Always on
This project successfully funded on 12th July 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
Demona Short Film
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Aim: We are a group of MA film students at Edinburgh Napier University and Screen Academy Scotland seeking funding for our graduate film project.
Why support this project? Here's a word from the writer and director of the project:
We've all seen a film about possession, but I'm interested in the aftermath. How does a family deal with the trauma after one of their members attempted to kill the others while embodied by a demon? Though a horror film, I look at this film more as a family drama. I want to explore generational trauma and how parents, acting in what they think is their best interest, pass on their own issues to their children. The script for this film really came together after watching A Woman Under The Influence. Gena Rowlands portrayal of a mother suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder blew me away. Coupled with a watch of The Exorcist soon after, Demona was born. Other films and performances that have guided me in the making of this film are The Piano Teacher, Possession, Rosemary’s Baby, and Cries and Whispers.
The film's story:
Three years after being exorcised, a mother struggles with her sanity while attempting to get her job back as an elementary school teacher. Her daughter returns home from school, ready to face another day of her mother’s erratic behaviour. The mother excitedly shows her daughter her plans for getting her job back, but after a small accident, the mother erupts in one of her episodes. After the comedown, the mother apologizes for her behavior, but not before seeing the reminder of what she did to her daughter years before while she was possessed: the daughter’s missing limb. The daughter has had enough and storms off after another argument. The mother must now decide how best to have her and her daughter see eye-to-eye. Or arm-to-arm.
Meet some of the core team you will be supporting:
Writer, Director: ETHAN WAYNE SMITH
Ethan Wayne Smith is a filmmaker based in Edinburgh who grew up in Mangum, Oklahoma working the land as penance for his rampant homosexuality. As a filmmaker, he wants to shock, amuse, touch, charm, and, ultimately, entertain his audience. His last short film A Pipe Dream premiered at NewFest ‘22 in New York City.
Producer: Jack-Murray Birrell
Jack-Murray Birrell is a filmmaker based in Edinburgh and was born and raised in the UAE. They specialize in short body horror films, exploring the complex relationship of the human condition with that of the uncanny subconscious. Jack has recently graduated from the BA Film course at Napier and has just completed their first independent short film, Second Skin, earlier this year.
Director of Photography: Thomas Cowan
Thomas Cowan is an aspiring cinematographer who yearns to explore and challenge the barriers to which modern film is subject. Always attracted to projects which spark challenge, he is thrilled to be working on Demona. Thomas has been meticulously developing his style whilst studying at Edinburgh Napier University.
Editor: Lou Small
Lou Small (they/she) is a queer picture editor and visual artist based in Scotland. They are currently completing an MA in Film at Screen Academy Scotland, where they specialise in editing. Lou has a background in contemporary art practice and holds a First-Class Honours degree in Fine Art from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, where they specialised in moving image. They’re particularly drawn to the psychological tension and atmosphere of 60s and 70s films like The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby. Lou is excited by Demona’s potential to build suspense through carefully paced editing and moody, textural inserts.
Sound Designer: Julia Gonzalez Franco
Julia Gonzalez Franco is a filmmaker based in Edinburgh, currently completing their MA in Film at Screen Academy Scotland. Her background is firmly rooted in cinematic storytelling, which explores emotional depth through bold and atmospheric soundscapes that have been thrown back in time.
Any support or donations towards our crowdfunder goal will not go unnoticed and will be rewarded with a thank you credit in our film. We truly can't thank you enough for your support and thank you for making this film a reality.