Experiencing Interruptions?

The Green Man

A teenage boy embarks on a summer of filmmaking in the Welsh countryside, seeking to process recent trauma by writing and directing his first film - a magical realist ‘druid creature feature’ set around the folkloric Green Man.

This film-about-film depicts Will’s first foray into filmmaking as we encounter a blossoming imagination finding its lifelong voice. Filled with moments of both humour and beauty, this is a moving coming-of-age story that touches on themes of masculinity, friendship, and the healing power of cinema.

  • Sebastien Rabas
    Director
  • Sebastien Rabas
    Producer
  • Jack Cotter
    Editor
  • Daan Wijdeveld
    Additional Editor
  • Sebastien Rabas
    Cinematographer
  • Toby Lloyd
    Cinematographer
  • Catherine Hillier
    Composer
  • Siim Skepast
    Sound Designer
  • Elin Nogrell
    Animator
  • Vanessa Aparicio
    Colourist
  • Jennifer Smith
    Production Manager
  • Thomas Beale
    Production Manager
  • William Duffield
    Mask Props
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 12, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    5,500 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2K
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - National Film & Television School, UK
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Distribution Information
  • National Film & Television School
    Sales Agent
    Country: United Kingdom
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Sebastien Rabas

Sebastien is an English-French filmmaker based in London. With a love for creative non-fiction, in particular intimate observational documentaries, he is exploring themes of masculinity as a construct, intergenerational relationships and film as therapy. Using methods drawn from both fiction and documentary he is especially interested in the ethics of the director-contributor relationship and centering co-creation in his work.

He has had films screened at international festivals such as Sheffield Doc/Fest and Aesthetica, as well as broadcast on the BBC and The Guardian. He is an alumni of EsoDoc, Berlinale Talents and IDFAcademy, as well as the Masters Program in Directing Documentary at the National Film and Television School, UK.

Previously, Sebastien worked at Amnesty International on film campaigns for Roma rights in Cluj-Napoca, Police violence at the Brazil World Cup and the formation of the UN Arms Trade Treaty in Washington, DC and New York City.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

My intention when making 'The Green Man' was to capture a coming-of-age moment while creating an intimate and timeless exploration of young masculinity and identity. Given the rise of recent toxic male narratives from the likes of Andrew Tate and the binary nature of the gender equality debate, I felt compelled to find a way of approaching this urgent issue in a warm, empathetic and collaborative way.

The film takes place in a youth group where boys who have experienced recent trauma are encouraged to explore nature, be creative and support each other. Therefore, while there was an ethical need to shield some of their identities, they drew self-portraits allowing them a choice as to how they would be seen. In this way it allowed for some personal agency over their lives, which in some cases had been controlled for many years.

Because of severe bullying Will wasn’t able to attend school for the past 6 months, even though he desperately wanted to be there. As a child and young man he has always escaped into film, so joining the youth group and writing his own was a way of literally and figuratively finding his voice when it had been cruelly silenced. Will showed great emotional maturity in choosing to explore his own personal experiences for his film, so as he gained confidence and his screenplay became more developed around consent, it became natural to lean more into his interest in the Green Man - an ancient figure from British folklore symbolic of spring and rebirth - as a metaphor for this delicate rite of passage.

I'm very grateful for their bravery and trust to allow myself and a small crew into their youth group, giving us all a privileged view on how they helped each other to grow over the summer. Filmmaking is a therapy of sorts for us all, and there are certainly biographical elements to Will's journey, so I am extremely proud to be able to share his inspirational story with audiences.