One Punch Kill Short Film

Aim

The aim of One Punch Kill is to bring home the harrowing consequences of futile violence, whilst telling a compelling story.

Ember Productions on the story;

One Punch Kill is a powerful short film set in a northern English town, exploring how pride, reputation, peer pressure and public humiliation can build toward a single fatal act of violence.

The story follows the events leading up to one devastating punch and examines the people, choices and social pressures surrounding it. Rather than focusing only on the moment of violence, the film asks a deeper question: what causes someone to reach that point?

Written by Simon Morrell and produced by Ember Production, the project aims to create an emotionally honest and thought-provoking film that encourages conversation about violence, responsibility and the consequences of split-second decisions.

Writer Simon Morrell on the aim of One Punch Kill.

As someone who suffered much violence growing up and as a young man, it has both intrigued me (why it occurs) and horrified me (who isn’t disgusted by the pointlessness of it all?). So when I read about the phenomenon that is One Punch Kill, it was something I felt needed a wider audience to educate, not just youths, but anyone who feels gratuitous violence has a place in our society.

I have third-party knowledge of it in that a friend of mine was a part of a One Punch Kill situation, charged with manslaughter and, rightly so, found not guilty after a 45-minute deliberation by a jury, but that didn’t stop the aftermath.

It didn’t bring back a young man whose life was cut short by an act in drink, it didn’t stop my friend disappearing from the world for many years afterwards, and it certainly didn’t bring solace to the families on all sides of the tragedy.

So I created the story from my own youth with a toxic, bullying father and the tragic deaths I researched.

They are presented here as told by Jonah and his friends, and it is my sincere hope that, between Ember Productions, with whom I am collaborating on this project, and myself, we can bring the story to a wider audience and show how pointless the deaths and the events leading up to it are, and that they can be avoided.

All funds raised will be used for cast, crew, locations and entry fees to festivals.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 22nd October 2026 at 1:02pm