When a compassionate helpline counsellor begins to grow concerned for the safety of one of her clients, she’s forced to decide whether to trust her instincts or follow protocol. Safe is a tense, quietly powerful drama about the weight of responsibility and the courage it takes to listen.
Get to know the filmmaker:
hat motivated you to make this film?
Honestly it started with the concept of showcasing our lead actress (Kelsey Cooke) and her talent – holding the audience attention and emotions as the sole person on-screen (supported by some incredible voice actors of course). Once we had the concept and decided how to approach it thematically, it became all about bringing authenticity to such a heavy topic and trying to do so in a way that did not feel exploitative but felt, informative and considered. I wrote the film alongside Kelsey Cooke who brought such depth to everything that we did.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
We had the concept in November 2024, but commitments on other projects meant we agreed to only start working on it at the end of January 2025. We wrote between February and March, applied for the Arts Council of the Isle of Man Short Film Fund and were awarded that in April. Location scouting on the isle took place shortly after with production in June and post production in July-August.
How would you describe your film in two words!?
That’s tough – and I think all of us will have different words for it but for me as director it would be: Vulnerable. Honest.
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