Always on
This project successfully funded on 12th December 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
(MUM) - a short film exploring female homelessness
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Aim
Fundraising to get our short film (MUM) into festivals, whilst raising money & awareness about female homelessness
Before we start, please listen to what the incredibly talented and Oscar winning director Chris Overton has to say about our latest short film, (MUM):
“(MUM) delves into a world rarely seen on screen with bold authenticity. It’s a breath of fresh air and a proper slice of life from this community. This is a cracking film and I highly recommend watching”
So, we feel we have something pretty special and we need to share it with the world. With some help from you, of course. But what is (MUM) we hear you cry?
In a nutshell, (MUM) is a thrilling and poignant drama thriller following a homeless woman, who takes a young runaway under her wing and tries to reunite her with her family.
Written and directed by Jake Mavity, (MUM) exposes the dangers of being an unhoused woman and lengths you have to go to just in order to survive.
Here's some words from Jake to kick us off:
Synopsis
When young runaway Lyley ends up on the streets, she meets an older homeless woman called Jo, who everyone on the streets refers to as ‘Mum’. Mum tries to teach Lyley how to survive on the streets, but when it transpires that Lyley is mixed up with the local drug dealer, the pair are suddenly put in grave danger. As the two women try to find safety, their bond develops into something much deeper. However, Mum is left with a dilemma, does she take Lyley back to her unstable family or do the pair strike out into the treacherous unknown together?
Cast
The film stars Emma Keele as Mum (BBC’s Unforgivable, C4’s The Gathering, Downton Abbey) and introduces Madison Lazarus as Lyley. Both women deliver exceptional performances that authentically expose the constant battles on the streets as a woman. Here's Madison talking about what attracted her to the script:
Soldier is played by Euan Shanahan (Bad Apples).
Red is played by Robert Goodman (Peacock’s Those About to Die, HBO’s Game of Thrones).
Brisk is played by Jasper Ryan Cater (Guy Richie’s The Gentlemen, Dune: Part Two).
Taylor is played by Iain Gordon and Lunar is played by Riley Woodford.
Director’s Statement
(MUM) is a story based on the lived experience of my friend Chris, who has been a rough sleeper for about 6 years.
Chris has slept on the street, in temporary accommodation and in her tent. Sleeping rough as a female is shockingly dangerous. Big Issue ‘found that experiences of violence and abuse are near universal for women who sleep rough, and the average age of death is just 43 years old….Half as long as most women in the UK are expected to live.’
Chris is a warm and maternal woman, known locally as ‘Mum’. Chris’ presence on the street is cathartic for many of the other rough sleepers and she often looks out for more vulnerable people than herself. So although her situation is incredibly tough, she selflessly spends a lot of time and energy helping and supporting others on the street. I found this element of her story particularly intriguing.
I started to interview her, paying her for her time, whilst not knowing quite what our project was going to be. (MUM) is a dramatisation, but it is based on Chris’ lived experience and insights. Sharing the initial draft of the script with Chris was terrifying. This is her story, and I desperately hoped I had done her justice. Thankfully she loved it, even shedding some tears. Chris worked on (MUM) as a paid consultant, adding her valuable knowledge and eye for authenticity.
With (MUM) we wanted to create a moving and thought-provoking film that highlights how dangerous it is to be an unhoused woman, but still leaves the audience with hope. Tragically, the number of female rough sleepers is growing. Charities like the Single Homeless Project are calling on the government to recognise and fund safer services, plus invest in prevention and early intervention.
(MUM) shines a light on the urgency of the issue but I also wanted to show that being homeless doesn’t mean you can’t create art and tell stories and have significance. Chris’ voice is powerful and unique and we want it to be heard.
What’s Next for Chris?
This project is all about shining a light on a very serious issue which affects thousands of un-seen women, but we also want to give Chris as much help as we can too.
During the pre-production of the project, we teamed up with the Single Homeless Project, who are the largest homeless charity dedicated to helping Londoners in crisis. With their help, we have been able to start the journey to try to get Chris rehoused, which is a complex process but is now moving forward.
However, we also want to use this crowdfunder to raise some funds for her, to help her get back on her feet. With this in mind, 10% of the total funds raised will go directly to Chris.
How We Made It
The film was shot over four days across Tottenham in London, where Jake and Sarah live. It was an action packed and logistically challenging shoot, combining multiple stunts, lots of unglamorous, noisy and frankly slightly questionable locations, trains, cars, special FX, VFX and our special guest, a real butterfly.
(Mum) is a truly independent film. We self funded the project, selling anything we owned that wasn’t nailed down, including a very large portion of Jake’s garage and jungle vinyl collection! Investing in the project ourselves meant we could tell Chris’ story exactly as we wanted to tell it, without any outside interference. Homeless women have to keep a low profile in order to survive. We felt, as we were going to shine a light on this issue, it was imperative to deliver a film that was completely authentic to the female homeless experience. Warts and all.
It was tough shooting an ambitious project on such a tiny budget, and we could not have done it without our incredible cast and crew, all of whom brought their incredible talent and commitment to the project. Plus all the wonderful restaurants and pubs in Tottenham who helped feed and look after our crew.
Writer / Director : Jake Mavity
Hi everyone! I am an award-winning writer/director known for working with undiscovered talent and telling stories that hero outsiders and underdogs. I have won numerous awards for my work including Cannes Lions, British Arrows, D&AD, Creative Circle, London International Awards and The Clios.
My previous films CALICO and SELSEY BILL have earned international acclaim, being selected to screen at prestigious BAFTA, Academy and BIFA qualifying festivals, and picking up awards at 1.4 and Cinemagic Film Festival.
(MUM) is my third short film. (MUM) is already an award-winning project, having won the Outstanding Screenplays Competition ‘Mentorship Award’ and becoming a semi-finalist in the Slick Films Screenwriting Competition.
Producer : Sarah Mavity
I’m an award-winning independent film producer from Birmingham, with a passion for amplifying marginalised voices, and a reputation for highly crafted, poignant films framed by unique perspectives.
My previous films have been selected to screen at Academy and BAFTA qualifying festivals around the world including Palm Springs International Shortfest, Hollyshorts, Aesthetica, Bolton, LSFF, Cleveland and many more. I earned a Best Producer nomination at Underwire Film Festival for my debut short GIRLS WHO DRINK, written and directed by Lily Rose Thomas. My second film CALICO, which I co-wrote with director Jake Mavity, was acquired by leading film-in-education platform IntoFilm. My last short THAT NIGHT written by Chloë Myerson and directed by Emma Miranda Moore has recently been acquired by international distributor Salaud Morisset, and will be available to watch on a major streaming platform in 2026.
I’m a member of Women in Film and Television and alumni of their prestigious mentorship scheme. I’m currently developing my debut feature film, co-producing alongside BIFA Award winning and BAFTA nominated producer Ameenah Ayub Allen (Rocks, Ali & Ava).
Fundraising
The great news is that (MUM) is a finished film, so in many ways the hard work has been done. But we need to get the film out in the world to be watched, shared and enjoyed. And that means distribution. (MUM) is a unique and powerful film with an important and urgent message, which we desperately need to get out to the world. And this is where you come in!
The first step for any completed short film is apply for selection into film festivals, which is a necessary and fundamental step on its journey to distribution. By helping us with festival entries, we will get (MUM) in front of industry professionals and distributors that would otherwise be out of reach, as well as growing our audience along the way.
We would love to see and thank you in person and by supporting the fundraiser, you also have the opportunity to attend the exclusive premiere in London (please see the reward options for more detail).
We would love you to come on board the (MUM) team and join us on this journey. In fact, we have been looking for someone just like you. We have some great rewards as a thank you from us, but any donation will really help.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made