Hailsham film Comic is now streaming to an international audience on The Short Film Show

Hailsham-based Shining Knight Productions is celebrating a major milestone after its short film “Comic”, whose cast and crew are comprised of young people from Hailsham and surrounding areas, has been selected to stream on The Short Film Show. 

The 20-minute film, which was filmed in and around Hailsham in August 2025, can now be watched online by audiences everywhere, giving the young cast and crew an exciting opportunity to showcase their work to a much wider audience. 

What is “Comic”?

“Comic” was created with an 11-strong main cast, all aged between 11 and 13, while the supporting crew were aged 16 or under. Written and directed by Gareth Jones and filmed by Paul Simmons and Paul Gibson, the film was developed with significant creative input from the young people involved. 

The story is loosely inspired by Golding’s Lord of the Flies. A group of children have created their own place in the woods, free from adult interference, where they normally play and happily co-exist. That changes when one of them turns up with a “Comic” that everyone wants to read first... 

A Sussex production 

The film is firmly rooted in the local community. 

Casting followed a local newspaper article, support from Hailsham Academy and social media outreach, which generated a huge response from local children and their families. Screen tests were followed by an intensive drama workshop led by Gareth Jones, with the final casting taking place locally. 

The company was keen to give as many young people as possible the opportunity to participate. Children who did not secure a main role were invited to take part in a specially created extras scene hosted by Hailsham Town Football Club. 

The main filming also took place in and around Hailsham, including locations on a farm in Upper Dicker, private woodland in Haywards Heath and Ms Match in St Mary's Walk.

The production also received financial and practical support from a number of local businesses and organisations. 

From Hailsham to a wider audience 

Being selected for The Short Film Show represents an exciting next step for both “Comic” and the people who created it. 

The Short Film Show was started because the channel felt too many good short films were sitting on servers and never reaching an audience. Independent short films were being made, shown a few times and then had nowhere to go. The Short Film Show gives those films a home, where they get watched. There are currently more than 550 films from over 60 countries, in more than 30 languages, made by more than 500 filmmakers on the site.

Local audiences are being encouraged to watch “Comic” and leave a review to help support the young cast and crew and raise the profile of this genuinely local production. 

Executive Producer Gareth Jones said: “To see ‘Comic’ now reaching audiences beyond our local community is incredibly exciting. We hope local people will watch it, support the young people involved and let us know what they think. That way, our production and the local locations can be seen and admired all over the World.” 

“Comic” has also been submitted to the international short film festival circuit, and selected numerous times, with locations including Belfast and even Cannes! It has also been selected for the London International Motion Picture Awards 2026. All these achievements get them closer to their long-term ambition of becoming the Sussex version of the Children's Film Foundation.

You can watch “Comic” here: https://theshortfilmshow.com/film/comic/FL-00605