British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

Stephen

Synopsis

Ste Giddings grew up with addictions in himself and those around him. At 26 he was giving up on life. STEPHEN is a film-within-a-film that combines narrative fiction with real-life observation and archive material. It takes us on intimate journeys into two characters as Ste auditions for and takes on a role in a fiction film. Produced with a mixed cast of people in addiction/recovery alongside four professional actors, the film presents alternative perspectives on urgent social questions including alcohol/drug misuse, gambling and mental health. As fiction merges with reality the separation between person, actor and character at times dissolves.
Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2023 - World premiere

Details

Year
2023
Type of project
Features
Running time
78 min
Format
4K Video
Director
Melanie Manchot 1st Feature
Producer
Elena Hill
Co-Producer
Melanie Manchot
Executive Producer
Solon Papadopoulos
Editor
Graeme Hanks, Liza Ryan-Carter
Screenwriter
Leigh Campbell
Director of Photography
Andrew Schonfelder
Production Designer
Stephanie O'Hara
Sound
Phil Hartley
Composer
Forest Swords
Principal cast
Stephen Giddings, Michelle Collins, Paislie Reid, Kent Riley, Michael Starke
Trailer password
Stephen

Genre

Experimental Woman Director Drama

Categories

Fiction Documentary Artist Project and Video / Experimental

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

STEPHEN Film Ltd

Melanie Manchot & Elena Hill
33 Dunloe Street
London
E2 8JR

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

A man stood on a chair wipes water vapour with his hand off the glass cover of a memorial board in a stone brick chapel. Adlais

Director: Alex Darby, George Leith, Sophie Mei Birkin

Year: 2026

Adlais (Echo) weaves Welsh language folklore and histories through their shared subjects of poetry and drowning – and asks whether we’re listening to the past as it surfaces today.

Climate / Environment Experimental History Welsh Woman Director
Ella-Rae Smith (Sofia) in Aurora Aurora

Director: Rita Osei

Year: 2003

Aurora, a perimenopausal vampire, is on a quest to kill a habit that won't die!

Black Drama Horror
A Talent For Murder A Talent For Murder

Director: Anton Corbijn

Year: 2026

A mysterious young man from a New York publisher is sent to Switzerland to persuade the renowned writer Patricia Highsmith to write one final instalment of the Ripley anthology. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2026 - World Premiere

Thriller