Faithful

"Faithful" follows Vaila, a brave 13 year old girl who ventures into the scary Scottish woods in hope she will find the mythical Cù-Sìth, a fairy dog that can open a portal to the Fairy World. Vaila hopes to find the dog so that she can right a wrong from her past and bring her family back together.

Now we're looking towards what happens AFTER the film is finished!

Fraser
Coull
£10,305.00
raised of £18,000.00 goal
Ongoing
55 Backers
Genre
Drama
Scope
Short
Seeking funding for
Production
Campaign type
Ongoing
Support project
    Project

    Faithful

    Fraser
    Coull
    Genre
    Drama
    Seeking funding for
    Production
    Scope
    Short
    Campaign type
    Ongoing
    Image

    Welcome to our crowdfunding campaign for "Faithful" a new Scottish fairytale short film from Silly Wee Films and Linger Longer Films.

    "Faithful" follows Vaila, a brave 13 year old girl who ventures into the scary Scottish woods to find the mythical Cù-Sìth, a fairy dog that can open a portal to the Fairy World. Vaila hopes to find the dog so that she can right a wrong from her past and bring her family back together.

    With your help, we can submit the film to festivals around the world and taking it to Comic Cons worldwide, if we are able to raise the money to do so.

    Once completed, "Faithful" we will be submitting it to Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TV and more.

    Now is the perfect time to back our short film by grabbing a perk on our Greenlit campaign and sharing the link far and wide.

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    WHAT HAPPENS TO THE FILM WHEN IT'S FINISHED?

    Once the film is completed it will be premiered in Scotland, we will be submitting it to the STV Player for a year when we're ready. But we'd like to take the film on a tour of the Highlands and Islands and in England too.

    We're looking at the likes of the Cannes Film FestivalBerlin, the Glasgow Film Festival, New York, SXSWCanada and anywhere else we think would be the best fit for our story.

    The film will also be screened at MCM COMIC CON LONDON in Spring 2025, with a panel and Q & A with some of our key creatives, and a stall for 3 days to meet with fans, sign copies of the DVD and our new poster.

    This all costs money - to enter the film into the festivals, to send some of the team to all the markets, to promote the film, to make sure it is seen by the biggest audience possible. And we need YOUR help.

    Ultimately our hope is to create such a wonderful end product that we can use it as a springboard to either develop it into a full length feature film or a TV series for a younger audience.

    And it all starts with you. So if you'd like to be a part of our Faithful family, grab a perk and share the link! The more we raise, the more we can do! 

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    Lily McGuire as Vaila. Photo by Sonja Blietschau.

    Vaila blames herself for her Mum's death, and hopes to trick one of the dogs into finding her mum, and bringing her back. Coming dangerously close to death herself, Vaila manages to lure one Cù-Síth into her thrall, and with his help, must battle the rest of his pack, find the portal to the Otherworld - and make sure her dad doesn't discover her new "dog" or that she's out of bed after lights out!

    Scotland is filled with untold folklore and fairytales that are so rarely told on screen, so we would like to dive into our mythology and tell this particular story, as it deals with grief and how we evolve as people (and creatures!) throughout our lives.

    We would like to take the film around the world to as many film festivals as possible, to show off our stunning scenery and showcase the fantastic cast and crew who film in Scotland.

    This campaign is so important to us as it will allow us to hire a fantastic crew and shoot our film and bring this story to life.

    MEET THE CAST

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    Lily McGuire as Vaila

    Vaila is 13 years old and obsessed with all things to do with Scottish folklore. Her mother would stay up all night reading all of her favourite fairytales to Vaila and the two formed the closest bond. However Vaila is struggling to come to terms with the loss her mother, convinced that it was her fault. And so, Vaila believes that if she can track down the Cù-Sìth, she can find a doorway to The Otherworld and bring her back.

    Lily has had an interest in acting and singing since she was very young. Joining a local junior drama company when she was six years old and then at the age of eight moving into Children's Theatre, having taken part in six shows to date. This is Lily's first film role and she is delighted to be part of such an exciting production.

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    Gary Hollywood as Campbell

    We are delighted to announce that Gary Hollywood has been cast in the role of Campbell, Vaila's Dad, in our upcoming short film.

    Gary is best known for his role as Dino in the BAFTA award winning series, "Mrs. Brown's Boys" and has also starred in Taggart, Take the Highroad, and The Flying Scotsman.

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    Kimberely Nixon as Annabelle

    BAFTA winning actress Kimberely Nixon has starred in hit shows such as "Fresh Meat" and "Outlander" and we are thrilled that she has joined our short film. 

    Kimberely will be playing the crucial role of Annabelle, Vaila's mother, who is thought to be lost in The Otherworld.

    We are still to cast the role of Harrison, Vaila's younger brother, Michael who will meet the Cù-Sìth at the start of our film and Angus, a kindly old man who's story is wrapped up with our fairy dog.

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    Greg McHugh as Michael

    Greg is a Scottish actor best known for his roles in Gary Tank Commander, Fresh Meat, The A Word, Guilt and a Discovery of Witches. We are delighted that Gary has joined our cast and we can't wait for you to see him in action as the mysterious Michael.

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    Dui and Wiki as the Cù-Sìth

    Dui and Wiki will be portraying our Cù-Sìth with the help of Creature Features.

    There will be a total of 3 dogs in the full short film, with our Cù-Sìth taking centre stage as Vaila attempts to reign the dog in to help her find and save her mother. Can the dog learn to evolve past its instincts to drag people to the Otherworld, or learn to love Vaila and help her on her quest?

    To help bring our fairy dog to life, we will be using a mixture of live action in the form of the real life dogs, with practical and visual effects, as well as some puppetry work. A lot of work (and budget!) will go into making the Cù-Sìth come to life!

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    Concept Art by Ellie Kidd

    The Cù-Sìth is a spectral hound from Scottish folklore that haunts the Scottish Highlands - its name essentially means Fairy Dog.

    It was believed that they made their homes in rocky crevices and many accounts recall seeing glowing eyes in the shadows. The Cù-Sìth was feared due to the belief that it was a harbinger of death – much like the Grim Reaper. So while the Cat Sìth would steal the souls of the dead, the Cù-Sìth would take the soul to the afterlife. Although mostly a silent hunter the Cù-Sìth would sometimes let out three blood-curdling howls that could be heard for miles around.

    Those that heard the howls would need to reach a place of safety before the third howl, or they would be overcome with fear and die from sheer terror.

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    Where Does My Money Go?

    The more money we raise, the more we can do to:

    • Submit the film to selected and appropriate film festivals around the world
    • Fund expenses of the key creatives to represent the film and network with fellow professionals
    • Submit the film to Comic Cons around the world
    • Fund expenses of the key creatives to represent the film and network with fellow professionals

    Meet The Crew

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    Lucy Linger - The Director

    Lucy is a writer/director/producer working in film, TV and theatre. Her theatre company, established in 2003, is one of the longest running fringe companies in England, and her film production company Linger Longer Films, has created several short films, which have screened at festivals in the UK, Europe and Hollywood.

    Lucy says about "Faithful" - "As someone who has always loved historical fiction, folklore and fairy tales, it really struck me that I know so little of those from Scotland. Despite working and visiting Scotland often, these narratives do not seem to have had the representation they deserve. I was excited to hear more about the Cú-Síth, and bring this story to a wider audience.

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    Fraser Coull - Our Writer/Producer

    Fraser has been running his independent production company, Silly Wee Films, since 2005, having created the first superhero webseries in Scotland, "Night is Day" from 2005 to 2007, writing a total of 13 episodes. From 2015 to 2018 Fraser was the showrunner and one of the writers for the award winning supernatural webseries, "Cops and Monsters", which was streaming in over 60 countries on Amazon Prime.

    Fraser says of "Faithful" - "It's important that we tell different stories in Scotland and celebrate our culture, history and folklore. We have a unique opportunity to do that with this short film, and I'm really excited to bring the Cú-Síth to life on the big screen!"

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    Valerie Andrews - Producer

    Valerie Andrews is a Guatemalan actor who trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland earning an MA in 2021. She has acted and produced  both plays and film in Guatemala since 2017 with her production company Lucky Cat Productions.  She is very passionate about representation in the performing arts, especially of the Latinx community in Scotland.

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    Lindsay Dowell - Line Producer

    Lindsay Jenkins will be our on set producer, working with the cast and crew on the shoot to keep everything running smoothly. Lindsay has worked on our previous projects, "Night is Day: The Movie", "Cops and Monsters" and "Origins of the Laoich". Lindsay is also the creative director for Children's Theatre Bo'ness.

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    Paige Smith - Set and Prop Designer

    Paige will be designing our sets and props for our short film. Paige previously worked on "Origins of the Laoich" and we are delighted that she is bringing all of her passion and enthusiasm for Gaelic culture to the production.

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    Ewan Stewart - Director of Photography

    Ewan will be our Director of Photography. Ewan runs Prickly Thistle Productions shooting dramatic and corporate productions for a wide variety of clients. Ewan was also our DOP for the "Origins of the Laoich" sizzle reel.

    A Gaelic Twist

    We're now looking into the option of having the final completed film translated into Scottish Gaelic, with Gaelic subtitles throughout the 15 minute film.

    We would need to get quotes from various Gaelic production companies.

    £10,305.00
    raised of £18,000.00 goal
    Ongoing
    55 Backers
    Digital Access to the Finished Film

    You'll receive a private link to watch the finished short film before it goes live to the public

    £5.00
    PDF Copy of the Script

    We'll send you a digital PDF copy of the finished script so you can see how our story started.

    £10.00
    Faithful DVD - LIMITED EDITION!

    Snag yourself 1 in 10 blu-ray copies of our short film! We'll include the short itself, behind the scenes making of, photo gallery, trailer and more!

    (6 remaining out of 10)
    £15.00
    SIGNED Faithful Poster

    We've commissioned Neil Fraser Graphics to create our original poster for marketing purposes. You can own a SIGNED copy of these posters, frame it on your wall and be a part of the Faithful family! Limited editions available!

    (39 remaining out of 40)
    £15.00
    Faithful Blu-Ray - LIMITED EDITION

    Snag yourself 1 in 10 blu-ray copies of our short film! We'll include the short itself, behind the scenes making of, photo gallery, trailer and more!

    (3 remaining out of 10)
    £20.00
    IMDb Thank You

    We'll add you to our THANK YOU section on IMDb and on our end credits, and we'll send you a digital copy of the film to watch before it goes live to the public! We'll also record a shout out for you from the set of the film.

    £65.00
    Signed Greg McHugh T-Shirt

    Gary Tank Commander himself, Greg McHugh, is in our short film playing the mysterious role of Michael.

    Greg himself very kindly signed his t-shirt from the shoot and now you can own it.

    We only have one so get in and grab it before it's gone!

    (1 remaining out of 1)
    £100.00
    Film Festival Associate Producer

    Grab this perk to help us fund our submission into selected film festivals around the world; be sent exclusive updates on the progress of our submissions and receive a DVD copy of the finished film with special features. You'll also be credited on our IMDb page.

    (20 remaining out of 20)
    £100.00
    Comic Con Associate Producer

    Grab this perk and help support our panels and stalls at comic cons around the world as we promote Faithful with a screening, Q and A, and a stall where new fans can meet the team and support the film. This perk will help cover expenses such as booth payments, travel and hotel expenses for key cast and crew. You'll receive an IMDb credit as Associate Producer, exclusive behind the scenes content from our comic con trips and a signed copy of "Faithful" on DVD with behind the scenes footage.

    (10 remaining out of 10)
    £100.00
    Film Festival Producer Perk

    Grab this perk and help support our submissions to selected film festivals around the world as we promote Faithful. This perk will help cover expenses such as entry fees, travel and hotel expenses for key cast and crew. You'll receive an IMDb credit as Associate Producer, exclusive behind the scenes content from the film festivals we are selected for and a signed copy of "Faithful" on DVD with behind the scenes footage. You'll also be sent a link to watch the film privately before it goes live to the public.

    (10 remaining out of 10)
    £1,000.00
    Comic Con Producer Credit

    Grab this perk and help support our submissions to comic cons around the world as we promote Faithful. This perk will help cover expenses such as booth fees, travel and hotel expenses for key cast and crew. You'll receive an IMDb credit as Associate Producer, exclusive behind the scenes content from the comic con floor and a signed copy of "Faithful" on DVD with behind the scenes footage. You'll also be sent a link to watch the film privately before it goes live to the public.

    (10 remaining out of 10)
    £1,000.00
    Fund Our Film Festival Run

    Grab this perk and you will allow us to submit "Faithful" to the majority of our selected film festivals, cover expenses for key cast and crew to attend those we are selected for and in return you'll get exclusive updates from each festival, a behind the scenes video, a signed copy of the film on DVD plus special features, a private link to watch the film online before it goes live to the public and a 30 minute zoom call with the writer/producer and director of the film.

    (2 remaining out of 2)
    £5,000.00
    Fund Our Comic Con Run

    Grab this perk and you will allow us to submit "Faithful" to the majority of our selected Comic Cons around the world, cover expenses for key cast and crew to attend those we are selected for and in return you'll get exclusive updates from each comic con, a behind the scenes video, a signed copy of the film on DVD plus special features, a private link to watch the film online before it goes live to the public and a 30 minute zoom call with the writer/producer and director of the film.

    (2 remaining out of 2)
    £5,000.00