Swallow film: Truth from inside the classroom

Aim

This finished film is the voice of silenced & abused teachers. We need funds for PR, festivals, press & marketing to expose this epidemic.

Education in 2026 is at breaking point. Teachers are bullied and falsely accused by students, managers and parents, managed out by support plans, wrongly suspended and silenced by NDAs. I’m Kat Philippou-Curtis, filmmaker and former lecturer of film & media in further education, and I lived this nightmare.  

Have a look at our main trailer:

Have you been the victim of physical and verbal bullying from students?

Have you been falsely accused by your department heads?

Have you been made to feel guilty for students’ behaviour?

Have you been pushed out by ‘support plans’?

Have you faced unjust, biased disciplinary bordering on a witch-hunt?

Have you been forced to sign NDAs in order to get a reference?

Have your managers made up lies about you in order to get rid of you?

Is your mental health in pieces?  If yes, then SWALLOW is your voice.

I have experienced all the above. While writing legal responses with one hand, I was storyboarding with the other. While being dismantled professionally by people who thought had my back, I was rebuilding myself creatively. I wrote the script as therapy.  I've spent months of painful procedures to prove my innocence while on sick leave, and when I finally did, the senior leaders offered me compensation and a NDA to bury the truth under their very fat carpet.  I refused.

In August 2024, against all odds, we shot the film. Legendary actor, Bafta Winner and Golden Globe nominee Cathy Tyson became the driving force behind it, immediately after hearing my story.

For over a year, my partner Paul Curtis (Producer & VFX Supervisor) and I worked relentlessly. Both perfectionists, we made sure we had a quality film we'd be proud of At our test audience screening, 200 people left the cinema shocked, teary, emotional and eager to help. Their reaction to the film was beyond words. Beyond anything we could have imagined.

And here's our Teaser:

 Everyone agreed this is a state-of-the-nation film that exposes the UK's-for-profit-education and the human cost that remains hidden. It needs to be seen by:

• Educators
• Parents
• Policymakers
• Parliament

Fraud and fear, have no place in learning. Yet they thrive because toxic leadership is not held accountable. Watch our video below from Sharon Cawley & Sarah Dunwood, two formidable women running a FB group of 180000 despairing teachers.

SWALLOW EXISTS AT A RARE INTERSECTION:

• the film is finished
• the evidence is overwhelming
• the public is listening

The Momentum Is Real

• Trailers reached 35,000 views on Instagram
• Thousands of followers joined organically.
• Our inbox is flooded with one question:
  “This is me. Where can I watch this?”

The passion & technical detail put into Swallow can be seen below in this short video by our Visual Effects Supervisor:

The demand is there. And it's overwhelming.

A powerful film without visibility remains in the dark.  Of the hundreds of films that get made every year only a handful get traction. The ones that do, have one thing in common. A great PR/ Marketing/ Outreach/ Social Media/ Press team behind them. 

SWALLOW is perhaps the only film out there that pulls no punches.

Your support will allow us to:

• Hire professional PR company with experienced team and great track record.
• Hire festival strategist.
• Fund festival submissions.
• Build a targeted marketing and publicity campaign.
• Secure press, screenings, and outreach.
• Position the film where it belongs — on national and international stages and publications.
• Push social media campaigns.
• Develop/ impact distribution plans.

We are asking the minimum starting price for us to be able to afford the companies that can truly make a difference to a film.

Unlike most Crowdfunding film campaigns, Swallow is NOT asking to be believed. There is no risk. We already have the film.

SWALLOW is asking TO BE SEEN.

WHAT KIND OF SOCIETY ARE WE SHAPING FOR OUR CHILDREN? 

One where educators mean nothing? One where they can be hit, punched, kicked, spat at, threatened with knives, verbally and physically abused?

One that Managers and Leaders can bully, gaslit, lie about, abuse, manage out teachers so they can cut budgets while keeping their own pay checks?

What kind of society are we passing to the next generation? One of compliance, lack of respect, unaccountability, toxic leadership, culture of fear, threat and silence?

A society unable to  empathy? Kindness? 

A society of de-sensitization where hurting someone means nothing?

WHY are we turning such a blind eye to this epidemic? 

SWALLOW hopes to start the discussion on:

• The misuse and abuse of NDAs to silence teachers after bullying, assault, discrimination, and malpractice.
• The absence of meaningful protection for educators who report wrongdoing.
• A disciplinary culture that scapegoats staff instead of addressing root causes.
• Dismantle the system that rewards longevity and compliance over ethics and accountability.

SWALLOW calls for:

• Regulation of NDAs in education, as already implemented in the NHS.
• Clear national behavioural guidelines that prioritise safety for students and staff.(for example:cameras in classrooms)
• Independent disciplinary oversight, free from internal bias and conflicts of interest.

This is not an attack on education. It is a demand to save it.

This is not a failure of teachers. This is a systemic collapse. From the top.

(sources: NASUWT, BBC, Sky, Telegraph, ITV, Guardian,Times)

SWALLOW is a step towards ensuring the truth reaches the places where silence has been policy for too long.

Please share our page and please donate generously because this is for all for us, for the society we live in, our children, and their future.

Thank you.  

WHO WE ARE:

Kat Philippou-Curtis and Paul Curtis

IMDB
Kat Philippou-Curtis IMDB
Paul Curtis IMDB

Kat has worked in film and theatre across Europe and the U.S. for over 25 years. She has written and directed two feature films The Boys (Greek Film Centre, Red Box Productions) and Marriage (Iris Productions, Inventome) along with numerous short films and stage plays.  Her work has been showcased at Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying festivals and screened internationally, earning multiple awards. Kat has also worked as an editor across commercials, music videos, and documentaries. 

She’s the recipient of the Arts and Humanities Research Board Award for her critically acclaimed "playfilm" Cockroach Waltz, a bold fusion of stage-screen storytelling. The production sold out its entire London run and was praised for its idiosyncratic style. Her interactive playfilm The Libertines - inspired by Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt, was produced and performed at the Marlowe Theatre. 

Originally from Greece, Kat is a passionate advocate for independent film  and marginalised voices. Her work explores social injustice, often through allegory, addressing issues such as the financial crisis, ageism, the pandemic, and social media addiction. Her latest film, Swallow, draws from thousands of true stories, including her own, to expose the current yet overlooked crisis of teachers’ abuse.

Kat is a member of Directors UK, Cinesisters, and a founding member of Primetime Network, a community championing women in film.

In between projects, Kat works as a Lecturer in Film &TV, and runs masterclasses in Scriptwriting and Improvisation for confidence & wellbeing.  She also created The Laugh Bite, a successful stand up comedy club that performs quarterly at the Curzon Cinema.

Paul has worked across post-production, CGI, VFX and new-media design since the 1990s, contributing to films including Lost In Space, Dragon Charm and Prince Valiant, and running a Soho-based international creative agency for over 20 years. He has delivered global media projects for clients such as Sony, Apple, Emirates and Virgin, while producing TV pilots, theatre, shorts and music videos. He also advises on testing panels for Adobe, The Foundry and leading camera manufacturers, collaborating on grading tools, colour science and advanced post-production workflows.

This project successfully funded on 21st April 2026