Outward Film Network launch new short Self-Tape
Midlands film company Outward Film Network are excited to announce a new locally made short film that will begin its festival submission run from February 2026.
Written & directed by Matthew Simmonds, Self-Tape follows an ambitious actor’s self-tape audition that becomes a mirror of obsession, as she slowly sacrifices love, stability and identity in pursuit of success.
Described by the filmmakers as an “intimate psychological short that explores the quiet devastation of artistic obsession”, the film is framed almost entirely through the lens of an audition.
It goes on to follow a driven actor whose pursuit of success begins to eclipse everything else in her life. And the story itself questions what happens when discipline curdles into addiction and how this becomes a test on relationships.
Of the film’s conception, the director says, "Some short films aren’t necessarily planned. By this I mean you don’t necessarily put making another short film at the top of your to-do list."
"Every now and then, however, an idea calls to be written and therefore made. The first draft of Self-Tape was written in roughly five hours and was shot in around the same amount of time", adds Matthew.
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But where did the idea come from? "It came from my experiences of working in film for roughly fifteen years", explains the director. "Over this time, I’ve encountered a few things about the creative industry that don’t sit well with me. The film reflects on the dangers of chasing success in an industry that’s super competitive, ruthless and fashionable.”
Inviting the audience to sit with the discomfort, silence and repetition, Self-Tape mirrors the emotional narrowing of its protagonist Rachel (played by Midlands Movies Awards 2025 Best Actress nominee Poppy Abbott).
Supporting Poppy is Belle Walsh and the film was shot at Black Star Studios in Digbeth, Birmingham, which kept the production very much a local affair.
"Self-Tape is born out of repetition", sums up Matthew. "The endless attempts to find success. The isolation, the belief that one more go will fix everything. It’s not about success or rejection, but about what happens when nothing else fits the frame."
Find out more about the film and follow its progress over on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outwardfilmnetwork/
