Long before Brandon and Cameron Ashplant began working professionally in film, the brothers were already telling stories together. Growing up in Guernsey, they turned a creative relationship built from childhood into a partnership that now spans acting, writing, directing, and producing. “There’s a trust between us that some collaborators, like Scorsese and De Niro, build over decades. As brothers we’ve built it our whole lives,” Cameron says of the bond behind their work.
That partnership is now entering a new chapter with I’ll Get By, a World War II drama that aims to move away from the genre’s traditional grand heroism and focus instead on ordinary, flawed men confronting extreme circumstances and trauma. At the same time, the brothers are working through the Institute of Screen Arts Guernsey to turn their home island into a destination for international productions while creating lasting opportunities for local talent. In the interview, Brandon and Cameron discuss historical memory, independent filmmaking, world-building, creative freedom, and the challenge of growing internationally without losing the roots that shaped their work.
You grew up in Guernsey and are now working to transform the island into a hub capable of welcoming international productions. When did you realize that you wanted not only to build your own careers in film, but also to help create an entire screen industry around you?
Cameron: The film industry has grown locally off the back of several creative and ambitious independent filmmakers. We saw the need to help curate that and fill in some of the gaps to attract more visiting productions, that’s essentially what we’re doing with the newly formed Institute of Screen Arts Guernsey (ISAG) – and the inbound, local and political interest is there. Looking back there is a rich cinematic legacy in Guernsey: Oscar nominated films; local literature which inspired the creation of DC Comics’ character the Joker; notable cinematographers and some of the world’s busiest VFX artists are from the island; and Guernsey has a trail of book-to-screen adaptations from Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, penned on the island, to more recently ‘the Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Society’. The locations offered are spectacular and so unique it’s inevitable it would serve as a backdrop. More than half of the locations in the Odyssey could have been shot there had they known about it! The locations on offer are really that versatile. Having made films locally we’ve come to learn the systems in place and we realised that island required a film commission to overcome hurdles and provide a strategy for filmmakers.
Growing up on the island, most film opportunities ended up elsewhere. We were lacking a point of contact and a familiar setup, that’s what we’ve put in place. I suppose we realised no one else was going to jump in and do it and we owe it to the future of our local industry to take that leap. After several local films we brought together an expert team of charity directors, advisors and stakeholders and built something longlasting for the film sector. Because we aren’t part of the UK, it was on islanders to look after and facilitate the local film industry. There is so much growth potential and it has all the ingredients to be a bustling film hub. And if Chris Nolan needs a tour for his next cave or beach, he shouldn’t look further than Guernsey, we’ll wait for his call!
I’ll Get By is set just one month after D-Day and follows the crew of a downed B-17 in German-occupied France. What specifically drew you to this moment in World War II, and what human perspective do you hope to bring to a period that cinema has explored so extensively?
Brandon: I think the attraction to telling a WWII-set story is in my DNA, as an islander from Guernsey. The Channel Islands, of which Guernsey is a part, were the only British territory to be occupied by Nazi Germany. For five years, the islands were subjugated. From orders in Berlin, approximately 10% of all concrete and steel used for the entire Atlantic Wall went into the Channel Islands, transforming the islands into some of the most heavily fortified areas in the entire defensive network. The result? The island’s landscape, it’s beaches, cliffs and fields, are peppered with bunkers, dug outs and watch towers. Guernsey very much lives that history, everywhere you look you’re reminded of that point in time and as such, the occupation has clearly influenced the identity of what it means to be a Guernsey person.
Growing up then, you’re filled by reminders of WWII, and history. As a filmmaker, the location is prime real estate for shooting films set in occupied Europe, Guernsey makes for a superb location. Unlike in France and other parts of Western Europe in which a lot of the infrastructure was destroyed or has been left to deteriorate, Guernsey has made a conscious effort to preserve these relics.
I suppose that is, ultimately and honestly, what drew me to explore the WWII-setting. In terms of what I hope to bring to a period that cinema has explored so extensively, which of course it has, I think is in the detail of the human condition. Because WWII has had such an enormous, and almost mythological, impact on the Western psyche, it’s held up with grandiose regard. With the exception of one or two films in recent years, it’s difficult to find a WWII film that doesn’t have heroism as the driving ethos of the leading characters. Naturally, I suppose, as if ever there was a good war, then WWII was the one: Democracy (on the whole) vs Nazism, good vs evil. However, very rarely does the subject matter lend itself, as a result of these larger-than-life philosophical concepts, to exploring the human condition and tragedy of war. This is our aim with I’ll Get By; to tell a WWII story, based very much on true events, but in a grounded and genuinely human way. The trio of leading characters are ultimately just normal guys, thrown into horrific circumstances. They’re flawed, and not necessarily heroic.
Without spoiling it, once their aircraft is hit by flak and crashes, they find themselves parachuting into Occupied France and so thrown into a land of shifting boundaries between the Allied and Axis forces. The trauma reveals itself amongst all three, but in very distinct and different ways between them. Ultimately, I want to explore how these normal people react, overcome – or don’t – and deal with their war-related trauma. It’s a stripped back, human-centric story.
Much of the film will be shot at locations in Guernsey that still carry physical traces of the German occupation during World War II. What is it like turning places connected to the island’s real history and memory into settings for a fictional story, and does filming there create an additional sense of responsibility?
Brandon: Candidly, there is very little by way of set-dressing that needs to be done to turn many of the locations we’ve identified for the shoot into shoot-ready places.
Golden Goat Films remains independent, yet you have already secured international distribution, festival exposure, and collaborations with actors including Christopher Eccleston, Paul Freeman, Paterson Joseph, and Wendy Makkena. What have you learned about building projects that can attract major talent and partners without sacrificing creative independence?
Brandon: I suppose the talent themselves, in my experience at least, are drawn to telling stories that are genuinely fresh, but relevant; different but grounded in some semblance of reality. At a time when Hollywood and major studios are keen to latch onto IP output that has a well-trodden path of success at the box office and so like to play it safe with scripts and material, the actors are keen to look for something a little more outside of this comfort zone. Independent cinema has a huge role to play here.
In short, then, I think major talent and certain partners are drawn to the creative independence that indie cinema can offer them and their careers, which perhaps then makes it easier for writers and directors with a clear vision to execute it and move forwards at pace.
All of the actors you name there are so talented, and they graciously agreed to board my past projects, which was certainly daunting for me as a young writer-director! I grew up watching Chris as the Doctor, and even at the age of seven years old I was drawn in by his grounded and gritty portrayal. I recall watching Paul as Belloq in Raiders, Wendy as Sister Mary Robert in the Sister Act films and of course Paterson Joseph in an array of different film and television, most recently as Slugworth in Wonka. I think the thing that unites them all is their willingness to try something different, not to play it safe but to take a risk on material that challenges them. They bring an honesty and curiosity to their work that makes every performance feel alive, and I think that’s why they continue to resonate with audiences across generations. As a filmmaker, there’s nothing more inspiring than collaborating with actors of that calibre who are willing to step into the unknown and help bring a story to life in ways you never imagined when you first put words on the page.
The learning? Stay honest and true to your vision and the story you’re telling. The right people will say yes and kindly board the project to elevate the characters when on screen.
Brandon, your work has become associated with melancholic historical atmospheres and character-driven tension, while Cameron has gained experience on major productions including Masters of the Air and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. How do those different creative journeys complement one another when you work together?
Brandon: I suppose much of my work has dealt in that sub-genre, although I’m not too sure what that says about me! Joking aside, I think we’re both driven towards stories that inherently involve themselves in an element of world-building. The value of cinema is, intrinsically, in its ability to transport the viewer to a place they cannot readily access, or at all. It’s one of the few mediums that can do it in a genuinely grounding and entirely believable way. I think combined with our shared interest in travel, and in history, has seen us collaborate on stories that embellish both – most recently with our 2025 BIFAqualifying short film Whispers of Freedom. To transport the audience not only to the 1980s, but East of the Iron Curtain, presented huge challenges but was tremendously exciting. I think, as you point out, Cameron brings that added layered quality to our sets from having been around the likes of Harrison Ford on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, or having worked on Masters of the Air. It injects a genuine sense of professionalism and quality, that many indie projects are less familiar with.
I think the complimentary nature of the relationship is in the fact that we’re brothers. We spent our formative years creating and telling stories, as kids do. This provides the building blocks for a sturdy and trusting creative relationship, as adults with stories to tell. I think it’s also useful that we are, in essence, fishing in different ponds. Cameron is very much focused on acting and life in front of the camera – despite being a tremendous writer in his own right – whilst I’m interested in moulding and shaping a vision from behind the scenes.
Cameron: Brandon and I have always had the same pioneering instinct, trying something new, opening up worlds on screen. There’s a trust between us that some collaborators, like Scorsese and De Niro, build over decades. As brothers we’ve built it our whole lives. As an actor, I’m drawn to hidden vulnerabilities in a role, and Brandon not only writes those layered parts, he gives me the freedom to explore them. It’s always a rewarding process. Our shared curiosity for history and travel naturally pulls us toward these epic settings, and we treat them with real care. Working on Masters of the Air and Indiana Jones taught me how collaborative film really is, but scale has never been the priority. I want complex characters and worlds far from my own – acting and travelling feel similar that way. Together we’ve stepped into Frontier America, Cold War Germany, and now Wartime France. I’m still hungry for new challenges: the ultra-realism of Robert Eggers, the ambitious choices made by Matthew McConaughey, the authenticity of Charlotte Wells, or the experimental spirit of A24 and Neon. But I still think of all this as independent, defined by the ambition of the story. Brandon is part of that next generation of filmmakers who create entire worlds, and I want to be part of that worldbuilding.
Through the Institute of Screen Arts Guernsey, you are also investing in the development of new talent. How do you make sure that building a new production hub does not simply result in international projects using Guernsey as a location, but instead creates lasting opportunities for people who actually live on the island?
Cameron: We have two main goals: grow the grassroots film scene and attract international productions. Both are equally important. There are talented filmmakers on the island and continued up-skilling of talent is vital, its part of the attraction to Guernsey for visiting filmmakers who need talent engaged. The biggest football teams trade players worth millions but they also invest in their up-and-coming talent, it’s the same as that- we continue to nurture talent and provide a better environment for film than we had experienced, all while attracting larger productions to shoot in Guernsey. Every project we carry out we check against this mission of the institute. We are working on schemes and production infrastructure which safeguard the interests of Guernsey by incentivising those projects that have a benefit to the island, for example through cultural exposure or local employment. But yes, ‘lasting opportunities’ is key. This isn’t a passing project, we have built an organisation that can continue to sustainably grow the film scene.
Brandon: I think that’s absolutely right. ISAG has two key remits, a) to upskill and nurture the local burgeoning, grassroots film industry, and b) to attract those international productions to come and shoot on the island and employ local talented creatives, artists and technicians. These are complimentary, not competing aims. The latter, in a way, feeds the former.
I think we’re at the precipice of something very exciting in Guernsey, though. It’s exciting to see Guernsey’s government, the States of Guernsey, taking this burgeoning part of the economy seriously. They recently appointed a Film Lead position, with the government’s Committee for Economic Development, and have given their blessing to ISAG to operate as the jurisdiction’s official Film Commission.
You have spoken about “rewriting the rules” for independent films with global ambitions. What does a truly sustainable model of independent filmmaking look like to you — one in which you can grow internationally without losing identity, creative control, or your connection to the community that helped make those projects possible?
Cameron: As an actor, independent filmmaking means the opportunity to dare and experiment, to play and be ambitious. The studio system has a reputation to suffocate that. To be sustainable those risks need to pay off, so it means being attuned to what new creative directions are attractive to audiences and which characters feed intrigue. A studio sticks to a formula, independent filmmakers seek to redefine that ‘expected normal’. Sometimes a filmmaking career goes south as they become less able to relate. Keeping it indie in approach means keeping it real and rooted. Growth in projects shouldn’t mean losing that identity. Since the true richness of film is the collaborative nature, bringing in those experienced voices to share control can be good, and do wonders for a film’s exposure. At the end of the day we all want people to watch the work. As long as we keep travelling and experiencing the world, our films will stay grounded and authentic. Growing internationally means broadening the voices included in a project, and adding new flavours – that’s how you recreate yourself and your work. So, our identity in our work will never be lost but it should be allowed to evolve. Our Guernsey upbringing is a part of that identity. I now live between London and Toronto, which again helps broaden my creative palette, work with new people and keep my work fresh.
Brandon: In economic terms, a truly sustainable model of independent filmmaking is one that has access to risk capital to finance it. That’s always the hard sell to investors, and prospective investors. You have to pitch well and convince them that your story will be of commercial interest. Equally, as you rightly point out, you don’t want that to overshadow and remove creative control. The creative vision should come first, but you have to be mindful of the nature of this industry as being a business. Ultimately, it’s a business and not a charity.
I think having solved that, the next step is easy. We love our home island of Guernsey, and we’d love to continue making films and telling stories there. The island is welcoming, accommodating and open to this sort of business. The locations and landscape are versatile and unlike any other, all within 25 square miles. We also have some of the very best creatives, filmmakers and actors going – although I’m biased, of course.
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