Settle | Voybach

Genre: Detective/Crime/Drama

Length: 19 Minutes

Alex is returning home after news that her father’s diagnosis has become terminal. Her dad, a detective, is reluctant to give up on his work despite his health. He is consumed with a local case, the missing Jess Hope. Alex decides helping her dad and finding the missing woman might mean his obsession comes to a close and they can finally spend some time together in the last months of her dad’s life.

SETTLE

WHY I MADE THE FILM?

This short film (called Settle) is based on my experience of my father’s terminal illness. Though there was a lot of love between us, myself and my dad had different perspectives on what to do with the time he had left once we knew he was ill. He wanted to carry on living the same as he always had while I wanted him to stop all he was doing and reflect on his life. With this film I’m trying to explore these two perspectives. I believe films have the ability to translate emotions and ideas in a way that no other medium can, washing over you without becoming intellectual and I wanted to use this film to try to understand and empathise with my dad’s viewpoint as he faced his mortality.

WHERE?

My dad was from the small Yorkshire town of Settle (which the film is named after) and where my family still lives. We shot the film in and around Settle and the surrounding Yorkshire Dales with our two leads being from Yorkshire. Overall the setting of the film was crucial in adding the emotional backdrop, but also added to the crime genre feeling of the film.

WHEN?

The film was shot in May 2024 this year and has been edited over the last few months as well as submitted as part of The London Film School Masters.

CAST

Alex Porter

Ella Bruccoleri

You’ll recognise Ella from Call the Midwife, Polite Society, Ludwig, Bridgerton, Passenger, and loads more. Ella helped to producee the film as well as bringing her naturalistic and enthralling performance to our lead role of Alex Porter.

Dean Porter

Mark Noble

Mark Noble has been in All Creatures Great and Small, Secret Invasion, Emmerdale, Scoop, as well playing a police detective in Platform 7 and Hollyoaks so the role of detective was easy to step into. The nuance and commitment he brought to the delicate role of Dean Porter was powerful and emotional to see on set.