STORY

Following the death of her wife, Ruth encounters a fearless swimmer, Sam, who pushes her to confront her pain and rediscover the joy of living.

But what is it really about?

Float is about the isolating fog of grief and the often common desire to do something extreme in response to such pain... but really, it tends to be the tiny moments, the shortest conversations and the briefest of friendships that end up rescuing us and dragging us back to the land of the living. 

Ruth believes that swimming the English Channel will jolt her back to life but it's Sam's, somewhat annoying, persistence to connect that ends up being the thing that saves her.

Don't worry, it's not all dark and dreary. Sam is beautifully blunt and savage in her assessment of Ruth's situation, forcing humour into an area it rarely goes. 

Jess with more:

VIBES

Float is about grief, yes, but it is mainly about re-awakening. 

It's a life-affirming film about our need and want to make human connections. And, even in times of deep sadness, our will to keep living, keep pushing, keep trying. 

Sometimes all we need is a nudge in the right direction from a friendly stranger. 

That's why our reference films have a little sadness and a little joy - Wild, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, and Peanut Butter Falcon... Films that have protagonists going to great lengths to feel again. 

Sam crashes into Ruth's life like a shock of cold water to the face - harsh but ultimately helpful. 

A reminder to us all to grab by the whatsits and keep living! 

THE PEOPLE

WRITER & DIRECTOR - JESS DOWSE

Jess is a self-taught filmmaker from Yorkshire, UK. She’s been making atmospheric films all over the world for the last 10 years. In that time, she's filmed LOTS of open-water swimming and loves nothing more than being in or on the sea telling stories. 

Her debut short film ‘My Condolences To Your Future Lovers’ was released in 2022 after playing at several BAFTA qualifying festivals in the UK. 

Jess aims to tell inclusive stories that centre around complex women. She also always endeavours to share her passion for the outdoors, social change, and Northern humour.

PRODUCER - REPHAEL DAGAN

Rephael has extensive experience producing in (short) films and advertising. He aims to voice minority groups in his work. "A Piece of Us", an indigenous film, won many awards on the international film festival circuit.

PRODUCER - LUCY VINCE

Lucy is a creative video producer with over 10 years of experience. Lucy puts storytelling at the heart of her work. She has created films for some of the world’s leading brands and her award-winning documentary shorts have propelled stories into the public eye. An organisational queen, she is used to running busy schedules across ever-changing projects and managing large-scale crews.

DOP - JACK WORRALL

Jack is an award-winning DP, who has ample years of experience shooting shorts, fashion films, music videos and commercials. His recent film, The Forfeit, was nominated for Best Cinematography at the Kino Short Film Awards - so he's a talented fella. But he's also great vibes on set and has a marvelous beard - which is important on long shoot days!  

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Our great cast and crew bring vast experience from across the industry, many having worked on international award-winning films and TV shows. A lot of us have also worked together several times, making life on set like a little family. 

We've got some ace extras too... most of whom have actually swam the English Channel!

WHAT'S THE MONEY FOR?

We have a shoot date (End of Oct), we have our cast, most of our crew and an all-important caterer, we just need a little money to help with a few more things: 

£800 = Essential: Travel

£1250 = Finesse: Post Production

£2000 = Excel: 1st AD

Reph's statement:

CHEERS!

Thanks so much for giving our page a view!

Hopefully, you will be able to give us a donation but if not, we would really appreciate a shout-out on socials so we can try to reach as many people as possible. 

Thanks for your time. 

Big love, 

Jess and all the team