MATRIARCH: A Scottish Folk-Horror Satire

Aim

A short satire using humour, folk-horror imagery & special effects to explore how a family's grief can act as a gateway to extremism.

In a secluded Scottish wood, Claire is searching for her missing sister Leah, following a trail of strange flags and disturbing signs to a makeshift camp. She finds Leah, feral but defiant, living alongside Gary, a tattooed zealot wielding an axe and convinced that a prophesied “new nation” will rise from the ashes of the old one. Also: did Claire bring any biscuits?  Maybe pink wafers?

As Claire tries to pull Leah back to reality, old grief and resentment spill out: Leah’s need to escape, and Claire’s absence when it mattered - both magnified by their mother’s death. Gary stokes Leah’s vulnerability into a manic ritual, demanding a coronation for his imagined kingdom, complete with a makeshift crown made from (hopefully) animal bones. As he yammers on about Merlin, the war and something about the legacy media - with their Americanised spelling - the forest itself begins to quake, and the sisters are unsure whether they’re witnessing delusion, faith, or something supernatural. Whatever it is, will they decide to stay - or get away as fast as they can? 

And of course: will Gary find any pink wafers?

With the rise of extreme nationalism, it pays to see where the real day-to-day changes are coming from - manifesting between the pre-existing issues of friends and families. Leah, need to weigh up whether the loss of her mother and the love of her sister can ever be filled by Gary's rhetoric, and the aim is for the audience to ponder their own relationships with each other and the truth. This is a film for everyone fed up of what divides us, and who long to see the walls lifted.

Because "Matriarch" is a timely, bold, and culturally resonant short film that speaks directly to the moment we’re living in, and independent films like this thankfully exist because audiences help to back them.

"Matriarch" will blend atmospheric genre filmmaking with sharp social satire. The project aims to create a film that is emotionally grounded, visually striking, and politically relevant without being preachy.

Rosie Hart (Co-Writer/"Claire")

Rosie Hart is an actor/writer from Inverness. While training at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, she received awards for her work in Scots language and the Pauline Knowles scholarship for most promising female actor. Rosie has just wrapped on the short film "Gold Rush", playing the lead role of Evie. Other acting highlights include: Katie in the horror short "Dead Weight"; Kate in the acclaimed satirical two-hander play "Press" with Black Bat Productions; Jay in "Dog Squad" with Cbeebies; and Callie in the global festival favourite short film "Bookmarks". As a writer, her work has been exhibited and performed across Europe, including commissions for the Inverness castle experience and installations for Weaving Bodies at The Hidden Gardens. Rosie’s play "Hellfire" was chosen to be developed and performed at Eden Court’s Spark Festival and "Train" for I’ll Scratch Yours scratch night in Glasgow. Her poetry has been published in magazines and journals, including the Heroica Poetry Anthology and Stellar Quines’ How to Change the World, with her debut collection arriving this year.

Mylo McDonald (Co-Writer/"Gary")

Mylo is a British/Turkish actor and writer with a taste for outsider stories and dark, surreal-leaning comedy. A Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduate, he created the animated comedy web series "High Tide", which led to mentorship from senior Warner Bros. animation executives, and he’s now developing two adult animation pilots, "Send in the Clowns and Hangers On", with interest from Adult Swim. He’s also a published poet and playwright; his debut play "The Poltergeist of Elizabethan House "received Arts Council funding as part of "Thas’ a Rummun" (2024 UK tour). As a stage actor he’s played lead roles including at Southwark Playhouse, most recently starring in the folk-tragedy "SALT" (Scotland tour 2025; London’s Riverside Studios later this year). He recently wrapped several short films, including "How To Bury Your Mother with Visionary Pictures", and the seed of "Matriarch" was born while touring the Cairngorms with his partner and co-writer Rosie Hart.

Vito Milazzo (Director)

Vito is a documentary TV and content director/editor from Edinburgh, Scotland. His experience includes BAFTA and RTS winning work for the BBC, and notable clients have included ITV, Discovery and Ladbible. In 2020, Vito was selected for the BBC New Talent Director's Scheme, and directed the documentary "Playing The Game". Since then, he has directed for the sports show "A View From The Terrace", and contributed several comedy shorts for the BBC. His scripted film works includes cult favourite comedy-horror "Writer's Block", and dystopian horror "The Quiet", both of which had festival runs on the international shorts circuit.

Bart Sienkiewicz (Cinematographer)

Originally from Poland, Bart Sienkiewicz is an Emmy-nominated Director of Photography based in the UK. Focused on bringing the director’s vision to life, Bart blends creativity and technical expertise to craft a distinctive visual style that elevates the narrative. With over 15 years as a DoP, he has worked on studio, virtual production, and location shoots with filmmakers and crews worldwide. In 2024, he was nominated for an Emmy for his work on "The Daily Show" for Comedy Central, and he is a member of the prestigious Polish Society Of Cinematographers.

Every pledge goes straight into bringing "Matriarch" to the screen at the level it deserves. We’re leaning hard on favours and in-kind help wherever we can, but there are still unavoidable costs that make (or break) a short film. Your backing helps us pay for the essentials, including:

• Cast fees: properly valuing the actors’ time and craft, as well as allowing for auditions for the role of Leah
• Crew rates: paying a skilled, grafting team fairly
• Locations: securing the right spaces to build the world of the film
• Kit hire: camera, lighting and sound to give the film a cinematic finish
• Post-production: edit, sound design, colour grade, and final masters
• Festival submissions: getting Matriarch seen by audiences and the industry

The core team are not taking fees, so the money raised goes where it matters: onto the screen and to the people and resources that make the film possible.

Your support helps us look after the team properly, push the production value, and give Matriarch the strongest possible run through festivals and beyond.

And if you can’t donate, that’s genuinely fine! You can still help in a massive way by spreading the campaign:

• Share the link on social media
• Send it to your group chats / colleagues / pals
• Tell anyone who likes bold, indie, Scottish filmmaking

Every share widens the net, and moves Matriarch one step closer to being made. Thanks for coming together and being a massive part of this.

We are also happy to announce that Creative Scotland will offically be matching each pledge! This means for every £10 donated, they will add in another £10. The maximum donation allowed per pledge is £250, which is fantastic news, and a huge step towards getting the film made.

Backers will be able to choose from a range of rewards, from VIP screening invites, a range of options for the film to be delivered - including an 80s-style VHS edit -  to specially-designed pin badges.

Pre-production (now → next few weeks)
Casting, locations, crewing up, design/props planning, schedules, risk assessments - plus the usual Scottish-weather contingency planning!!!

Crowdfunder (8 weeks)
A focused campaign window to build momentum, grow the audience around the film, and unlock match funding where applicable.

Shoot (immediately after the campaign)
A tight, efficient production block on location, planned to be flexible around daylight and weather, because… Scotland.

Post-production (straight after filming)
Edit through to picture lock, then sound design/mix, grade, and final deliverables.

Festival rollout & distribution (after picture lock)
Submissions, screenings, and then the widest release strategy once the festival window is complete.

Festival & Distribution Ambitions

STAGE 1: Major International Festivals (aim high)

First wave: the big global festivals and the strongest UK/industry gateways — prioritising the ones that can meaningfully launch a short, attract press, and open doors (including BAFTA/BIFA-qualifying routes where relevant). The goal here is maximum impact from a carefully targeted first push.

STAGE 2: Strong Curated Festivals (build momentum)

Second wave: respected genre and short-film festivals across the UK, Europe, and beyond — the places with brilliant audiences, proper programming, and a track record of championing bold work. Even one or two well-placed selections can dramatically lift the film’s profile and help it travel.

STAGE 3: Public Release (reach the widest audience)

Once the festival run has had its time, we’ll move to a full release, ideally via a recognised platform, with a strong online launch plan so the film has a life beyond festivals and will be watched and shared properly.

To hear more from "Matriarch", check out our Insta:

Matriarch Instagram 

And Vito will be posting and talking more about the film on his page:

Vito's Insta

Thanks for taking the time to read about the "Matriarch" campaign. We know money is tight for a lot of people right now, so please don’t feel pressure to donate if you can’t. But we hope you share, share, and share as much as you can!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made