A timely short by Bristol-based writing and directing duo Varun Raman and Tom Hancock (aka Parallel Madness). Reminiscent of Terry Gilliam’s 1985 classic, Brazil, “Transmission” follows the detainment of a young man by an ambiguous and erratic authority. Given little more than the brief epigraph — “Welcome to Britannia. Together We Stand Alone.” — we’re immediately thrown into a seemingly timeless world of despair and isolation, all executed with an unsettling amount of cheer.
Providing some context for the project, Raman and Hancock state that the film was written at the height of the refugee crisis and as something of a warning against the anticipated rise in British nationalism:
“Originally, the story seemed like a stretch for western audiences and that the events and scenarios of the film were only possible in another time or country. But then came Brexit. And Donald Trump. Clearly, self-destruction is both sudden and incremental. Society skates on a thin crust of civility. Underneath, lies an ocean of malevolence that can be unleashed in the name of self-preservation. Only two meals separate us from empty stomachs and chaos.”
Check out “Transmission” above as well as credits and some behind-the-scenes images from the shoot below!
Starring:
James Hyland
Michael Shon
Kelby Keenan
Written & Directed by Varun Raman & Tom Hancock
Production Company: Parallel Madness
DOP: Thomas Shawcroft
Editor: Darrin Brading
Television Sequence: Gaia Borretti, Rosie Carmichael & Daisy Mann-Peet
Production Design: Alec Walker
Costume Design: Layan Nourouz
Colourist: Toby Tomkins
Score: Nick Sutton
Sound Design: Seb Bruen
Sound Mix: Harry Platford
Titles: Morgan Beringer
VFX: Will Evans, Chris Keller, Sami Cheikh
Executive Producers: Tom Hancock, Varun Raman, Thomas Shawcroft, Dominique Unsworth
Producer: Peter Robinson
Associate Producers: Ian Pons Jewell, Layan Nourouz, Tim Harrison
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