Take me to a place of safety

by Sanctuary-commissioned writer Luca Cockayne

‘Take Me To A Place Of Safety’ is a new play written and adapted for film by Luke ‘Luca’ Cockayne, based on their lived experience. The piece is told from the perspective of a young man as he travels in a police van under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act – which compels the police to take you to or keep you in a ‘place of safety’ if you’re experiencing a mental health crisis – and is about the contradictions of this legal duty.

Statement from the filmmaker, Luca Cockayne, August 2022: “Unfortunately this film will not be available for the time being, as it has been brought to my attention by a person of colour that the film unintentionally perpetrates harmful rhetoric about the safety of people of colour in police custody, particularly those experiencing mental health crises. 

“Police brutality both in Scotland and internationally has proven their inability to de-escalate situations such as the one depicted in the film and I would like to take the time to better research and re-edit it so as not to cause further harm.”

In May 2021, Luca (and fellow Sanctuary-commissioned writer Priyanka) were selected from an open call to create a short piece of writing in any genre that broadly explores the theme of sanctuary. The artists each received £500, mentoring sessions with poet Dean Atta and theatre artist Robert Softley Gale, and further support to work with award-winning filmmaker Ania Urbanowska to create a short film. The films were premiered at Sanctuary’s inaugural Showcase in September 2021.

Access information:

CC: This film is presented with pre-recorded captions in English. These captions will express all text spoken, and any background sound that informs the action onscreen.

If you have any questions related to accessibility, please get in touch: hello@sanctuaryqueerarts.com

Content notes:

This film may include reference to: mental health breakdown, homophobia, transphobia, alcohol or substance addiction. We appreciate this list is not comprehensive and encourage you to confidentially get in touch if there is a particular subject matter not listed you wish to avoid: hello@sanctuaryqueerarts.com.

Important further advice: ‘Take Me To A Place Of Safety’ is about being sectioned under the mental health act and includes reference or allusion to a variety of experiences that may be considered distressing or triggering. These include, but are not limited to; sexual and physical violence, various types of abuse and neglect, self-harm and suicide. Caution is advised.

Find out more about the Commissioned Writers: www.sanctuaryqueerarts.com/commissions