Help Us Bring “Off the Mat” To Life!

We’re a team of passionate filmmakers creating Off the Mat, a social realist drama exploring adolescence, family conflict and the search for somewhere to feel safe.

16-year-old Isla has learned to disappear within her own home.

With her parents’ relationship deteriorating around her, she keeps quiet, stays out of the way and channels everything she cannot say into Taekwondo. On the mat, she is focused, powerful and free.

But when her suppressed anger finally erupts during a competition, Isla is banned from the sport that has become her escape. Forced to face the conflict at home that she has spent years avoiding, Isla must confront the consequences of carrying a responsibility that was never hers to bear.

In the UK, 1 in 10 children living with two parents were living with at least one parent experiencing relationship distress in 2021–2022. Research from the Department for Work and Pensions shows that frequent, intense and unresolved parental conflict can have significant consequences for a child’s mental health, wellbeing and wider development. But its impact is not always visible.

A young person can go to school, laugh with their friends and appear completely fine, while privately learning to suppress what they feel and take responsibility for problems beyond their control.

When Isla loses her only escape, we ask what happens when a child who has spent her whole life trying to keep the peace finally has to face the noise. The film also places Isla at the centre of a traditionally male-dominated sport: Taekwondo. For Isla, it is more than just a hobby; it represents discipline, belonging and a place where she can be herself.

Before taking the full 15-minute film into production, we’re creating a professionally produced 3-minute proof of concept to showcase the story, visual identity, characters and tone of Off the Mat.

This is an important step in helping us secure further funding and production support for the full film. By bringing a small part of Off the Mat to life, we can demonstrate the potential of the wider story beyond what can be shown on the page.

Your support will help us cover essential production costs, including:

We’re committed to creating a proof of concept that reflects the ambition of the full film and demonstrates what we can achieve as emerging filmmakers.

Support the Film!

Whether you contribute £5, £20 or £100, you’ll be helping a group of filmmakers create a project we’re genuinely proud of.

And if you’re unable to donate, sharing our fundraiser can make just as much of a difference!

If you know a Taekwondo club, filmmaker, local organisation, business, or anyone who might be able to support the production, whether through equipment, locations, connections, expertise or simply helping us spread the word, we’d love to hear from you! Every bit of support would mean the world to our team.

⭐️Thank you for supporting Off the Mat and helping us tell Isla’s story⭐️

To stay up to date with our progress and follow our journey, find us on Instagram and TikTok:

@Offthemat.film