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Fake Blood Film
A menstruator's journey of discovering the power in her period after 7 years of being on the pill.
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About
The Story
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Five years after her first period, Maria is put on the pill to help regulate her cycle. After almost eight years of an involuntary bleed and challenging side effects, she decides there must be a better way. On her journey of self-discovery to reconnect with her cycle and herself, Maria gains some important insights that completely change her relationship to her menstrual cycle and how she views herself as a menstruator. Eager to know why her discoveries aren't common knowledge, she starts finding her own way to connect other menstruators with their own menstrual cycle.
Maria realised so many people she spoke to about menstruation were experiencing similar struggles. From these conversations came the inspiration to make Fake Blood.
Why?
Conversations often happen in private, there is almost always a lack of information about what’s involved in a complete and healthy menstrual cycle and the focus tends to be purely on managing the bleed.
The issue with this is that it doesn’t include the conversation about the importance of understanding and working with your menstrual cycle to live a more productive, powerful, and fulfilling life.
Think of it like sleep. We all know we need sleep but if it is just treated as this thing that annoyingly gets in the way of our waking life, it’s not necessarily going to let us thrive. When we understand what contributes to a healthy sleep life, we gain clarity, become more energised and find focus.
A menstrual cycle is the same. Work with it, and you’ll see a noticeable shift. This has been Maria's personal experience and as she learned more about her own cycle, she found herself sharing this with friends and colleagues.
The documentary is a natural extension of these conversations as well as a way to reach and engage more people in the conversation.
Listen to Maria discussing her experience with CEO of Kinneir Dufort on their XX Equals Podcast.
Who’s who?
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Core Team
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Maria Webb: Writer/Director
Fake Blood is a story Maria has been wanting to tell for over 5 years now. After experiencing firsthand the physical and mental challenges of being on The Pill and believing menstruating was the problem, she is excited to turn the story around to help others.
As well as Fake Blood Maria has worked on independent and blockbuster films in a number of different roles. She brings a unique perspective to her own filmmaking and is passionate about telling stories that give voice to people that are not being heard.
Harry Knight: Producer
During his career in New Zealand, Harry produced a number of art events and installations. Sitting on the board of trustees for the Festival of Transitional Architecture, running and booking artists for the ‘Pallet Pavilion’ an outdoor summer music venue, and managing creative hub and maker space ‘Exchange Christchurch’.
He has produced creative content for brands such as Barclays, TikTok, and Doordash as well as working with non-profits like City to Sea and WikiHouse promoting solutions to environmental and social issues. His most recent short film is The Light Inside which is a documentary about experiencing and surviving mental-ill health.
Bethany Fitter: Director of Photography
Gemma Elliott: Production Design/Art Director
Style
Visual References
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Our team
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Financial Contributions
It's normal to have a cycle anywhere from 21 to 40 days. 28 Days is an average length. Contributing to this tier gets you a special thanks in the c... Read more
Top financial contributors
Individuals
£5,100 GBP since Dec 2021
£3,734 GBP since Nov 2020
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Fake Blood Film is all of us
Our contributors 24
Thank you for supporting Fake Blood Film.
Maria Webb
£2,601 GBP
Bethany Fitter
Gemma Elliot
Margreet CM V...
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SamnKim
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£250 GBP
Olivia Webb
£100 GBP
Kerry Elkins
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Jenny Button
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News from Fake Blood Film
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Day 1: Behind the Scenes
Pre-Production
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Budget
Transparent and open finances.
Festival Formula
SSD 2TB Drive
£4.10 GBP
£11,985.44 GBP
£11,981.34 GBP
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