Funding sought for folk horror film to be made near Chichester

SussexWorld

Writer and actor Cathy Wippell is seeking environmentally-conscious backers for Black Samphire, a full-length folk horror feature film she is intending to make in which water pollution is the monster.

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Lovely

00:06to speak again to Cathy Whipple. Now, Cathy, let's start talking about Black Sunfire, which

00:11is a film which you have written, and which at the moment exists as a proof of concept,

00:16in other words, a short calling card that you hope will tempt people to finance it to

00:22make it into the full-length feature. So what is it all about? You were saying folk horror.

00:26Yes, so it's a folk horror set in a community tainted by the effects of bad water. So think

00:34the Wicker Man, but water pollution. Essentially, the modern monster in it, which is what we do

00:40at Silicon Gothic, we make films about modern monsters. It is water pollution, and the privatised

00:46water companies that are polluting the water. As an open water swimmer, and also as someone

00:52who grew up near the sea in Itchina and around Chichester, it was kind of a really obvious

00:59first big project for me, because it's something I just care about so deeply, and something I've

01:07seen firsthand as well. As a swimmer, you see these sewage spills, you know of these sewage

01:12spills, you know of people getting sick as well, and that it's a horror story. It really is a horror

01:18story. So I thought, it's obvious where we're going to make a folk horror about it.

01:23Wow, it sounds powerful. And what's got to happen for it to happen to become the full-length

01:28feature film?

01:30So we're currently seeking finance. So we're looking for partners, specifically ESG-conscious

01:36partners to come on board to help us finance the film.

01:39ESG standard for environmentally conscious backers, basically, who place sustainable practices

01:48at the forefront of their investments and things like that. But we are looking for people who

01:54are specifically interested in water pollution. We're also working with River Action UK, who

01:59is a fantastic campaigning charity. People like Stephen Fry, who are also interested in the

02:06issue and have actively spoken out against the issue. So yeah, it's a very activist way

02:13of making a film. But it's been really exciting. We've also been doing sort of river cleans on

02:19the River Thames in London to raise awareness of the project, and attended the March for Clean

02:25Water with River Action UK recently. So that was fantastic.

02:29Well, the whole thing sounds brilliant. But one of the points of interest for us on the coast

02:34here is that you filmed the proof of concept in Itchina.

02:38Yes, yes, we did. We filmed it there for the marshes, the amazing sort of natural environment

02:45that is there. And Chichester Harbour Conservancy was super helpful with that. And yeah, we essentially

02:53filmed in a house in Itchina and then in the sort of marshlands surrounding that house.

02:59Brilliant. And do you imagine you will return to Itchina to film the full length film when

03:04you do?

03:05That is the plan. That is the plan. We have already sourced locations there. We just need

03:10to get the funds in the bank so we can carry that through.

03:14Fantastic. Well, good luck with the whole thing. Sounds brilliant. Keep me posted.

03:18Thank you. I'm lovely to speak to you again. Thank you.

03:21Likewise.

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