London, 1974. As Britain prepares for electrical blackouts to sweep across the country, trainee nurse Val (Rose Williams) arrives for her first day at the crumbling East London Royal Infirmary. With most of the patients and staff evacuated to another hospital, Val is forced to work the night shift, finding herself in a dark, near empty building. Within these walls lies a deadly secret, forcing Val to face both her own traumatic past and deepest fears in order to confront the malevolent force that’s intent on destroying everything around her.
Director's Statement
"While I was writing the script, I read a good description of what a ghost story classically is; a disturbed spirit has an issue that a protagonist, usually female, needs to understand and solve. Then the spirit can rest in peace. This description resonated with me. I was already telling the story from a female point of view, and wanted the female experience to inform the horror elements. But I was writing during the explosion of resistance to silence and passivity that came with the Me Too movement. And it felt like the landscape was changing to some extent. The idea that an angry spirit could neatly be put to rest, made quiet at the end of a story, felt plain wrong. This gave me an interesting trajectory.
I realised while we were filming that we were telling a story about the silence of girls. Voices made quiet. Then I realised, that without planning, I was telling the story of my journey to that moment too. It had taken many years, and changes in my own confidence and the confidence of the industry to get there. To allow my own voice to speak. Like the restless spirit, I’ve no intention of laying it to rest now."
About the Production
Playing on our universal fear of the dark, The Power is a chilling supernatural thriller from BAFTA-nominated writer-director Corinna Faith and produced by Matthew James Wilkinson of Stigma Films and Rob Watson of Air Street Films. It was developed with the support of Creative England via the BFI NETWORK (awarding funds from the National Lottery) and received production finance from the BFI (awarding funds from the National Lottery) and Head Gear. The Power is presented by the BFI in association with Head Gear Films, Metrol Technology and Kreo Films.
Director's Statement
"While I was writing the script, I read a good description of what a ghost story classically is; a disturbed spirit has an issue that a protagonist, usually female, needs to understand and solve. Then the spirit can rest in peace. This description resonated with me. I was already telling the story from a female point of view, and wanted the female experience to inform the horror elements. But I was writing during the explosion of resistance to silence and passivity that came with the Me Too movement. And it felt like the landscape was changing to some extent. The idea that an angry spirit could neatly be put to rest, made quiet at the end of a story, felt plain wrong. This gave me an interesting trajectory.
I realised while we were filming that we were telling a story about the silence of girls. Voices made quiet. Then I realised, that without planning, I was telling the story of my journey to that moment too. It had taken many years, and changes in my own confidence and the confidence of the industry to get there. To allow my own voice to speak. Like the restless spirit, I’ve no intention of laying it to rest now."
About the Production
Playing on our universal fear of the dark, The Power is a chilling supernatural thriller from BAFTA-nominated writer-director Corinna Faith and produced by Matthew James Wilkinson of Stigma Films and Rob Watson of Air Street Films. It was developed with the support of Creative England via the BFI NETWORK (awarding funds from the National Lottery) and received production finance from the BFI (awarding funds from the National Lottery) and Head Gear. The Power is presented by the BFI in association with Head Gear Films, Metrol Technology and Kreo Films.
Category
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Short film