Native Speaker
Writer/Director/Producer - Warsaw
In 1990’s Warsaw, a man in his late 20’s Wayne Morris works for the British diplomatic service. He’s about to commence a temporary internship and rents a flat in the city whilst giving English lessons as an additional source of income. His landlord has told him that there will be another tenant, equally foreign, sharing his apartment.
When Wayne meets his new housemate, a Bosnian called Milan, they turn out to be binary opposites. Wayne is thoroughly organised, reserved and OCD, whereas, Milan is witty, charming and adventurous. Nonetheless, Wayne is attracted to Milan’s qualities that he does not possess. This fascination soon leads to an unhealthy obsession in which Wayne tries to embody Milan’s mannerisms and persona. When these secrets become discovered by Milan, he decides to play along with Wayne’s fantasies and the pair decide to swap identities.
These actions have dire consequences as one of the pair has committed crimes the other doesn’t know about. After Milan's disappearance from Wayne's life, a police detective, Natalia, uncovers evidence and Wayne becomes framed for murders he believes Milan had committed. When police struggle to find evidence of Milan's existence, one questions whether Milan exists or is he part of Wayne's warped fantasy.
Sleeping with Wolves
Trailer for Sleeping with Wolves.
Writer/Director - Leeds
I was one of the lucky few to have my script selected to be made into a graduation film at the end of my MA at The Northern Film School, where I directed 'Sleeping with Wolves'.
The story is about Bohdan, an elderly Ukrainian man living in England since the war. He finds comfort in drink, walks and strangers whom he befriends. When he meets, Adam, a Pole, their East European heritage brings them close and Bohdan invites him to live with him. The Ukrainian community and Bohdan's granddaughter Olya voice suspicions over Adam's presence. Ultimately Adam is innocent, but he triggers a past that comes to haunt Bohdan.
Nauka Latania (Flight school)
Production Manager - Warsaw
'Nauka Latania' (Flight School) is a short-film directed by Klaudia Kęska, starring Katarzyna Dabrowska in the lead role. I worked as a production manager on this film which tells the story of a self-reliant air hostess, detached from the world around her. After hitting rock bottom after a robbery at her flat, she tries to change her life around, but it seems all too late as her past relationships have moved on.
The Moment
Co-Producer and director - Leeds
'The Moment' is a short film, written by Kasia Derlak that I directed. It serves as a momento, a warning to step back and reflect on the mundanity of everyday routine.
Parasite
Director - Leeds
'Parasite' is a short-film comedy about a hippy who lives a bohemian lifestyle that doesn't fit in with his landlord's sterile outlook on how a house should be kept. When pests infest the house, a rat-catcher arrives with methods that spark outrage with the tenant. Soon the rat-catcher becomes the plague that taints whatever it touches.
Pigment
Assistant Director - Katowice
'Pigment' is a short film that plays with fear and misconception. A postal courier, arrives at a house where she thinks she sees something macabre and runs away. The truth is much the opposite and our protagonist is in fact innocent.
LAST. LOST. LUST.
Writer/director, cam. op and editor - Bielsko-Biała
LAST. LOST. LUST, is a short-film thriller that is all about power relationships. When a girl hitchhiker gets picked up by a peculiar driver, she tries to dominate him by offering what he 'supposedly' wants before he makes a move. The driver chooses not to play into her hands and gains control in the knowingness of the isolation in which they find themselves.
Phobia Dawn
Writer/director, cam. op and editor - Leeds
'Phobia Dawn' is a short film about a racist man living in a predominately Muslim neighbourhood.
He obsessively watches the news for terrorist attacks that fuel his anger and prejudice. As he leaves his sheltered home and wanders his neighbourhood, he gets more and more engrossed in hatred. This brings a surreal nightmarish sequence, based on paintings by Francis Bacon where the man screams out as he struggles to clean himself from the 'supposed' dirt and infection around him.
Equinox
Writer/Director - Nottingham
After valuable paintings get stolen from the Tate Modern by a gang of crooks, each of them meet new paths in their life. One becomes a serial killer, one becomes a righteous vigilante and two lay low to avoid police investigation. During this time, Frank, a corrupt detective, falsifies crimes for promotion and fame, whilst his nemesis Alice conscientiously works to unravel the truth. Alice must befriend criminals to topple corruption in her own ranks but also stop a serial killer before he strikes again.