directed by DUSTIN CURTIS MURPHY
WRITTEN BY ROSE MUIRHEAD
Produced by ALASDAIR C. MELROSE
On her first business trip away after the birth of her child, a young mother has to fend off the unwanted advances of her boss, triggering the memories of a traumatic childhood event involving a monstrous figure called Mama.
ABOUT THE FILM
Mama’s Watching is a Kino Original co-production with Dutch London Pictures, founded by Alasdair C. Melrose. Production on the film took place in 2019, and it first hit the festival circuit in 2022 playing at the Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival (where it was nominated for Best Short, Best Foreign Film, Best Actress, & Best Director), the Atlanta Horror Film Festival, HorrorHaus Film Festival, among others. It was also named a Semi-Finalist at the Oscar qualifying Flicker’s Rode Island Film Festival. Awards for Mama’s Watching include: second place in the AudPop Horror Film Challenge, Best Screenplay at the Monkey Bread Tree Film Awards, and two awards for Bets Sound from Echonation Audio & Film Festival and the Wolverhampton Film Festival.
ABOUT THE FILMmakerS
Dustin is no stranger to the Kino community. He is an award-winning writer, director, and producer creating work at the crossroads of social impact and commercial crowd-pleasers. His work focuses on character driven narratives with relevant social themes and tightly structured plots, often working in blended genre. Loves a good twist. Dustin has produced 2 web-series, 1 feature film, and 9 short films that have been recognized by Academy Award, BAFTA, and BIFA qualifying film festivals. His feature film debut - COYOTE - a dystopian sci-fi starring Therica Wilson-Read (Netflix's The Witcher), Borislava Stratieva (Luther: The Fallen Sun), Ailish Symons, (The Widow) and BIFA Winner Ruhtxjiaïh Bèllènéa (The Last Tree) - is on the festival circuit in the UK and getting a digital release in North America from June 20th, 2023.
Rose, a Yorkshire born actress, began acting at a young age and was involved with northern based productions such a Waterloo Road (2007-2008) before moving to Manchester for formal studies. In 2013 Rose took up a place at the International School of Screen Acting based in Three Mills Studios. Since graduating Rose has taken on many roles, most notably Jess in Book of Monsters (2018). Rose has always had a keen interest in writing and developed Mama's Watching as a concept in the winter of 2018. She continues to write and is working on a feature length dysoptian triptych which further explores the darker side of gender power dynamics.
Alasdair is a London-born producer and filmmaker. He got his start as a producer on Benjamin Rider’s indie feature Suburban Coffin (2018) then founded Dutch London Pictures, producing Dona & Vixen (2020), Mama’s Watching (2022) and Le Bebe Noir (2023). In 2022 he produced Holly de Jong’s TBA sophomore short and was associate producer on Dustin Curtis Murphy’s debut feature Coyote.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH DUSTIN
What have you been up to since we featured your last short film “The Last Confession”?
During my last interview I was talking about being in post-production on my debut feature film “Coyote”, and I’m now happy to say that the film has not only been completed, but also released!
Coyote premiered at the Phoenix Film Festival in March 2023. It was a great experience! PFF gives all films three screenings over the course of a week and a half. We were able to pick up buzz with each screening and our last one even sold out. While the festival wasn’t on my radar previously, our festival strategist put it on our list, and I’m glad they did. PFF gets some industry attention and we walked away with an offer from a distributor. We were already in talks with another distributor, so ultimately we decided to go another route, but it was encouraging to have multiple offers on the table - 5 in total. The film is getting a digital and DVD release in North America on June 20th, and we’re currently looking to expand to more territories throughout the year.
In the UK, Coyote also just had its UK premiere at the Romford Film Festival (again, sold out!) where we won the Audience Award for Best Feature, and coming up it’ll play at the Kingston International Film Festival on June 25th.
As if doing a feature wasn’t enough, last year I also shot a new short film ‘“Everything Is Out To Get Me.” It was my first time working on film which was a super cool experience. I’m about to head out to LA for its international premiere at Dances With Films - the largest indie festival in LA. Especially excited because they host their screenings at the historic Chinese Theatere on Hollywood Blvd.
Tell us about the genesis of Mama’s Watching and how the project came about.
I’d previously worked with Alasdair Melrose (producer of Mama’s Watching) on the first short film that I made after moving to the UK - “Nora”. In 2019, Alasdair approached me with a script called Monsters which he’d been developing with screenwriter/actress Rose Muirhead. He asked if I’d be interested in directing the project, and I was honoured to have his faith. Holly de Jong (who played Newt’s mom in Aliens) was already attached to the project as this point, so the prospective of working with her was exciting.
There was a lot of potential in the script, but I had concerns about the scope of the project when compared with the limited budget we had access to. Initially, the script had several monsters which followed the protagonist throughout her life. To pull it off, it would’e required extensive practical and visual effects, so I suggested that we pair it down to a single monstrous character, which eventually became “Mama”. That way we were able to focus all our attention on nailing one monster.
For a few months we would have regular development meetings and review subsequent drafts that Rose would churn out, and soon we found ourselves ready for production.
photos from the first table read
Rose Muirhead as “Liz”
Holly de Jong as “Mama”
Cast of Mama’s Watching with director and producer
Will Earle as “Lloyd”
Tell us about the development process and how you as a director provide feedback to the screenwriter.
Typically, I’m a writer/director, so when you’re coming in to actualise another writer’s vision, it’s a bit of a dance. You need to respect the initial intentions behind the script while also trying to find a personal hook into the material. You want to put your stamp on it, but you don’t want to be a bully. You need to protect the original spark that attracted you to the project in the first place.
Rose was wonderful to work with and it felt like we were really pushing the project in the same direction - which is key for a healthy collaboration. There’s nothing worse for a writer than working with a director who completely butchers their source material.
Monsters was written very “stream of consciousness” in its style and it was structured more like a feature film than a short. As a director, it was my job to search for the intensions behind what Rose put on the pages of her early drafts, so we could maintain the heart and soul of her concept while making necessary tweaks. The suggestions I made I hope elevated the project, but at the very least they made the film achievable within our budget limitations.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making of Mama’s Watching and how did you overcome them?
The shooting draft of our script is actually quite different then the film you see now. The script was written linear without any flashbacks. We started with the story of Liz as a little girl. We see her interacting with Mama a lot more and ultimately Mama protects from her abusive uncle. Then, half way through the script, we introduced Liz in her twenties as a new mother on a business trip. In post-production we found that film didn’t quite flow when the scenes played out in a linear fashion. Although one could argue the 50/50 structure was quite Kubrickian, I think it’s important that a short film feels like one cohesive statement rather than two halves.
What you now see as the final cut of the film is pretty much all of the second half of the script. We utilised sections from the first have as our flashbacks. It did break my heart a little bit to cut some scenes with some great performances, but we needed to make the best decision for the big picture.
We shot the film over 3 days, it’s a 10 minutes film, and about 70% of what made the final cut was shot on 1 day. In hindsight, I would’ve liked to have more time to shoot the scenes that made the final cut, instead of spending 2/3rds of our time on 30% of the film.
Day 3/3 on set was by far the most challenging. It was the day that we were shooting not only the most intense scene in the film - the attempted rape - but also every other scene that took place in the hotel. I asked for two days to focus on the hotel scenes, but due to access to the location we could only wrangle one day. The amount of coverage I wanted was quite extensive. In order to walk away with as many shots as possible, we had to shoot the attempted rape scene out of order which made continuity tough. We would shoot out one side of the room then move the lights to shoot out the other side of the room. If we’d shot it in order then we would’ve been resetting the lights back and forth. Shooting out of sequence was a complete puzzle. I’m pretty sure I was the only person on set who was confident that all the pieces would cut together, and while I’m generally happy with the final result, I do think the scene has a few rough cuts that don’t feel totally polished, but artists see the flaws in their work that oftentimes audience would never pick up on.
More budget, could’ve unlocked more time… A tighter script, could’ve meant we only shot what ended up in the film… but I think as a crew we did the best we could with the limitations.
BEHIND THE SCENES STILLS FROM DAY 3
Dir. Dustin Curtis Murphy works with Rose Muirhead to perfect the pivotal hotel scene
Tell us about the journey of getting MAMA’S WATCHING to audiences.
Always a tough one, right? Unlike any other film that I’ve worked on, Mama’s Watching was really found during the edit. We were in post-production for awhile, so even though we shot summer 2019, we didn’t premiere until Halloween season 2022. Sure, there was covid smack dam in the middle of that, and I was also working on other projects.
As an American filmmaker living in the UK, I reflect quite a bit on my American influences and how they affect the choices I make as a filmmaker. Since moving to the UK I’ve met the best collaborators - the indie film scene in London is the absolute best - but I’ve noticed that most of my work gets programmed more at US festivals. Perhaps I have an inherently American style to my filmmaking and perhaps that puts off British programmers, but… I digress.
To be honest, during the festival tour I was getting a bit insecure about the lack of success of Mama’s Watching in the UK. I remember the rejection from Frightfest stung in particular because all of my peers got selected and I felt like the only one left out. I think I’m quite in tune with what’s wrong and what’s right about my projects, and while I massively respected the work of my peers that justifiably made it into Frightfest, I just couldn’t really see any clear reason why my film wouldn’t be selected to screen alongside them.
We ended up touring several horror based festivals in the US and picked up a few nominations, but it wasn’t until our Kino Original Short Film Showcase at The Garden Cinema at the end of November 2022 that I got to see the film with a live audience for the first time. I didn’t really know how I’d feel about it. Of course I hoped that audiences responded to the piece, but perhaps they wouldn’t. Feeling the energy in a cinema screening is so helpful for filmmakers. If you’re just watching your film by yourself on your laptop it can be difficult to see what elements are going to work with live audiences.
At that screening it really clicked for me. Mama’s Watching is not an easy watch. It’s about an attempted rape that triggers repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse. I can see how many programmers, even horror programmers, might be too afraid to attach their name to it and give it screen time. It’s not a fun watch, and quite frankly it shouldn’t be a fun watch. I think a lot of programmers and audiences in the horror space are looking for an element of fun in their horror films, and with Mama’s Watching I didn’t really provide any of that. I didn’t want to provide any of that. I feel if I were to make a film about sexual abuse “fun” then it would’ve felt inappropriate. Instead I wanted to show a real life horrific experience for what it was. Where other filmmakers tackling this subject may decide to execute it as a drama, I’d argue that is a safer, more programmable route to explore these themes. But I love challenging audiences vs just giving them what they expect.
Sitting watching Mama’s Watching with an audience I could tell that I’d definitely suceeded in creating a film that was suspenseful to the point of discomfort. So in a way, it feels like the success of effectively using filmmaking techniques to illicit uncomfortable feelings in audiences ultimately gave the film limited appeal during its festival run. I’ll be curious to see how the online release plays out.
At the Atlanta Horror Festival we caught the eye of Alter - the horror shorts distributor known for getting massive views on YouTube. Ultimately, they passed on the project, so I approached Omeleto who released my previous two shorts. I honestly thought Omeleto would pass on the film due to its content not being YouTube friendly (when my sound designer tried to upload a WIP version of the film privately for me to see his work, YouTube blocked it!), but I figured I might as well at least get the project in front of them. They said yes! Just goes to show that you never know. You get a lot of rejection, but the cliche is true: you just need one person to say yes, so best thing is to put yourself out there.
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face trying to break into the industry?
Two things.
1. Over-saturation
Right now it’s easier than ever for anyone to make a film. Technology is a two edged sword. Yes, twenty/thirty years ago, perhaps you wouldn’t even be able to make a film at all, but now thousands and thousands of short film are made annually, and there are only a few slots available at the top tier festivals. That means that amazing work is getting rejection left, right and center. Which brings me to my next point…
2. Industry decision makers putting up barriers
In an over-saturated market, decision makers don’t have the capacity to have a personal connection with every talented filmmaker that comes their way. Some people in the industry are extremely well intentioned, but they are time-poor and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people knocking on their doors looking for an opportunity. Other people in the industry are, quite frankly, negligent and uninterested in fostering an inclusive environment.
Keeping these two things in mind, I think short filmmakers should just continue striving to make their films better. We all need to put ourselves and our work out there. Yes, it’s an uphill battle. Yes, it’ll hurt along the journey when an avalanche of rejection comes your way. Manage your expectations, and don’t allow others to define what success is for you. You made a film. That’s a success. If you can, let that be enough and find pride in your work. Continually strive to find joy in the act of creating, and don’t let external accolades (or the lack thereof) make you feel bad about yourself. You’re doing the best you can.
What are you working on now?
The big project at the moment is my debut feature film Coyote. Technically, it is finished, but as an indie filmmaker your job is never done. It’s on the international festival circuit at the moment (which is a lot of work) and it’s being released on digital in North America on June 20th, so I’m doing a lot of PR for the film and I have my hand in marketing as well.
Although I’ve made the leap from shorts to features, looking forward I don’t ever see myself completely turning my back on shorts. I think doing a short or two in-between features keeps you sharp as a filmmaker.
Right now I have three short films in development…
1. A sci-fi alien film set on a space station which I’m just attached as director.
2. A family drama about climate anxiety which I’ve co-written and we’re applying for funding at the moment.
3. A comedy of errors because after all this heavy shit I really need to make something light! lol
…but my main focus is my slate of feature films…
1. My feature length adaptation of my award-winning short Samaritan is ready to go and I’m just looking for the right finance partner.
2. An ensemble folk horror structured where a bunch of seemingly random character’s lives intertwine. It’s like Magnolia, but in the horror space.
3. A Hitchcockian thriller than leans toward dark comedy.
4. An LGBTQ+ indie drama about struggling artists and community theatre.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
A great indie horror film, Little Bone Lodge, just became available on digital in the UK and I highly recommend that you check it out. It premiered at Frightfest Glasgow and it’s an absolutely intense white knuckle thriller.
Also, if you get a chance to see Birth/Rebirth playing at a festival, definitely don’t miss it. It’s the feature directorial debut from Laura Moss and it premiered at Sundance. It’s a super interesting twist on a modern Frankenstien-like story.
I was fortunate enough to meet both of the filmmakers through my work with Kino and I think they’re both going places. Ones to watch for sure - not just these films, but their future careers.