A psychological romance
There's plenty of films about love and sex, but when was the last time you saw one purely about intimacy?
At a Bonfire Night music event, two former “friends-with-benefits” bump into each other after nine years; Ollie, a womaniser grappling with an emotional detachment to physical intimacy, and Ida, who is now in an open relationship.
Thanks to early backing, Pleasure People is already one-third funded! We will soon be launching a crowdfunding campaign to the public to make this short film a reality.
I've prepared some special rewards for early supporters of the campaign. Register your interest to be the first to know when we launch, and to receive announcements on our exceptional cast and crew (more on that below). I can't wait to reveal more on what this story means to me and why people have resonated with it so strongly.
Mark, Director and Co-writer
Mark Rae
DIRECTOR, CO-WRITER
Mark is a self-taught narrative filmmaker from London, UK with Filipino and British heritage. He became interested in directing in his final years of a youth theatre group and made a handful of short films in subsequent years. He currently works behind-the-scenes in various departments on major productions and has credits on projects such as SILO, SLOW HORSES, THE MARVELS and STAR WARS: ANDOR. Alongside this, he’s been honing his craft through training with Steven Ditmyer, an alumnus of acting legend Sanford Meisner.
Yujia Huang
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Yujia is a production designer for films, music videos, and commercials. Her work includes SUMMER BLUR, which won Best Feature Film in the Generation Kplus programme at Berlin International Film Festival, and THIS IS OURS, which won best short film at Reykjavik International Film Festival. Yujia is currently working on the short film THE DEPARTMENT OF THEY with BBC Film. She is a Production Design MA alum from the National Film and Television School.
Rui Jiang (R.J.) Ong
CINEMATOGRAPHER
R.J. is an alumni of the National Film and Television School. Recently, he was nominated at the 2024 UKMVA for Best Cinematography in a Video (Newcomer) for his work on LIE TO ME. R.J’s cinematography also includes SEE IT, SAY IT, which competed at the 2024 BFI London Film Festival as part of the Short Film Award. His other works includes WATAMULA, which was nominated for the Golden Calves Award in the Netherlands and DO NOT FEED THE PIGEONS which won the BAFTA for Best British Short Animation in 2022.
Meet The Crew
More crew will be announced very soon
Fancy Joining?
"This story blew me away... something all of us can identify with."
"With every sentence, you were describing something I hadn't seen before."
The full story was selected to be pitched in front of an esteemed panel at Sundance London 2024.
If you would like to hear more on why people are responding this way, I have a full pitch deck, screenplay and budget breakdown available on request. I'm looking for brands, charities, producers and film enthusiasts to help bring this film to life.
Meet The Cast
We sifted through thousands of profiles and conducted dozens of live recalls before we were certain we’d found the perfect fit for the characters. Sometimes, like with these two, you know from the get go. From the first glance at their headshot, to the first frame of their tape, to the instant they walk into a live recall, it’s clear when an actor belongs in the world you’re creating.
Neizan Fernandez
'OLLIE'
Neizan’s previous roles include Officer Sandoval in NOW AND THEN on Apple TV, the character of Juan in Sky Docu Series IBIZA STORY, and AIRMAN WILLIS in HBO series CUANDO NADIE NOS VE. He is represented by The ID Agency.
Laurel Waghorn
'IDA'
Laurel’s previous roles include Virgina Otis in BBC Studio’s THE CANTERVILLE GHOST and Jay Richards in HOLBY CITY. She is a graduate from Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is represented by Independent Talent.
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