Support our Short Film, Dear Mrs. Carter

Aim

Help us champion homegrown creativity and independent cinema by bringing our paranormal thriller, Dear Mrs. Carter, to life.

We are all trapped inside our own heads. It's the voices we share that space with that separates us.

** Shortlisted for the Slick Films Main Fund 2025 **

George McConnell – serving time for manslaughter – is tormented by his anarchic cellmate, David, but after the grieving widow, Mrs. Carter, comes to visit, a revelation is made that changes everything.

Dear Mrs. Carter started life as a short story born from the simple prompt, 'What scares you the most?'. The story was published in the American fiction journal, The Literary Hatchet, and aired on BBC Radio, followed by a Q&A about the piece. As the narrative continued to be explored, Dear Mrs. Carter developed from a bedtime ghost story to a morally complex drama, incorporating themes of guilt, regret, and fate, as well addressing the topic of depression and how mental health is portrayed on screen in a sensitive, compelling manner.

Dear Mrs. Carter was adapted for the screen by Joseph Cobb and Matt Anderson of Kangaroo Court. It is a fifteen-minute short film that aims to build on the psychological torment and paranormal tension the story laid the foundations for.

The Team

Joseph Cobb - Writer/Director/Producer
Matt Anderson - Producer/Co-Director

The team behind Dear Mrs. Carter are no strangers to creative success. As a creative studio, Kangaroo Court have basked in both the commercial and critical success of our debut project, Shotgunned.

The show performed to sell-out crowds during its Edinburgh Fringe run in 2024, gaining multiple 5-star reviews. Shotgunned has toured the UK twice, with performances in Truro, Falmouth, Exeter, Bath, Oxford, Colchester, and London where it performed a three-week run at Hammersmith’s Riverside Studios.

Tom Traies - DOP

We are thrilled to have Tom onboard as our DOP. Tom is an incredibly accomplished cinematographer, having shot for numerous projects with the BBC, ITV, Sky, Netflix, Channel 4, and National Geographic.

Cast

1757597811_cast.v2.jpg

Reuben is known for playing Alexander Hamilton in London's West End smash hit show, Hamilton. He is also known for Vigil (BBC) and Safe Harbour (ITV).

Michael is known for Gangs of London (Amazon Prime), Top Boy (Netflix), and Silent Witness (BBC).

Esme is known for Wild Rose, Kill Karina Kill, and It's No Thing.

Why Crowdfunding?

While we as a team work tirelessly to make our creative endeavours the best they can be, there is one element of the creative process we fall short on, and its importance cannot be understated. The financial component of our process is undeniably the most challenging, and while we craft our projects into the most budget-tight versions they can be, crowdfunding is imperative in bringing new ideas to fruition.

With the arts funding landscape in the UK becoming increasingly difficult to navigate, developing and producing new work is a financially strenuous and risky undertaking. The film and television industry is in a financial crisis, with opportunities for investment shrinking by the day. The British Screen Forum report recently revealed that total investment in local film production plummeted to £160m in 2023 — its lowest ever level — compared to a high of £406m in 2016.

Furthermore, threats such as AI and corporate takeovers are leaving the space for grass roots creativity in tatters, often substituting authentic storytelling with cost-cutting, algorithmic content that lacks any real emotion. As the world wades nervously into the murky waters of digital fakery, it is the artists and the storytellers that will ground us back into reality.

We champion true creativity.

We're asking you to pledge your support for our film and help us raise £10,000 to cover necessities in the production and operating budget such as -

Paying cast and crew fairly for their time and effort
Equipment, props, wardrobe, and locations
Travel, food, and accommodation expenses for everyone involved
Post-production (editing, sound design, musical score)
Marketing, distribution, and film festival submissions

Our Promise

Through our numerous past projects, we have learnt that even the tightest budget can stretch as far as needed when handled properly. Our money is never mismanaged, nor squandered frivolously on unnecessary purchases; it is treated as a privilege, and put to good use with the utmost care and professionalism.

This project is being backed by Creative Scotland Crowdmatch, meaning that every £1 you donate will be matched by Creative Scotland, up to maximum of £250 per donor. It is a huge honour to be approved by this fund and to have the financial support of such an integral bastion of homegrown creativity.

Through donating, you are not just helping us make a film, but ensuring that we make it properly. We want you to feel like part of our team, because you are!

Creative Vision

Our vision for Dear Mrs. Carter is to pose the question of fate, and what that really means. Fate is a thematic device that is often used for positivity – bringing people together for tremendous reasons, but it is very much a double-edged sword. Fate has as much capacity to deliver us to the dark, as much as the light, if we believe in such things, as what some perceive as divine intervention can quite as easily be labelled as self-fulfilling prophecies. We plan to use the funding raised on this platform to explore this concept through our paranormal prison drama.

The team are beyond excited to actualise our creative vision and deliver something truly special. Thank you for your support!