Godling

A homeless amnesiac is taught how to function in society, only to discover he is not human.

The British holiday park of SHACKVILLE is a construct, literally, with those living there in makeshift chalets and shacks playing their role in processing Aliens who arrive in human form, via a woodland portal, on planet earth. Sent here primarily to save us from ourselves the Aliens appear as human ‘blanks’ due to some problem in the process, and capitalism has used this ‘glitch’ to re-programme our extra-terrestrial benefactors, making them good servants of the dollar. ELLIS will be the first to throw a spanner in the works.

Keywords: dystopia, environment, individual vs society

Director's note:
The idea for GODLING grew out of the debate that raged in the UK during BREXIT where self-appointed Little Englanders felt that they had the right to determine who was ‘British’ and what qualities such a person should have. It was a political argument that we lost. GODLING explores who gets to decide how we should operate as humans in the Western World. As a filmmaker, I have always been fascinated by science fiction, particularly re-imaginings of how the world might work in the future. Dystopian futures firmly rooted in contemporary society are echoed throughout cinema history, whether in Chris Marker’s LA JETÉE or more mainstream fare such as THE TRUMAN SHOW. As a cinephile films such as PRIMER and DOGTOOTH are pertinent reference points.  Over the last ten years, I have spent time in the alternative communities of the prepper/off-grid world, with all its quirks and weirdness. Transposing that world to science fiction was not the greatest jump.

Producer's note:
GODLING is a high-concept science fiction film that is both brave, thought-provoking, and commercial. A complex tale is held firmly in a sci-fi wrapper that will find an audience outside of its Art-House roots and travel much further than traditional genre fare.  As a producer, I’ve developed and supported directors who have made million-dollar grossing films from similar humble beginnings, such as DOG SOLDIERS and THE DESCENT, and in GODLING I’m confident that I have a similar film. I would expect GODLING to have a strong festival life, playing at an A or B list festival, think Toronto, Tribeca, Critics Week in Cannes or Sitges, which will help raise both the film and director’s profile, and lead us into his next feature film, the ambitious body dysmorphia horror BEAR, developed by the same team. I believe I can guide the execution, casting and positioning of GODLING to get the biggest bang for its buck and help this small independent film find the audience it deserves.