"The Knocking" short film

THE KNOCKING

The following is a true story… Sort of.

 

When a mysterious knocking sound begins in her house, Margaret, who has become a reclusive, stubborn old woman following the recent passing of her husband, desperately searches for the source of the noise. In doing so, she pushes away those trying to help her as the knocking threatens to drive her to insanity. As the knocking worsens, she finally gives in and seeks help from a priest, who performs an exorcism to rid her home of the source of the knocking. Freed from the terrible knocking and seeing the value of accepting help from others, Margaret opens up and joins her local community. Where was the knocking coming from or was it even real?... help us make it and then watch it to find out!

 

MEET THE TEAM

LYDIA NIJHOF - Director

 

Lydia is a director/editor from The Netherlands, currently following the MA Directing at Metfilm School in London. She has studied Crossmedia Design and Moving Image at the AKI ArtEZ art academy in Enschede. Having been able to experiment with every type of moving image technique she has acquired a broad range of skills, varying from graphics and animation to feature filmmaking. Her short film “Nachtegaal” (Nightingale) has been selected and screened at the Oldenzaal film festival.

 

She is fascinated just as much by sound as visuals, which will be reflected in “The Knocking”. Growing up religious in a small-town, Lydia feels a special connection to subjects explored in the film such as religion and isolation. The short combines mystery, tension and laughter into a concoction that fits right up her lane and is sure to excite the audience!

 

 

 

 

 

ALEX PECK- Producer

 

Alex Peck is a London-based Producer with a background in Business and Finance as well as Film. Alex has worked in the production team for the Disney film Christopher Robin and the locations team on Netflix’s Enola Holmes 2, both of which have given him a great understanding of what goes into successfully producing a film. Alex also has a strong understanding of the business and finance element of a project with a budget, having a degree in Business, Accounting and Finance from Newcastle University and having worked at the accounting firm PwC and Investec Bank.

 

He was attracted to the story by the uniqueness of the idea and script. Bringing some more light-hearted, funny moments to a genre and topic that is typically dealt with in a much more serious manner. With Grandparents who live in a very small village in the south of France, he knows just how important engaging with the people around you and helping each other out is, especially within small communities; this is one of the key messages of “The Knocking” and part of why Alex felt so strongly that this was a story that needed to be shared.

 

 

 

 

ALLY KIRKHAM - Writer

 

Ally Kirkham is a screenwriter from Harrogate, North Yorkshire. He has worked across many facets of film production, including writing and co-writing several short films in Salford and, more recently, as a producer for a Manchester-based short in 2021. In his writing, Ally likes to approach provocative subjects in a dark, sometimes comic way, which aims to shock and surprise… and this film is no different! Beyond his love of writing, Ally enjoys a drink in the pub, where he can convince everyone around him that Yorkshire Tea is the undisputed choice.

 

When he wrote the story, he wanted to tackle the subject of growing old, loneliness and isolation but not in a typical way. Seldom do we see some of the positives that can come out of acknowledging and acting on these issues, and he wanted to shine a light on how community action can help those in vulnerable situations. This film offers a universality in the sense that we all can associate ourselves with people whose circles tend to shrink in their old age. This short film aims to open a dialogue about what we can do to battle loneliness whilst empowering independence.

 

 

 

 

 

LUCY CARR – Director of Photography

 

Lucy is a MA Cinematography student studying at MetFilm School London. She grew up in Birmingham and has always been a very active person through playing rugby, dancing and studying martial arts from a young age. Lucy has worked on a wide range of projects, from short films to commercial videos, and even won the local Impact Award for her documentary short in the 2019 LSPR Film Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia. She also worked within the camera department for season 3 of The Crown.

 

Lucy has always enjoyed horror films that play during an ordinary day. She has experimented with the relationship between visuals and sound to create suspense in previous work. So, The Knocking script really stood out to her as she enjoys the way it’s set in a domestic space as this is where most people feel safest.

 

 

 

 

REWARDS

£25 and up - Personal thank you message 

£50 and up - Personal thank you letter and the above reward

£100 and up - Digital copy of the BTS photos of the crew in action and the above rewards

£150 and up - Signed poster and the above rewards


Please message @the_knocking_film on Instagram or the member of the team you know if you are not contacted regarding you reward within 24 hours of contributing.


WHERE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS WILL GO


DISCLAIMER

Please be aware that whilst we are all working to the best of our abilities and are suitably qualified and experienced to make this short film, due to the nature of the film industry and the challenges associated with making a film, there is always a risk that this film may not be completed.