least he says he is out in public.