Ladron (Thieves) Short Film

Aim: 2 fishermen, 1 femme fatale & a huge after-heist loot to share: What could go wrong? Help us bring this Cornish language film-noir to screen

Ladron is a comedic film-noir drama short film, primarily in the Cornish language / Kernewek, that centres around three friends with competing ideologies; Magda is a femme fatale with a strong moral compass, Ruan is a dangerous and cunning criminal, determined to escape Cornwall, while Dale is a trusting fool, who loves his friends and his home and can’t imagine a life elsewhere. The cases of cash drive a wedge between them and force a dormant schism in their outlooks to the surface. It is a story about cultural identity, pride, resilience and the importance of trust in friendship.

Click on the link to see our wonderful writer Jake J. Mackintosh in Cornwall and hear him tell you more about it:

A SYNOPSIS BY JAKE

Ruan and Dale have robbed an armoured truck up Exeter way. They’ve escaped to Cornwall to evade the D&C constabulary, having laid a false trail in an attempt to lead the police north. Really, they’ve headed as south as they can to the Lizard Peninsula and are hiding out in the fishing loft of a tiny Cornish village, waiting for Ruan’s girlfriend Magda to bring the boat to sail them away to a better life. What Dale doesn’t know is that as soon as Magda arrives with the boat, Ruan plans to double cross him, take the money and even commit murder. But before the robbery, Magda discovers the gun Ruan has hidden and, guessing his plans, tries to talk the naive Dale out of falling into Ruan’s trap, and plots her own scheme.

‘This is a gem.’ 
That's what I thought upon reading Jake's screenplay. Sincerely. And I still thought so, after a second, third, fourth ... reading. It is a Swiss timepiece of ingenuity and complexity, wrapped in an austere but clear and readable setting. And that is exactly what attracted me to it. The apparent simplicity of the story, which houses a clever clockwork of backstory, emotions and themes.

Big themes too. Friendship, loyalty, greed, betrayal, forgiveness, understanding ... and love. For me, this Cornish language film is all about that. And not just as themes (and drive) among the three fascinating, colourful characters. But also between them and their homeland: the clay from which they are built. The mythically beautiful Cornwall plays along as a character, as the ultimate object of love and betrayal. It becomes the catalyst of this parable.

All the elements of a classic Film Noir are present: night, heroes entering a labyrinth on a quest, a femme fatale, and the dark, almost cynical verbal humour.

And then there's the language. The back and forth between English and Kernewek. And in my imagination, between truth and lie. Between fact and emotion. 

We never lose sight of entertainment. First and foremost, the film must be entertaining, exciting, funny and moving. Jake's screenplay is undeniably exceptionally layered - as the aforementioned Swiss clockwork. But you don't need to fathom the entire cosmos to enjoy the stars. To be moved. To laugh. To dream. And To Pause occasionally... and Reflect.

We're in the process of casting and we are approaching very exciting actors to play the roles of Magda, Ruan and Dale. Watch this space - we'll have some news for you very soon! 
In the meantime, here's a description of our characters:

Three humble characters. But very archetypal in their intent. Writer Jake J. Mackintosh describes them in broad strokes:

Ruan: “Built like a solid oak, tall with a mean stare.” Archaic language. Atypical for a seasoned fisherman. You suspect intelligence. But is it book smart’s? Or just a pose?

The opposite is true of Dale: “Short. He’d pass for a giant baby if it wasn’t for the scrubby salt & pepper beard.” He’s no poser. He’s a man of action, not words. Quirky. And yet he’s wise. Intelligent, even. But you’ll never hear him say so.

Magda: “A short redhead in Doc boots and fake fur” - femme fatale ‘with a twist’. This woman is a mystery. Opportunistic. Almost merciless. But not inhuman. Just hardened. By everything a woman has to go through. For centuries.

A top cast. We won’t settle for less. Preferably with a deep-rooted affinity for the old Celtic Cornish language … and the mythical landscape. With that in mind, I would like to create a strong ensemble piece, where both the cruelty and the goodness of people get their ‘moment-de-gloire’.

INDRA SIERA graduated as a Film and Television director at the ‘HRITCS’, the Flemish University College for Audiovisual Arts, and successfully finished his musical studies at the Antwerp Conservatory - Direction and Harpsichord. He completed his study career at the London Film School, following its Screen and Cast Direction Course.

In 1997 Indra Siera and editor Manu Van Hove started an audiovisual company in Antwerp (Belgium) called ‘het Digitaal Geweld’. Since then, Indra has become quite effective in combining directing his well appreciated music videos and commercials with award winning television work. Some of his achievements include:

• ‘Nachtvlinders' (Moth) Flemish/Dutch Feature film - 2025 - Warner Bros/Eyeworks Film & TV Drama (in postproduction)
• ’Après La Nuit' (The Morning After) French TV Series - 1 season x 6 episodes (54') - 2023 - France Televisions - Elephant Groupe
• ’Attraction' French/Belgian TV Series - 1 season x 6 episodes (50') - 2021 - RTBF/TF1 - Les Gens • Won Best Foreign TV Series – TV Drama Festival La Rochelle (2022) •• Won Best TV Drama Series SACD (2023)
• ’War Of The Worlds' UK/French TV Series - 1 season x 4 episodes (50') - 2021 - Disney/Fox, Canal+ - Urban Myth Films
• ‘Unité 42' French TV Series - 1 season x 13 episodes (50') - 2017 - RTBF/France2 • Awarded Best TV Series - Crimi Festival Geneva (2018)
• ‘Professor T.' TV Series - 3 seasons x 13 episodes (50') - 2014-2017 - één/AmazonUSA/ WalterPresents UK • Awarded Special Price of the Jury for Best Foreign TV Series – TV Drama Festival La Rochelle (2014) •• Won Best Leading Actor - Koen De Bouw - Vlaamse Televisiesterren (2015) ••• Won Best TV Drama Series - Vlaamse Televisiesterren - (2016)
• 'Oud België' (Old Belgium) Flemish/Dutch TV Series - 6 episodes (50') - 2010 - één • Nomination for Best Mini Series •• Best Actress, Viviane De Munck ••• Best Actor, Peter Van den Begin at the Monte Carlo TV Festival (2010)  •••• Nomination for Best Drama & Mini Series, Rose d'Or (2010) ••••• Nomination for Best Fiction, Prix Europe (2010) •••••• Award in category Fiction, Gouden Klaproos SABAM (Belgian Society of Authors, Composers & Publishers) (2011) ••••••• Award for Best Actor (Peter Van den Begin), Flemish Television Awards (2011)

JAKE J. MACKINTOSH is a neurodiverse writer who grew up moving across South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the UK so his history as an immigrant and the themes of place and home are a core thread of his writing and a source of endless inspiration. He is a father, a diabetic and a cancer survivor.

All of his life experience, personal and professional hurdles and challenges, as well as his home in the Celtic nation of Cornwall with its rich cultural heritage, continue to inform his writing. He wants to tell stories about the infinite complexity and diversity of society, and our collective search for belonging, community and home.

Jake’s last comedy-drama short ‘Dog Years’ was funded by BFI Network and Sound/Image Cinema Lab and screened at several festivals around the world. His most recent micro short ‘Foresight’ screened at Raindance, Dead Northern, Norwich, Frightfest and Encounters (among others) during a very successful festival run. He has had several other shorts produced, is an Edinburgh International Film Festival Talent Lab alumnus, BBC Writers room Cornish Voices programme member, BAFTA crew member and London Film School graduate.

He continues to write a diverse range of projects across film and television, developing a portfolio of work as he builds his writing career.

LIANE ESCORZA is a Producer of films and HETV scripted series in the UK. She's an immigrant from mainland Europe and comes from a low socio-economic background. She was a family member carer from an early age.

Her career started over 20 years ago in localisation, followed by publishing as Production Editor, then moving onto production management in theatre, film and HETV in 2012. She's produced international productions, setting up and managing large budgets, schedules and onscreen talent. She's also established processes for the UK and EMEA markets at a major streaming services provider.

Her work focuses on stories about resilience, identity, culture, legacy, new and minority voices, women's perspectives, and the human condition - all set in period, drama, thriller or dark comedy genres. Some of her PM credits include ‘Mad to be Normal', 'Beast', 'Monsoon', ‘The Favourite’, 'The Virtues', 'Small Axe', ‘The Good Mothers’, 'Shardlake', 'A Thousand Blows' and ‘Rivals’.

She's a fierce supporter of EDI practices and training and development schemes in the industry. She sits at the Screenskills HETV Council and participates in the Bafta x Flare Mentorship programme. She's also a jury member of the Bafta Yugo Student Awards and is keen on collaborations and co-productions between the UK and Europe. She speaks English, Spanish and German fluently.

To hear more about the project, listen to the Chaos Radio interview!

CHAOS RADIO INTERVIEW

May - July 2025: Fundraising and soft prep time! 

August 2025: More prep time! Some of our rewards will be sent out to our legendary supporters.

September - October 2025: We’re shooting! This is when things get really exciting and there will be plenty of news to share! Follow us on IG: @ladron_thieves_film

October – November 2025: This is our post-production time. We'll be in the cutting room, putting a gorgeous shine on the film and sprucing it all up ready for the public eye! 

November 2025 onwards: Our festival strategy will begin and a lot of our digital perks and gift delivery will start - so we'll have digital links of the film available to watch and we'll arrange the creative team Q&A.

In-Person Screening: Time to celebrate! The exact date for this will be confirmed further down the road!

As opposed to the ‘questionable’ way our characters are getting hold of money, we’re asking like-minded legends (yes, that’s you!) to help us realise our film together.

We’ve already got 30% of our total budget secured with the help of generous donations and Screen Cornwall's FylmK Commission Fund:

FylmK 2025 Commission Announcements!

However, we need to meet this campaign's goal so as to be able to cover all our costs. Our team includes some of the most established names in film as well as exciting new (Cornish) voices who are making waves. We have creatives and community members stepping into new roles in the filmmaking process, and we're excited to be able to provide this space and platform for early career filmmakers to broaden their craft. 

But as you know, some things can’t be given as favours… and to provide some clarity on where all the money we need is going, here is a chart:

Or being more specific, the funds obtained will go to:

• Two fishing boats (an essential part of our film - the loot must be carried to safety, right?)
• Permits to legally film on the streets and the beautiful Cornish coast
• Reserving parking bays from the Councils
• Paying for a language coach to translate from English and get Kernewek right!
• Paying our talented Cast and Crew
• Feeding everyone!
• Equipment Rental
• Fuel for cars and the boats
• Set/Art Design costs
• Costumes
• Hair and Makeup
• Insurance, H&S and Medic costs - SAFETY above all 
• Music Composition and the recording Musicians!
• Sound Design
• Colour Grading
• Subtitles in English!!!
• Stills Photography for Publicity (our Poster! and Behind the Scenes footage)
• Festival Submission Costs

Empowering Talented Filmmakers: We’ve assembled a remarkable team of creatives, from seasoned industry veterans to promising newcomers. Your support will enable us to pay these artists a fair fee, allowing them to focus on delivering their best work. 

Equipment and Production Costs:  A major challenge for this film will be pulling off the realistic performances of the cast while speaking the Cornish language / Kernewek, which will be challenging as there aren’t more than 10,000 fluent speakers of the language in the region! We will need a lot of ear training and rehearsals, which we believe we'll be able to achieve with the kind support of contributors from this campaign. 

As we are filming on fishing docks, boats and a real fishing cabin and only have access over the course of three nights (imagine the lighting we’ll need!), another challenge will be getting everything in the can in that limited time and with the specialist equipment that we need. 

Creating Opportunities: We see this film as an opportunity to provide a platform for emerging filmmakers and artists. Music will be another character in this film so we'll be supporting local talent, supervised by a professional composer. Your support will also help us offer valuable experience and exposure to early career filmmakers who might just be the next J.J Abrahms or Christopher Nolan!

We’re ambitious but we’re great in what we do, and we believe in the constant stream of fresh ideas from emerging talent to make things happen in the best possible way. We are embracing the challenges this short film faces knowing that our mixed experience is the key ingredient to make everything work perfectly. With your help, we’ll overcome these challenges much more easily:

• 3 days of shoot of which 2 happen at night
• Car driving scenes
• Tricky location permits (a lot of the Cornwall coast is – rightly so! - protected!)
• Boat scenes
• Kernewek training for our cast!
• Sound / Music Composition and Recording costs

This project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, with the Cornish Language Office and Screen Cornwall.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 13th August 2025 at 6:36am