Hi! And welcome to the donation page for SOUL, BABY!

Soul, Baby! is a short film written, directed, and starring emerging female talent. We will be shooting in Oxford at the end of July, and are primarily set in the Harcourt Arms, Jericho, with the support of Oxford legend Ian Stuart.

And now we need your support. We have reached just under a quarter of our budget target and depend on the generosity of sponsors and donors to make this ambitious project happen.

The Film

Being 17: tick. Being a dancing queen: she’s working on it…

Set against the accidental bosom of a Northern Soul night, Soul, Baby! tells the story of a cross-generation friendship through the universal language of breaking it (the f---) down. THE RED SHOES meets FRANCES HA, Soul, Baby! is a film about teenage obnoxiousness and the eternal puberty that is being a woman. And as one girl will strive to become a ‘woman’, one woman will remind her she’ll always be a girl.

At our centre is CLAIRE (17). Trapped between her fear of adult life and her deep desire to grow up, Claire will be taken under the (albeit reluctant) wing of VIC (60s). Vic, the belle of the ballroom, and Claire, the self-imposed wallflower, will catalyse each other’s parallel journeys – where Claire will discover that if you have no idea who you are you can be whoever you want, and Vic will be reminded of the strength in vulnerability. Because big girls cry too.

Infused with fully choreographed dance sequences, Soul, Baby! builds on Gene Kelly, Ingmar Bergman, and Powell and Pressburger’s exposed and exaggerated artifice, combines it with the female-facing MURIEL’S WEDDING, 20TH CENTURY WOMEN and LADYBIRD, and plants it in the distinctly British palette of NORTHERN SOUL and THE FULL MONTY.

We will be using only in-camera, physical effects to blend the mundane and the magical.

Why Help Us?

Of course, there’s plenty of shoestring short films going around, all just as much in need of funding. So, indeed, why us?

Often seen as a stepping stone, or an ‘if you can’t make a film, make a short film’, kind of medium, short films need help to be recognised because of, rather than in spite of, their form. There is something uniquely explosive about a story that can be told in 10 minutes, and we believe the dance short film is a perfect example of this. To express emotion through dance is to be free from the pressures of articulation and the complexity of words.

This is particularly poignant in a film about women. Dance helps us to overcome repression and express ourselves without having to explain ourselves. And it doesn’t hurt that by supporting this film, you will be supporting female filmmakers in a pretty man-heavy industry. We hope this film will be a means of empowering those both on and off-screen and forwarding the careers of young creatives throughout the industry.

And of course (don’t worry!) we also have many amazing guys on our crew. We hope for our filmmaking to be as inclusive as possible. This film is about community and finding a home where you wouldn’t expect to. And we think we all could do with a bit of that.

The Team

Martha Wilson, Writer and Director

Martha graduated from university in 2022. Since then, Martha has been working in the Film and TV industry in a variety of different roles. Moving swiftly from trainee, to production assistant, to Third AD, Martha is currently a Director’s Assistant at Popcorn Storm Pictures Ltd (A Gentleman in Moscow; War and Peace, Wild Rose, The Aeronauts). Here, Martha works on multiple simultaneous shoots, from script development to post-production. This will be Martha’s short film debut, as she takes a step from her theatre background, where she has directed a sold-out Shakespeare adaptation, assistant directed LGBTQ+ company plays, and co-written, directed and performed in comedy sketches for showcase.

Jennifer Smith, Producer

Jen studied at the National Film and Television School, where she also worked part time as a script reader for Character 7 (The Night Manager, The Undoing). While studying, Jen achieved a paid internship with Good Chaos as a producer’s assistant, supporting Mike Goodridge (The Lobster, Triangle of Sadness, American Honey) and James Bowsher (Club Zero, Touch). Jen then produced two short films, that are currently playing festivals, before she began working in house at Fable Pictures (Wild Rose, Stan and Ollie, Rocks) as Faye Ward’s assistant. Now working full time on Mr Loverman (BBC1) and across the Fable slate, Jen is continuing her work as a script reader to advance her development skills, while continuing her on-set producing skills.

Inez Conway, Producer

Inez started her career in the music industry, working for a renowned artist management company as EA to the Chairman and project managed their charity collaborations. Fulfilling her desire to work in the film industry, Inez moved over to EA to the Head of Television at Element Pictures (The Lobster, Disobedience, The Favourite, Poor Things) where she also performed as Development Assistant and Producer’s Assistant through the development and production of Normal People (BBC). During the pandemic, Inez worked at Channel 4 before moving to her current role at the BAFTA awarded studio, Union Visual Effects (All of Us Strangers, The Banshees of Inisherin, Poor Things) as a Business Development Executive. Outside of her daily role, Inez continues her passion for development and producing, working on her own projects with likeminded creatives.

Rahul Arya, Associate Producer

Rahul's journey in the world of entertainment began when, despite initially studying accounting and finance at university, he realised his true passion lay in the arts. Rahul retrained, honing his acting skills at both Drama Centre Central Saint Martin's and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Along the way, he explored scriptwriting and production, spearheading his own projects. After graduating, Rahul secured a significant role as a series regular on the BBC series Doctors, and guest starred on the Channel 5 murder-mystery, The Good Ship Murder. Equally comfortable in front of and behind the camera, Rahul brings a unique perspective and boundless enthusiasm to every project he undertakes.

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Thank you. Xx