Help us bring our short film project to life!

About the Film

Words Don't Reach is an incredibly exciting project. Why?

One: The script will be written around the two lead actors. Along with the director, we plan to discover the characters through various improvisation-based exercises and rehearsals together. We know what our central story is, we know who our central characters are, now we're excited to see where the actors will take them within the story!

Two: This being a narrative dance short film, our genre is a unique one. We plan to blend dramatic scenes with expressive contemporary dance sequences, both of which contribute to the story arc of the couple. For our female protagonist, verbally expressing herself doesn't come easy. She communicates through movements, actions, touch. The physicality of the dance scenes and how we continue this strand of physical communication even during acted scenes is something we're very excited to explore.

Three: Our creative team is headed up by three female powerhouses at the early stages of their careers! From directing to screenwriting to music production, each of us brings a different skill to the table that will help make this film as original as possible. If you're looking to support women in filmmaking spaces, you're in the right place.

Who are we?

Arianna Scarpa, director

Arianna Scarpa is a filmmaker with a diverse cultural background, having grown up in Spain, Italy, Sweden, and Portugal. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Management with Marketing from the University of Bath and a Master's degree in Film Directing from Met Film School.

Her work explores complex female protagonists, romantic dynamics, and the tension between what characters desire and what they believe they should do, drawing inspiration from filmmakers like Richard Linklater, Damien Chazelle, and Luca Guadagnino.

Lucy Hill, composer

Lucy is a Birmingham-based singer, music producer, and composer. She graduated from the University of Birmingham with a First-Class Honours degree in Music and now specialises in library music and session singing. Her work includes collaborations with major companies such as Sky, SATV Music, and Amazon Prime Video.

In addition to her studio work, Lucy is the Co-Director of Vivid Soul Ltd, an entertainment company providing live music for corporate and private events. She also serves as the lead singer of the company’s flagship band, Vivid Soul.

Leila Lockley, writer & producer

A 2025 graduate of The London Film School Screenwriting MA, Leila is an emerging writer-director and actor based in London.

She is the winner of the 19-25 Devon Film Fund 2023 and a Film Buzz Festival London 2025 finalist. Her debut short film In Memoriam, a dark comedy about a break-up gone wrong, was produced and funded by Exeter Phoenix & BFI South West.

Concept & Themes

The unravelling of a three-year relationship in one night, Words Don't Reach is an exploration of love, the ways in which it fulfils us, and the ways in which it leaves us wanting more. By blending naturalistic and improvised scenes with stylised and rehearsed contemporary dance, we hope to breathe new life into a concept that is often explored onscreen.

Our references include the following:

How You Can Help

The creative team behind Words Don't Reach would be beyond thrilled if you could help us with our fundraising goal.

Every penny raised will go towards production and filming costs that will result in a film we're incredibly proud of. Above all, it will help ensure we have everything in place to make this project a fun and pleasurable experience for all cast and crew.

We're extremely passionate about this concept and we want to do the project justice. We'd love for our finished film to reach a range of genre-specific film festivals both in London and further afield. Your contribution, no matter how small, will go a long way in helping us achieve this vision. We aim to raise £1,500 which will be split across actor fees, food and travel expenses, specialist filming equipment, and colour grading costs.

If you're unable to contribute to our campaign at this time (we get it, times are tough!), we'd really appreciate your help in spreading the word. We'd love it if you could share it across your socials - the more people we reach, the better!

Follow @lockley_film on Instagram to keep up to date with the development of Words Don't Reach! We're currently casting for our lead actor with rehearsals in scheduled for March and filming commencing in April.