A micro-horror movie made by NFTS students has been selected as a finalist in a competition run by prestigious genre festival Film4 FrightFest. They successfully answered the challenge laid down by Short Cuts to Hell to create a killer three minute film within restraints of a budget of just £666, no more than six lines of dialogue, six hours shoot time, six cast and six crew.
Director Weronika Tofilska and producer Helen Gladders’ film puts an entertainingly feminine spin on the traditionally male horror genre and features a deadly song, written and performed by fellow NFTS students. The film focuses on a young woman nervously starting her first day working alone in a morgue as the make-up artist charged with making dead bodies more life-like for their funerals.
Tofilska, in the second year of her Fiction Directing MA at the NFTS, said “We entered the “Short Cuts to Hell” competition from a love of filmmaking and our naive enthusiasm that a short film can be made in six hours. It was, although hard work, a truly enjoyable and unforgettable experience. Being recognised for our work means that we can share the fun and joy we had while making the film with viewers.”
Award-winning writer-director and horror aficionado, who inspired students alongside Ben Wheatley at last year’s NFTS Horror Day, Corin Hardy http://www.corinhardy.com/ whose highly anticipated debut horror feature The Woods is due to shoot this year, commented “With its succulent pastel cinematography, assured set design and killer soundtrack I was pleased to see Weronika Tofilska's '6 Feet Under' reach the 'Short Cuts To Hell' final. Her dark, sexy film has a playfulness at its bitter-sweet core, making it very difficult not to fall in love with!"
The six finalist films will be screened on the Horror Channel and at Film4 FrightFest http://www.frightfest.co.uk , held at the Empire Leicester Square from 22nd– 26th August, where the winning film will be announced. The overall winner will receive a prize of £6,666 and the opportunity to develop a horror short or feature with mentorship from production company Movie Mogul.
You can enjoy Weronika Tofilska’s film here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUWmS7kNvsI
