PERSISTENCE
A father and a son trying to get home. A father and a son trying to find a home.
Coming out soon.
SYNOPSIS
Calais, Northern France.
Father and son Joe and Ivan are moored in a quiet marina, preparing for their return journey to the UK following a sailing trip.
Their peace is then shattered by the arrival of father and son Afran and Waleed, two Afghan men who board their boat and try to bribe their way across the Channel.
Following an ugly altercation Ivan is wounded and Joe is given an ultimatum by the pair – to take them across the Channel to the UK.
THE TEAM
Leo De Haan- Writer/Director/Editor
Barbara Maria Hauser Producer
Jackie Teboul - DOP
Becci Mapes - HMU
Jim Page
- co Editor
Kurban Kassam
- Exec Producer
Composer: Tim Lea Young
Casting Director: Mandy Steele
Associate Producer: Noah James
1st AD: Pratyusha Gupta
Picture Grade & Post: Technicolor London
Sound Design: Paul James
Aneirin Hughes in Persistence
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Leo De Haan on set/location
"The idea for Persistence came to me whilst on a mini sailing break in Europe with a group of individuals, all of whom came from different social backgrounds and the aftermath of a small but potentially life threatening accident out in the open sea. As the skipper had to make some quick decisions and tried to deal with the clash of personalities that ensued, I became aware of the inherent danger that lay either side of a wrong decision. The responsibility he held for the lives of those (including mine) on the vessel impacted on me.
I started asking myself what would I do as a novice sailor if I had to take control of a similar vessel? What if my own survival and other’s depended on it? What would I do? How would I navigate us home? And what if the skipper or other crew was critically injured and I had to take some drastic measures?
The clash of personalities I witnessed grew into an arena where I felt I could challenge an audience, by widening that clash into cultural and racial volatility. Bringing the refugee crisis into the debate I want to ask uncomfortable questions of the audience- yet root them in a story about two father and sons- a dynamic that resonates with us all, regardless of our social, moral or political leaning.
I don’t plan to make a political film by setting the story against the backdrop of something bigger than our own everyday lives- where we have no control, but I believe there is immense power in engaging, in making decisions, in questioning our sense of empathy. I believe that is a responsibility we all share."
- Leo DeHaan, Writer & Director
Persistence is due to be released very soon.
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