ABOUT
'Kindling' is a surreal short drama set in both a period and modern era about a teenage girl, emily's, decision to escape an abusive home. The film looks at the power of the mind to perservere and rise above adversity.
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TONE
The tone will be established by the isolated location of rural Warwickshire, an environment where the protagonist feels deep loneliness and turns to fantasy for escapism. In addition, the use of opposing time settings will create a unique tone that is characteristic of writer/director Cassiah Joski-Jethi's style.
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GENRE/STYLE
'Kindling' is a drama that ties in surreal and fantastical elements with intertextual references to fairytales. The time jump to the present day is a shocking turn in the story; the old world fantastical style versus the stark reality of emily's situation. The story is told completely from emily's perspective, and we never see the identity of her abuser.
ABOUT THE WRITER/DIRECTOR
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Cassiah Joski-Jethi is an award winning writer/director represented by SMA Talent in London, UK. She was mentored by Gurinder Chadha OBE.
Her debut short 'Polly' (2017) received Honourable Mention at the Woman Only Entertainment Awards 2017, as well as screening across the UK & internationally. Her second short 'Woman of the Night' (2018) is currently being submitted to festivals.
She was in the longlist (top 3.5%) for the BBC Script Room Drama 2018 and her feature spec 'For my Mother' was a finalist in the 2018 West Field Screenwriting Awards. She currently has her original television series 'Robyn' in development with Freemantle Media and Bend It TV. She's also a member of BFI Network X BAFTA Crew 2018. www.cassiahj-j.com
'EMILY'
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Our main role will be portrayed by young actress Alyssa Jardim who made her short film debut in her previous collaboration with writer/director Cassiah Joski-Jethi on her recently completed short 'Woman of the Night'. Tasked with being the only character in the film, Cassiah is excited to work with Alyssa's natural ability to portray a subtle and complex character.
CREW BIOS
We have an extremely experienced and professional crew lined up, who have worked on numerous major Film and TV productions, some of which are pictured below. Read further to find out more about the amazing talent working on this film.
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Robbie Bryant - DP
Robbie has been working in film since his early teens, going on to work as a camera assistant on major studio films for seven years. He was then mentored by several cinematographers including Haris Zambarloukos on the feature films Locke, Jack Ryan and Cinderella, working as camera operator on the latter. Robbie is now working full time as a cinematographer shooting films, commercials and music videos. https://www.robbiebryant.co.uk
Naomi Smallwood - Editor
Naomi has enjoyed editing since her parents left her in charge of the family holiday video back when she was a teenager. She studied post production at Ravensbourne, and now works in high-end TV drama as an assistant editor, and loves to cut short films whenever she gets the chance. She also has an assembly editor credit for the BBC drama 'Death In Paradise' and CBBC web-series 'Dixi'.
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Robin Schlochtermeier - Composer
He won Best Music for the psychological thriller 'Retreat' at the British Independent Film Festival, with 'Retreat' also being nominated in six other categories including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. His feature credits also include observational documentary 'Queens of Syria' (Black Pearl Award, Abu Dhabi Film Festival) and coming of age drama 'Strings' (winner of a British Independent Film Award for emerging flmmakers) as well as 'Oh No, Not Rudy Again' (Cannes 2015). He's written music for numerous ad campaigns including Puma, Renault, Ticketmaster, Electrolux and Oxfam and for a long list of short flms including the award-winning Healey's House (Raindance - Best UK Short). http://robinschlochtermeier.com
Thomas McDonald - Producer
Thomas has numerous years experience producing short films, as well as setting up his own award-winning short film festival the ROHO Film Fest. His BFI and Film London funded short 'Vibration' screened at numerous festivals such as the London Short Film Festival and the Cleveland Film Festival, eventually being in the final 12 longlist for the BIFA Best British Short Film award. He has since started looking for exciting, up-and-coming directors to collaborate with, and help them build further forward into their career. He is passionate about working with other young film-makers to tell stories that are new and different.
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Budget Goals
£3,000
For £3000, our base target, we can finish our film, and it will be the film we want to make, but having to make a few compromises. We will have to shoot digitally, while having a minimal crew beyond our heads of department, with each department getting the bare minimum budget.
£5,000 +
YAY! We can finish the film, but now with a bit more panache. We will be able to afford a more fleshed out crew, giving the heads of the departments the teams they need to excel and thrive. The film will still be shot digitally, but we can acquire higher quality cameras, while also being able to go for some good level VFX to help us tell our story.
£10,000 +
This is the dream! With this we would be able to make the film exactly as we would want, with little to no compromise. We will be able to shoot on film, giving our story the perfect visual look. We will have a fully fleshed out crew, giving our heads of department every person they could possibly need to help them, while also using High quality VFX!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long will this film be?
6 minutes long.
Will it become a feature film?
There are currently no plans on making a feature length version.
Where will it be shown?
Globally at major film festivals then release and onto VOD / digital channels.
Where will this be filmed?
On location in the Midlands, England.
Why do we need your help?
If we could afford to complete the film, we would! But the truth is, we can’t do it alone.
How can I get involved?
As well as contributing you can also help get the word out and make some noise about our campaign! If you are interested in being part of the team or crew, drop a message, we are always looking to meet new people!