Oxford, 1940: John Fulljames, a student at University College, prepares for his trial: the trial that will ascertain the legitimacy of his claim to pacifism.

Rumours and cruelty, patriotic fervour, the coming sickness of war.

When news breaks that John stands little chance against a ruthless jury, the nineteen-year-old’s mercurial mind scrambles desperately for a saving grace.

What will that grace cost?

“The first cause of The Pacifist was Oxford’s architecture. While still a student, I knew that I needed a story through which to record these beautiful oak-panelled rooms, these seventeenth century stairways, the ones I walked through every day. And then a fellow student slurred to me one night: ‘Do you know the story of John Fulljames?’. I do now.” – Matthew Hardy, writer and co-director

Levi Mattey

Levi Mattey as John Fulljames

Levi Mattey is an actor from South West London. He is a member of The National Youth Theatre, Great Britain. Levi’s recent theatre credits include As You Like It, The Taming of The Shrew, and Ezra by Stella Green.

He recently graduated from the University of Edinburgh, with a degree in English Literature and Philosophy.

Jerry Mutulu

Jerry Mutulu Woolley as Leslie Herniman

Jerry Mutulu Woolley is a creative from Islington, London. He has trained in the performing arts with IDENTITY, the Almeida Theatre, Maktub Theatre and Actors In Session. Jerry has featured in short films, television commercials and theatre productions.

He is currently performing as a supernumerary in Small Island at the National Theatre. Beyond acting, Jerry spends his time as a spoken word and recording artist.

Chester Caine

Chester Caine as John Yallop

Chester Caine is an actor who grew up in North West London. He trained at The Oxford School of Drama and graduated in 2019.

Chester’s most recent performance was as Charlie in SMALL at Soho Theatre. He is also a songwriter and musician.

Martha West

Martha West as Morgan LeFey

Martha West is a London-raised actor whose TV and film credits include the BBC and Amazon’s The Pursuit of Love and Hanway Films’ Creation.

Martha trained with the National Youth Theatre and Young Royal Court. She is graduating this year with honours in English Literature from Balliol College, Oxford. This is her first short film.

“I first heard about the story of John Fulljames very early on in my time at Univ, when it was mentioned in passing during a tour of the college. It wasn’t until my third year that, with Matthew, I started to dig deeper into these events. I remember the excitement as the story unravelled. After many hours spent meticulously reading through letters and old newspaper clippings in the University College Archive, we were left with a remarkable story that is in many ways very different from the story we first thought we were making a film about.” – Jack Rennie, co-director

Matthew Hardy is a filmmaker from West London. He recently graduated from University College, Oxford, with a degree in English Language and Literature. His first film, a short documentary called Under the Shadow of Rhodes, featured David Olusoga OBE and won praise from the writer and activist Owen Jones. This is his first short film.

Jack Rennie is a filmmaker and musician originally from Kent. He graduated from University College, Oxford, with a degree in Psychology and Linguistics. Jack currently works at a creative agency alongside his ongoing projects in film and music.