The world we wished this film wasn't about

When we wrote The Premiere, we actually thought that by the time it reached audiences, it might feel like a relic - a story from a different era, when powerful men could still silence the people they hurt.

We were wrong.

The recent publication of the Epstein files didn't just shock us. It devastated us. Not only because of what those files contained, but because of what surrounded them: the compliance. The looking away. The extraordinary number of people - in positions of power, in trusted institutions, in rooms full of witnesses - who chose silence over a survivor.

That is what our film is about. It has always been about that.

What is THE PREMIERE?

The Premiere is a short drama filmed at the iconic Lancaster Grand Theatre. It is a story about what happens when a survivor decides that silence has cost her enough. Set entirely during a celebrated director's film premiere Q&A - the glamour of the red carpet still fresh, the applause barely faded - it asks a question that is devastatingly simple: what does it take to finally speak? And what happens to everyone in the room when someone does?

This is a MeToo story. But it is not the one you think you know.

The film stars Roger Ashton-Griffiths (Game of Thrones, Gangs of New York, Brazil) and Nicola Harrison (Casualty, Call the Midwife, The Impossible) - both Lancaster University graduates who came back from London to make this film because they believed in what it was saying.

Roger put it simply: "We must shine that light."

Nicola said it is "not about retribution - it's about being heard, and not carrying the burden of abuse in silence."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

Where we are now

We shot The Premiere at Lancaster Grand Theatre in July 2025, with more than 160 local volunteers filling the seats as our audience, a professional crew, and two extraordinary lead actors who gave everything to these roles. Since then we've completed the edit, the sound design, the original score and the colour grade — funded by our community, and by our own pockets.

The film will be finished in August. Now comes the part that decides whether anyone sees it.

What we need from you

We have a shortlist of 70 festivals around the world - Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying festivals, human rights festivals, festivals that champion women's stories. Every one of them charges a submission fee. Most are £20-£30. The bigger ones are £50 and up.

Every £25 you give or chip in towards is one more festival that sees this film. One more programmer who sees Evelyn's story. One more room where it might play.

We are raising £2,000 to fund the run. If we raise more, we submit to more festivals.

Why it still matters - why it always mattered

The Epstein files are one chapter. Harvey Weinstein was another. But the pattern goes back further than any single name, and it reaches into industries, institutions, and communities far beyond Hollywood. The women and men who have tried to speak - who have stood in rooms and said this happened to me - have so often been met with disbelief, dismissal, and the slow social death of being labelled difficult, bitter, or broken.

We made this film to say: we see you. We believe you. And we are going to keep saying so, loudly, in cinemas, at festivals, and in every room we can get into.

Your donation is part of that.

Help us get THE PREMIERE seen

If you can give, please give. If you can't, please share - with your networks, your social media, your film-loving friends, your colleagues, anyone who believes that stories like this one matter.

Every share is a door we might not have opened otherwise. Every donation is a festival submission, a sound mix session, a step closer to the screen.

The Premiere is nearly finished. Help us cross the finish line and reach more audiences.

Thank you — from the whole team behind this film.

Enni Red, Darren Henderson & Maryam Ghorbankarimi

Red Films & Bina Film

Lancaster, UK

More about the film: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: @premiere_shortfilm