Written, and directed by Nicholas Barton-Wines
Produced by Fergus Cruickshank
In development
Shooting Summer 2019
Scotland, 9pm, Summer. A bench at the beach, overlooking the sea. A man, Andrew, nervously awaits an imminent arrival: the man he has been sleeping with. Upset, he doesn’t know what will happen next when he is joined by an awkward, remorseful, and anxious Glen who needs to set the pair on a new path before returning to celebrate his marriage to his new bride.
Andrew:
Why didn’t you say?
Glen:
It wasn’t important at the time –
Andrew:
To you.
Glen:
To me.
A short film in development before shooting in Summer 2019, Benched takes a snapshot look at the pressures of heteronormativity and the masks we wear. As part of this, we feel it very important that LGBT+ characters are played by people who identify with being LGBT+: this is often the only opportunity for performers to play roles unapologetically close to their lived experiences. We are currently looking for two actors to join this project, supported by our safeguarding statement of intent. More details can be found here.
Inspired by Jon McNaught’s Kingdom, a graphic novel, in which Jon propels his narratives by “imbuing each tiny moment with a flowing, rhythmical splendour of its own.” The aim of the film is to tell of the rich history between Glen and Andrew through the micro-gesture, the subtle, and the unsaid. The process will be similar to a devised theatre production, with the focus on history and movement to map out the script.
All photos are from location scouting.
