11-09-2023 3:32pm

The British Short Film Awards: "DOG RUN" Directed by Lorna Nickson Brown starring Sid Phoenix and Paula Wharton

Anita Johnson-Brown Editor

The British Short Film Awards: "DOG RUN" is Written and Directed by Lorna Nickson Brown, a Narrative, Short, filmed in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, UK, Produced by Dom Riley. The film has a running time of 23 minutes.

The movie Dog Run is centered around a silent man who is lifted out of a life of exploitation through a surprising bond with the guard dog, Sabre, and the healing power of nature.

In this film, We meet Jan played by Sid Phoenix, outside a busy soup kitchen on a cold December night in Wolverhampton, UK. Homeless and with no support networks, Jan is alcohol-dependent and is quickly spotted by May, a local gangmaster. She entices him with the offer of work and takes him to a small-holding in rural Wolverhampton. He wakes early next morning in a dilapidated caravan as someone bangs loudly on the door.

Jan is quickly thrown into a relentless cycle of hard labor - grueling 12-hour shifts, paving the driveways of oblivious Brits in return for basic food, shelter, and alcohol. Jan sees the world through an alcohol-induced haze. When he resurfaces, he is battered down physically and mentally by Paula Wharton cast as May. Despite his unhappiness, Jan feels dependent on May for somewhere to live and for alcohol.

As the story unfolds, Jan’s trajectory takes a new turn because of his relationship with Sabre, a dog chained outside his caravan. Kept purely as a guard dog by May and chained to a metal pole, Sabre spends his days continuously running in small circles of his shit.

Sabre is a large Alsatian and, at first, appears aggressive and threatening toward Jan. Constantly barking, he is furious with the tiny space he inhabits in the dog run and he longs to be set free. Jan respects Sabre’s instinctive need for freedom despite his confinement. In turn, Sabre shows Jan a gentleness he has never experienced before.

As the film progresses, Jan starts to view Sabre as a friend – as an equal rather than an inferior species. Through his bond with Sabre, Jan awakens to the world around him, finding great beauty and meaning in the natural world, in the cyclical changes of the seasons and the natural elements surrounding him. The film charts Jan’s time in servitude over a year. When May threatens to shoot Sabre with her shotgun, Jan sets Sabre free but it is Sabre who ultimately inspires Jan to walk to freedom at the end of the film after May shockingly falls to her death, slipping on one of Sabre’s strategically deposited shits. Sabre leads Jan away from the caravan site along a winding road, Jan trailing two paces behind.

Paula Wharton, known for her roles in Peaky Blinders and Coronation Street, won Best Supporting Actress for her performance as 'May' in Dog Run.

Sid Phoenix, Sid spent most of his childhood in Brazil but also lived in several other countries including Kenya, Uganda, Istanbul, and Paris. He returned to London in 2007 to study acting. Sid's performance as World War I poet Siegfried Sassoon in THE BURYING PARTY earned him a New York Film Award.

Lorna Nickson Brown is a talented emerging filmmaker in the British creative industries. She was chosen by Creative England as one of the ten promising female filmmakers. Lorna directed the BFI short film, NED & ME, which was released in 2020 and can be viewed on Amazon Prime via ShortsTV. Mike Leigh, a renowned filmmaker, described the film as 'beautifully directed'. It was selected for the 2021 International Competition at the Oscar-qualifying Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival. Lorna's next short film, DOG RUN, was filmed in Wolverhampton, UK, over a year ago. She's a member of BAFTA Connect and is represented by Carly Peters at United Agents.

This film highlights unbreakable bonds, love, and the right to freedom. The cast did an outstanding job portraying their characters. However, I wish it were a feature film.

-Anita Johnson-Brown