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Rape Card

Set in a world where sexual assault is regulated with the use of a card system, Frances, a young woman who has so far avoided being attacked, decides to take control of her own fate. In the wake of the #metoo movement, this highly controversial satirical film offers a scathing indictment of an apathetic legal system and broken policies around violence against women. The film takes the blame issues and excuses surrounding sexual assault to an absolute extreme in the hope of starting a conversation on the topics of rape culture and victim blaming. The short was developed from a nightmare the writer had in which she was being chased by a man holding a rape card. The aim is to start a dialogue and to get people thinking.

  • Madeleine Sims-Fewer
    Director
    The Substitute, Slap Happy
  • Nathan Hughes-Berry
    Director
    The Substitute
  • Madeleine Sims-Fewer
    Writer
    The Substitute, Slap Happy
  • Coral Aiken
    Producer
    Big Muddy, People Garden
  • Madeleine Sims-Fewer
    Key Cast
    "Frances"
  • Rafferty Blumberg
    Key Cast
    "Eric"
  • Steven McCarthy
    Key Cast
    "Dad"
    Picture Day, O Negative
  • Vale Abbott
    Editor
  • Greg Biskup
    Director of Photography
    Winter Hymns
  • Jonathan Kanakis
    Sound
  • Rob Teehan
    Music
  • Karis Malszecki
    Art Department
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, fantasy, thriller
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 4, 2018
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - York University
  • Landshuter Kurzfilmfestival
    Landshut
    Germany
    March 18, 2018
    World Premiere
    Official Selection: Europe in 19 minutes
  • Mecal Pro International Short Film Festival of Barcelona
    Barcelona
    Spain
    April 2, 2018
    Spanish Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Montreal World Film Festival
    Montreal
    Canada
    August 23, 2018
    North American Premiere
    Student Section
  • Rendezvous with Madness Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    October 13, 2018
  • Razor Reel Flanders Film Festival
    Flanders
    Belgium
    October 22, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Underwire Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    November 23, 2018
    UK Premiere
    Nominated for Producing Award
  • Nitehawk Shorts Festival
    New York
    United States
    November 8, 2018
    US Premiere
  • Final Girls Berlin
    Berlin
    Germany
    February 20, 2020
Distribution Information
  • Shorts International
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Nathan Hughes-Berry

Madeleine and Nathan are a filmmaking duo who trained at The Drama Centre London and are both current grad students at York University, Toronto. Their short film The Substitute screened at over 50 film festivals worldwide and won 10 awards, including the Kodak Student Scholarship Award. After Madeleine took part in TIFF Talent Lab, they were both selected for Berlinale Talents in 2016 where they developed Rape Card.

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