Teenage filmmakers tackle bullying

A team of young filmmakers set out to portray the suffering of a bullied teenager in their new film Dear Dad.
Tim, played by John MatthewsTim, played by John Matthews
Tim, played by John Matthews

Filmed and produced by 14 and 15 year olds in Horsham, Dear Dad shows the physical and psychological effect that bullying has on the protagonist Tim.

Dear Dad portrays the abuse Tim receives alongside extracts from counselling sessions which ultimately only compound his sense of loneliness, alienation and depression.

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The film opens with the statistic that almost 70 per cent of people in the UK have suffered from bullying before depicting Tim’s experiences at the hands of his antagonists and the deterioration of his mental health.

It goes on to convey Tim’s distress and depression as he finds himself unable to communicate with his well-meaning but ineffectual counsellor, who cannot understand why Tim is unable to ask for support and guidance from his father.

The film was released this month by Horsham-based MoonEyeFilms.

James Hardy, 15, directed and produced the film. He said: “We wanted to produce a film that illustrates the experience of so many teenagers. Media coverage of bullying increasingly focuses on online abuse, however, direct physical and emotional intimidation are still incredibly commonplace.

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“Although there are numerous resources for people who are suffering from bullying, the fact remains that there are many people, like Tim, who fall through the net and clearly need more effective help than they are receiving. Dear Dad is a call for help on the behalf of anyone who is suffering like Tim.”

MoonEyeFilms is an independent production company co-founded by James Hardy, John Matthews, Declan Emery, Oliver Whorwood and Oscar Rhodes - all Year 10 students at The Forest School in Horsham.

Dear Dad was shot at various locations around Horsham throughout October 2013.

Dear Dad can be viewed online at mooneyefilms.com/deardad

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