The Graduation

Things go from bad to worse for over-looked middle child, Abi, when the family car breaks down on a secluded mountain road, on-rout to her graduation ceremony. Forced to seek help on foot, the group must reevaluate what it means to be a family if they're to have any chance of making it back to civilization.

  • Lewis Carter
    Director
    Campfire Story, Royal, You Know Who, Showdown, The Glamorgan Strangler
  • Claire Peate
    Writer
  • Jamie McKee
    Producer
  • Daisy White
    Key Cast
    "Abi"
  • Zak Rossaye
    Key Cast
    "James"
  • Sam Locke
    Key Cast
    "Ben"
  • Maria Palios-Potts
    Key Cast
    "Helen"
  • Rob Murphy
    Key Cast
    "Peter"
    Showdown
  • Project Type:
    Short, Television
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama, Pilot
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    September 8, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • It's My Shout Premiere and Awards Evening, 2019
    Cardiff
    United Kingdom
    September 8, 2019
    UK Premiere
    Audience Choice Award
Distribution Information
  • BBC TWO WALES
    Country: United Kingdom
    Rights: Paid TV
Director Biography - Lewis Carter

Lewis is an award-winning writer and indie filmmaker from South Wales. He has a master’s degree in Writing for Performance and publication from Leeds University, and in 2016, he made his directorial debut. His short films; 'Campfire Story', 'Royal', 'Showdown', 'Lifline', and 'Best Foot Forward' have won numerous awards and been screened around the world. He was selected to direct the short film 'The Graduation' in 2019, which aired on BBC TWO as part of the prestigious It's My Shout scheme. His short stories have been published by the likes of; ‘Empty Sink’, ‘National Student’, and ‘Literally Stories’. His first original audio drama was commissioned in 2020. He is currently writing a 6-part original audio series. Lewis is also the Head Writer/Producer at the award-winning video production company, Fine Rolling Media.

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Director Statement

When prepping the cast and crew going into 'The Graduation', my metaphor for articulating the journey that our characters go through during the film was, 'paradise as purgatory.'
Claire's script was a joy to work with and I did everything possible to ensure the film's tone was an equal balance of humour and heart throughout.
- Lewis Carter

WRITER'S STATMENT:
It’s is a roadmovie set in the wilderness with a disfunctional family having to come together to save themselves.
It was easy to write “middle of nowhere” but a lot harder to film – forty crew lugging equipment up a hillside in a record breaking heatwave (the script said rain but our filming dates were booked). I momentarily felt guilty but then everyone seemed pretty happy so I just applied the factor 50, sat back and enjoyed the filming. Magic.
- Claire Peate