Ophelia Lovibond stars in stillbirth short film

Ophelia Lovibond and Jacob Anderson are starring in a short film about the aftermath of stillbirth.

Still Life follows Jess and Max after their son is stillborn at 24 weeks of pregnancy, with Jess dealing with a kind of motherhood she did not expect, where important moments happen quietly, and she faces awkward or uncomfortable interactions with other people because of it.

Meanwhile, Max tries everything he can to hold their family together through grief.

The project is very personal for its writer- and-producer Kate Radcliffe, who used her own experience of losing her son, Dexter, to tell a story about a subject that is rarely shown on screen.

Lovibond, 39, told Variety: "Kate’s script struck me as such an important subject matter to bring to light.

"There’s still so little conversation around baby loss that it can feel impossible to navigate, both for those experiencing its bewildering devastation directly and for those wanting (but not knowing how) to be supportive."

Anderson, 35, added: "Stories are a great way to work through things that need to be said, and Kate has written a brave, darkly funny and ultimately hopeful story about continuing to live in the face of the unimaginable."

Still Life - which is in post-production - is directed by Sophie King, whose brother, Alex, was stillborn.

She said: "The greatest power of cinema is its capacity for catharsis and empathy, and Kate’s brutally honest script delivers on this so fully. As well as learning all about Kate’s first son, Dexter, it’s been an honour to pay tribute to my stillborn brother Alex by making this film."

The short film - produced by 19th Street Productions - was predominantly staffed by women, but also had men working on it.

And Radcliffe hopes Still Life - which also stars Felicity Montagu, 65, Phoebe Pryce, 36, Jordan Alexandra, 32, and Alex Bhat - will help people talk more openly about baby loss and make others who have gone through similar pain feel less alone.

She said: "If this film does anything, I hope it opens up a conversation about baby loss and resonates with anyone who has felt as lonely and devastated as I did the day Dexter died."

The creative team behind the short film - which is aiming to be shown at festivals in the UK and abroad later this year - has teased that it could be turned into a TV series.