How to Cope with Oliver Pope is the – not entirely untrue but for legal reasons definitely not based on anyone in particular – story of spouses Hannah and Jessica who kidnap and torture their local MP in the hope of changing his ways after he opposed an up-skirting bill and many other progressive bills in parliament!

On their way home from a night out, spouses Hannah and Jessica are up-skirted by a group of men on a night bus. When Hannah confronts the men they become aggressive and demand the women perform sexual acts on the bus for their pleasure. When the couple resists, a fight breaks out and the group beat the women black and blue.

This is the final straw for Hannah and Jessica as it was their local MP, Sir Oliver Pope, who blocked the anti up - skirting bill in parliament that would have protected them only weeks prior to the incident. The couple decide that enough is enough and something needs to be done, so they hatch a plan to kidnap and torture Oliver and show him the error of his ways...by any means necessary.

It's a gritty dark-comedy thriller, think The Heat (2011) meets Black Mirror and Atomic Blonde in a guerrilla style. 

After reading Tom's original script for my theatre company's The Millennials show, the story hit a cord, as I too had seen the horrific attack on the London bus in the news and had only recently been told by a close friend of her encounter with sexual assault on the London underground. I knew then that this was a story that had to be told not only on stage but on screen as well, to reach a wider audience and raise awareness, as this issue has slipped from mainstream media somewhat in recent times and it's important to re-light that fire!

There is a battle between two very different worlds in this film and neither is the 'good' or 'bad' guy. Each one makes you question your loyalty to the other characters and question your own morals at the same time. We hope to shine a light on the shortcomings in our society and make others take action to make our world a better and more understanding place.

This short was originally written for stage after being selected for the Battle of Perspectives themed new writing night with Black Cat Theatre at The Pleasance. At the time there was a lot of outrage surrounding the assault of two women on a London night bus, and I remember vividly the photo of the girls, faces covered in blood and in utter shock. At the same time I was reading up on one particular Conservative MP, who had voted against making up-skirting a criminal offence. The sheer extremes of perspectives from experience made writing an encounter between the two parties incredibly exciting. Seeing the response from the crowd made the decision to adapt it to the screen an easy one, and I can’t wait to share this thought-provoking piece with a wider audience.

Alex is an award-winning director and filmmaker. His films have been selected at numerous film festivals around the world and one was selected to screen on the prestigious Short Film Show on Sky. He has also had the privilege to work with the fight team from Vikings (Amazon) on one of his medieval action films, which went on to critical acclaim. 

Rupert is a London-based actor whose career so far has spanned film, television and theatre. Recent credits include Far Away at the Donmar Warehouse and the upcoming Netflix drama Anatomy of a Scandal. He is also a fully qualified Reiki Master and teacher.

Devora Wilde is an actress and producer, who grew up in the UK after being born in Bulgaria. After kick-starting her career with a small role in Ron Howard's Rush, she can now be seen across many shows including sci-fi series Pandora (The CW), Channel 4 favourite Hollyoaks, as well as in feature film The Dare (Lionsgate). She also voices a number of high-profile video games including the hotly-anticipated Baldur's Gate III (Larian Studios).

Julie graduated from the Guildford School of Acting and has since appeared in NBC Universal's Brave New World TV show, award-winning feature film Chasing Shadows and the award-winning and poignant campaign for The Samaritans. 

Tom graduated as an Actor from the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2015. Since then he has taken his writing to the London Fringe, Off-West End, Edinburgh Fringe and New York City.

James is an experienced producer and has recently produced the multi award-winning feature film Homeless Ashes, which premiered at the prestigious Raindance Film Festival. 

Danica is a producer and co-founder of theatre company Wonderbox. With Wonderbox, she has produced and developed a series of feminist theatre pieces, including A Womb of One's Own, (Trying out new) Material Girl and FFS! (Feminist Fable Series). All of these pieces have used comedy to shine a light on the social imperfections many women still face in society. A Womb of One's Own headlined the Playmill Festival at the King’s Head Theatre in 2018 and was supported by the coveted Charlie Hartill Special Reserve Fund at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019.

Jan Willem de With is an award-winning German-Dutch film composer, producer and musician based in London. His collaborations have led to work in locations such as Abbey Road Studios London, Air-Edel Studio London and Smecky Prague Studios. In 2016 he received the German Film Music Award for his music to the animation film Little Infinity.

The health and safety of our cast and crew is essential and, given the ongoing pandemic, we will consult with a COVID-19 supervisor and follow the appropriate government COVID-19 guidance for film crews to ensure that our set will be a safe and hygienic space for everyone.

Remember to press "Get this reward" under each perk if you want a perk rather than donating in the box at the top! 

£10 - Get a shoutout on the platform of your choice! 

£25 - See the film first. A digital copy of the film will be sent out before it is available online.

£50 - Signed copy of the script + see the film!

£75 - “Thank you” in the end credits of the film and on IMDb. Also receive a digital copy of the film. 

£90 - Reiki with Rupert! Rupert Fawcett or as we know him, Sir Oliver Pope MP, is a licensed Reiki practitioner and is offering an exclusive experience for 1 lucky backer! You will receive a 60 minute zoom or in person (in Hounslow) Reiki session with Rupert!

£95 - The voice of an angel! Devora Wilde is an experienced voiceover actress and has kindly offered a 1-2-1 voice over coaching session for one lucky backer! The session will last 60 minutes and can cover any aspect of voiceover work you would like.

£100 - Red carpet, baby! Invite for two to the red carpet premiere of the film (when Covid restrictions allow) You also get a social media shoutout.

£100 - Music lesson with Jan. Meet our composer and receive a 60 minute composition / music theory / music supervision lesson via Zoom/Skype. Expand your musical knowledge and receive individual feedback on your music / film project and get an insight “behind the scenes” of how Jan works in his studio.

£200 - The Hans Zimmer. Our wonderful composer Jan Willem De With will compose a short jingle just for you. Jan will compose a 30-60 second personalised composition just for you! If you have any ideas just let him know!

£250 - Professional headshot photography session with Alex Dobb Photography. Five edited headshots from a 90 minute shoot. Digital copy of the film. 

£300 - The Tarantino. Tarantino loves a cameo! We have a few cameo roles available so if you have always wanted to be immortalised on screen then this is for you! No acting experience required!

£500 - This is the big one, Executive producer slate on the films end credits and on IMDb. Social media shoutout, invite for two to the premiere AND the director will take you for tea and cakes at an exclusive location in London or Oxfordshire!

* By donating you agree to us using your name in our social media to say thank you to you!

*Screening tickets are for a screening that will take place in London, once the film is completed and government restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are lifted.