233 Years of Luck - Short Film

Aim

Are people really born lucky? Find out! We are fundraising for our black comedy short film “233 Years of Luck”

The Story 

In the leafy west end of Glasgow, insurance salesperson Colette pays a house call to Marion and Ninian. The retired, well spoken (and heeled) couple live in a mansion filled with expensive art, royal memorabilia and sure-fire signs of wealth and comfort. Colette quickly discovers the couple have never taken out insurance of any kind, all because they believe they are shielded by good luck. For them, “luck” is not metaphorical but a literal inheritance that explains their generational prosperity and comfort. 

This serene entitlement has been rocked very recently by the couple discovering that they have both been diagnosed with the exact same form of lung cancer.

The conversation becomes a battle of worldviews. Is luck real? Is what Ninian and Marion call luck simply the protection of money and ringfencing of opportunities? Just when Colette is making headway in the philosophical battle the couple have another revelation. They can physically prove they are lucky. Ultimately leaving Colette with a decision to make: Embrace the concept of luck, or suffer the consequences… 

Directors Note 

"Today, the divide between the haves and have nots is widening. People who live in privilege often don't even realise they exist in a bubble of good fortune, that they are ‘lucky’. ‘233 Years of Luck’ captures the absurdity of how differently the perception of luck and privilege is experienced in a cost-of-living crisis. As if the have nots could be in the position of the privileged if only they were to make the ‘right choices’ in life."

Why Support '233 Years of Luck'? 

This is a bold Scottish short film that tackles class, privilege, and the idea of “luck” with dark humour and emotional honesty. 

You’re not just donating to a film, you’re helping us make space for stories rooted in modern Scotland: funny, sharp, socially aware. Every pound goes directly into production and helps us bring the film to festivals across the UK and beyond.

Supporting this project means supporting Scottish filmmakers, Scottish stories, and a film with something real to say.

With over 15 years producing unscripted television for the likes of the BBC, Olivia has shaped studio shows, live broadcasts and talent-driven entertainment, with credits spanning 'The Weakest Link', 'Children in Need' and 'Saturday Mash-Up! Live'. But in 2024, she made a decisive leap into film. Her debut short as producer, 'Buried', written and directed by David Maccormack, sparked a shift toward the stories she’s most passionate about telling.

Olivia is currently producing short film 'St Anthony' as part of the esteemed NFTS Sean Connery Talent Lab in partnership with BBC Film, set for release in 2026 and which will earn her a diploma in filmmaking.  

After the success of 'Buried', Olivia and David are excited to reunite - bringing their proven creative partnership, shared instincts and collaborative energy into a new, ambitious story.  This project marks a major step in her development as a scripted filmmaker - driven by a love of character-led narratives, strong visual worlds and bold new voices. Drawing on years of production leadership, an ability to get the best from creative teams, and a commitment to elevating distinctive voices, '233 Years of Luck' is the next chapter - and with your support, it will come to life on screen.

David has been working in unscripted broadcast TV for the last 15 years. He completed an NFTS course in 2023/24 from which his first scripted short ‘Buried’ was made and has already picked up awards on the film festival circuit. He's won some RTS awards, worked on a few BAFTA winning things, but has been throwing everything at scripted. 

"I understand the humour, sharpness, and authenticity of the Glaswegian working-class voice. But I also know the flip side of this through growing up in a school catchment that spanned a large area. I grew up in a working class household, but I was around people a lot who were not working class. ‘Luck’ is my way of trying to understand some of the people I met. I’d go to people’s houses and it was like walking onto a film set.

Years directing unscripted TV have honed my ear for real dialogue, timing, and observational detail. That translates perfectly into the darkly comedic realism of this story and develops my voice as a director. 'Buried' quickly became an exceptionally strong platform for us to build on, then became an award winning film and is now the collateral we need to show everyone how exciting our next one will be."

Simon’s journey began in the world of music, as an in-demand producer and DJ, releasing tracks on vinyl and CD while performing at festivals around the world. 

He recently completed studying Cinematographer with the Sean Connery Talent Lab at NFTS Scotland, under the mentorship of producer Chris Young (The Inbetweeners, Silent Roar) and shot his film ‘Checkout’ which premiered at the Edinburgh Short Film Festival in August 2025. He has also shot recent short films ‘Lily’, ‘Hive’ and ‘Twitch’. 

Simon balances his work as an up and coming cinematographer with being a full time carer for his autistic son. 

What Your Support Helps Fund

Your contribution goes directly into making '233 Years of Luck' the best film it can be. While we’re securing as much in-kind support as possible, your backing helps us cover the essential costs of bringing a short film to life, including:

- Cast fees – valuing our performers’ time and talent
- Crew wages – supporting an experienced, hard-working team
- Location costs – securing the right spaces to create the world of our story
- Equipment hire – cameras, lighting and sound to give the film its cinematic quality
- Post-production – editing, sound design, colour grading and final delivery
- Festival submissions – getting the film out into the world and in front of audiences

Both Olivia and David are working on the film unpaid, ensuring every pound raised goes directly onto the screen and towards the talented people making this story possible.

Your support helps us fairly compensate our team, elevate the production value, and give this film the best possible journey on the festival circuit.

If you’re not able to contribute financially, please don’t worry — we completely understand. You can still make a huge impact by helping us spread the word:

- Sharing this campaign on social media
- Passing it on to your network
- Telling friends, family and anyone who might love to support indie film

Every share helps us reach new supporters and brings 233 Years of Luck one step closer to the screen. Thank you for being part of this with us.

How the Fundraising Works

We understand that Crowdfunding is not a quick fix, but rather a part of a robust and well thought out fundraising campaign, with each step and reward carefully considered, and that the approach is also a useful tool for engaging with our existing and potential audience.

However, it can also be a risk; even with a good campaign and an even better idea, sometimes projects don’t reach their targets, which is why we are delighted to that 233 Years of Luck is part of the Creative Scotland Crowdmatch scheme.

Creative Scotland will match individual pledges from the crowd up to £10,000. So if you donate £20 to our cause, your donation will be matched with a £20 pledge from Creative Scotland, effectively doubling your donation!

Many small creative projects never get off the ground because of insufficient start-up capital – a little help can go a long way towards helping something worthwhile flourish. This will mean that we don’t have to over reach on our target amount, therefore making our funding goal far more practical and attainable.

The Timeline

Pre-production: Includes casting, final prep – November ‘25 - early Jan ‘26

Filming: Mid January 2026

Post-production phase: Edit, sound design and grade - End Jan - March

Picture lock, Festival submissions release and distribution: April through to end of year

Ambitions 

Our Festival & Distribution Ambitions

STAGE 1 — Top-Tier Festivals
We’ll begin by submitting 233 Years of Luck to major international festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Toronto and Venice. This is our best-case-scenario, aim-high strategy. Our focus is on submitting to a carefully selected mix of top-tier festivals, especially those that are BAFTA or BIFA qualifying, to give the film the strongest possible launch.

STAGE 2 — Prestigious Mid-Tier Festivals
 Following (hopefully!) a strong first stage, we’ll roll out a second wave of submissions to respected mid-tier festivals around the world. While these festivals may not be BAFTA/BIFA qualifying, they offer valuable awards, industry visibility and audience reach. Even an official selection laurel can significantly boost the film’s profile and build momentum.

STAGE 3 — Online Release & Broadcast
After completing our festival journey, our goal is to secure online distribution, ideally through a national broadcaster or established streaming platform. This final stage will help the film reach a wider audience and live well beyond its festival run.

Thank You

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read all about our “233 Years of Luck” fundraising campaign. We are so grateful for your time and for your potential donation. We realise it's a tough time out there right now so don’t worry if you can’t spare the extra cash for a donation right now, there are many other ways you can support the film. 

The key thing is: You can share the link to this Crowdfunder page with your networks and on your social media, and help us amplify the film when it comes out. That is all equally valuable and something we’d be so happy about. 

David and Oli will be talking about the film and sharing fundraising campaign updates frequently on their own social media, so you can follow them on Instagram:

Instagram - David + Oli 

233 Years of Luck Instagram 

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made