Scene 1
1INT. BEDROOM, EARLY MORNING
James is asleep in his bed at the room at the top of the house. Suddenly the door handle is pushed up and down, but the door is locked. A woman’s voice is heard.
See the typed page
Short drama, 2008
James
Writer, director, producer: Connor Clements
Watch the film
The complete film. It plays from YouTube only when you press play.Watch on YouTube
The film
Raised in a house of secrets, James decides to tell one of his own.
James has grown up in a family that buries its secrets. Lonely and withdrawn, he is drawn to one of his teachers, the one person he believes might understand him, and begins to wonder what would happen if he told someone the truth about himself.
Written in 2006–07 and shot in July 2007. World premiere at the Belfast Film Festival, 1 April 2008.
Festivals and awards
- 2009Sundance Film Festival, Official Selection
- 2009Sundance 10/10, One of ten festival shorts free to download on iTunes during the festival
- 2008Cannes Film Festival, Short Film Corner
- 2008Belfast Film Festival, Skillset Award, Best Northern Irish Film
- 2008Iris Prize Festival, Cardiff, Skillset Best UK Short
- 2008Palm Springs International ShortFest, Jury Award, Best Student Short (live action, over 15 minutes)
All 23 awards
- 2008St. Louis International Film Festival, Best International Short
- 2008Palm Springs International ShortFest, Best Student Cinematography, second place
- 2008Galway Film Fleadh, Best First Irish Short, second place
- 2008GAZE Dublin International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, Best Short
- 2008Cork Film Festival, Outlook Award, Best LGBT Short Film
- 2008Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Award of Merit
- 2009Mexico International Film Festival, Bronze Palm
- 2009NYC Downtown Short Film Festival, Best Foreign Film
- 2009Honolulu International Film Festival, Gold Kahuna Award
- 2009Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival, Best Short Film
- 2009Breckenridge Film Festival, Best GLBT Short
- 2009Breckenridge Film Festival, Audience Award
- 2009UK National Student Film Festival, Best Drama
- 2009UK National Student Film Festival, Grand Jury Award
- 2009Fort Worth International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Best Short (Male)
- 2009Cineslam, Vermont, Chessie Award, Best Short Film
- 2009Barcelona International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Best Short
- 2009Image+Nation, Montreal, Jury Prize, Best Short
- 2009Grand OFF, Warsaw, Scriptwriting award
- 2010Coming of Age Movie Awards, Best Short
Sundance 2009
James, Shorts Program IV
In January 2009 James was an Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. It screened in Shorts Program IV, one of eight films in a programme that included Next Floor by Denis Villeneuve, Short Term 12 by Destin Daniel Cretton and Sparks by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
- The Attack of the Robots from Nebula-5Directed by Chema García Ibarra
- ChoicesDirected by Rashaad Ernesto Green
- JamesDirected by Connor Clements
- Next FloorDirected by Denis Villeneuve
- Our Neck of the WoodsDirected by Rob Connolly
- Short Term 12Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
- SparksDirected by Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Screenings and the programme in the archiveThe 2009 Sundance Film Festival catalogue, page 66 (Scribd)
Director’s statement
I don’t feel that James is so much a coming-out story; instead I feel it examines the secrets people have. Every character has deep internal conflict. James recognises through his parents that excessive secrecy is a source of conflict, and is the only character willing to share his secret. His newfound openness also drives him to confront his desires, in spite of potentially dangerous consequences.
I intend for the film to be naturalistic in its look, in that it will represent a world we are familiar with, and formal in its style, with the story defining the type of shots used.
From page to screen
Four scenes as they were written in June 2007, as they were storyboarded before the shoot, and as they appear in the finished film.
Scene 12
12INT. CAR
James is sitting quietly whilst his mother is driving. She is angry with him. He is agitated.
See the typed page
Scene 15
15INT. BEDROOM, LATE NIGHT
He suddenly wakes up when he hears raised voices coming from downstairs. He slowly opens his door and sits out of sight at the top of the stairs. He can’t make out exactly what is being said but sometimes overhears occasional words.
See the typed page
Scene 18
18EXT. PLAYING FIELDS
He walks to the top of the playing fields. There is no-one around. He sits down on the grass and looks down at the school. He closes his eyes for a moment, sighs and gets up. He then walks slowly down the hill again.
See the typed page
More storyboards, the schedule and the Sundance postcard in the archive
Reviews
“The most emotionally powerful film of this year’s lineup.”
“Handled the extremely sensitive and emotive subject with care, skill and style.”
“A highly cinematic slow burning character film.”
Stills
Credits
Cast
- James
- Niall Wright
- The teacher
- Matthew Jennings
- Mother
- Margaret Goodman
- Father
- Gerry Doherty
- The man
- Louis Rolston
Crew
- Written and directed by
- Connor Clements
- Produced by
- Connor Clements
- Director of photography
- Declan Keeney
- Editor
- Kevin McDonald
- Music
- Kasia Middleton
- Location sound
- Will McConnell
- Camera assistant
- Martin Bolton
- First assistant director
- Paul Best
- Post-production sound
- David Briggs, Stone Circle Studios
- “A Bunch of Thyme” performed by
- Banbridge Academy Girls Choir
Next
The Part We Played
Feature drama, in development
Northern Ireland, the early 2000s. A young film student who has yet to make a film of his own falls for an older concert pianist, and for a world of music, grand hotels and Italian lakes he has only ever seen on screen.