What is The Vanishing Cabinet?
This fun, heartfelt short film tells the story of an aging whimsical magician and his struggle with memory loss. Despite his failing memory, he retains an uncanny ability to perform his intricate magic tricks flawlessly. It is through his magic tricks that he is able to magically preserve fragments of his past within each illusion. His story, punctuated by memories and imagery, provokes thoughts about the impact of memory loss and how scary the world must be for those who suffer from it.
Initially conceived by writer and filmmaker, Suzanne Kinghorn, who for years has been filling notebooks with short stories and monologues which, duly, were often put away in a cupboard never to see the light of day again. This one little short story, however, would stay with her, demanding to be told and conjuring in Suzanne a dream of one day bringing its magic to life on screen.
Fast forward and Suzanne shared her heart felt story of an aging magician with her friend and colleague, Fallon Westlake, who wove her particular brand of magic and adapted the story to screenplay. It has since become the lovechild of a group of passionate and talented filmmakers, all of whom believe believe this short film will be something truly extraordinary. We have been developing this as a collective since 2023 and plan to start filming in the last quarter of 2024. Not only do we believe this film will be an amazing short film which we plan on entering into festivals around the world, we believe this film delivers a unique way of exploring dementia - through magic. We believe it will also add to the discourse and understanding of what life can be like for someone living with dementia.
Both Suzanne and Fallon hold this story very dear to their hearts. Suzanne lost her mother in 2020 to Alzheimer's. Fallon lost her father in 2023 to Alzheimer's and her mother is also a dementia sufferer. So, it goes without saying, this story resonates with them on a very personal level and they are passionate about telling the story of Peter, our aging whimsical magician.
The film stars Lloyd Peters as Peter, the aging magician, and Christian Reeve as younger Peter. Suzanne will also be appearing in the film as older Kate, while newcomer Lucy Hamilton-Mayes has been cast as younger Kate.
How much do they need?
In order to make this film a reality, we need to raise £15,000. As a collective, we have tried to keep the budget as low as possible by using as much equipment that we have access to for free from The University of Salford and that the crew own. We have also tried to source as many free locations as we can. But there are still many many expenses required to get this film made. These include paying for a professional cast of actors, their make-up and wardrobe, their expenses such as travel costs and feeding them on the days of filming. Securing locations that we have not managed to get for free. Art direction & production design is a huge cost of making this film as we need numerous magic props and set design. Post production such as editing, color grading, sound, composer, will all require a large budget and will happen at a professional post-production house. After the film has been shot and edited, we will then send the film out to various festivals, as well as showing it a different venues associated with dementia.
Every penny raised will go towards making this film the best film it can possibly be. From what we have researched so far, this is the first time dementia has been explored in a film through the use of magic. We all believe whole heartedly in this film, and want it to be of the highest standard. If we raise the funds to achieve this, we believe this film is so special and unique that we can go on to pitch it for development to a feature.
So, who is making this film?
We are a mixed group of passionate filmmakers based in the North of England (with cultural roots stretching across the globe) who have worked professionally in the industry, as well as studied filmmaking to PhD.
Suzanne Kinghorn: Writer, Producer
Suzanne is a seasoned writer, actor, and filmmaker with over 30 years experience. Born and bred in Lancashire, she writes about every day people in everyday situations, and especially about the traditional, Lancashire working classes. A fan of comedy writers such as, Victoria Wood, Steve Pemberton, and Reece Shearsmith, she loves to use comedy in her writing often to explore quite serious issues such as dementia and loneliness. Suzanne has directed and produced a number of short films, her most recent of which, Daly in a Van, has been selected by 3 festivals so far.
![]()
Fallon Westlake: Director, Screen writer.
Fallon Westlake is an Irish filmmaker and script writer based in Manchester. Fallon is currently pursuing a PhD in filmmaking at the University of Salford and is set to graduate in 2025. She has worked on numerous films in various roles including director, assistant director, producer, director of photography, script writer, and editor, and has a series of festival selections and awards under her belt. Fallon is very much a visual storyteller, often using strong symbolic imagery to convey the emotionality of serious issues.
![]()
ABDULLRHMAN HASSONA حَسُونَة: Assistant Director
Hassona is an Egyptian Visual Artist based in the UK. A mixed-media social documentarian and educator, mostly specializing behind the camera, Abdullrhman’s work focuses on people, communities, and their personal stories. He has worked with advertising agencies, television companies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), enabling him to travel across Asia and Africa and experience diverse locations, cultures, and situations.
With experience in social media content creation, he has a strong online presence, sharing his work and delivering digital media and post-production workshops and tutorials online, to help others improve their art skills.
www.ahassona.com
![]()
Giuseppe Abba: Director of Photography
Giuseppe Abbà is an Italian-Arabic award-winning cinematographer, director, and editor. From 2018 - 2023 he was co-founder and director of the production company 'Film on the Brain'. Over the last 6 years Giuseppe has worked as a DP, camera operator, and editor across various productions, projects, and events. His experience ranges from small corporate shoots to multi-day events, short films, and documentaries. He currently works freelance in the UK as a DP and camera operator. He is known for Accident (2023), Paint the Sky (2019) and The Taggy Man (2020).
![]()
India Moan: Lighting Director
India Moan is a Manchester based award winning filmmaker who specialises in Gaffer/lighting roles. Having worked in media creation for 8+ years, she is keen to further her passion and continue working on new exciting ideas.
Her pervious projects include Man of The House (2024), BAWBAG (2023), A Caution For the Wise (2023).
![]()
Ben Warburton: Co-Producer
Ben is a Manchester-based producer and academic, with 10 years’ experience working in both the broadcast media and education sectors. Ben has published works in academic queer theory, discourse analysis, and misinformation, and is in the completion phase of their PhD in visual semiotics and the linguistics of misinformation, with a Viva Voce set for July 2024. Ben’s previous production work includes high-end television dramas such as Victoria and Endeavour for ITV, BBC Music Day, and freelance work for independents including Anattic, Woolyback, and John Nolan Studios. Ben is thrilled to be part of The Vanishing Cabinet family and hopes to bring their keen eye for logistics, detail, and creative planning to the team.
![]()
Callum Norfolk: Sound Recordist
Callum is an Italian-English location Sound Recordist for the Film and Television industry. Callum studied Audio Production at the University of Lincoln and is now based in Manchester. He is experienced in recording and mixing sound for multi-camera entertainment shows, feature and short films, commercials and documentaries. He is friendly, positive and has a passion for delivering quality and clean audio.
![]()
Daniel Elkin: Script Supervisor and Editor
Daniel Elkin is a director from Peru, currently based in Manchester. All 5 of his short films have been selected at international film festivals and has edited the work of directors from three different countries. He also has experience working as a 2nd AC, boom operator, and script supervisor.
He’s extremely motivated to join the team of the genre-bending ‘The Vanishing Cabinet’ as script supervisor and editor!
![]()
Barrington Powell: Magic Consultant
A fellow of infinite jest, a professional prestidigitator and corporate conjurer, Barrington has performed magic all over the world and was one of the original entertainers to perform as a clown doctor at Royal Manchester Hospital.
www.barringtonpowell.com
![]()
The Impact
We want to honor the complexities in the stories we tell. All too often, media that deals with dementia fails to show dementia accurately and reinforces stereotypes. We want to change this narrative and deliver a film which accurately reflects the complexity of memory loss and draws the audience into the experience of the confused, blurred reality of the dementia sufferer.
There remains a startling lack of understanding regarding the devastating impacts of dementia, despite the fact that millions of people in the UK will experience this terrible illness. According to a survey by Alzheimer's Research UK, just 49% of British people can identify memory loss as a symptom of dementia, and 22% of respondents say they have no understanding how the illness affects people.
We believe this film will deliver a more accurate understanding about living with dementia and highlight the harrowing impact of this, in turn, urging the audience towards more support and understanding towards it.
Thank you!
We are so incredibly excited about and committed to making this film, but we cannot do it alone. We want to express our deepest gratitude for your support and your faith in us. We can’t wait to share The Vanishing Cabinet with you. Thank you for being a part of this magical story.