BABA - Feature Film

BABA

BABA is a fantasy drama feature film about being cared for.

We are now raising funds which can take us into production. Join the project and make BABA with us!

See more about the development of BABA on our website.

STORY

The film begins with Monty (Arlo Carter), caretaker to his father June (Steve O'Halloran) who has fallen ill after the disappearance of Baba (Ewa Mrówczyńska), their mystical companion. As June’s health worsens, Monty resents the need to look after his languishing father.

His hunting colleague Elma (Małgorzata Apse) invites Monty to a performance by a bewitching puppeteer (Kamil Dobrowolski) who convinces him to give June away and free himself from the burden of caregiving. This deal with the devil casts Monty to a nightmarish no-man's-land under the rough care of Elma, with Baba's return drawing near.

CONCEPT TRAILER

country: Poland | language: Eng. | status: feature, in development | prod.: 2025

DIRECTORS

(Judyta and Laurence pitching BABA at Off Camera Film Festival, Kraków - 2024)

Founders of artistic collective WITHOUT A HEAD, Judyta Potocka and Laurence McManus have been working together since 2017 on short and experimental film projects. Currently based out of Kraków, Poland, their collaborations blend absurdism, intimacy and a grounded drama where the collective process is central. BABA is their debut feature.

Following the completion of the medium-length THE WIND AND THE WHIMPERING (2023) which screened at festivals across Europe and the USA, their focus has been the growth of BABA. A story from an abstraction of Englishness and brought to life through writing and development in Poland, BABA is enriched by its cultural contrasts.

CAST

ARLO CARTER | MONTY

A graduate from the New York Film Academy, Arlo's recent performances include Logan in thriller THE LAST BREATH (2023) and the lead in THE WIND AND THE WHIMPERING (2023). He has recently been cast as Joe in THE PUB (exp. 2025). Arlo is represented by Roger Carey Associates.

MONTY gives in to his shadow and gives June away. He begins the film believing he was born from different soil, far away from the dark creatures he has to live with but in finding his own capabilities, he sees the good in his companions. Monty must fall to his father’s position to know that he’s from the same mud as the rest.

MAŁGORZATA APSE | ELMA

Małgorzata is a graduate of the A. Zelwerowicz Theatre Academy in Białystok. In 2022 she took part in the International Screen Acting Workshop in Film Academy Baden - Württemberg. This year she began her first season as an actress of the Latvian Puppet Theatre, and appeared in MY FREEDOM (Dir. Ilze Kunga) Latvia's candidate for the Academy Award.

ELMA enjoys her work in the woods, snapping necks and skinning hares. It is when Monty falls ill that she finds something else ignite within her, an instinct to care. Taking her turn among others as the maternal figure in Monty’s life, Elma grows to resent her own roughness. Her want for closeness is warped by tragedy and only when seeking to protect Monty does she find her own shadow take over. 

KAMIL DOBROWOLSKI | DAFFSKI

Trained in the Meisner method, Kamil is a regular cast member featuring in the repertoire of Rzeszów’s Theatre Maska. In 2015, Kamil played Mietek in László Nemes’ Academy Award winning feature SON OF SAUL, and more recently sailor Stanisław Uliczny in the submarine thriller BELOW THE SURFACE (dir. Jacek Bławut) which enjoyed a wide cinematic release in 2022. Kamil is represented by JMC Studio Warsaw.

DAFFSKI is a dastardly figure who has embraced his fall from grace. He worships the beauty of performed moments, whether they be painful or jubilant. His mind has been warped by the adulation of crowds and he reflects this back onto the masses, moving them to the beat of his drum.

STEVE O'HALLORAN | JUNE

Based in the West Country of England, Steve didn't make it to drama school despite aching to go. He found his way in by moving scenography for a local theatre rep and so his journey began. His television credits include EASTENDERS, CALL THE MIDWIFE; he considers his greatest work playing Johnny 'Rooster' Byron in the play JERUSALEM by Jez Butterworth.

JUNE is now a shadow of what he may once have been. We meet him in his madness, at first lamenting BABA, then begging Monty to return the creature to him. June is a man at odds with himself, his own reality and his son; filled with uncertainty about who he is and what he has done.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Production Designer Andie Scott’s background in circus, theatre and opera has seeped into the characters from early in development. Andie, who we first worked with on THE WIND AND THE WHIMPERING is an international fine artist and award winning designer. She practices ecological production design, prioritising low waste and recycling materials, which is central to our ethos in the making of BABA.

LOCATION

Production will take place in Podkarpackie, Poland, the region Judyta Potocka grew up and which has diverse, atmospheric locations throughout. As a child, Judyta heard many stories of the devil and mystical entities and it remains a place that is both close to her heart and holds great mystery.

We are working with local filmmakers to have a positive impact on the locations we film in, engaging in promotion and restoration. Re-homing production design where possible to local artistic outfits - as we have achieved with past projects, and reducing waste by keeping a small crew are the cornerstones of our commitment to green film production.

(fot. Judyta Potocka, from one of our locations in Podkarpackie - February, 2025)

WHY CONTRIBUTE NOW?

With this campaign, our goal is to raise contributor funding to add to our existing production budget financed through collective Without a Head, expanding the scope of what is possible with BABA in all departments.

By contributing now, you stamp YOUR mark on the film's production and produce an independent film.

ALL of the money raised through this campaign will go directly into PRODUCTION so regardless of other funding sources, your money WILL make this film!

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER?

As well as receiving your reward, we will keep you immediately involved in the journey to production, post and beyond. Engaging a community in the making of BABA is central to our process as this gives life to the film at all stages and enriches the work itself.

Take your chance and join us in making this film. We promise, you won't regret it. 

CHECK OUT OUR REWARDS WHERE:

• For just £5 you can receive access to exclusive behind the scenes material including FULL workshop scenes, table reads and development.

• For £25 you receive an invite to join us at a private screening of the finished film! 

• For £50 you can see yourself on screen and play a background character on the set of BABA!

• For £75 you can take home a one-of-a-kind sculpture or painting of BABA used in the film’s production design!

• For £150 you will receive early drafts of the BABA screenplay as well as a production booklet filled with concept art, storyboards, notes, and alternate cuts of the final film.

• For £500, this grand amount will sponsor a young artist seeking work experience in the BABA art department! We will keep you up to date on their involvement and journey; you can see how your money directly affects the aspirations and development of a young filmmaker!

• For £750 you will become an Associate Producer of the feature film BABA, a hugely significant supporter of the arts and independent filmmaking.

• For £1,000 you will become a Producer of the independent feature film BABA! Watch rough cuts and give notes; help to shape the film which will hopefully be shown at festivals around the world.

• For £5,000 you will become an Executive Producer of BABA; be intimately involved in the production process, join us on the set, meet with the cast and see the film being made.

WITHOUT A HEAD

Artistic collective WITHOUT A HEAD is the team making BABA.

Formed organically over a number of years, WITHOUT A HEAD unites artistic practice in filmmaking with values of collective development. Founders Judyta and Laurence collaborate on their projects with people from across Europe. 

We intend for WITHOUT A HEAD to become an NGO in 2025. Just as THE WIND AND THE WHIMPERING was the foundation for BABA, this project will be the foundation from which to build the NGO where we will run film and other arts-based projects, prioritising engagement with communities which are often excluded from art-making processes.

(Laurence and Judyta on the set of The Wind and the Whimpering - 2020)

OUR BACKGROUND

We ran a successful crowdfunding campaign with the rest of the team behind THE WIND AND THE WHIMPERING (34', 2023) in 2021; there we exceeded our target by raising just over £2,000 (25%) of an £8,000 budget.

We delivered the perks, made the film and it went on to screen and win awards at festivals across Europe and The USA, releasing to the public in 2023.

With BABA, the budget is more malleable and the percentage of what we raise will depend on what we can receive latterly through grants. That is why this first round of funding is so important.

Crucially, the film WILL be made with your help!

(Original artwork Rewards for contributing to The Wind and the Whimpering campaign, displayed at Flexitron Studios - 2021)

SUSTAINABLE ETHOS

In the making of THE WIND AND THE WHIMPERING, we developed an ethos of green film production, partnering with British wildlife charity Froglife early in development to raise money for their cause. 

The entirety of the materials used to build the set were donated to local theatre and the costumes of the characters returned to Andie Scott's Flexitron Studios where they were recycled to take life in subsequent productions. The film was released in March 2023 and celebrated Earth Day 2023 with a day of free purchases.

The success of this practice has been the basis for our sustainable ethos in the making of BABA.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

BABA has been a project propelled by a committed team of independent filmmakers which we welcome you to join!

Of course making a film is not a simple process and we will continue to face many challenges in the course of financing and then production. Together, we can enjoy the process of finding a way! 

Whatever the amount, we truly appreciate your support as every contribution is a show of energy to get this film made.

COLLABORATE WITH US

If you have another idea of how to support BABA or collaborate differently, please get in touch!