GONE FISHING
Gone Fishing is an award-winning short drama from MancMade Productions, written and produced by Paul Ludden, directed by Christopher Deakin and starring Kris Hitchen and Christopher Hatherall.
At just over eleven minutes, the film tackles a subject that men of a certain generation are notoriously reluctant to discuss: their mental health.
Pete and Ben are two middle-aged friends taking their first fishing trip since their close friend Marko took his own life. What begins with beer, old stories, dark humour and the familiar piss-taking of long-term friendship gradually becomes something neither man expected, an honest conversation about grief, fear, regret and how little they really know about what is happening beneath the surface of each other’s lives.
The film grew from a deeply personal starting point. Ludden has spoken about Gone Fishing being dedicated to a friend who took his own life in the early 1990s. An earlier version of the story was produced as an audio drama before being completely reworked for the screen, driven by a desire to encourage men to start conversations about their own mental health.
The result deliberately avoids turning its subject into a lecture. Humour remains central to Pete and Ben’s relationship because that is how these men communicate. Director Christopher Deakin described the intention not simply as making a film about men being unable to talk, but about creating the space for them to try.
That combination of humour, restraint and emotional honesty became one of the film’s most praised qualities.
The Monthly Film Festival (TMFF) described Gone Fishing as a “tender X-ray of masculinity”, praising its two central performances, its writing and its avoidance of melodrama. The review concluded by describing the film as a “beautiful plea for normality.”
At TMFF, Gone Fishing was awarded 2nd Film of the Month, while Christopher Deakin won Director of the Month.
That recognition became part of an extensive festival run. The film won Best Film and Best Screenplay at Folkestone Film Festival, while Kris Hitchen won Best Actor at the Cine Paris Film Festival. It was also selected by festivals in Barcelona, Madrid and Montpellier and featured internationally as a Film Shortage Daily Pick.
Back in Manchester, the film enjoyed particular success at KINOfilm Manchester International Short Film Festival, winning Best North West Short while receiving Honourable Mentions for both Best UK Short and the festival’s Grand Prize. Hitchen was also nominated for Best Actor.
The film was subsequently selected in competition for the BAFTA-qualifying Bolton International Film Festival and reached Semi-Finalist status at the BIFA-qualifying Kino London Short Film Festival.
Its festival journey continued into another major hometown success when Gone Fishing was named Best Short Film at the 2025 IndieFilm Manchester Awards.
For MancMade Productions, Gone Fishing demonstrated that a small, independently produced film built around two actors, one location and an honest conversation could travel internationally, win awards and connect with audiences.
More importantly, it achieved what it was designed to do.
Start a conversation.