Hello!

Thank you for visiting the fundraising page for our feature film Breakwater. The film is produced by Nocturne Productions, a film and theatre production company based in Oxford. Our brilliantly talented crew consists of 30 students and professionals attached to the University of Oxford and the University of Westminster, who specialise in a range of departments but share the common goal of creating an incredible film.

After months of development we're really excited to finally launch the fundraiser for Breakwater. All other elements of production are slotting neatly into place, so now all we can do is hope for your contribution: the final, vital piece in our wonderful jigsaw. 

So why Breakwater? It's hard for us to overstate the significance of making a student feature film, but also to describe the level of dedication and devotion we have for the project as a collective. We're striving to make Breakwater as professional and well-executed as possible so that you, the audience, can experience its full potential. So much work has already gone into the development process of making the film, but we still have a long way to go in terms of funding before we can start filming. 

It goes without saying that by donating you'll help to support young, creative filmmakers with aspirations of working in the film industry. As if (student-)life wasn't busy enough already, every team member has taken the time to contribute massively to the project whilst doing their degrees.

We're also very proud to say that Breakwater will be Oxford University's second ever feature film, with 2022 marking the 40th anniversary of Privileged, the 1982 film by Oxford undergraduates that launched the Hollywood careers of Hugh Grant, Andy Paterson, Mike Hoffman, Mark Williams, Imogen Stubbs and others. Our project is very kindly being supported by Andy, Mike and other members of the Privileged crew, as well as successful filmmaking alumni from the University such as Rupert Wainwright and members of the University itself such as Lord Neil Mendoza, who is also OUFF's Senior Tutor. 

With their advice and your support, our project is very different from a conventional student film. With the right funding, we can find the next cohort of Hollywood filmmakers and actors, as well as make Oxford’s first independent feature in 40 years! 

'Good fishing is like black magic. You can never lose focus. You cast a line out into this void, and there’s this slim chance – if you do it properly – that you’ll make something appear…' 

By now, you're probably wondering what the film is about!

Set between the glorious sandstone colleges of Oxford and the salt-encrusted shingle of the Suffolk coast, Breakwater blurs the genres of psychological drama and horror to explore how we connect, forgive and grieve for both others and ourselves. The film follows the relationship between Otto, a university student, and John, a retired angler who lives on the coast. Their lives collide and fuse irreversibly over the shared trauma of losing a loved one. However, their tentative romance develops into something more sinister after the past exhumes itself in the form of guilt, grief and ghosts to devastating effect.

As you can imagine, making a 90 minute film requires a lot more money than the conventional short. While our IndieGoGo goal is £10,000, we will need £30,000 to fully fund the project: therefore any and all donations to help us exceed our goal is massively appreciated!

The majority of our production budget will go towards covering the travel and accommodation costs of our cast and crew, since we’re committed to meeting all necessary access requirements as well enabling everyone to be involved in filmmaking. 

Our budget then goes towards catering, locations, insurance, editing, sound, production design and any necessary additional equipment on top of the wonderful stuff that we have from the Oxford University Filmmaking Foundation. 

We are also being sponsored by Oxford-based businesses, who are kindly providing food and drink to our shoot crew. This includes:

The Jericho Coffee Traders

Najar’s 

The Missing Bean

G&D’s 

Cafe Creme

The Art Cafe 

If you would be interested in providing support through catering, please email breakwaterox@gmail.com. 

While we understand that not everyone may be able to donate, there are still many ways to help us out with our project :) 

- Share our campaign: with friends, family, other creatives, on your social media channels, and in your day-to-day conversations!

- Follow us on Instagram for updates: @breakwaterfilmox, @nocturneproductionsox

Feel free to reach out to us on social media or email us at breakwaterox@gmail.com  if you have any questions, want a social media kit to help share the campaign, or know someone who'd like to donate privately!

As well as developing our production schedule, we are also organising some exciting fundraising events which we would love for you to attend!

Breakwater Launch Party and Raffle at OXO Bar: 27th October

Development: October 2022 - January 2023

Breakwater Fundraising Gala and Silent Auction: February 11th 

Production: 3-10th January, March 12th-26th Suffolk 

Post: June 2022-August 2023

Distribution and Festival Run: September 2023 - onwards

Our crew numbers 30 people, and will only continue to grow! Get to know some of the amazing people behind our project below. 

Max Morgan: Writer/Director

Max is a second-year English student at Christ Church. At Oxford he has acted in Christ Church's Cuppers, 'The Comedy of Errors' and 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona'. He has directed 'Mojo', 'Waiting for Godot' and assistant-directed 'The Effect' and 'She Felt Fear'. Max has written a short film 'Out of the Blue' and his short play 'Mole-Mapping' came 3rd in the OUDS New Writing Festival. Max is the writer and director of 'Fêtid', and is currently co-directing 'Enclosure', as well as acting as Associate Director for the Jesus College Shakespeare Project MT22-MT23. He also has experience in the film and television industry working in the Locations department for Endeavour Series 9 (2022), and as a runner for the BBC and Amazon Prime Video. 

Jemima Chen: Producer

Jemima is a second-year undergraduate studying English and Italian at Balliol. In her first term Jemima enjoyed working closely with OUDS productions '2nd May 1997' (2021) as Marketing Director and 'The God of Carnage' (2021) as Producer. She also produced 'The Dumb Waiter' (2022). In January 2022 she set up Nocturne Productions with Max Morgan, where she produced 'MOJO' (2022). She freelances in the film and TV industry in the Locations department, having worked on Netflix, Marvel, Paramount and AppleTV sets such as Loki Season 2 (2023), The Diplomat (2023), Secret Invasion (2023), Napoleon (2023) and Kraven the Hunter (2023).

Evan Bridges: Director of Photography 

Born just outside Glasgow, Evan’s pursuit of a career in cinematography has brought him to London where he currently works as a camera trainee on feature films, high-end television programmes and commercials. Some examples including Life after Life (2021), You and Me (TBC 2023) and Black Cake (TBC 2023), the latter of which saw him working in Jamaica alongside British, American, and local Jamaican crew on a production authored by Oprah Winfrey’s book club. As well as this, Evan also takes the reins as a Director of Photography on smaller scale projects, including a litany of short films such as Wheels of Fortune (2022), and Drumming (2022), currently doing runs in film festivals across the globe. From Pinewood to San Francisco and New York, his work speaks for itself wherever it ventures. Evan has worked under some of the most sought-after cinematographers from both the BSC and ASC, gleaning from their experiences in both the technical and creative realms. In doing so, their invaluable insights blend with and, in turn, inspire his own voice to create meaningful imagery that sticks with audiences long after watching.

Minna Moody-Stuart: Chief Financial Officer

Minna is a second-year undergraduate studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Christ Church, Oxford. As the Financial Director of Breakwater Pictures Ltd., Minna leads the fundraising and accounting aspects of the project. Minna has experience managing projects, having led a team of eight on a mass marketing venture during her internship at a prominent Westminster think-tank. As a staffer to an MP, she has experience liaising with governmental ministers as well as coordinating events. In her role on the committee of the Oxford Women in Business society, she manages budgets and attains sponsorship for events. Recently, she has undertaken internships in investment banking and venture capital, broadening her fundraising knowhow for exciting ventures such as Breakwater.

Emma Earnshaw: Associate Producer

Emma is a third year undergraduate reading History of Art at Worcester College. She made her first short film at 10 and took the Global Online Academy Filmmaking course in which she directed numerous one minute short films in 2017. She is the current President of the Oxford University Filmmaking Foundation (OUFF) and was the Head of Social Media and Events for OUFF from 2021-22. In the past year she has worked on eleven student short films, producing ‘Venom: Mark the Date’ (2022), ‘A Mosaic of All Possible Greens’ (2022), ‘Zugzwang’ (2022), ‘CTRL + ALT + DELETE’ (2023), and assistant producing ‘The Troll’s Bottom’ (2022). She was a Supporting Actor on season 3 of the television show Pennyworth. She has also worked as a Casting Assistant for Nina Gold and as a Production Assistant for No Trace Film.

Sanaa Estibal-Tekaia: 1st AD

Sanaa Estibal is a professional actor and aspiring film director. She has worked with César-winning French directors and Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón. Her most recent role was in a Netflix series. Since then, Sanaa has started to write and direct her own material. Her film projects have won grants and competitions at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. 

Finance Assistant: Amelie Todd

Amelie Todd is a second year undergraduate student reading Chemistry at Balliol college. She has developed a keen interest in financial management following a LSE strategic management and business course this summer. This is Amelie’s first film related project and she is excited to be involved with the fundraising and budget planning with the rest of the team. 

Esmé Briggs: Legal Advisor 

Esmé is a law student at the University of Oxford, entering in to her final year. She is an aspiring media lawyer, who would like to work in scripted television or film. Esmé is currently studying media law as part of her degree, looking at issues which relate to the freedom of expression and the right to communicate. She has had producing roles in theatre, is a member of National Youth Theatre and has completed a legal internship with Lookout Point Television, experiences she has gained both a lot knowledge and enjoyment from.

Clemmie Read: Legal Advisor

Clemmie is an English student at the University of Oxford, entering into her penultimate year. She hopes to go into media or intellectual property law, after dealing with IPR contracts and libel infractions as a student journalist. She has also been involved in student film and theatrical productions as a runner and twice as marketing director.

Shaan Sidhu: Costume Designer

Shaan is going into her second year of studying Classics at Somerville. Her exposure to all walks of life and ways of dressing has helped her to develop a keen eye for detail when it comes to clothes and styling herself and others. Initially taking on the role of costume assistant for a theatre production set in the seventies, she’s excited to explore this field further in with Breakwater’s more contemporary setting.

Zoë Heimann: Production Designer, Assistant Producer

Zoë Heimann is an established writer, producer and production designer. Zoe’s script, ‘The Troll’s Bottom’ was shortlisted for the OUFF Screenwriting Competition in 2021, which she then directed in Michaelmas 2022. She has gained experience in development while working for the development consultancy, ‘Script Compass’. Zoë is an experienced production designer, working on student short films and assisting on the NFTS project, ‘Bandits’.

Helena Aeberli: Assistant Producer

Helena is currently studying for a Masters at Jesus College. During her undergraduate degree she co-wrote, produced, and directed Simulacrum (2020) an innovative piece of online theatre utilising webcam technology during lockdown. She directed George Rushton’s These Quicker Elements (2021) and Murder in Argos (2021), and was also elected to the 2021-2 Oxford University Dramatic Society standing committee as Social Secretary. Helena has gained further experience in events management working on Paper Moon’s Intimacies exhibition (2022) and as an event host at the Royal Academy of Arts. Recent projects include Script Supervision for short film Troll’s Bottom (2022) and for devised theatre piece Sockpuppet (2022), performed in Oxford and at the Edinburgh Fringe. 

Sophia Kapsalis: Costume Designer/ Art Assistant/ Storyboard Artist

Sophia Kapsalis is a second year Biology student at the University of Oxford, who uses her studies to inspire her creative work. Her work across a variety of mediums led to her being awarded a place at Central Saint Martins in 2021 to study a Foundation year in Art and Design, as well as sending a standout look down the runway at the first Oxford University Fashion Gala in 2022. As well as working on fashion in a runway setting, Sophia has designed and directed many personal projects, which present her creative visions for the garments she makes through photography and film, as well as making clothes for her own use on a day-to-day basis. Sophia has also exhibited art at the award-winning gallery, The Lightbox in Woking, giving her a rounded experience in different branches of the creative world. 

George Rushton: Script Assistant

George is a Master's student at St Cross College. At the moment he is the sounding board for Max, the Writer/Director, offering a more bird’s-eye view on the script, working on getting the film to tick, and bringing through the more subtle aspects of his vision. Later he will be getting to the more granular parts of script-work, working line-to-line to refine it so it’s in the best possible shape before we get to filming. His experience comes primarily from his own writing, mainly for stage but also for screen, including 2022’s film “A Mosaic of All Possible Greens”, dir. Rosie Robinson.

Michal Krenz: Script Assistant

Michał is consulting the screenplay in a bit of a script doctoring capacity. A writer and filmmaker, he finished the creative writing programme at Oxford, debuted with a short story collection “Entropie”, wrote the audible play “Cut Them Loose”. He consults feature film screenplays (most recently “The Wedding” from 2021, which was also his acting debut on the big screen). He wrote about the spatial imaginary of postmodern literature, the democracy of urban spaces, and of urban grids and waterways. In the “Sketchy News” project, he examined the connection between image, media, and national identity. He previously worked as a broadcast journalist, an architect, an airfield ground crew member, and an aviation firefighter.

Mia Beechey: Hair and Make Up Artist

Mia is a second year at Christ Church studying History of Art. She is working on the hair and makeup for Breakwater after previously doing costume design for three student productions at Oxford, as well as doing the hair and makeup for the Oxford Fashion Gala (2022).

James Newbery: Co-Head of Marketing 

James Newbery is a third year English student at St Edmund Hall. He is currently the President of the Oxford University Dramatic Society for 2022-3, and is the co-artistic director of his own production company Love Song Productions. He has also recently worked as Assistant Director for National Youth Music Theatre’s production of Chess at the Leicester Curve, and was a Production Intern for a commercial West End/Broadway production company called Adam Blanshay Productions. He also occasionally writes, with his play Mud performed as a radio play by a cast of professional actors including Susan Engel and Scott Handy. Breakwater will be James’s first involvement in film, and he looks forwards to balancing the worlds of stage and screen upon graduating from Oxford. 

Anya Biletsky: Co-Head of Marketing

Anya will be in charge of fundraising for the film in the lead-up to production, as well as organising events for pre- and post-production. She is studying BA Classics at Somerville College. Anya is currently Events Officer for the Edgar Wind Society for the History of Art, and has been responsible for organising talks and exhibition tours, including a tour of the Marina Abramovic exhibition at Modern Art Oxford, and a talk with acclaimed British artist Cornelia Parker. She is Life Editor for Cherwell, having been Stage Editor in TT22, and has written extensively for sections including Film, Music and News alongside Life and Stage. 

Rit Anand: Marketing Assistant

Rit graduated from St Anne's college this year in English and Spanish with a dissertation on horror film conventions! She has previously worked as a runner and script supervisor. She wrote and directed the recent OUFF short film 'Maude', is co-producing an upcoming projects short 'Ctrl Alt Del' and is assistant producing the graduate short 'Area Boys'. Her script 'Clearlake' was shortlisted in last years OUFF Christmas Screenwriting competition.

Talia Caouki: Editor

Talia is a professional freelance editor who has had a passion for a career in editing since she was 11. She started off being hired to cut down and organise home videos and set up home video servers which is where she learnt most of her technical skills. She won her first short film competition in 2018 and the following year worked at the Farm Editing Studio in Soho - mainly in technical support for "24 Hours in A&E". Since then she has overseen editorial for a number of short films and set up her own BTS production company which is in the process of launching. She has also worked on set on the new Disney film "Snow White" (2023) as the Video Assistant.

Lucas Ipkendanz: Gaffer and Assistant Editor 

Lucas Ipkendanz is a third-year Chemist at Exeter. Though most of his lighting background comes from theatre where he has designed the lighting for 8 shows in the past year, he has been DoP and gaffer on several student projects as well as sparking on ‘Dive’, a graduate film at the NFTS.

Alessandro MacKinnon-Botti and Isabella Simpson: Score Composers

Dylan Maggs: Production Assistant

Dylan is a second-year student of English at Balliol College. He has always been passionate about all things film and is looking forward to getting involved in his first feature length project. He was drawn to Breakwater by the scope of its ambition and think the project will showcase some of the best talent currently in student film. 

Darcey Willing: Production Assistant.

Darcey is a second-year English student at St Peters. During her first year, she wrote and directed ‘In the Dark’ for Cuppers 2021 and enjoyed acting in OUDS productions across the year including ‘Plus One’, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’  and Caryl Churchill’s ‘Top Girls’. She is currently acting in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and is looking forward taking part in more OUDS and OUFF projects in the coming academic year. Having just completed the Yale University Directing Summer Session, Darcey is excited to get involved in processes behind the camera, learning from creative crew members. In the past, she has worked at October Films Productions and Never For Ever Theatre as well as the Pleasance Theatre London base in preparation for the Edinburgh fringe.