top of page

SOUL HAVEN

Writer l Director l Producer l Actor
(2023)

SYNOPSIS

'Soul Haven', follows Holden, who wakes up in a mysterious paradise, surrounded by the beauty of an isolated refuge. With no memory to anchor him, he crosses paths with George, a fellow inhabitant haunted by fragments of a vivid but incomplete past.

​

As the two characters navigate the dreamlike haven, their connection unfolds in a visual symphony of emotions, set against the backdrop of lush Australian landscapes. The film captures the essence of memory, friendship, and the beauty that emerges when souls connect in a place where reality and illusion seamlessly blend. 'Soul Haven' is a visual exploration of the human experience, told through forgotten memories and the unlikely bonds that shape our journey.

CAST AND CREW

​

Writer Director Producer                                                          Ethan Fritsch-Morrison

Producer                                                                                              Caitlin Hawkins

Director of Photography                                                                       Connor Jansen

Costume & Production Designer                                              Ethan Fritsch-Morrison

Production Manager & Assistant Director                                          Ellessandra Hills

​

Starring                                                                                    Ethan Fritsch-Morrison                                                                                                                    Ben Corlett                                                                                                             Caitlin Hawkins                                                                                                                 Emma Suster

​

Production Sound Recordist                                                                    Keiran Arthur

1st Assistant Camera                                                                             Hayden Besly

2nd Assistant Camera                                                                            Kelvin Santos

Production Assistant                                                                               Emma Suster

 

Editor & Colourist                                                                             Nicholas Andrews

Sound Design & Mix                                                  Mark D'Angelo l Backlot Studios

Music Composer                                                                                       Steve Toppa

WRITER / DIRECTOR STATEMENT

Soul Haven was inspired by something I’ve carried with me since childhood: the quiet discomfort and sometimes overt suspicion society places on emotionally close male friendships. I grew up in a time and culture where if two boys were affectionate or vulnerable with each other, it was immediately questioned and often labelled as "gay" in a way that was less about identity and more about shame.

​

This short film is not a reaction against female friendships, which come with their own set of challenges in a world shaped by gendered expectations but rather an exploration of the inequity in how emotional connection is treated across the gender spectrum. While girls are generally given more social permission to be physically and emotionally close, boys are often taught to fear that same tenderness. The cost of that is high: disconnection, repression, and emotional isolation.

​

'Soul Haven' is my attempt to challenge that narrative. To create space for softness between men. To show that platonic intimacy between male characters can exist without suspicion or ridicule. â€‹Directing and writing this film was a way to speak into that silence; to remind us all that emotional connection is not a weakness, and that friendship, in its purest form, should never have to explain or justify itself.

bottom of page