Films
THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar (2025) - Role: Director
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar is a short film I directed in October 2025, developed and filmed entirely within the UCL Film and TV Studio. Working within a deliberately confined space, the project became an exercise in creative constraint—pushing us to embrace minimalist set design while reimagining the psychological intensity of Edgar Allan Poe’s haunting tale.
Stripped back to its essentials, the film explores atmosphere, performance, and tension through a focused visual language, allowing the uncanny and the surreal to emerge from within the frame rather than through spectacle. The limitations of the studio became a strength, shaping a controlled, intimate environment in which the story could unfold with precision and unease.
The opening sequence was shot on 16mm using a Bolex camera—an approach we had initially intended for the entire film. However, due to the age of the camera, it ceased functioning after the first day of shooting, prompting a shift in format. This unexpected disruption became part of the film’s evolving process, reflecting both the material fragility and unpredictability of analogue filmmaking.
Set to premiere at the end of April, with an official release planned for October, the film also serves as an opportunity to collaborate with emerging sound designers and composers. Through this process, I am continuing to develop my understanding of post-production and its transformative impact on cinematic storytelling.
This project also marks the beginning of an ongoing creative collaboration with lead actresses Cliodhna Turner and Anezka Khan—one grounded in experimentation, trust, and a shared interest in psychologically driven storytelling. Looking ahead, I hope to revisit and reimagine this work on a larger scale, with an expanded budget that allows the original vision to be realised more fully.
FAIRGROUNDS
Fairgrounds (2025) - Role: Producer
Fairgrounds is a UCL student film funded by the UCL Film & TV Society and the Students’ Union, and marks my first project as a Producer. The film offered a rare opportunity to shoot on 16mm, using the same Arriflex camera once used by Christopher Nolan during his time as a student at UCL—most notably on his debut feature Following and early short films.
Written by Edinburgh Fringe–qualifying playwright Sophie Eaton, Fairgrounds explores the tensions and moral contradictions within a contemporary wealthy family on the brink of financial collapse. As they face the loss of their ancestral estate—built on wealth derived from the slave trade—the past begins to press uncomfortably against the present.
The narrative takes a surreal turn with the arrival of Jack, a mysterious and enigmatic sales entrepreneur, who proposes transforming the family’s land into a theme park. What unfolds is a darkly satirical interrogation of legacy, capitalism, and the commodification of history, as the family are forced to confront not only their financial ruin, but the foundations upon which their world was built.
The film is currently in post-production and is set to premiere in September 2026.
SHE’S A BITCH.
SHE’S A BITCH (2025) - Role: DoP and Director
SHE’S A BITCH is a short film written and co-directed by Anezka Khan, a Fringe-qualifying actress. Blurring the line between performance and authorship, the film follows the unraveling of a relationship between two sisters in a sharp, darkly comic exploration of perspective, control, and narrative power.
Breaking the fourth wall entirely, one sister sets out to document her case—constructing an argument, through the edit, that her sibling is, unequivocally, “a bitch.” Yet as the film progresses, the authority of that narrative begins to fracture. What starts as a controlled act of framing spirals into something far less stable.
The conflict shifts from on-screen performance to the edit suite itself, transforming the film into a battleground of authorship. As the “framed” sister begins to take control, the question of truth becomes increasingly unstable. Who holds the power to define reality—and ultimately, who is the real “bitch”?
Shot with minimal equipment—a Canon 250D, a tripod, and a ring light—the film embraces its own constraints as part of its narrative logic. The stripped-back production reflects the perspective of the documenting sister, while also asserting that filmmaking need not rely on high-end resources to be effective. What began as a showreel project has since evolved into a collaborative partnership, laying the groundwork for more ambitious, fully developed productions as we continue to test the limits of our creativity.
The film is set to premiere in June 2026.