Down and Out Crowd Fund Video:
The Story
Billy (Tommy Jessop) has had people stare at him all of his life on account of him having Down Syndrome. He is a young man fighting for equality and his own autonomy. Danny (Christopher Faith) is Billy’s brother and the two couldn't be more different. While one fights for independence, the other fights for survival in a difficult world.
Both will have to confront their personal demons on a fateful day in Blackpool that will leave them both changed forever.
Accompanied by Michelle "Shell" (Mia Vore), these lost siblings will realise how much they really need each other, as the very foundation of brotherly love is tested. But will it be in time to save them both?
We Need You!
Your support means we can push a vital topic forward into the film market, something that deeply needs addressing. I think it is incredibly important to promote the use of disabled actors and stories promoting independence, which is what we have focused on in Down and Out. Even beyond this we want to highlight autonomy within a community that is incredibly diverse. In our film we used two actors that have differing disabilities, both were of course completely professional and capable. There needs to be a breakdown in the stigma surrounding disability within any community and a better understanding of every person's uniqueness and capability.
We would love your help to strongly promote this cause, and get the message spread far and wide. We have plans to do a campaign around the film, focusing on this message and i hope you can help us on this journey.
My name is Natalie Kennedy, i'm an award winning film and theatre director based in the north west. I have an immense passion for personal stories driven by diverse characters, and this is highlighted in my previous work which can be found through IMDB (
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4132577/?ref_=rvi_nm), or search for my short films, SHED (2011), Trauma (2013), Doris (2013), Cinderella Nights (2015).
My aim with this film is to tackle stereotypes around disability in a story of fighting for independence with Downs Syndrome, and of the love and difficulties of two very different brothers.
Picture by Garth Williams.
We are looking for £2500 completion funds to make sure our films gets seen far and wide and if we reach our target we have assigned £300 to the charities associated with this production, including MENCAP and the Downs Syndrome Association.
The funds will be used for post production on the film; which includes editing, grading, sound edit, score, etc, put together a great press pack, festival submission, marketing, and of course money for the above mentioned charities.
We really feel that this film will tackle diversity and equality in film, especially for performers with disabilities who deserve their work to be recognised equally. You can help us achieve this with your backing and we have a whole host of goodies on offer as a big thank you from us.
Introducing our Team
We have a team of incredibly talented individuals on this production, many of whom are award winning filmmakers in their own speciality and who have worked on a number of prestigious and professional projects. Check out the IMDB link below for more info:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5118458/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2
The Cast
Tommy Jessop - Billy
Tommy Jessop is a passionate actor who happens to have Down’s Syndrome. He has starred on TV, Radio, in film, documentaries and on the stage.
Tommy’s numerous stage and screen credits include co-starring in the BAFTA-nominated "
Coming Down the Mountain" (Tiger Aspect for BBC1), the first professional actor with Down’s syndrome to play
Hamlet, and starring in the BBC documentary "Growing Up Downs" which has been nominated for an International Emmy: Best Documentary. He has also appeared in several feature films, filmed the lead in various short films and played significant roles on television and radio. Tommy has appeared in
Casualty,
Holby City, Monroe, Doctors, Off their Rockers, starred in several BBC documentaries and played the lead or guest lead in various afternoon plays on Radio 4.
Christopher Faith - Danny
Christopher Faith is a Manchester based actor whose main teacher was David Johnson, a great influence on his acting. He first started out in theatre, but he quickly developed a love for film work, and this has continued to grow over the years. He has starred in many North West based projects, including Chris Cronin's award winning film, "Sophie's Fortune", and Mark Callum's and Darren Langland's, "The Icehouse Project", amongst other notable projects.
Christopher says, "My aim for this project is to raise awareness about equality, not just in the creative industry, but also in the real world."
Mia Vore - 'Shell
Mia Vore is a Yorkshire born actress, now based in Manchester. Mia has been involved in a number of award-winning short films, feature films and theatre shows. Her most challenging role was shaving her head completely for Bedlam TV series. Alongside her acting she also runs an actor's event, Manchester Casting Social, developed for creatives in the industry.
Other Ways You Can Help
We appreciate any shares of our campaign so please pass this amongst friends, family members, colleagues, and anyone else that takes your fancy. If you work with a charity that you feel could benefit from our support and could help in getting the message out there then please do get in touch. We appreciate support in any way, shape or form. Thank you so much for your help.