BORN ON SUNDAY SILENT

SHORT GOTHIC DRAMA / 12 MIN / ENGLISH

WRITERS: DÉSIRÉE REYNOLDS & EELYN LEE
DIRECTOR: EELYN LEE
PRODUCERS: REBECCA MARK-LAWSON & DARIA NITSCHE

The film is adapted from a short story written by Désirée Reynolds and published in the Book of Sheffield [Comma Press, 2019]. It is based on the true story of Kai Akosua Mansah, a baby who was born and died in Sheffield in 1902.


Made with the support of:

Necessity.info

LOGLINE

Haunted by Kai, the child spirit she is researching, student Abba-Yaa gets more than she bargains for when she discovers the true horrors of the past.

Kai Akosua Mansah

A petulant 8-year old, Black spirit who has been residing in a cemetery of white ghosts for decades. Alone in this place she has been forced to call home, she has carved a space for herself as the trickster, continually mocking and playing tricks on other spirits to gain attention. 

Her knowingness eclipses any glimmer of childhood innocence, yet like a child she is never far from tantrums or sudden joy. Desperate to experience life outside the cemetery, Kai is always ready to make a bargain, going to any lengths to swap places with another spirit who is free to roam in the ‘real’ world. 

Abba-Yaa

An 18-year old Black British student of social history, Abba-Yaa is competitive and studious yet carries an edge of insecurity. She is politically aware, outspoken with a strong sense of justice. Frustrated at the lack of her history, Abba-Yaa is convinced there must be more than the scraps of information held by the university, the archive and the library. After an encounter with Kai in the local cemetery, she is determined to discover the truth behind the child’s story.

Synopsis

After an encounter with Kai, the spirit of the Black child she is researching, 18-year old student Abba-Yaa agrees to a bargain. On a promise to be shown something of Kai’s past, Abba-Yaa takes the trickster spirit out of the cemetery where she has been trapped for over 100 years. Kai guides Abba-Yaa back in time where she witnesses the horrors of the past, but when Abba-Yaa tries to get back to the present, Kai makes a split second decision that alters the fate of both of them.

Director’s Statement

When I first read the short story, Born on Sunday Silent I was immediately inspired to adapt it into a short film. In the story, Désirée - the author - is haunted by Kai and her unknown past. The author’s quest to discover who the dead baby is, turns into a nightmarish journey of banging on doors that won’t open; on walls that fall silent. 

For the past couple of years I have been developing Yellow Peril, a feature script set in a small estuarine community, that sees the horrors of Empire coming back to haunt the British shores. I was struck how Born on Sunday, Silent resonated with the themes and genres I was already exploring. 

My Chinese/English heritage and embodied racialised experiences motivate my interest in race, identity and ‘othering’. Désirée and I wrote the screenplay through the pandemic. The murder of George Floyd and resurgence of the Black Lives Matters movement, during a upsurge of COVID-related Asian Hate added additional layers of urgency to the telling of this story. Using new and familiar film language I am interested in revisiting the horrors of the past through a contemporary gothic lens.

CAST

ABBA-YAA

Zuna Newman

  • Zuna was born in Sheffield and is based in Manchester. She is currently studying in her third and final year at Manchester School of Theatre. Her work experience onscreen includes SAFE, directed by Debbie Howard. Onstage her roles include EMILIA, directed by Kate Colgrave-Pope, INTIMATE APPAREL and A PROFOUNDLY PASSIONATE AFFECTIONATE DEVOTION TO SOMEONE (-NOUN), directed by Carla Henry. She enjoys roles onstage and onscreen that aid her to learn more about worlds she knows little about.

    When she’s not acting, Zuna avidly takes part in DJing as a hobby, in clubs and on livestreams.

KAI

  • Karis is 8 years old and has been attending stage school since she was just 4 years old. Karis has played Little Cossette in the theatre production of Les Miserable UK Tour (2022-2023) and auditioned for well-known TV show with her stage school teammates. Karis has several medals and trophies from regional competitions where she has performed as a solo artist and as part of her Mini Elite team.

    When she’s not performing she loves playing with her friends and going abroad on holiday with her family.

YATSO

  • Bel Odawa is a London based actor. She has performed on the Crucible Theatre and several other theatres in Sheffield, London and Nottingham theatre. Having studied at the National Youth theatre she is hungry to work on her craft and is now in the process of auditioning for drama schools.

MAAME AMA

  • Hailing from a lineage of storytellers, healers, griots, including medicine women, it stands to reason that Ms Nana-Essi Casely-Hayford became a storyteller herself, as well as a writer and Creative Expression for Wellbeing Practitioner. With several years’ experience in her field of work, she uses a gamut of creative modalities to aid personal growth.

    Being of Ghanaian heritage, Nana-Essi is also inspired by the lived experience narratives she had the privilege of being part of whenever she visited her grandmother’s village and cocoa farm, which she declares was a breath-taking arboretum of mystical wonder.

    Nana-Essi has first-hand experience through her workshops and her own life on the restorative/therapeutic effects stories can have on a person. Her careful regard, passion, grace, charm, and sense of humour shines through in her interaction with participants during her facilitation of creative sessions.

DANCER

  • John is a Ugandan born, London trained, and Sheffield bred and based actor and director. As an artist, John aims to brings African stories and culture to the canvas of theatre. Having trained at Rose Bruford College of Performing Arts, John’s acting work includes I WONDER IF... at the Young Vic Theatre (2022), FAR GONE on tour at Sheffield Theatres and Theatre Deli Sheffield (2019-22), ON MISSING at The Cockpit Theatre (2019), Dr Bupe in TALES FROM THE PLAYGROUND at Paper Finch Theatre (2018), short film THE DEVIL IN MARY (2017), THE EMPEROR JONES at The Lost Theatre (2016), and THE LOW ROAD at Stratford Circus (2015).

    He has written a play, FAR GONE, and directed BAD BLOOD BLUES at Theatre Deli (2018) and short film ALLY (2020). As an assistant director he has worked on THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND at Sheffield Theatres (2020) and WHITE NOISE at The Bridge Theatre (2021).

TEAM

Desiree Reynolds

Désirée Reynolds - Writer

Désirée Reynolds is a writer, broadcaster, editor, activist, and creative writing workshop facilitator. She writes film scripts, short stories, articles and flash fiction. Seduce, her first novel, was published by Peepal Tree Press to much acclaim. Her fiction is concerned with Black women, internal landscapes, and a continuous struggle against the white male gaze, beauty, race and being. Désirée is currently writer-in-residence at the Sheffield Archives. Her latest short story is in Where We Find Ourselves; UK Writers of the Global Majority. Her work was selected for the BBC Short Story Prize longlist 2021.

Eelyn Lee

Eelyn Lee - Writer/Director

Eelyn Lee is an artist and writer-director of Hong Kong-English heritage. She has exhibited at Barbican, Tate Modern and National Portrait Gallery, and been selected for international film festivals. In 2015 her award-winning short film Life and Deaf screened at the Berlinale and in 2017 Creature of the Estuary was selected for the International Fiction Programme at the Bogota Short Film Festival. Eelyn’s short gothic films Monster [2015] and Creature of the Estuary [2016] feature BAFTA / Palme d’Or winner, Anamaria Marinca and were selected for the BAFTA qualifying Aesthetica film festival.

In 2021 Eelyn completed Casting Fu Manchu, a ‘lockdown’ film that sees eleven actors of East and Southeast Asian heritage subvert the racist character of Dr Fu Manchu. Eelyn is currently developing Yellow Peril, her debut narrative feature.

Rebecca Mark-Lawson

Rebecca Mark-Lawson - Producer

Rebecca runs award-winning Tyke Films, producing work with original voices, exploring the intersection between documentary and fiction, with the support of the BFI Vision Award. Tyke Films’ most recent feature POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHE won BIFA Best Documentary and Raindance Discovery Award and was nominated for Best Feature by BAFTA Scotland and Best Music Documentary at the Grierson Trust Awards. Tyke Films previous feature IRENE’S GHOST was listed as one of the “Best Films of 2019” in The Guardian and was also nominated for a British Independent Film Award. Rebecca was also shortlisted for Breakthrough Producer. Before Tyke, Rebecca executive produced award-winning documentary and fiction short films for Film4, Channel 4, BFI and BBC Film and worked as Executive for New Talent at regional screen agency EM Media.

Daria Nitsche

Daria Nitsche - Producer

Daria is a multi-award-winning, international producer who has worked on films for companies such as Netflix, Channel 4 News and Germany’s leading broadcaster ZDF. She has gained a vast network of industry professionals which has given her the opportunity to be involved in German, English, Italian, Spanish, American and Nigerian productions. In 2019 she joined Sheffield-based production company Tyke Films where she has produced BIFA winning and BAFTA Scotland nominated films, such as POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ, featuring Oscar nominee Ruth Negga. Her films have played at top tier festivals such as SXSW, BFI London, Rotterdam and Raindance, have sold out multiple screenings in the US and have been chosen as The New York Times Critics Pick. She is also a British Independent Film Awards voter and BAFTA Connect member.

Baff Akoto - Executive Producer

Baff Akoto is a London based artist and filmmaker. He was the UK Producer on the multi award-winning feature, Queen of Glory which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2021. The following year he was awarded the inaugural BFI & Chanel Filmmakers Award for his work as an emerging producer. Baff began his career as a documentary film-maker, before directing TV drama at Channel 4 and the BBC, leading to his inclusion on Idris Elba's BBC New Talent Hotlist. In 2018 Screen International tipped him as a “Star of Tomorrow”. Having forged a path within visual arts with mentoring from John Akomfrah, Akoto’s artwork has been exhibited at London’s Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) and at the British Film Institute (BFI). He was the Main Winner of Aesthetica Art Prize, 2022 and Grand Prix Winner of the 13th Rencontres de Bamako. Baff’s recent work explores the artistic potential of VR/AR.

Tala Lee-Turton – Trainee Producer

Tala Lee-Turton is a Chinese British creative producer for dance onstage and onscreen, dancer and graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Moscow, from South Yorkshire. Her multidisciplinary, female-led and diverse work connects creatives and audiences to impactful dance experiences that challenge cultural and social boundaries. She brings eight years as a dance practitioner to the screen industries and, as part of Screen Yorkshire’s talent lab, FLEX, and Birds Eye View’s development programme, Filmonomics 7, is currently developing her first feature, This Cardboard City. Arts Council England (ACE), the Genesis Foundation and the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority (SYCMA) support her work. Her short film, Chinese Laundry, won gold in the Made In Sheffield category at Sheffield Adventure Film Festival and has been premiered by Girls In Film.

  • Selina Ukwuoma is a freelance script consultant who began her career at literary agency Curtis Brown working on theatre, film, and television projects including 2008 BAFTA winner “Boy A”. She has since gone on to advise on award-winning indies such as 2014 Teddy winner “The  Way He Looks” and last year’s Goyas triumph “Summer” 1993. As well as consulting for production companies and designing and running development initiatives internationally, Selina teaches screenwriting at the UK’s National Film and Television School and regularly leads workshops and gives masterclasses at film festivals and markets, including Berlinale Talents, TIFF, and Durban FilmMart.

  • Nicci Topping (CSA, CDA) has been a leading casting director in the UK for 20 years, casting over 50 films and TV series. Her credits include The Black Prince, Genuine Fakes, Northern Soul, Dusty & Me, and The Gigantic Change. She has cast Whoopi Goldberg, Kathryn Drysdale, Tara Fitzgerald and Peter Firth, and was involved in casting leading actors such as Olivia Cooke, Daisy Ridley and Robert James Collier at the start of their careers. She has collaborated with directors such as Gus Van Sant, Tony Kaye and Michael Winterbottom. Nicci is currently chair of the CSA’s European Inclusion & Diversity Committee as well as the Festivals and Panels Committee.

Ray Miller-Davis

  • Ray Miller-Davis is a British-Jamaican Cinematographer based in London. His passion for storytelling is reflected in his attention to detail and ability to create compelling visual images that capture the essence of the stories being told. Through the use of camera, lenses and lighting, he adds depth, texture, and composition to every project he works on.

    He is a graduate of Ravensbourne University with a BA in Digital Film Production and was awarded the Warner Bros. Creative Talent Scholarship for 2017/18. Since then he has worked on a diverse range of projects, including narrative films, documentaries, commercials, branded content and music videos.

  • With a background in Fine Art, Christine works across Production Design, Art Direction and Set & Costume Design for film & live performance. She has Production Designed many short films and is a regular Art Director for Indian feature films shooting in the UK. She has a continued interest in Artist Digital Commissions centred around discovering new forms of performance somewhere between film, gaming and exhibition, and is a regular collaborator with writer-director Eelyn Lee.

    Christine spent seven years designing in Europe, New Zealand, Australia and Canada and is currently based in Glasgow. She studied Fine Art at Farnham Art College and Cardiff Metropolitan University, then on to Theatre Design at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Her Taiwanese-British heritage motivates her collaborations with other racialised and marginalised people. https://www.urquhartdesign.com/aboutDescription text goes here

Idris Blac

  • Idris Blac is the founder and director of Blac Audio, a music composition & sound design production boutique for film, TV, video games & online media based in London UK. Through Blac Audio, Idris aims to bring high music production value to the next generation of emerging film makers, narrowing the large gap in sound quality between independent and theatrical film productions.

  • I'm a London based editor, hailing from Venezuela with Italian roots.

    I moved to the UK to pursue my dream of making films and graduated from the prestigious National Film and Television School.

    My most recent credits include the debut drama feature film by Joanna Nelson HAMBRE, set between Venezuela & Italy. As well as the documentary short LITTLE WARRIOR directed by Paul SNG (Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché). My other documentary credits include the Netflix series SANPA: SINS OF THE SAVIOUR directed by Cosima Spender (PALIO, WITHOUT GORKY), MURDER IN ITALY for BBC4 Storyville & Sky Italy, selected as Sky Atlantic's best non-scripted series debut and the BAFTA-winning BBC ONE documentary series AMBULANCE.

    My short film credits include the sexy bondage thriller ROOM 55 directed by Rose Glass (SAINT MAUD) winner of Best Cinematography in the Student Competition at Camerimage and the animation PINEAPPLE CALAMARI winner of Best Short Animation Award at the Oscar-qualifying Fantastic Film Festival Sitges. My graduation documentary SIDE BY SIDE was nominated for a Grierson Award and in 2015, the Royal Television Society chose my film as Best Postgraduate Documentary and awarded me with the Best Editing Award. I was also recognised as Best Editor at the BAFTA qualified Underwire Film Festival for my work on the quirky comedy SATAN HAS A BUSHY TAIL.

    I'm fully fluent in Spanish, English and Italian.

    I'm passionate about telling stories, bird watching & magical realism.

  • Delicia Sorhaindo is delighted to be making her film debut as Costume Designer. Delicia studied Costume Design at Nottingham Trent University and is now a free-lance Costume Designer. Delicia has previously worked with Leeds Playhouse as Assistant Designer on the production Nine Night. Costume creations from her time at university can be found at https://deliciasorhaindo.wixsite.com/website

  • Jordan predominantly works as a shooting-director and director of photography working with his own range of clients and as a freelancer for larger agencies across the UK. Specialising in branded documentaries, promotional films, music videos and short films. His work on short films and a passion for lighting has him working also as a spark and gaffer on larger narrative films across the north of England. He has shot and lit films for the BFI, Arts Council and Channel 4, hoping to step up into features in the future.

  • Frances is a London based hair and makeup artist, who began her career being awarded a scholarship by Peter Swords King to study at Bath Academy of Media Makeup. With experience designing multiple short films, as well as working within high-end Film and TV, she holds a passion for educational and meaningful projects, most commonly with a focus on the ostracized. Her Peruvian-British heritage motivates her to study race and immigration, exploring how a narrative can be discovered through one’s hair and makeup. With a passion for an array of artistic insights, she unifies a large range of art forms to guide an innovative approach to her craft. This gives her the ability to push the boundaries of creativity, using the body as a canvas, transforming beauty into artwork.

Chris Linton

  • Chris Linton is a skilled Assistant Director with over twelve years' experience in the role. He stepped up to 1st AD in 2021 with features 'Lore' (Sea and Sky Pictures) and 'A Kind of Kidnapping' (Hook Pictures). Chris is also an award winning short film director, with his two drama projects garnering acclaim at national festivals in their years of tour. His first short, 'The Sanctuary', won best thriller and best sound design at Southampton 2014, and his second film 'Black Nest' screened alongside Russian social realist filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev's feature 'Loveless' at FilmBath in 2017.

    Chris has a keen interest in documentary filmmaking, and in 2021 completed his Masters' Degree at the University of Salford in documentary production. His current documentary project (working title 'Behind the Mask') is in the early stages of pitching, and explores men, masculinity, and vulnerability, whilst aiming to confront the societal messages that encourage men to disconnect from their emotions, devalue authentic friendships, objectify and degrade women, and resolve conflicts through violence. Chris' two other short documentaries 'The People's Phoenix' (2020) and 'The Name of Stone' (2022) are currently enjoying screenings and short film collections around the country, and will soon be playing in festivals. Chris works as a factual Shooting Assistant Producer alongside his AD roles, and aims to direct and produce feature length documentaries in the near future.

  • Cieran works as an assistant director across feature film and TV. From 1st Assistant Director on indie features to 3rd Assistant Director at ITV’s Emmerdale, he’s managed crews of four to forty, working with children, animals and Viking reenactors. He has also worked commercially supporting brands such as GQ and McLaren F1, and writes & directs fantastical film as one third of Pale Raven Pictures.

  • Alexis is a Greek sound recordist / boom operator with bases in Sheffield and Athens. He's worked on a variety of projects including award winning short films and documentaries, while he's also working for Istorima, a non-profit company dedicated to the archival of oral history. Having studied both Filmmaking and Sound Design, he found that he's truly at home when on set - provided he has enough layers on and the coffee is plentiful.

  • Jay is a freelance Steadicam Operator working in music promos, TVCs and narrative projects. Starting in 2016, and trained by operators Fabrizio Sciarra (SOC/ ACO) [Netflix's Wednesday] and Julian Morson (ACO) [Marvel's Dr. Strange and Skyfall+Spectre] through the GBCT Steadicam workshop, Jay has worked on recognisable projects, including Sam Smith's 'Unholy', RAYE's 'Escapism', plus commercials for Alexander McQueen and dailies on 'The Witcher' Season 3.

  • Joel is an experienced 1st AC with a high interest in narrative and feature.

  • Anh is a career-driven filmmaker, published photographer and lifelong learner who prides herself on her self-motivation and hands-on approach. After graduating her master degree in filmmaking in 2020, Anh has worked diligently in all roles she has taken in, and recently completed her first TV credit on Warner Bros’s TV series “Waterloo Road". Anh is keen to expand her technical skill sets within the camera department.

  • Ryan Moore is a Camera Trainee, transitioning from his final year as a film production student. He has previously worked on drama short films and aspires to step up to a 2nd AC soon. Ryan enjoys the technical side of filmmaking, stemming from his love of analogue cameras and photography. He enjoys taking in the details of camera set-ups, and developing knowledge of how different set-ups can help perfect the frame.

  • Juan is a unit stills photographer based in Yorkshire and is a graduate of seasoned stills photographer Nicola Dove's, Film Stills Academy. He has been a passionate photographer for sixteen years and loves the challenge of creating stories through a still image.

  • I’ve been filmmaking for over two years and have been focussed on sparking for around 4 months. My first film job was at Pinewood Studios as an electrical trainee, which pushed me toward the electrical department as a whole. I’ve been getting into being a lighting tech and loader for events since then, having worked on Yungblud’s recent Sheffield arena gig. The aim is to work on more shorts this year within the electrical and camera departments!

  • Jake splits his time between working as a DoP for his production company Light in the Tower, and working in various lighting department roles on larger productions.

  • Liz von Graevenitz lives and works in Sheffield UK. Graduating with a BA First Class Honours in Contemporary Fine Art from Sheffield Hallam University. She has been developing as an artist for over three decades. With both solo and collaborative projects Liz has curated and exhibited in England, Wales, Slovakia, Bulgaria and the USA.

    Liz brings with her a wealth of experience at turning an idea into a reality bringing her artistic creations to a multitude of venues. Liz works very much hands on using skills ranging in painting, the design and build of immersive 3D installations, set dressing design and build.

  • After several years working in the art department on high-end television series, Millie now works between scripted development - producing reader reports on books and their suitability for screen adaptation - and freelance screen projects within the art department. She is also a portrait artist whose work can be found at @milliemorrisart on Instagram and Facebook.

  • Shania Simpson, a 22-year-old aspiring filmmaker from Birmingham, UK, is currently studying Film and Media Production at Sheffield Hallam University. With experience in various roles, including sound, editing, directing, and producing, she has achieved recognition for her work, with a student short film shortlisted in a Screen Yorkshire competition and nominated for a Royal Television Society Student award. She hopes to continue her journey in HETV after completing her Masters in Filmmaking.

  • I am a 21-year-old mixed race, multi-media artist from Sheffield, England. Currently a Fine Art student at Liverpool John Moore University. My work encompasses animation, film, photography, drawing, print and costume design. I wrote and directed the short film '20 Nights', about the impact of dreams. Cinematographer and editor of author Johny Pitt’s short film, 'Spirits of Dead Buildings'. Both screened at Sensoria Film Festival in Sheffield. I’m the soundscape artist for a ‘Dig Where You Stand’ art installation, Bloc Projects, 2021. Made a short literary film, Born On Sunday Silent, for Sheffield libraries. My most recent film is "Institution", a shadow puppet animation inspired by “Candyman 2021”. It’s about institutional racism, violence and colonial exploitation through a world of demons, monsters and grotesques.

Sil Devilly

  • Established as a freelance costume maker in a studio surrounded by inspirational artists and makers at Yorkshire Artspace, Exchange Place in Sheffield, with a direct connection to the historic industrial landscape as well as the cultural heritage, art and textiles of the area.

    Principally a freelance cutter and costume maker making costume for theatre, film and television Sil has been fortunate to be a regular cutter at Sheffield’s renowned Crucible Theatre, enjoying the costume making challenges that constant new shows from exuberant musicals to modern drama provide.

  • Josh Fowler has worked as a videographer/ photographer in Sheffield and on several local BFI funded short films from a supporting artist to a fight scene consultant.