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

Production Status

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.

See also

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

A pair of brown walking boots with red laces, tied to the back of a rucksack. Booted

Director: Amy Sparkes

Year: 2026

A parent’s message to their child, narrated while remembering the course of their life via the medium of their footwear... Love, Loss, and Walking Boots.

Now AGAIN - Part Three Now AGAIN - Part Three

Director: Richard Philpott

Year: 2027

NOW AGAIN is the first filmic interpretation of Marcel Proust's entire novel 'À la recherche du temps perdu'. Part Two encompasses the volumes of SODOM & GOMORRAH. Filmmaker Richard Philpott stretches narrative form into rich and varied experimental territories, providing a visual feast and sonic immersion, using AI and unique digital production techniques, to reveal the vast panoramic structure of Proust's great masterwork and provide a 21st century foundation for this timeless 20th century epic.

A man standing at garage door, looking forlorn. Can't Get You Out Of My Head

Director: Angela Clarke

Year: 2026

Imagine hearing your own body: eyes scratching, blood rushing, bones creaking, your heartbeat pounding endlessly. For most, it’s unthinkable. For Dave, it’s daily life. Since 2000, he has lived with Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence Syndrome (SCDS), a rare disorder that turns his body into an echo chamber. This immersive short documentary draws viewers into Dave’s sonic reality through raw narration, stark black-and-white imagery, and an unsettling soundscape. As he recounts years of misdiagnosis and disbelief, the film explores resilience and isolation, ultimately asking why we doubt invisible pain and how empathy begins by truly listening to what we cannot see.