BEN LANKESTER

*TW — pregnancy & childbirth* Phanie and I are very proud to release the trailer for ‘Delivery’, and announce that this autumn the film will be screening at the BAFTA & BIFA-qualifying @boltonfilmfest & @norwichfilmfestival in the UK, as well as the Oscar-qualifying @tiranafilmfest & @edmfilmfest internationally. This project has been a huge effort from an incredible team of collaborators, but we want to give a special shout out to the film’s lead (and practising midwife) Rosie Chappel, our fearless co-producer Joe Binks, DP Rachel Clark, production designer Jason Synnott, casting director Hannah Ashby Ward, composer Sarah Warne, and editor Sacha Szwarc. It was almost exactly two years ago that I first messaged Rosie (a cast member for us on our previous short ‘Who’s Counting?’) about a project called ‘Delivery’. The idea came to me after I’d seen a photo of Rosie dressed in her scrubs, masked up, proud that she had only five weeks to go until she qualified as a midwife. I messaged her with this crazy idea and 24 hours later we were away… Together, over the following year, via countless Zoom and phone calls, Google docs, voice notes and text messages, we developed a story using Rosie’s lived experience of life and death pregnancy cases on an NHS maternity ward to craft the story of Mary, a newly-qualified midwife undertaking the most challenging night shift of her career. ‘Delivery’ is the result, a scripted 25 minute short that focuses on the unbelievable physical and psychological strain on midwives as they witness the long-lasting impact of childbirth-related trauma, a subject so rarely spoken about. Starring Rosie Chappel, with Jordan Kouamé, Emily Laing, Alita Simpson, Alison Rose, Aoife Gaston, Christina Balmer, Shri Patel and Ruhthie Durang Trailer beautifully edited by @ianr0b Please like, comment & share 🤍

This one has been a few years in the making, an exploration of what it means to be a creative person in an increasingly competitive world, developed with and starring the amazing Karen Bengo. Karen first reached out to me two years ago asking if I wanted to collaborate on something — “EXPERIENCE” is the result. Independent work only happens when you’re fortunate enough to surround yourself with amazing people. A huge thanks to the production team who shot this with me in April of last year (and the previous December in the snow!), as well as my brilliant collaborators in post. “EXPERIENCE” Starring @karenbengo Writer/Director — @ben.lankester Producer — @jbinks23 1st AD — @tyyhack Production Designer — @annakeziawilliams DP — @thomas_tyson_hole Focus — @a.coleborn Loader — @richrd.nj Steadicam — @steadiboden Gaffers — @lightwork_sparks & @dop_e_gaffer Sound Op — @kirstiehowell_ 2nd Unit 1st AD — @chai.shay 2nd Unit DP — @thomasterminet 2nd Unit Focus — @alibainesfilm 2nd Unit Operator — @_rorypower Editor — @amandaldn @the_assembly_rooms Sound — @noisy_jim @machinesound.co Music — @jcolgan_ Colour — @alexgregorycolour @no8ldn Titles — @shannonthms Camera & Lenses — @onestopfilms @panavisionofficial Lighting — @shl.london Film — @kodak_shootfilm Processing — @cinelabuk (Full credits in film) And a big thanks to @adrianfardelean 🤍

DELIVERY will make its final festival appearance at the Oscar-qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival this weekend 🎉 Shorts Program 4, April 10th & 11th Thanks for having us @clefilmfest 🤍

DELIVERY takes home the Grand Prix, two Golds and a Silver at this year’s Kinsale Shark Awards 🦈 We were there at the Everyman Hampstead to collect the awards. Winning the jury’s ‘Rare Great White Shark’ the Grand Prix was especially meaningful to the whole team behind the film. Grand Prix 🏆 Gold - Best Direction 🥇 Gold - Best Short Film Under 25 Minutes 🥇 Silver - Best Editing 🥈 Thank you @kinsalesharkawards !

A huge thank you to the @europeanshortawards for the Best British Director award for DELIVERY ❤️

To mark Baby Loss Awareness Week, we wanted to reshare where it all started for us, our first narrative short ‘Who’s Counting?’ As we went on long walks during Covid, recovering from two traumatic missed miscarriages, we devised the idea for a film that would highlight the psychological and physical impact of recurrent miscarriage. The result was ‘Who’s Counting?’, a reverse narrative drama that would follow one couple’s journey navigating the pain and loneliness of multiple pregnancies and losses as the world continued around them, and ending on the joyous, hopeful moment of the first positive pregnancy test that all parents would resonate with. We approached pregnancy and baby charity, Tommy’s, with the idea and the film would go on to accompany their campaign for the ‘Record of Loss’—the first attempt to collect data on the number of miscarriages in the UK and to use this information to lobby for funding and research into the reasons for miscarrying. ‘Who’s Counting?’ would eventually lead us to DELIVERY. It proved to be the spark that would ignite our journey into narrative as a husband & wife/ writer/director & producer duo—our first creative child of hopefully many—and the beginnings of what would become Kingdom Born. The film was featured on Sky News, The Independent, The Huffington Post and the Daily Express and led to 63,000 signatures on the petition and over 31,000 people registering themselves on the Record of Loss in the first few months after launch. The film went on to win Best Video Campaign & the Chair Award at The Drum Awards for Social Purpose, a Silver at CICLOPE International Festival of Craft, Best Short Film at Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival, Best Drama at the Performance Short Film Competition, and was a finalist at the British Short Film Awards. On the back of another recent loss and ectopic pregnancy, this film we made four years ago feels more poignant than ever 🤍

A huge thanks to the @europeanshortawards for the nomination ❤️

A great end to our time at Imagine This Women’s Film Festival in New York as DELIVERY takes home the Best International Short award 🏆 In a packed programme filled with inspiring shorts with such important messages, it’s such an honour to be recognised in this way. Drawing attention to the maternal healthcare crisis in the UK and seeing how it has resonated with global audiences has been particularly poignant on our festival run - we’re so appreciative to Patrice, Susie and the @imaginethiswomensfilmfestival team for spotlighting DELIVERY and bringing the conversation to the fore once more.

We’re thrilled to have two films selected and screening in New York for @imaginethiswomensfilmfestival and can’t think of a better home than the festival ‘where women take the spotlight and bold stories take flight’. Big thanks to the ITWFF team for including us as part of this brilliant programme—we’ll see you in a couple of weeks 🗽 📽️ DELIVERY screens on September 11th at 5:30pm as part of Shorts Program Two. 📽️ EXPERIENCE screens on September 12th at 8pm as part of Shorts Program Six. 📍LOOK Dine-In Cinemas W57 @lookcinemas

🇰🇭🤍 this past December and January: Kep, Bokor, Kampot, Sihanoukville, Koh Rong Sanloem, Siem Reap, Sambor, Kampong Cham, Koh Sotin, Prey Veng and Phnom Penh with Somaly, Boni, Bora, Rithy, Bophanie & Boramei across Cambodia, for Borithy

Excited to be back at the Garden Cinema as part of Kino London Short Film Festival this month. Following a screening of EXPERIENCE in the ‘Class Reunion’ block on Sunday August 24th, I’ll also be on the panel for the Shot On Film Industry Session starting at 5:30pm 👋🏼 Thanks for having me, @kinoshortfilm @dcmfilmmaker