"Patron" is a social horror in the vein of Stepford Wives and Get Out, that builds to a wild, abstract and Lynchian climax. 

Synopsis 

Vickie Black is young and hungry, though working as a maid in London, she has her sights set far higher...

After successfully landing an interview for a prestigious job at an age-old, unscrupulous organisation it looks like Vickie might be on the verge of hitting the big time.

Vickie goes in positive, but the questions from her faceless male interviewers soon become predatory, the atmosphere growing more awkward and uncomfortable by the minute.

As the interview takes its toll, Vickie reaches breaking point, if her spirit is to survive this encounter she must UNDERGO AN ABSTRACT AND RADICAL PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION.

Last year, a wide ranging culture of sexual harassment against both men and women was exposed to the public. It came as a shock to some, to others - relief, as they could finally have their stories heard.

"Patron" is a female-centric film, with a female lead, and will therefore be brought to you by a female-led crew, including co-director, producer and cinematographer, with more announcements coming soon.

In order to truly engage our audience, the aim of "Patron" is to tell a topical tale, but not in the way people would expect, which is why we have chosen to make this story a genre piece and put a real emphasis on innovative visual design... We want to evoke a palpably dreamlike intensity to this short - because dreams challenge us, are hard to escape from and can linger in our minds long after we've awoken.

As such, the lighting and cinematography will take their inspiration from surrealist paintings - bringing an OTHERWORLDLY NATURE to the shots and enhancing the emotional and nightmarish qualities of this piece.

We are also seeking to push the envelope with our VFX, Emily and Alon are already working closely with a visual effects artist to achieve a digital manipulation of the film's subject which will amplify the tensions and themes of the story.

So, with its unique genre, aesthetic and VFX, we feel "Patron" will add an important and original voice to the #MeToo and #TimeUp movements, keeping this social issue at the forefront of the public's mind.

All donations will go directly into this project. We are very excited and with your support we hope to be able to bring this ambitious project to the screen.

Emily Haigh   Producer/Co-Director

Award-Winning Actress and Producer Emily Haigh is the Co-Director/Producer of "Patron". Emily was recently awarded the 'One To Watch' award at the Unrestricted View Film Festival.  She recently completed "Beautified", her third short film as writer/director/producer which has already picked up awards including 'Best Short Film' and 'Best Producer.'  Emily co-produced "The Inuring", where she also played the lead, and "The Velvet Abstract" where she attached Golden Globe nominee Tobias Menzies as narrator. 

Emily was excited to join "Patron" as she focuses on bringing strong female-driven stories to the screen.

Alon Young  Writer/Co-Director

As a former high school teacher who taught in deprived inner city areas, Alon is keen on tackling projects which carry strong social messages and that are backed up by a diverse cast and crew.

Alon's cinematic influences include Kubrick, Kurosawa and Lynch, as well as many classical artists, but he is keen to push the medium forward, trying new cinematic techniques to enhance the themes and drama of his films. 

"Patron" marks the first of his "Voices" trilogy of shorts - each of which aim to tackle a relevant social theme and will utilise innovative VFX and sound design.

We are delighted to have Mhairi Calvey attached to play Vickie Black.  Mhairi Isla Calvey is a Scottish actress who is hugely passionate about her craft with a love for playing character roles.
At the age of 5, Mhairi made her movie debut playing the role of 'Young Murron' in Mel Gibson's film 'Braveheart', which went on to win five Oscars and 'the thistle scene' became one of the most popular Hollywood scenes of all time. Shortly after filming Mhairi returned to school and started her career on stage performing in several theaters around the UK.
Mhairi also featured in 'Dressed to Kilt', alongside Sean Connery and Brian Cox. At age 18, Mhairi was accepted and given a full Scholarship to the Guildford School of Acting. During her training she made an appearance on the BBC's 'Scotland On Screen' with Alan Cumming.
After graduating drama school, Mhairi went on to play leading roles in feature films such as 'Five Pillars', '3 Lives' and 'Crystal's Shadow' alongside William B Davis and Sienna Guillory. She won best actress for the TV movie 'Gemini' at the L.A Short Film Festival and starred in 'Alan' directed by Oscar nominated Matthias Lebeer. Mhairi made a brief cameo appearance in 'Robert The Bruce' alongside Angus Macfadyen and Jared Harris.

Jamie Lee-Hill was handpicked by Oscar nominated director Thomas Vinterberg (The Hunt) to play the Part of Laban Tall in "Far From the Madding Crowd" alongside Carey Mulligan. In 2016 he appeared on BBC2 in three episodes of "The Hollow Crown" together with Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as doubling for Benedict. Jamie trained at Dorset School of Acting. He is a versatile actor who started in theatre and now works predominantly in film and television.  Known for committing roles with emotional intensity, stage work includes a nomination for Best Actor at the New Forest Drama Festival for playing Horst in Martin Sherman’s "Bent", and performances at the prestigious Poole Lighthouse in A Streetcar Named Desire. He appears alongside Bonnie Wright (Harry Potter’s Ginny Weasley) in the children’s film “Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg?” The movie made the official selection of the BFI at the London Film Festival. Jamie has over thirty film credits, several for independent feature films, one of the most recent being World War One drama "Eleven" which is due for a cinema release on the centenary of the war’s end. Jamie won best actor recently at the Creation International Film Festival in Toronto for "Flawless". Jamie co-produced and acted in the similarly named "Faithless", starring Sean Gilder, and several other established British screen actors. The film was very well received when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and it is now being developed into a television series.  Recently he played a Stasi surveillance officer in a cold war thriller, "Cheating Charlie", set in Berlin in the 1960s. Jamie has been booked for several further feature films including lead roles.

We have been overwhelmed by the interest in "Patron", having received nearly 1000 applications and look forward to announcing the remaining cast soon. 

Please keep an eye out for more casting updates on our twitter and facebook pages.

Beatriz Delgado Mena joins us as Cinematographer. Originally from Spain and now based in London.  Beatriz brings a wealth of experience and is part of the BAFTA Crew. Beatriz has also been the cinematographer on three feature films, two of which have been distributed by Sony Pictures.​  Showreel: https://vimeo.com/178154487 

We are delighted to  bring together such a strong and talented crew for "Patron" and look forward to introducing the other members soon.

Cassandra Rutledge will be our Sound Recordist. Cassandra was accepted onto the Lighthouse Mentoring Programme for Women in Sound 2017. Her organisation and focused energy as well as her respect and admiration for artists from her own experiences as a creator and performer make her an essential asset. Cassandra's credits include Tim Burton's high anticipated "Dumbo".

Joanna Masiewicz  joins us as our Make-up Artist.  Joanna studied at the famous Delamar Academy and is already making strides in her career her work includes for The Watcher (I) (2018), Artemis Fowl (2020), Mummy Reborn (2019), The Twin Theory (2018).

We also would love it if you would share our Indiegogo, Facebook or Twitter pages on your social media.  Any social media love would be fantastic! Thank you x