Stars of TV and film tackle social anxiety in new Brighton short

Filmed on location in Eastbourne, The Fruit Fix was written and directed by Philip Connolly - Principal Lecturer in Film Production – under the aegis of his Weavers Production company, with help from students and other staff in the School of Media.

The short film takes a nuanced look at the mental health issue of social anxiety, combining a fictional tale of a young woman (Hope) approaching a potentially life-changing piano audition - with a surprising revelation about a real-life therapy known as the “Banana Walk”!

Jamie Lee O'Donnell (Hope) is best known for her lead role in C4's sitcom Derry Girls, while Mark Benton (Doug) has enjoyed a hugely diverse career including feature films by Mike Leigh, Anthony Mingella and Terry Gilliam, plus a TV career including Early Doors, Ballykissangel, Silent Witness, Doctor Who, Holby City, Northern Lights and Hustle. He also took part in the 2013 series of Strictly Come Dancing. The cast is completed by Adnan Mustafa (Ben), whose credits include the 2018 film  Yardie, directed by Idris Elba from a novel by Jamaican-born writer Victor Headley.

Philip Connolly said:

“I've been wanting to make The Fruit Fix for several years. It's based on a real incident, where I saw someone walking a banana and thought it was strange. Later on I discovered I'd witnessed what was actually a treatment for social anxiety - something I've had my own experiences of. The subject of social anxiety isn't covered in the media often and I wanted in my own way to redress the balance and contribute to the conversation.

“Making a short film is always challenging, so it was great to get so much support from the University of Brighton. Colleagues in the School of Media helped with the production - in particular Marley Cole on the sound design. I also got media production and film students involved with the production. The placements office was amazing at setting up two production trainee placements for the principal photography.

“The completion of the film was also supported by the School of Media's Output Support and Development Fund. The first COVID lockdown made it impossible to get the final few shots and the grant covered the licensing of some stock footage to complete the film.”