PURGATORY - My BIFA Qualifying Short Film To Raise Money for Charity

Dear friends, colleagues & people I'm yet to meet,

During the pandemic, I was furloughed to support the company I work for to help them get through those trying times. I am grateful to say that I am now back in full-time employment with them.

?However, during my time on furlough, I took the opportunity to embrace a passion of mine; I wrote, produced and directed my first short film. My story of production goes on quite a journey.

?I had an idea for a script about a manipulative relationship and during research it went through a lot of changes, ultimately becoming a very different story from the original idea. As I researched toxic relationships and manipulative behaviour, I learnt that the truth behind domestic abuse and violence is more powerful than anything you can make up for dramatic reasons.

?The script, entitled PURGATORY,?ended up being only 9-pages long, however, it said an awful lot. I advertised for crew members on mandy.com and asked all potential crew to read the script and understand the delicate nature of what we are dealing with. I also couldn’t afford to pay any of them. Not a penny. The entire crew would have to work for free, but I had faith that the subject matter would inspire them.

?That’s when it hit me. Not only could I make a film, but I could use the film as a platform to get people talking about domestic abuse and, more than that, I could start a fundraiser in support of charities and survivors of this terrible social issue. Hence #Breakthecycle was born.

?From that moment on, the pre-production stage took flight. I brought together the most talented and caring cast and crew to bring the story to life. I was even approached by staff at Pinewood Studios! Yes, that’s right, my first ever venture into film and professional sound re-recordists from Pinewood ASKED ME to help make it the best it can be. Through our extended network, we then got a yes from a colourist from Goldcrest Studios to paint our film in post-production. Again, these professionals all worked for free, in their own time, to support the making of a film that could help people in need.

?One of the biggest issues we hit was funding. I paid for this entire enterprise myself, with no outside funding at all. I was covering all travel and accommodation costs and my wife, Louise Stockley cooked everyone’s meals and prepared breakfast bags for those staying over. When it came to the filming equipment, we were incredibly fortunate to be introduced to a special lady Sam Evans at Shoot Blue who helped us wrangle a deal we could afford.

?Purgatory was filmed over the Easter bank holiday weekend of 2021, and it was intense! A hard 3-day shoot. Following this, was the editing, post-production, music, ADR sessions and so on. The ups and downs can only be relatable to someone who has made a film, so I won’t reiterate those here, but there were PLENTY!

?Throughout the entire process, I never lost sight of WHY I was doing this. Yes, I want to make films, however, I wanted Purgatory to make a difference. I reached out to local and national charities and asked them if I could share their contact information on the film and links from my website to theirs. The benefit to them? I would divide all profits from the shop between all charities that said yes. Needless to say, we won the backing of some of the biggest and most intimate charities across the nation.

?When?Purgatory?was released at the end of May 2021, I had built a website to host the film?as free-to-watch, in addition to a webshop selling items branded #Breakthecycle?to raise support for the associated charities.

?I entered Purgatory into several festivals and I am proud to say it has won many awards, including Best Short, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Sound Design, and Best Cinematography. Recently, we were selected to be screened at the Little Wing Film Festival - a London-based indie award festival. However, there is something special about this one as selection for this festival qualifies you for BIFA Team submission! That’s right, my first film, and one I made to try and help people, has gestated into working with Pinewood and Goldcrest and is BIFA qualifying. It’s been quite the ride!

?All that said, the reason I made this film was to help the charities and survivors. I’m posting this today because I want your help in spreading my story. Not for myself, but because I want to raise support for the charities and survivors and to help as many people as possible. Even if you don’t buy a mug or t-shirt, ASK your friends and colleagues if everything is okay, look out for red flags and leave pamphlets around the workplace; give people a safe place to talk and seek help.?

?We can help and support each other through anything. Here in the UK, cases of domestic abuse and violence spiraled during the lockdowns and no-one knows the true figures. Personally, I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be locked up for the last 18 months with an abuser. However, I can do something to help. I can offer you a website with links to local and national charities that will help you. Whether you are the perpetrator of abuse or victim of someone’s behaviour, there is help for you.

?Please visit www.purgatory.online to watch the film for free, buy a t-shirt or mug and offer your support. If you are a business owner and want to support your team and employees, please consider their personal circumstances and offer them a safe place to seek help. Show them that work can be a safe place to talk about this issue. Buy some #Breaktheycycle mugs and bring the discussion into a tea break at the office and share the contact information of your local or national charities, in a casual way.

?Let’s support each other to live healthy and happy lives. Please visit the website to watch the film and see our branded goods.

Finally, please share this message with your network and ask them to share it with theirs. The more people that see this, the more people we can help.

?Thank you,

?Jack Stockley