'Deadlines' wins Best Story

Congratulations to Ben Molocha, aged 19, from Leicester, England, whose film Deadlines has won Best Story (sponsored by Amazon MGM Studios) at the 2025 Into Film Awards. The award was presented Eiza Gonzalez and Archie Madekwe.

In Deadlines, as the work piles up, a put-upon office worker lashes out and discovers something sinister and unsettling about her office computer. 

This smart, David Cronenberg-inspired horror taps into modern insecurities around AI and the replaceability of humans in the face of ever-advancing machines, as well as commenting on the faceless, sterile nature of some corporate jobs, and the mental health struggles that can arise when the pressures of work become overwhelming. Along with some impressive prop-making, this thematic richness and level of subtext is what made Deadlines a worthy Best Story winner.

The film was written, directed, produced and edited by Ben for his A level film project, with friends helping out as actors and runners.

"The film originated from the idea for a single shot of a computer lying open, containing organs and a beating heart", Ben explains. "The story then grew to contextualise that shot as part of a metaphor for the treatment of workers as disposable labour, analogous to machines, in today's work environments."

"One of the most enjoyable parts of production was creating and using the computer prop", Ben continued. "This involved using an angle grinder to cut a hole in the bottom of the computer and a jigsaw to cut a hole in the top of a table, as well as the creation of the organs from scrap fabric sewn together and attached into the computer shell. It was then brought to life by reaching two hands through the bottom of the table and into the computer, manipulating the fabric organs above."

"Being nominated was quite a surprise, and really exciting", said Ben upon learning of his nomination. "It's a joy to be able to share a project I was so passionate about. Filmmaking as a medium encourages and fosters such a collaborative and creative environment and involves a diverse range of skills and techniques coming together, which I really enjoy immersing myself in."

Ben is now in his first year of an undergraduate film course at Falmouth University and recently worked as a producer for a short film as part of this course, collaborating with a crew of fellow students.