The ten-minute-long short film set is called King Henry, and tells the story of teachers at a secondary school playing catch up to the 21st Century as two teen boys are elected prom king and queen.

King Henry takes place in a rural town in Cornwall, which is vital to the story. Director Harry Faint says "Cornwall, like many rural communities, has connotations of tradition and is often misperceived as being behind the times, but this simply isn't the case. Queer lives are vibrant in Cornwall. The creative team behind King Henry believe more stories need to be told about queer lives in rural settings, and King Henry sets out to do that."

The story is a personal one for the Exeter-based director and is inspired by a true story from his own prom night, where he and his boyfriend were nominated as prom king and queen. 

12 years on, Harry is now a teacher at Exeter College and hosts the podcast Queer Reflections in which he interviews individuals about their experiences with LGBTQIA+ representation. He is also a regional ambassador for the charity It Gets Better UK.

King Henry has backing from Screen Cornwall and Sound/Image Lab at Falmouth University, but are seeking further funding due to the scale of the production and their ambitions. Via their Crowdfunder campaign, the team has already raised over £1,600. The campaign offers some exciting rewards, including the opportunity to appear on screen yourself as an extra, and runs until the 4th of April 2023.

The film will also be supporting the development of multiple artists and filmmakers in the southwest, such as students from the School of Film and Television Falmouth University, students from Exeter College, and various other cast and crew members.

The writer for the short film Natalys Willcox is also based in Falmouth after moving to Cornwall in 2016 to complete an MA in Film & Television at the University. 

Filming is due to take place over four days in late summer 2023 and the money raised will be put towards the cast, crew, art design, accommodation, travel, equipment, editing, grading, festivals, and beyond.

IT GETS BETTER UK testimonial:

"It Gets Better UK is part of the global It Gets Better Project which envisions a world where all LGBTQ+ youth are free to live equally and know their worthiness and power as individuals … King Henry embodies that vision, both through storytelling, but also powerfully sharing what it's like to be an LGBTQ+ youth, their journey of self-discovery and acceptance. We're proud to be connected to that powerful story."

You can find the Crowdfunder and a list of rewards for donating here: King Henry - a queer short film - a Film and Theatre crowdfunding project in Falmouth by Harry William (crowdfunder.co.uk)