Set between the sandstone colleges of Oxford and the salt-encrusted Suffolk coast, Breakwater follows the tentative romance between university student, Otto, and retired angler, John. Their lives fuse irreversibly over the shared trauma of losing a loved one, however, their relationship darkens when the past exhumes itself in the form of guilt, grief, and ghosts.

Breakwater is Oxford University's second ever feature film, with 2022 marking the 40th anniversary of Privileged, the 1982 film by Oxford undergraduates that launched the Hollywood careers of Hugh Grant, Andy Paterson, Mike Hoffman, Mark Williams, Imogen Stubbs and others. Our project is kindly being supported by Andy, Mike and other members of the Privileged crew, as well as successful filmmaking alumni from the University such as Rupert Wainwright and members of the University itself such as Lord Neil Mendoza, who is also OUFF's Senior Tutor.

DANIEL MCNAMEE

OTTO

SHAUN PAUL MCGRATH

JOHN

Film Still

WILL GAO

MATT

AGNES HALLADAY

LUCY

NOAH RADCLIFFE ADAMS

TOM

JAMIE PULLEY

PETE

TESS GUSTARD

LOUISE

March - April 2023

Production

We've been quite busy since our fundraiser closed in December. In February we hosted a Breakwater gala and art auction in Oriel Hall, featuring work by Maggi Hambling, Jonathan Hooper, Steven Appleby and a range of pieces by other professional and student artists. It was a wonderful evening featuring a live performance of the score (composed by Isabella Simpson and Alessandro McKinnon-Botti), and we raised just under £9,000 for the film.
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In tandem with our fundraising process, we had countless production meetings to organise accommodation, catering and transport for the cast and crew. We also finalised our shooting locations with several location scouts to our coastal locations over February, with the camera team also paying several visits to oxford. On the creative side of the process, we rehearsed the script in full - either over zoom or in person with a camera - to ensure full familiarity with the plot and explore interpretations before arriving on set.
Behind the scenes
June - August 2023

Post

Now that we have wrapped on shooting, we are progressing onto the next stage of making Breakwater - the editing and post-production process. The process will last several months, while we perfect the look, sound and overall impression of the film. This will include overlaying our original Breakwater score onto the beautiful visual footage we have obtained over the past few weeks. By the end of the process, we will be able to present Breakwater to audiences in its final form.
28 February 2025

Cast and Crew Screening

On February 28th 2025 we held a private screening of Breakwater for our cast and crew.

It was very special to screen at the stunning Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford, where we first announced Breakwater three years ago in November 2022.
Breakwater Oxford Screening
23 - 24 June 2025

World Premiere at the 33rd Raindance Film Festival

We are delighted to announce that Breakwater will receive its world premiere at the prestigious 33rd Raindance Film Festival this June in London.

Raindance is the biggest independent film festival in the UK, so we are thrilled to be a part of this fantastic celebration of independent film and creativity.

We will be playing at Vue Piccadilly at 6:30pm on Monday 23rd June and 12:00pm on Tuesday 24th. You can find the link to tickets here: Breakwater | 33rd Raindance Film Festival
Breakwater official poster

HODS

Writer/Director: Max Morgan
Producer: Jemima Chen
CFO: Minna Moody-Stuart
Director of Photography: Evan Bridges
Head of Post-Production: Cenk Bysan
Editors: Talia Caouki
In association with Boxclever Media
Editors: Luke White, Ed White
In association with The Developing Room
Head of Marketing (Press + Publicity): Mia Wu
Head of Marketing (Distribution + Festivals): James Newbery
Head of Marketing (Events + Fundraising): Anya Biletsky
Head Legal Advisor: Esme Briggs
Score Composers: Bella Simpson, Alessandro Mackinnon-Botti
Executive Producers: Daniel Gordon, Lord Neil Mendoza, Maria Aries
DoP: Evan Bridges
Head of Post-Production: Talia Caouki
Editor: William Pope
Editing Team: Charley Archer, Lucas Ipkendanz, Faith Wong
Sound Designer: Matt Pope
Head of Marketing (Press + Publicity): Mia Wu
Head of Marketing (Distribution + Festivals): James Newbery
Head of Marketing (Events + Fundraising): Anya Biletsky
Head of Legal: Esme Briggs
Composers: Bella Simpson and Alessandro Mackinnon-Botti

SHOOT CREW

1st AD: Sanaa Estibal
Script Supervisor: Noa Szatmári
Location Managers: Henry Ferrabee, AJ Culpepper-Wehr
Production Manager and Associate Producer: Emma Earnshaw
Production Designer: Zoe Heimann
Art Assistant: Ellie Moriuchi
Costume Designers: Sophia Kapsalis, Shaan Sidhu
Wardrobe and Costume Designer for Matt, Otto and Helen: Sarah Barker and L.U.F.A.L Studio Mode
Assisted by Luke Barker
Hair and Makeup Artist: Ella Maggs
Assistant Hair and Makeup Artist: Mia Beechey

ASSISTANT PRODUCERS

Dylan Maggs
Zoe Heimann
Helena Aeberli

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

Darcey Willing
Tom Fraser
Monica Laudini

CAMERA DEPARTMENT

Steadicam Operator: Ben Carrier
Underwater Camera Operator: Matthew Ham
1st Assistant Camera (Suffolk): Anca Radu, Nitzan Baybus
1st Assistant Camera (Oxford): Jonathan “Jongy” Tam
2nd Assistant Camera (Suffolk): Margarida Gaspar, Ayush Singh
2nd Assistant Camera (Oxford): Mathilda Kenny

LIGHTING DEPARTMENT

Gaffer: Jack Curtis
Floor Electrician: Lucas Ipkendanz, Hetty Hair
Floor Electrician (Dailies): Jo Savage

SOUND RECORDISTS

Faith Wong
James Turner
Isaac Martindale

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Lord Neil Mendoza
Andy Paterson
Mike Hoffman
Maria Aries
Harvey John
Tim Flynn
Danhua Chen
Su-Mei Thompson
Sarah Marshall
Anthony Todd
Daniel Gordon
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