Rising Film Director and Producer Kaitlyn Boxall: “I Started Off In A Refuge at 3 Weeks Old”
The new Indie film ‘Behind Closed Doors’ has caused quite a stir within the filmmaking community. A film that focuses on the suffering of battered women, before and during lockdown.
Not only is this independent film relevant for so many vulnerable women across the world, but it also comes from the Film Director’s heart.
Kaitlyn Boxall’s words to Authority Magazine in 2020 — “I started off in a Woman’s Refuge at 3 weeks old with my Mother who fled from domestic violence. This being said, I owe my Mother everything. She has guided me all my life, as she knows all too well about what a difficult and unforgiving business the film industry can be at times. There is no one else who has guided me like my Mum has! I would not have got through any of it without her and for that I thank her!
We have also achieved so many fantastic memories together due to the experience of filming as I was too young to go out filming on my own. We have a phenomenal memory bank which continues to build even now.”
Kaitlyn Boxall stated on social media that the ‘Behind Closed Doors’ was a close subject to her, as the main character Lisa Crawford was based on her Mother, who suffered the same abuse prior to her birth.
A lot of personal segments were displayed throughout the film, which were said to represent Kaitlyn’s Mother.
The film’s recent advert has helped to promote charities such as Women’s Aid, encouraging domestic abuse victims to reach out for help. The helpline video by the ‘Behind Closed Doors’ Facebook page worded: “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start from where you are…and change the ending.”
These motivational words stemmed from author C.S Lewis, which Film Director Kaitlyn, interpreted in an entirely new light, making it a call out to abused women across the world.
Kaitlyn Boxall has become a well-known female filmmaker within the London Borough of Bexley. According to research of her creative history, she began creating artistic work and producing film work from a very young age. As well as being creatively advanced within the film and art sector, she has shared amusing experiencing of her filmmaking experiences.
“My funniest story relating to my filming experience — is when I was 12 years old and received my first ever camera for my birthday. My friends and I innocently were filming a little play-pretend story between us all, which involved plastic toy guns as props. Unbeknown to us, two police helicopters landed in the Riverside Gardens (Erith in Bexley) we were filming in, thinking we were posing a major threat to the public!”
With this in mind, it also appears that the Riverside Gardens in Bexley, is a place she once helped to save from building development in 2011. According to an old article, Kaitlyn Boxall took part in helping previous Thamesmead MP, Teresa Pearce, to campaign against building plans.
“Members of Friends of Riverside Gardens (FORGE) presented a petition with nearly 1,500 signatures to Teresa on Friday 1 July as part of the campaign to save the riverside gardens from development plans by Bexley Council.”
This photo pictures Teresa with young campaigners against the development Kaitlyn Boxall, Claudia Brooks and Charles Ola.
Kaitlyn Boxall spoke in recent online articles stating, “what I do know is that I have learned from many experiences throughout my filming experiences, which has helped to shape me as a British Filmmaker.
I have always believed that ‘Everything you do in life will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it because nobody else will’. This life lesson quote in particular has helped to keep me motivated in life and to never give up!”
