Mate Britain follows two good friends lost in suburbia as they contemplate the joys of life after university in post-Brexit Britain.

Interview with Writer/Director Afshin Rohani

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

This film was born out of a personal desire to tell the story of young people in Britain.

The scenes are based on real situations that highlight isolation, lack of opportunity and the hysteria surrounding uncertain social and political times.

After sharing the script with a few close friends (to my shock) they believed in the project so we took what equipment we had and went out and shot it in 2.5 days, our amazing talent found themselves in the roles and were eager to bring them to life on screen.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

This is a fun yet purposeful look at youth culture today, whether you are young or old your outlook will be challenged.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Essentially this is a reflection on friendship yet in examining the role of a good mate it taps into a whole range of emotions to do with self-worth, self-care and belonging.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

My problem was that there so many points of views to tell and layers to the issues that I wanted to include much more. I decided to strip things down both out of necessity and not to over complicate things.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

People seem to want a longer piece that continues the characters' journeys. It's funny all you seem to focus on are the imperfections of the final product especially because it was only produced in a couple of days with next to no budget but people really like real stories. That's been the most encouraging part so far.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I didn't think I could write screen fiction before – I'm now considering working on more short stories.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

We want to find other passionate and like-minded creatives who are sharing projects that challenge the status quo both in their work and the way they are approaching traditional filmmaking models.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I'm looking to share this project at more festivals and to speak to more media outlets to create discussions around the film's themes.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

Audiences see themselves in the characters and continue the conversation when they get home.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Do we do enough to prepare young people for working life?

Interview: April 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Mate Britain

Mate Britain follows two good friends lost in suburbia as they contemplate the joys of life after university in post-Brexit Britain.

Length: 12:40

Director: Afshin Rohani

Writer: Afshin Rohani

About the writer, director and producer:

AFSHIN ROHANI is a filmmaker based in London previously he has been involved in using film to campaign for human rights and is a keen advocate of collaborative and disruptive approaches to documentary filmmaking. He is also currently exploring short narrative pieces.

Key cast: Leah Cunard (Actress), Bilawal Atta (Actor), Fayez Bakhsh (Actor), Meera Ganatra (Actress)

Facebook: Flee

Twitter: @MediaMakesUs

Instagram: @mediamakesus

Hashtags used: #MateBritain

Website: flee.life/matebritain

Funders: Self-funded.

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Coming to UK film festivals this year.