Shorts 5: Fractured Bonds – The Letter

About the Filmmaker

James Skinner is a London-based director, writer and film teacher. He first developed a passion for filmmaking whilst studying Youth and Community Development (BA) at university. This led to an MA in Media Practice for Development and Social Change, through which he specialized in documentary production.

In recent years, James has turned his attention to directing and producing narrative short films including FABULOUS, which was the winner of the DepicT! Main Award at Encounters Film Festival 2020. His recent short NEWBIE has been selected by BAFTA-qualifying film festivals and will also be screened in schools nationwide by the Be Kind Movement.

Alongside his independent filmmaking, James teaches film in a South London secondary school and delivers filmmaking workshops for charities.

Director’s Statement

Two years ago, I was approached by Gambian author Baaba Sillah for help creating film adaptions of his historical novels. I was particularly inspired by his book Dabbali Gi, about the young Gambian men who risked everything fighting for Britain in ‘the Burma campaign’ during World War II. I was shocked to learn about the impact of this conflict on these young men and the loved ones they left behind. 

For this short film adaptation, we chose to focus on one chapter from the novel, in which a young woman receives a letter with news about her fiancé who is at war. This letter is written in English, which no one in her community can read, highlighting the colonial disconnect at play during this time.

This film has been a highly collaborative co-production between myself and Baaba Sillah, who has co-written and co-produced THE LETTER. We have worked together to tell this powerful story about the troubled shared history of Britain and The Gambia.