THE SUICIDE SHIFT (2026) – YouTube release
After a very successful year of festival screenings across the UK and around the world, I am not pleased to announce my short horror film, The Suicide Shift is being released on October 31st 2026 on YouTube.
I am very proud of the film as both a psychological horror story, but also as it is such a personal film to me. Please be aware the film contains themes relating to suicidal ideation so viewer discretion is advised.
Click on the link below to watch it.
Tagline
Connect. Process. Record. Never intervene.
Pitch
Banished to the “suicide shift” for breaking spirit call centre regulations, CARMILLA FERRY, now deals with the most tortured of souls moving from this world to the next. After being blasted by her line manager on the phone, Russell, Carmilla is feeling even more isolated and demoralised than usual. After a series of heart-crushing calls, culminating in a particularly stressful shift, Carmilla is then faced with the most heart-wrenching call of all.
Cast
Julia Florimo as Carmilla Ferry
Myles Horgan as Russell Schaeffer
Felicia Kaspar as Lucy Carpenter
Lost Souls (Voices) – Ashley Wong, Bai Ruiying, Bogdan Dima, Christina Leitner, Federica Ruggieri, Jyothi Gupta, Kay Abel, Maria Busz, Melissa Zajk, Paul Laight, Sanjay Batra, Szymon Bartoszek.
Crew
Director, Producer & Writer: Paul Laight
Cinematography: Petros Gioumpasis
Sound Recordist & Designer: Ali Kivanc
Camera Assistant: Ben Bogdan-Hodgson
Make-Up: Georgie Lang
Location Manager: Melissa Zajk
Editors: Oliver McGuirk & Petros Gioumpasis
Composer: Ben Randall
Poster designs: Jaffer Hashim & Gary O’Brien
Every 90 minutes in the UK, someone dies by suicide. But talking saves lives.
Call The Samaritans 116 123 – https://www.samaritans.org/
Festival Screenings & Awards
- 9th International Folklore Film Festival 2026@INDIA
- 2 COUNTIES INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL (2CIFF) – Nominee Best Horror
- Aphrodite Film Awards – Finalist Short Horror
- Bedford Independent Film Festival Award – Winner Best Drama Film
- E14 Indie Film Festival
- Fortean Film Festival
- Global INDIE Filmmaker Awards – Nominated Best Horror Film
- HorrorConUK
- HorrorHound TV – Finalist Nominated
- Horror-on-Sea Film Festival
- International Celebration of Cinema – Nominated Best Horror Film
- KeyBored Words
- Lift Off Filmmaker Sessions Volume 12
- London Independent Film Festival
- London International Motion Picture Awards
- London Night Film Festival – Award Winner Best British Short Horror
- London Underground Independent Film Festival
- Nightpiece Film Festival 2026 (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)
- Performance Film Insurance – Nominee Best Short Horror Film
- Portobello Film Festival
- Romford Horror Festival
- SamhainBaucogna International Film Festival – Award Winner Best Horror Short
- Spring Time International Film Festival – Award Winner Best Short
- Stockholm City Film Festival – Honorable Mention Best Horror
- The Pittsburgh Moving Picture Festival: Thriller Picture Show – Nominee Best International Short Film
- The White Rose International Film Festival – Award Winner Best Director
- UK Film Awards – Nominee Best Sci-Fi Film
- Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival
