Sussex feature film about water pollution backed by Stephen Fry

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Sussex filmmakers are using the folk-horror genre to tell a dystopian fable on the disastrous effects of polluted water.

The movie, ‘Black Samphire’, has a star-studded team of executive producers, including Stephen Fry, James Murray (The Crown, Masters of the Air), BAFTA-winning producer Tom Millerand River Action UK CEO, James Wallace. Supporters also include politicians such as Baroness Jenny Jones and Danny Chambers MP.

‘I grew up near the sea, in Sussex, and it’s where I found my love of open water swimming. The complete disregard for the beautiful coastlines and waterways of West Sussex from privatized water companies has been especially bad these past few years. I had to write about it.’ said the film’s writer and co-lead actor, Cathy Wippell.

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The short proof-of-concept, which was shot in 2023 on location near Itchenor, garnered national news coverage on Sky News and was featured for its sustainable production practices onBAFTA albert.

The film crew for the short proof-of-concept for 'Black Samphire', filming on location in SussexThe film crew for the short proof-of-concept for 'Black Samphire', filming on location in Sussex
The film crew for the short proof-of-concept for 'Black Samphire', filming on location in Sussex

‘Creative media holds a huge potential to inspire active change. By taking climate issues out of documentaries and inserting them into wide-reaching genres like horror, we can raise awareness of water pollution in an accessible way,’ said Joseph Archer, producer and co-founder of Silicon Gothic.

The feature film will be a full-length version of this folkloric fable, told in the haunting setting of the Sussex marshes.

The filmmakers are now calling on the public to help make the project happen. You can find out more and support via the QR code, searching Black Samphire online and by following us on @blacksamphirefilm on Instagram. For all enquiries, please email [email protected]

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