LOGLINE
Sue’s beloved home is disappearing - buried under second home developments, but the unexpected return of her estranged daughter Amy unearths deeper truths about love, and belonging, for both of them.
CONTEXT
The idea for the short film came from a real experience, and it tells the story of a mother-daughter relationship, set on a desolate, beautiful farm on the north coast of Cornwall.
We have secured the support of a major national fund that will cover most of our initial costs. This crowdfunder is running for six weeks and is to enable us to create the best quality film we can with the highest possible production values, and will also cover distribution costs to ensure the film reaches the widest possible audience. Your support will go toward camera kit and props hire, along with festival submissions and distribution costs.
Petite Maman, dir Céline Sciamma
Image credit: Ellen McDougall
THE STORY
When AMY, homeless after a break-up, unexpectedly shows up on SUE's doorstep in the middle of a Cornish winter storm, she hopes her mum will be pleasantly surprised at the chance for them to reconnect.
But Sue isn't good with surprises.
Sue is preparing to plant a bare root hedge, her final act of resistance against the second home development that will surround her home, concreting over her memories and erasing her past.
They start early: digging in the hedge is backbreaking work.
When Amy finally manages to tell Sue how lost she feels, Sue is lost for words, leaving an even more devastating silence between them.
As night falls, and exhaustion sets in, Amy and Sue, in their own ways, reach out across the years of separation, silence and loss, towards each other.
The Wonder, dir Sebastián Lelio
Women Talking, dir. Sarah Polley
Portrait of a Lady on Fire, dir. Celine Sciamma
DIRECTORS' STATEMENT
This is a story about a mother and daughter who both struggle in their own ways to reach out to each other. Both are experiencing a loss of home, and are grappling with their sense of self. The exhausting physical task of planting a bare root hedge eventually reconnects them with the earth, their shared past, and each other.
Sue and Amy’s work in the field brings them into contact with the steady, quiet, and constant life that sustains in this landscape.
The film is about the challenges of asking for help and seeking to be heard, understood and supported, and how often we bury our most vulnerable feelings from the people we love the most. It centres queer and older women.
The cinematography will provide a forensic study of the silences and pain in both characters, while giving the viewer a close-up study of the physicality of planting and their connection to the earth.
We are keen to also feature the abundant and diverse life in the field itself; making an argument for the value and protection of wild and natural spaces.
Close, dir. Lukas Dhont
Deliverance, dir. John Boorman
CREDITS
WRITER AND DIRECTOR - ELLEN MCDOUGALL
Ellen has worked as a theatre director for the last 15 years, with productions at major UK theatres including the Donmar Warehouse and Shakespeares' Globe. She was Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre, Notting Hill from 2017-2022. This is her first short film.
PRODUCER - LUCY MAINSTONE
Lucy began her career in talent management in London before moving in to HETV casting in Vancouver, working on The Good Doctor for ABC and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Riverdale, and numerous DC series for Warner Brothers. Since moving home to Cornwall she's worked in factual TV as a Researcher on Simon Reeve's Return to Cornwall and Cornwall Air 999. This will be her first time producing a short film.
Ellen (left) and Lucy (right)
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - AMBER AMARE
Amber Amare is a multi-talented filmmaker based in the UK, excelling in various roles including Spark, Cinematographer and Grip. Her outstanding directorial work has garnered recognition, with films "womb" and "becoming flesh" shortlisted at the Aesthetica Film Festival, "the interview" at the Darkroom Film Festival, and "ten times ten" at the London Sci-Fi Film Festival.
MUSIC - DAISY RICKMAN
Daisy Rickman is a self-taught multidisciplinary Artist and Musician from Mousehole, Cornwall. The atmosphere and world she conjures in her acoustic folk music, along with her deep, resonant vocals are the perfect fit for the tone of Bare Roots.
'[Daisy's music] is a gauze of fingerpicked guitar – sometimes delicate, sometimes yomping along at a druidic clip – glowing strings and Rickman’s hypnotically deep voice...' - The Guardian
Photo credit: Freddie J Watts
STARRING LINDA BASSETT AS 'SUE'
Award-winning actor Linda Bassett (Call the Midwife, Calendar Girls, East is East) is attached to the project. She is an exceptional actor who will bring the tough, witty, and ultimately deeply vulnerable character of Sue to life.
THE JOURNEY SO FAR...
We started working together on the film in March 2024 and were thrilled to receive an intent-to-fund from a national funding body, which will cover the majority of our production budget.
Since then we have been in pre-production. We have found an incredible location and secured some exceptional female talent to help us tell this story, which we plan to shoot in early March 2025.
You join us at a pivotal time in the project and are excited to share our progress on the journey! Have a look at our donation rewards and thank you so much for reading. We are so excited to make the film and beyond grateful for any donation you are able to give. If you have any questions or want to get in touch you can email us at [email protected].
Love, Ellen and Lucy
Bait, dir. Mark Jenkin
Gods Own Country, dir. Francis Lee