About
12 Stages of Unemployment explores the realities facing 16–24 year olds Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs), inviting viewers to consider the systems, policies, and daily barriers that shape young people’s futures.
According to a report by the Office for National Statistics, released in May 2026, 16% of people in the 16-24 age bracket were unemployed. This number is predicted to increase in the next five years!
James Ballard’s vision
James Ballard was offered a small role in a film about NEETs that was, originally, going to be shot in May 2026.
Being the managing partner & co-founder of Annapurna Recruitment, James had first-hand experience of seeing first hand the profound impact that redundancy and unemployment has on individuals and their families.
When the original project failed, James did not want to see the project cease, so took a bold step and purchased the rights to the script. He then approached Jeff Turner, of Boredom Boy Productions, to see if he would be interested in taking the existing script and making the short film. Jeff accepted the offer, but only after he and James agreed that the script needed some revision without losing its basic punch.
Once the revision work was done, James and Jeff set about casting the film, using as many of the original cast members as possible. A number of cast members had already taken on other roles so filming had to be delayed till everyone was available.
Shooting is now planned for late September. Boredom Boy Productions have arranged locations, organised camera, sound & lighting crew and all of the actors are ready.
Updates will be posted on the Updates page.
Screen the film
When the film is ready, if you would like to screen the film at your workplace or in your community, feel free to contact us.
12 Stages of Unemployment - A short film 