Introduction:
Decorum is a psychological thriller that explores the knife-edge that is modern dating. It’s my debut short as director after over a decade working in theatre, and was a real labour of love from the whole team. It was our producer Liam’s first short as a producer as well, so very much undiscovered country for us both. We’ve had a crazy journey of figuring stuff out as we go along, laying tracks in front of us, Gromit-style, but it’s been magic.
Inspiration:
The film began as a chat with our two actors, Jonny and Margi. We’d loved working together on Jonny’s short Swirl State, and wanted to do it again. Jonny had just moved to Liverpool to work on Hollyoaks and while we were chatting, he was showing me his new flat, which was this weirdly blank space. No decoration, no furniture… It got me thinking about the soullessness of rental culture, of what it would be like to come back to a flat like that; the alarm bells that would instantly start ringing in your head.
The Process:
We shot it over a weekend in December 2025 in an abandoned block of flats above an old bank in Deptford, Southeast London. The setting is such an integral part of the film, and was always going to be, but how we got the actual location was a total fluke, and kind of bonkers. We were initially going to shoot in Liverpool, and I was chatting to my barber (shoutout to Mem) two weeks before about the logistical nightmare that this was going to be, when he told me he knew the bloke who owned the abandoned building next door. He gave me a number; the next day I did a site visit, and within the week we were building a kitchen in there. In the end we got the location – which was 5 minutes from my flat – for a week before and after. For free. It was so perfect; plenty of rooms for equipment, crew, green room, even electricity. The only issue was that it was creepy as hell, so anyone working there alone after dark felt like they were going to get murdered any second. At least it got us into the right headspace for the film though…
What It Means to Be a Finalist:
Being selected at WIFF feels so special. For a debut Short to be recognised like this, by a BIFA qualifying festival, is amazing, and it’s so cool that the selectors have connected with the story. It shows that the festival isn’t afraid to take risks and pick films that aren’t that easy to classify – I can’t wait for audiences to see it now!
Where to Watch / Follow: To follow our festival journey and beyond, you can follow me on Insta @qberoud or the production company @doingbrave.
About The Author
