THE STORY
“THE GURNEY” is a personal drama that tells the story of death row warden, Albert Gilmore, as he grows conflicted over the upcoming execution of Aleisha Edwards, who fatally shot the officer who killed her unarmed husband.
“THE GURNEY” begins with a 911 emergency phone call alerting the authorities to the fatal shooting of an officer on a suburban street by a pregnant, African-American woman. The panicked caller remarks that officer appeared to have shot the woman’s unarmed husband after he asked the man to step out of his car.
Eight years after the incident, with the execution date looming ahead, death row warden, Albert Gilmore, informs Aleisha that her final request to see her eight-year old son has been denied. He reasons that the child’s new, adoptive parents believe that this decision is in the child’s best interest. Aleisha chastises Albert for his inability to look her in the eye as he denies her a final opportunity to see her only child.
On the day of her execution, Albert does what little he can to comfort Aleisha. Aleisha shares her final moments with her mother before Albert leads her on the long walk down to the execution chamber. He guides Aleisha through the process as she is strapped down to the gurney and raised vertically on the gurney to give her final statement to the expectant gallery.
The ending is tragic, but does not shy away from the harsh realities of these horrific capital punishments. The audience will be left devastated, especially as we hold on the immediate aftermath of Alesha’s death and Albert’s tenderness towards her.
Albert and Aleisha present two parallels: one is protected by the law, the other took the law into their own hands. Both kill murderers – Aleisha’s husband was unarmed, unthreatening, and compliant and shot solely because he was black. This film questions the morality of the law and who it serves to protect. Had Aleisha not taken the law into her own hands, would the officer who shot her innocent husband have received the death penalty? Unlikely. And yet, Albert, is tasked with doing exactly what Aleisha did: killing a murderer and enacting justice. The only thing separating Albert from Aleisha is the law.
WHY ARE WE MAKING IT?
In America today, if you are black, you are 2.5 times more likely to be shot by an officer than if you are white. You are 5 times more likely to be shot if you are unarmed and, in 2015 alone, black males – who only make up 6% of the American population – accounted for 40% of unarmed police shootings. These statics are absolutely terrifying.
We’re told we live in a civilised society where racism is largely an issue of the past but, personally, I don’t see the statistics lining up with that. Who are we to stand by and watch this happen? The facts are out there, the videos fill our news feeds, but we do nothing.
We as a team have been asked many times; “Why are we the ones to make this film?”. Really, the question should be; “Why would we not make this film?”.
VISUAL TREATMENT
Our inspiration for this film comes from the works of filmmakers like Steve McQueen [‘Hunger’, ’12 Years a Slave’], Lynne Ramsay [‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’, ‘Ratcatcher’], and Barry Jenkins [‘Moonlight’, ‘Medicine for Melancholy’]. The breath-taking moments of human intimacy captured within each of these directors’ films elevates their work to a poetic level. Whether they are making films about a political hunger strike, a mass shooting in an American high school, or the trappings of drug crime, their films are first and foremost about the people at the heart of their story. These films do not look at their characters through rose-tinted glasses. They stare unblinkingly at them, revealing their flaws, their virtues, their wants: in essence, everything that makes them human. We are excited to try and follow in these esteemed directors’ footsteps and find our own way of presenting Albert and Aleisha, in her final moments.
WHY SHOULD YOU BACK THIS FILM
The goal of this campaign is to raise £5,000. While this may seem like a lot of money, in the film industry at large this really isn’t that much. Filming, even for short films, is an expensive process. Your generous contributions will go towards equipment rental, location, and props & costumes, ensuring we can faithfully capture this film in the best way possible. Other costs include accommodation and catering for cast&crew (20 or more people), as well as small fees for leading cast. Every pound you give will push us that one step closer to making this all possible.
Since its establishment in 2005 Screen Academy Scotland, has helped over 200 writers, directors, producers and animators to make their mark on the page, on the set, and on the screen. As a contributor, you are a member of this thriving community. Without you, these films cannot get made.
Filming for THE GURNEY is set to take place in late July 2017 and our aim is to submit the finished film to major film festivals across the globe.
And last but certainly not least, in contributing to this campaign you will be creating a new addition to our exciting catalogue of independent short films: you’ll be funding a whole new story.
REWARDS
Our rewards are listed on the right of the screen. There are a wide range of rewards so you are sure to find something that appeals to you. These rewards are just a small token of our overwhelming gratitude towards you for kindly contributing to this film. Without you, there is no film. And that’s the truth of it. You are the most important cog in our film-making machine. You are our financiers and audience all rolled up into one. So, from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! And enjoy.
THE TEAM
CAST
TAMARA LAWRANCE – Aleisha Edwards
Tamara graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2015. In her first summer out of drama school, Tamara starred in the BBC serial drama Undercover alongside Sophie Okenedo [Hotel Rawanda, The Secret Life of Bees] and Adrian Lester [Hustle, The Day After Tomorrow] and a theatrical production of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at the National Theatre.
Tamara followed up these tremendous performances by starring as Natasha, a recklessly blunt movie star, in Unreachable with former Doctor Who star Matt Smith at the Royal Court, as Viola in the gender-bending adaption of Twelfth Night once again at the National, and as Jess in the BBC drama King Charles III about the ascension of Princes Charles to the throne following the death of the Queen.
Top: Tamara and Matt Smith starring in Unreachable. Bottom Left: Tamsin Greig and Tamara in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Bottom Right: Tamara starring in BBC mini-series Undercover.
In their review of Unreachable, The Hollywood Reporter proclaimed ‘Tamara Lawrence deserves special mention as the film’s female lead Natasha. A recent RADA graduate, Lawrence is required to switch fluidly among different accents and emotional registers, with the most weighty dramatic monologues resting on her young shoulders.’ We are absolutely delighted to have Tamara on board in the role of Aleisha.
CREW
GLENN WHELAN – Director
Glenn is an Irish MA Film director at Edinburgh Napier University/Screen Academy Scotland. Before moving to Edinburgh for his MA course, Glenn directed the short film Sister which was commissioned by the Arts Council of Ireland and starred Irish actress Jane McGrath [Red Rock, Moonstone]. This film is currently in post-production. Prior to this, Glenn directed the independent short, Penrose. This film received public support from Oscar nominated director Lenny Abrahamson during its successful Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.
During his time at Trinity College in Dublin, Glenn directed a short musical comedy, OffBeat, which was nominated for Short Film of the Year at the 2014 National Student Media Awards while his follow-up musical, The Gambler, screened at this year’s Chicago Irish Film Festival.
Following OffBeat, Glenn worked as an Art Director on several independent short films, including the musical short Bonsoir Luna which screened at Cannes in 2015 and was subsequently picked up for a feature adaption by one of the producers of Sky 1’s comedy series Moone Boy.
DARREL LAMBERT – Producer
Darrel graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in Film Production at the University of the Creative Arts Farnham in June 2013. He is currently a Producer at Edinburgh Napier University/Screen Academy Scotland. During his time on the course, Darrel’s comedy-drama short film, Offline, was nominated for ‘Best Drama’ at The National Student Film Festival: Screentest.
From September 2014 to July 2016 Darrel was the AV Technician at Trinity School Croydon. During his time there, Darrel ran the successful in school News Station ‘Trinity News’ as well as co-founding and coordinating the hugely successful Trinity School Film Festival.
Darrel has worked as a an production intern at Annex Films in 2013 and was the cinematographer for both of his BA graduation films, Decompressed and Away Fae Hame. Darrel has a great eye for interesting stories and is excited to bring this film to life.
RACHEL TRAYNOR – Writer
After graduating with a BA (Hons) degree in English/History from University College Dublin in 2013, Rachel worked as a culture and arts journalist where she furthered her love of writing. Rachel began working in film as co-writer and producer alongside Glenn Whelan on the crowdfunded psychological drama, Penrose, and the Arts Council commissioned drama short, Sister.
Rachel is currently on the MA Screenwriting course at Edinburgh Napier University/Screen Academy Scotland. In late 2016, she worked with Darrel and Glenn on the drama short, Encore, about an elderly couple dealing with the long term effects of Alzheimer’s. Rachel also worked as script editor on the short film Ginger. Rachel is currently in the midst of writing her first feature length script.
BILL KAPNIS – Cinematographer
Bill is a Greek MA Film Cinematographer at Edinburgh Napier University/Screen Academy of Scotland. Prior to starting his studies at Napier, Bill worked on several independent short film productions and music videos in Greece,
During that time, he expanded his knowledge on photography, the camera department and started developing his preferred style of cinematography. A natural and realistic aesthetic approach. He also worked on several short film and documentary festivals, directing 15-minute daily programs for broadcast television, promoting the films being shown there (Aegean Docs 2014 and 2015 more notably) .He later went on to work in TV, shooting short documentaries that currently air in the Greek Parliament Channel.
During his time on the MA Film course at the Edinburgh Napier University/Screen Academy Scotland, Bill has amassed a substantial CV as cinematographer on films like 11.05 and Ginger, as well as working in various camera and lighting department roles on the Screentest nominated short Offline and the musical comedy Free.
DAVID HUNTER – Editor
David is an editor, sound designer, VFX artist, colourist and director. After graduating with BA (Hons) Degree in Film and Television from the University of Glasgow in 2011, David worked as an editor on both film and music videos, as well as an independent director.
During his time at Edinburgh Napier University/Screen Academy Scotland, David worked as editor on the Screentest nominated short, Offline, as well as a host of other short films, including the musical comedy Free and the period comedy The Proposal. Currently, David is editing Glenn and Rachel’s commissioned drama short, Sister.
RUPERT UZZELL – Composer
Rupert is an experienced musician and film composer who just finished his masters in Composition for Screen at the University of Edinburgh, having previously studied at the Royal College of Music in London.
Rupert has composed scores for multiple live-action films, documentaries and animations. In 2015, he completed scores to the short films Indefinite Leave and The Strange Tale of Danny D, and the independent feature Freesia. His score for Freesia was nominated for Best Original Score at the London International Filmmaker Festival.
During his time at Edinburgh Rupert completed scores for various projects from both within and outside of the university, including the short films Routes, I Pull The Strings, The Finest Model, Tent, Mondays, and an animation entitled Record/Record which was screened at lathe 2016 Edinburgh International Film Festival, and the 2017 Leeds International Film Festival.
KATIE MALLINDER – Production Assistant
Katie is a Scottish director/producer studying at Edinburgh Napier University/Screen Academy Scotland going into her last year of undergraduate.
Katie has directed and produced both her most recent works The Commonplace and Seven Year Moment. Although focused on documentary practice, her skill set lies in production, allowing her to work on an array of projects.