by Dov Kornits

“For me, filmmaking is about the community you build to tell your story,” says Brittany Frappell, whose affecting film When a Knight Jumps will premiere at Flickerfest. “The strength of the story you tell is the direct result of working with the people around you.

“This began when I started creatively collaborating with my brother [Liam Frappell, who co-produces with Brittany] and in order to tell this story, we had to facilitate our own community.”

When a Knight Jumps is a thought-provoking drama that sees socially conscious Charlie (Stephanie Di Giacomo) returning to the family home to meet with her grandfather (Danny Adcock) and other relatives. Haunting her and the whole situation is her twin brother Bobby (James Fraser, left with Brittany Frappell on set).

“My brother and I felt well-positioned to tell this story based on our shared personal experiences of family dynamics, and my personal experience working as a social worker in the mental health space,” Brittany says. “We wanted to share Bobby’s story to bring awareness to how many young adults lose their lives to suicide.

“Unfortunately, in Australia, youth suicide is still such a taboo and uncomfortable topic, and we still struggle as a society to have conversations about so many issues facing young people. We dedicate this film to Höpe and all the other fallen knights.”

Before embarking on When a Knight Jumps, Brittany had been focusing on writing. “I mostly dabbled in short stories and fiction,” she says. “I knew I wanted to tell stories about love, loss, and complex family dynamics.

“I was experimenting with how best to do that. I hadn’t had any experience making a short film, but a film mentor of mine encouraged me to make a short film with the ambition to one day turn it into a feature. I was inspired by the challenge and excited to explore a new form of storytelling.

“My mentor positioned the short film idea as a calling card: what subject do you want to tackle, what type of storyteller do you want to be, and what story are you dying to tell?

“The story I knew I wanted to share was the experience of supporting someone close to me in coming to terms with their childhood sexual trauma. And specifically, the denial and lack of compassionate support they faced from people unable to process the truth.

“I knew I had to be extremely sensitive when exploring these issues in a short film, so all the tension sits in the negative space of When a Knight Jumps. On the surface, it is a film about a wealthy family coming to terms with the loss of a family member, but sitting beneath discussions of money and tableware is a painful reality only one family member is ready to face.

“When a Knight Jumps shows us that through deep compassion and understanding, we have a simple pathway through complicated matters. To love is to forgive, and I think that is something we all need a little more of these days.

“We hope this film helps build more connections to life-saving conversations.”

Financed through an Australian Cultural Fund campaign, “personal favours, and a whole lot of hustling”, Brittany is looking forward to When a Knight Jumps’ premiere at Flickerfest. “I’ve been to Flickerfest as a crowd member wondering how the bloody hell people made such wonderful films,” she says. “It’s wonderful to be part of the filmmakers on screen and to have the opportunity to hear an audience respond to When a Knight Jumps.

“We are extremely grateful to Flickerfest for allowing us to have our world premiere with them. It’s a full-circle moment for many people who will attend the event on the night…”

Do tell…

“That’s a story that can only be told in the feature-length version of Bobby’s story.”

Watch this space!

When a Knight Jumps screens at the 34th Flickerfest International Short Film Festival, 17-26 January 2025

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