Acclaimed student film Dogbone to release on World Mental Health Day

Dogbone was made by a group of BA Film Production students during the 2024-25 academic year and has since been acclaimed across the student film awards and festival circuit.

Set in 2004 and heavily inspired by the Barry Bennell abuse scandal, the film tells the story of 16-year-old Mark, who plays football to stay connected to his late father. But after a teammate’s suicide, the silence around him grows louder and he starts to unravel as he deals with the weight of his buried grief and a brutal football coach. 

The film delivers a harrowing portrayal of the impact of grief on a young person’s shoulders and following its run on the 2026 short film festival circuit, the filmmakers have teamed up with mental health charity State of Mind Sport for its online release, to draw attention to its unflinching subject matter and help encourage those who are struggling to reach out for support.

Robert Peddie, a BA Film Production graduate and producer of Dogbone said: “Dogbone delivers a hard-hitting depiction of the impact of abuse and grief on young men, purposefully not hiding away from the intense parts. 

“Austen Taylor Pease, our director, was heavily inspired by the Barry Bennell case when writing the script and the film really doesn’t shy away from the fact that these things happened, especially in the period of the early noughties, and that will resonate with a lot of people who grew up around that time when there was very little online resource for those going through it. We’ve of course made leaps and bounds on the social commentary around men’s mental health since then.

“Tackling that subject matter responsibly was really important to us and so when it came to planning the film’s online release, we felt that there was a lot of synergy with World Mental Health Day and that it would be an appropriate time to release it on the day and share it within the commentary around mental health.”

Dr Phil Cooper MBE, co-founder of State of Mind Sport, called the film ‘powerful’ for its messaging around mental health.

He said: “Dogbone highlights the need to be heard. Mark needs to be heard, his friend needed to be heard and Mark’s mum needed to hear Mark’s concerns. Watching Dogbone can help people to speak to someone and be heard. The film has added to the list of resources that can help to change and save lives.”

The film became one of the University’s most successful short films this year when it won three awards for Best Drama, Best Screenwriting and Best Cinematography at the Royal Television Society’s North West Student Awards and a further two at the national awards in the Best Drama and Best Production Design categories. The film’s cinematographer, Theo Hughes, also won the Best Cinematography in a Short Film (Undergraduate) Award at the British Society of Cinematographers Awards.

On the film circuit, it received official selection at the Bolton International Film Festival, The National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), British Shorts in Berlin and Filmed Up Manchester. Alongside this, it also won awards at Wolverhampton Film Festival, Worcester International Film Festival, Watersprite Film Festival, Verona International Short Film Festival, Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival and the Salford Film Festival. 

Robert, who graduated in July 2025 and is now working full-time at MediaCity-based Gate Films, said that the production team have been overwhelmed by the response to the film.

He said: “When we set out to make Dogbone, our goal was to make something exceptional that went beyond the standard that people would expect from a student production. That it’s gone on to impress beyond the bubble of the University has definitely been a surprise but is also recognition of the high standard of work from all the students that came together to make it.”

Both Robert and Austen have secured work within the heavily competitive film industry since they graduated and Robert highlighted the success of Dogbone and their subsequent release Rabbit’s Foot, as critical to how they were able to market themselves as filmmakers and secure roles in the industry. Both Dogbone and Rabbit’s Foot are released under their joint production company Thorn Films which they hope to develop further in the coming years.

The full key crew of Dogbone consisted of Austen (Writer/Director), Robert (Producer), Theo (Director of Photography), Josie Harris (Production Designer), Francis Kelly (Sound Recordist & Design), Sam Hooper (Composer), Jude Brownhill and Jody Pritchard (Editors).

The film is released on Thorn Films’ YouTube channel at 6pm tomorrow. As explained above, the film explores the subject matter of suicide and contains strong language and scenes of self-harm that may be distressing to watch.  

The theme of World Mental Health Day in 2026 is that support starts from being heard and anyone can get involved by helping others feel heard. By sharing your experience, starting a conversation or taking the time to listen, you could help someone feel understood, less alone, and more confident about reaching out for support.

If you know anyone who may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can get help here from State of Mind or if you have been bereaved by suicide, then the charity offers support here.