One Voice Cuts Through the Noise in Powerful Samaritans Film

As part of its Samaritans Awareness Day campaign, the charity partnered with Gusto Film on creative and production to release a bold new brand film. The film will be released on the 24th of July (24/7), a date to bring awareness that Samaritans are here to listen 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This hard hitting film, directed by Tom Staniford, urges viewers to sit up and take notice, calling them to arms: “Let’s prevent suicide today. Because tomorrow’s too late”.

Set on a busy city street corner, the film follows a quiet, middle-aged man who, for once, steps into the spotlight. Played by actor and Samaritan volunteer of 12 years, Dan Crowder. He climbs onto a bench and delivers a spoken-word monologue that cuts to the heart of Britain’s mental health crisis. His message is clear: “We whisper about suicide when we should be shouting about saving lives.”

The film has a raw, intimate visual style, which blends realism with cinematic sensitivity. Spoken from the heart, these words from a real-life volunteer are a rallying cry to anyone who’ll listen. They come from someone who’s heard it all - people reaching out in the darkest hours, grasping for connection and hope.

Director and ex Samaritan volunteer, Tom Staniford at Gusto Film says, “Having been close to Samaritans, both as someone whose life has been touched by suicide and as a previous listening volunteer, this brief meant a lot to me. What I think gave this piece real power was the fact that Dan was also a volunteer. During rehearsals we really sat in the depths of the experiences we both shared at the charity. On set this was the fuel we drew on to bring that emotion to the screen. After 70 years of listening to others, there was something profound about Samaritans finally asking to be heard... and I felt really lucky to have directed that moment.”

The filming took place in Brighton, East Sussex and featured 20+ extras, most of whom have at some point volunteered or worked at Samaritans. For many, the shoot was more than just a creative project, it was a powerful act of solidarity as they brought real lived experience to the set, having sat with callers during moments of profound vulnerability. Their presence added authenticity and emotional depth to the set.

“Bringing this production to life in one day, certainly threw us a few challenges; from coordinating all the extras, capturing ambitious shots including a car drive by scene and a shot from a rooftop of a carpark, to dressing the square - we had a lot of the public asking to buy flowers from our pop-up florist! All of this in a public space and just to add a spontaneous cherry on the top we had the most bizarre, wet and windy weather in June. But even with all the moving parts and madness, the team really pulled together to smash it out of the park and create a wonderful film we can all be proud of.” said Jasmine Shalkoie, senior producer at Gusto Film.

This campaign is more than just awareness, it’s a critical fundraising appeal. Despite being widely known, Samaritans is often misunderstood as a fully funded organisation, but the charity relies almost entirely on public donations to run its free, 24/7 support service. Every hour of every day, thousands of trained volunteers answer life-saving calls. But to continue their work, they need urgent support from the public, otherwise there won’t be anyone there to answer the calls from those who need it most.