New short film, When the Music Ends, illustrates realities of sexual harassment in electronic music

A new short film highlights the realities of sexual harassment in the electronic music industry.

Produced by Berlin-based production company Spilled Milk, directed by Mo Kanaan, executive produced by British DJ and producer Rebekah, and steered by music activism group MeToo Music, When the Music Ends is structured around real-life accounts from anonymous contributors and takes its cue from a study carried out by the Electronic Music Inclusion Initiative (EMII).

The global study spanned 28 countries and brought to light 615 separate incidents, which ranged from microaggressions to unwanted physical contact and were particularly centred on high-risk, marginalised groups and communities.

According to a press release, the five-minute film delivers “an explicitly eye-opening account of what many people have had to and still sadly endure throughout global nightlife, along with the permanent physical and mental damage suffered by victims”.

A website has also been launched alongside the film, which will be updated with information about panels, discussions and fundraising events for 2025. 

Watch When the Music Ends below.

New UK legislation came into place this month that will require employers to take “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of their employees. The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) described the move as a “game-changer” and “a critical step towards improving protections for employees across the UK’s night-time economy”. 

Meanwhile, a new national initiative to confront sexual violence and harassment has been launched by Sam Hennerley and Jack Young. Safer Dance will provide education and training for up to 24 independent venues in the UK. A screening of When The Music Ends will be a component of the workshop.

When The Music Ends comes a year after an anti-sexual harassment campaign was launched by Brighton club Volks and writer Leanne Shoreley with the aim of amplifying conversations around sexual harassment in night-time spaces.