Cernunnos - Graduation Film

We are graduate students at Edinburgh Napier University making our final project in collaboration with Screen Academy Scotland. Cernunnos is a story with the core theme of subjugation: of people, of a nation and of nature. It will be a tense, dark and atmospheric film that blends the genres of thriller and folk horror, evocatively shot in black and white. It is a story of a man who draws on his deeply ingrained instincts to fight back against his oppressor, reclaiming his pride, identity and heritage in the process.

• £1,000 Student Initiative Grant received from Edinburgh Napier University - December 2024
• £3,000 in donation from our executive producer to cover their and an actor's flight costs (LA-Edinburgh) and accommodation costs. 

The year is 137 AD. A Roman legion has been slaughtered by the Pictish tribes of Caledonia, leaving only two survivors. The first is Antonius, a skilled but arrogant Roman centurion. The second is Antonius’ slave - Servi - a man of Pictish origin who has had his pride and heritage beaten out of him. 

With Pictish warriors in close pursuit, Antonius commands Servi to guide him through the dense, impenetrable forest back to Roman territory. However, upon entering, Servi receives a vision from Cernunnos, the Celtic god of nature. Cernunnos tells Servi that he must stand up for himself, for his people and for the land.

As Servi leads Antonius deeper and deeper into tangled darkness, the forest begins to come to life. It's as though Cernunnos is speaking through the plants, the trees and the animals. This terrifies the once-confident Antonius, but inspires Servi, whose allegiance to his master begins to falter.

Will Servi break free of his chains, or will he die trying?

With your help, we can create this thrilling story of resilience. It is a story of having pride for who you are and where you come from. This film will capture the spirit of the people whom the Romans could not conquer. It is also a tale of the importance of respecting nature. The destruction of Cernunnos’ realm of nature was important in the year 137, and it is ever more important in 2025.

Making an intense period thriller is easier said than done! There are many aspects to consider, such as:

• Authentic Roman armour and swords, as well as other props and costumes
• Fight coordinators
• Weapon handlers
• Makeup artists for wounds and to turn an actor into Cernunnos, the god of nature
• Production design - the final scene will take place in an ancient stone circle which we will be constructing ourselves!
• Distribution money so we can enter the movie into prestigious festivals 
• Transport for crew, cast and equipment to the locations. Accommodation will be needed for some of the cast and crew.

I’m Ellen Eliasoph, a film producer who has spent the last several decades living and working in China and Japan. I had the privilege of establishing and running Warner Bros China, just as China was opening up its film market to international cooperation. My experiences importing The Matrix and Harry Potter franchises imbued me with a deep love for films exploring unique worlds where opposed forces intersect and collide: the real and the virtual, real and magical, and ancient belief systems, such as paganism, with the power structures of the anthropocentric (i.e. human-dominated) world.

While I was at WB, and then afterwards at Village Roadshow (the Australian studio that created the Mad Max franchise), I transitioned from distribution to producing, and after making many films with Asia’s unique talents – Zhang Yimou, Stephen Chow and Jackie Chan, to name a few – I went independent, forming my own production company, Starry Dome. Our first completed film was a short, Neither Donkey Nor Horse, that won a Student Oscar, and when I was in London to receive our award, I had the good fortune of meeting Kyle Craig. Kyle presented Cernunnos – and I was IN! Everything about this project lies in the “sweet spot” of where my passions lie as a filmmaker! I will savour every moment of the experience and do my best to help Kyle and the team make the great film I know Cernunnos will be.

Fraser Coull owns Silly Wee Films, a Scottish independent production company focusing on Scottish folklore and fairytales, celebrating our culture and mythology across all mediums. Silly Wee Films will be celebrating 20 years of production in 2025, having produced award winning web-series such as ‘Cops and Monsters’, award winning feature film ’Night is Day’, and will be releasing ‘Faithful’, a Scottish fairytale short film in 2025.

Hello, I’m Kyle, a 4th year writer/director studying at Edinburgh Napier University. My past work includes writing ‘The Deeper She Sinks’ which premiered at the AVIFF film festival in Cannes and won the award for best sound design. I love films that blur the line between tense thriller and surreal horror, which is exactly what I intend to achieve for ‘Cernunnos’!

I am excited to be working on such an interesting, original film. Ancient Caledonia is not a setting that has been massively explored through the cinematic lens. For ‘Cernunnos’, I have been inspired by the filmography of Robert Eggers. I love Egger’s dramatic period dialogue, his mystical folk horror and his character’s slow descent into insanity.

I’m very honoured to be working with such a talented crew. We are all collaborating to create an experience where the audience will be on the edge of their seat from start till finish. I want them to hang on every word that echoes through the dark, foreboding forest. I want them to experience every step that sinks into the sodden mossy floor. I want them to feel the anger and the fear of Servi - will he rise up and kill his oppressor - or will he die trying?

Fit like? My name is Ben and I’m in my 4th year studying Film at Edinburgh Napier University. Throughout my time I’ve discovered a passion for producing, enjoying the process of being involved in all stages of production and helping films become a reality! When I read the script, it was completely different from films I’ve normally leaned towards in the past. However, the originality of the concept and exciting Scottish historical context was too exciting to pass up on!

With a great team of filmmakers attached to the project, I want to enable our crew to be able to achieve their creative intentions for our film! Everyone has had many intriguing ideas, which push the film into representing Scottish history, unlike anyone has ever seen before on screen. We have many exciting film elements we want to implement in the film, no doubt having audiences hooked from start to finish when they all come together!

I look forward to helping make our film Cernunnos a reality. We have a very ambitious film creatively and logistically, however we have a great team of filmmakers working on the project. It fills me with confidence that we have a great film in our hands!

Hello, I'm Owen. I'm currently in my 4th year of film at Edinburgh Napier University where I've primarily been working as a Director of Photography. Last year I shot 'Necropolis Munro' with Ben and Kyle as Producer and Director, with whom I developed a strong collaborative relationship.

I'm excited about shooting this film entirely in black and white, something we attempted for one scene in 'Necropolis Munro'. I look forward to working with Kyle as well as all the other HODs to create a surreal and unsettling look for the film.

I want to pay specific attention to lighting, using a variety of hard and soft lighting, with Hard lighting being the predominant form of lighting during night-time scenes and soft lighting during the day. In night scenes the characters will be backlit, with heavy edge lighting. This will hopefully create the surreal atmosphere we are looking for.

Hi, my name is Nikola Jurcaga, a 4th-year studying film at Napier Edinburgh University, and I am the production designer for this film, Cernunnos! I am very excited to bring this historical film's aesthetics to life and create a folklore-inspired mythical forest along with the god Cernunnos that lies within it. I aim to capture a lot of the folklore elements through the god, as I am particularly interested in folklore film aesthetics as it creates an eerie and fantastical atmosphere.

Additionally, I also love historical films and all their costumes and props, as I am fascinated by all the different clothing and ornaments of history. This love of mine will be channelled into gathering and creating the Roman and the Pictish costumes, and I aim to make it as historically accurate as possible. But even with this aim, I will still let my creative side show by crafting the costumes to show the characters' personalities and the struggles they went through in their respective lives.

In this film, I will be inspired by these interests of mine, creating an unforgettable forest that both tempts and twists the minds of our characters whilst also thoughtfully showcasing the characters' backgrounds and challenges through their costumes.

Hello! My name is Robbie, and I’m very excited to be the editor of Cernunnos! I’m in my 4th year of studying film at Edinburgh Napier University, specializing in editing. During my time at university, I’ve had the opportunity to edit a variety of short films of different genres ranging from dystopian drama to fantasy coming of age. I’ve yet to work on a project with a style like Cernunnos, and I can’t wait to get started!

Cernunnos is a very visually striking film featuring beautiful black and white Highland landscapes, this will be contrasted with the eerie, claustrophobic nature of the forest. As our characters venture further and further into the forest, the tension will rise and create a palpable atmosphere. The dream aspects of the film will be surreal, mystical sequences featuring Celtic and Pictish imagery, the picture and sound will work in parallel to build the realm of the god of nature, Cernunnos.

I look forward to continuing to work with such a strong team, and bring the creative vision of Cernunnos to life!

Hello! I'm Gaby, a 4th year Sound Designer and Recordist at Napier who loves all things otherworldly and uncanny. My past work includes short films on which I've built detailed soundscapes, expanding the world beyond the frame. I believe in always putting story first and working closely with all departments to create a cohesive world.

I'm very excited to work on a project that explores the intersection between the archaic, the historic, and the mystical. Building on the visuals of a black and white, rugged highland landscape, an 'alive' forest and moorland soundscape will emerge as a grounding point for the world, mixing the historic and archaic. I'll distort recordings of animals and geographic features, like volcano and earthquake recordings, as a base for building our Pictish god. With score placed strategically to emphasize the mystical, there will be a continuous tug between disbelief in the old gods and a yearning for them.

The folk and the mystical has always been a part of my life and upbringing, so I'm stoked to work on a project where that's an integral hinge of the story.