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  • Writer's pictureJames Bell

🎬 Our First Review!! 🎬

Updated: Oct 2, 2021

Our first review courtesy of The Pink Lens.


SHORT FILM. Birthday Boy

Starring: Sebastian Emmerson, Ted Reilly, Selma Alkaff, Hannah McIver, Jaina Brock.


Director: Leo Lebeau.


Transgender teen Alex struggles to express himself in real life. Attending a private all-girls school, he feels the pressure to conform to ensure he doesn’t lose his scholarship, but he’s being viciously bullied by a group of girls. He only feels like he can be himself in an online game, but when his birthday comes around, the bullying steps up a gear.


A moving and realistic short that highlights the continuing transphobia in schools, it also puts single-sex schools under the microscope: places that can be be so unsafe for trans teens. The culture of the school has allowed this cruel victimisation to take place, which we hear through off-screen voices of teachers propagating opposition to Alex’s gender identity.


Sebastian Emmerson gives a strong central performance as the lead, but as his friendship builds with a boy from another school, this is not all doom and gloom, finding within itself a glimmer of hope.


Filmed with subtlety and restraint, this is a nuanced short that takes on a journey of self-awakening with a likeable and compelling character.


-----------------------



Kougar Media presents




in association with




The National Film and Television School




BIRTHDAY BOY




Directed by



Leo Lebeau




Written and Produced by



James Bell & Leo Lebeau




Alex



Sebastian Emmerson




Elle-Louise



Selma Alkaff




Henry



Ted Reilly




Grace - Katie Pattinson




Robert - Paul Keating




Emma - Hannah McIver




Sara - Jaina Brock




Charlotte - Bex Hainsworth




Headmistress - Venetia Hawkes




Miss Heron - Maxine Heron




Miss McMahon - Cheyenne Desouza




Director of Photography



Michael Filocamo




Production Designer



Ellen Beaufoy




Editor



Will Winfield




Casting Director



Sharon Sorrentino




Costume Designer



Simon Ekrelius




Composer



Saul Bragman




Sound Designer



Adam Shuttleworth




Associate Producers



Adrian Mani



Remi Rana Allen



Colin Merry




Line Producer



Emanuela Borruso




1st Assistant Director



Jonay Sevillano Regalado




2nd Assistant Director



Mireia G. Dalmau




3rd Assistant Director



Mathilde Levesque




1st Assistant Camera



Tonino Petruzzellis Senor




2nd Assistant Camera



Beatrice Dagama



Bernat Bonaventura



Camilla Valli




Steadicam Operator



Beaumont V G Pritchard-James




Gaffer



Evance Bretuil




Sparks



Baptise Congard



Junior Day




Production Sound Mixer



Sam Jenkins




Sound Mixer & 1st Assistant Sound



Griff Miles




2nd Assistant Sound



Jake Hickey



Luise Guertler




Script Supervisor



Michaela Minciotti




Hair & Make-up



Lily Hart



Tegan Thewlis



Maddy McNerney



Danielle Sambrook




Costume Assistant



Finley Lucas




Art Director



Benjamyn Lyall




Art Assistant



Eleanor Dolan




Stills Photographer



Alfio Sambataro




Additional Stills



Breanne Krause




Production Coordinator



Fabiana Tesauro




Production Assistants



Holly Androlia



Grace Nicholls



Ivonne Gofre



Pia Kauser



Sarah Barron



Rachel Carr



Charlie Sexton



Oscar Luckin



Harrison Benett



Felix Cole




Stunt Coordinator



Benjamin Farry




Lead Compositor



Jonas Almeida




Digital Compositor



Claus Pacheco




Colourist & Online Editor



Marco Valerio Caminiti




Editing Consultant



Paulo Pandolpho




Credits Illustrations



James Bell




Motion GFX Artist



Olga Gunderich




Motion GFX Animator



Benjamyn Lyall




Violin



Natalia Tsupryk




Sound Post Production by



[[2pt5]]




Supporting Artists




Anushka Samarasingh




Ash Wu




Ayumi Fuller




Becky Chan-Lok




Cairo Nevitt




Cezar Sirbu




Daniel King




Ewelina Dziedzic




Faith Kiggundu




Faris Khan




Gabriella Chly




Grace Albert




Grace Nicholls




Hannah Omisore




Jason Kwan




Jenny Kuznetsova




Jorge Fernandes




Kurtis Huke




Leah Glater




Leoni L.




Maya Barter




Nathan Trotman




Nia Campbell




Olivia Sirley




Paige Windsor




Rachel Howard




Rajaul Hoque




Stella Segalerba




Talia K





Thank you to our generous backers




Aaron DaBell




Addie Gardiner




Alison Bender




Barnaby Forrest Royce




Becki Shepperson




Benjamin Griggs




Bernadette Shipley




Bhavna Patel




Chris Allen




Daniel Chowdhury




David Bailey




Gabrielle Cooper




Ilhan Hartigan




James Gardner




Jane Bell




Jessica McLean




John Boyle




John Brock




Jordan Hoxsie




Joseph Jackson




Lee Bierman




Lee Thompson




Lisa Changadveja




Mariam Kauser




Matteo Durgin Paint Forge




Noémie Scheidegger




Oliver Astbury




Phil Reilly




Regina M Prestefelippe




Samy Soussi




Steve William Laible




Venetia Hawkes




Xavier Segers




Yam Yadlin




Zara Richardson





and all of our Kickstarter backers!





Special thanks




Ash Wu




Asher Tlalim




BAFTA & Prince William Scholarship




Balint Csaki




Beaconsfield Film Society




Ben Hunte




Bhargav Patel




Cambell Kenneford




Cut & Cork Ltd




Davenies School




Hall Barn Estates




Hugo Hernandez




Ingrid Miller




Linda Shire




Loro Esteso




Michael Pearce




Mika Simmons




Olympia Christofinis




Panalux




Rose Harvey




Ruanth Chrisley Thyssen




Sargent-Disc Scholarship




Scott Miles




Shoutout LGBT radio




Slavica Rockov




Steff Barnett




Stella Whalley




Steve Smith




The Apple Tree & Bohemia Films




Warner Bros Creative Talent




Xavier Segers





In loving memory of Emma Bender





‘Daughter’ performed by Ryan Cassata courtesy of BMI





A National Film & Television School




Bridge to Industry film







supported by Kickstarter







for The National Film & Television School




Executive Producers




JON WARDLE




VENETIA HAWKES






NFTS





BIRTHDAY BOY





© KOUGAR MEDIA

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