Private Project

Grave Error

Emma embarks on a bureaucratic odyssey to get her life back after an administrative error leaves her legally dead.

  • Andrew Jonathan Smith
    Director
    Nosebleed (2021); #INTRODUCTIONS with LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2015);
  • Abraham Kleinman
    Writer
    Canned (2022); The Lovebox in Your Living Room (2022)
  • Andrew Jonathan Smith
    Writer
    Nosebleed (2021); #INTRODUCTIONS with LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2015)
  • Luke Grech
    Producer
    The Natural (2023); Chuck Chuck Baby (2023)
  • Ellora Torchia
    Key Cast
    "Emma Larson"
    BAFTA Breakthrough Artist 2021; A Real Pain (2024); The Gold (2023); In the Earth (2021); Ali & Ava (2021); Crisis (2021); Granchester (2022); Midsommar (2019); The Split (2018-2020)
  • Caroline Wildi
    Key Cast
    "Rachel"
    Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009); Two Brothers (2004); Nice Work (1989)
  • Rosa-Marie Lewis
    Key Cast
    "Tina"
    Save Me (2020); White Gold (2019) The Grind (2012)
  • Frances Keyton
    Key Cast
    "The Minister"
    Shortlisted: BBC New Comedy Awards 2021; Keeping Faith (2017); Ghd View of the Man Hanging Upside Down (2016); Sorinne (2012)
  • Abraham Kleinman
    Key Cast
    "Tucker"
    Canned (2022); The Lovebox in Your Living Room (2022)
  • Toby Elwes
    Director of Photography
    Winner: 2023 Panalux Best Cinematographer Award; Nominee: Camerimage cinematography festival & BSC short film awards; Dive (2023); Mudlark (2012); Reoccurring (2019);
  • Jessie Huckin
    Production Designer
    Finding Esther (2024); Jackson (2021)
  • Max Reynolds
    Editor
    BAFTA Winner: Jellyfish and Lobster (2023); Winner: Best Editing - British Short Film Awards 2023
  • Luke Barnfather
    Sound Designer
    Winner: Avid Award for Excellence in Sound Design 2023; Student Academy Award: Mum's Spaghetti (2023); Best Experimental Film, BFI Future Film Festival: Canned (2022)
  • Oscar Hollis
    Composers
  • Antonio Naccache
    Composers
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 8 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 13, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United Kingdom, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • The Film Fund

    United States
    Winner
  • TweetFest
    London
    United Kingdom
    November 9, 2024
    London Premiere
    Best Screenplay / Official Selection
  • Screen Craft Film Fund

    United States
    Finalist
  • Edmonton International Film Festival
    Edmonton
    Canada
    October 1, 2024
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Newport Beach Filmfestival
    Newport Beach
    United States
    October 22, 2024
    US Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Tall Grass Film Festival
    Wichita
    United States
    October 24, 2024
    Kansas Premiere
    Official Selection
  • San Jose International Short Film Festival
    San Jose
    United States
    October 25, 2024
    Bay Area Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Aesthetica
    York
    United Kingdom
    November 7, 2024
    UK Premiere
    Official Selection
  • North East International Film Festival
    Newcastle
    United Kingdom
    October 22, 2024
    Newcastle Premiere
    Official Selection
  • This is England
    Rouen
    France
    November 19, 2024
    French Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Andrew Jonathan Smith

Andrew Jonathan Smith is a British writer and director. He honed his skill for moving image while working under world-renowned Fashion Photographer, Nick Knight, for nearly a decade and was one of the creative leads behind the viral sensation, #INTRODUCTIONS, a collaborative work with the artist trio, LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner. Videos he has written and directed have been shown in museum exhibitions and film festivals around the globe. He has a Fine Art degree from Central Saint Martins, London and currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

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Director Statement

The first time I read about someone who had been declared legally dead, I thought it was such a blistering indictment on the nature of modern bureaucracy that it bordered on satyrical. Then I realized this was a shockingly common phenomena. As I uncovered how much of our lives is predicated on us being alive on paper, I couldn’t help but turn it into a story.

As an immigrant, I have found myself many times caught in between two bureaucratic systems that can fail to overlap: I often receive jury duty summons in a country where I am not a citizen, I keep a box of wedding cards under my bed to prove to various governments that my marriage is real, and I was once charged at a hospital for morphine when I only took an aspirin. These systems are built to fit 99.9% of people, but when a person becomes an outlier, all kinds of chaos can ensure, and sometimes you just have to find the humor in the midst of that mayhem.