The Mire is an independent, contained thriller that was shot in Portsmouth, UK during October 2021. The story follows the religious figure Joseph Layton who, on the eve of the religion's planned mass suicide, is trapped in his church by two followers who doubt his commitment to the cause. The film is a battle of wits played out across one evening as all three parties attempt to manipulate, reform, and out-plot the others.

The film is currently in post-production and we need your help to ensure we make the film the best it can be. We had a post-production route all planned out, but we had to reshoot some scenes and this has eaten into that budget. We have some ADR to do. We want to give the film the best possible opportunities to shine so that means mixing and mastering it to the best standard possible.

Going into the shoot, we didn't realise just how big the project was going to become. That's not to say we were naive, not at all, what I mean is that once we got the script into the hands of our cast and saw the performances they were giving we were thinking far too small for this material. Seeing how the film has turned out, we now want to give it the best chance possible to reach the audience it deserves. We're aiming high and want to take the film to Raindance, Toronto International Film Festival, and other film festivals on this scale. We can only do this if we're able to reach the high standards we set ourselves for the film and that's where your contributions come in.

The Team

Director Adam Nelson

Adam is the Director of the award-winning feature film Little Pieces, which garnered critical acclaim during its initial review run and was nominated for a 2016 National Film Award alongside some of that year's most prominent films including 45 Years, Macbeth, and The Danish Girl. He has since directed the acclaimed, award-winning short film Emotional Motor Unit and Toilet Humor, a segment for the horror anthology I Am An Addict which was recently released on blu-ray.

Producer Tom Byrne

Tom is a Producer at Familiar Stranger Films and Director of the short film Reanimated, a modern-day retelling of the Lovecraft classic Herbert West - Reanimator. Reanimated was selected for the 25th Annual HP Lovecraft Film Festival, a festival focusing on film adaptations of Lovecraft's work. Tom was a Producer on the feature anthology I Am An Addict, where he and Adam first worked together. He is currently producing the England's Dreaming trans-media project.

Screenwriter Chris Watt

A member of BAFTA Scotland, Chris is an acclaimed Screenwriter, Novelist, and Film Critic based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. As well as The Mire, Chris has two feature screenplays, Freight, and Follow Up, in pre-production with Stronghold Films and has recently had his screenplay Bruise optioned by On The Western Front Films. His novel Peer Pressure is available on Amazon.

The Talent

Antony Knight is Joseph Layton

Antony Knight is a Hampshire-based actor, who started his career at the late age of 44. Since then he has found great success in both starring and support roles. Capable of action, comedy, drama, and thriller work, Antony continues to show his range in both feature and short films including I Am An Addict and The Immortality Code. He plays our lead, Joseph Layton, the charismatic cult leader who has set his followers on the deadly path to 'ascension,' but is he as committed as he first appears?

Holly McLachlan is Hannah Headley

Holly McLachlan is a Hampshire based actor who trained at Arts University Bournemouth in 2018 and has since been practicing her craft within the local community within theatre and film. She plays Hannah Headley, a lost soul, running from her past and looking for a family. She finds a home in Joseph and The Canon.

Joseph Adelakun is Marshall Jones

Joseph Adelakun is a graduate of Rose Bruford College and his theatre credits include plays at the National Theatre such as The Winter's Tale and Comedy of Errors, and at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Titus Andronicus. He also appears in films such as The Mime and Love Bitten for Dan Allen films, and the upcoming A Christmas Number One for Sky Cinema. Joe plays Marshall Jones, a devout follower of The Canon who has been with Joseph since the very beginning. Will he be able to bring his friend and mentor back into line? Or will he have to resort to his old, violent ways?

Why Support The Mire?

Support Localised Filmmaking

Film-making in the UK is largely centred around the larger metropolitan cities, with a focus on drawing in large, international productions that spend a lot of money. The result of this is a slim and focused independent film scene, especially compared to our US counterparts. The needle swings between artistically driven independent films with limited commercial appeal, or low budget crime and gangster films that appeal to a very specific market base.

The producers of The Mire believe there is a middle ground to produce low-budget genre films with commercial appeal to a wide audience. We also believe that there is room to tell stories outside of the major metropolitan areas and promoted the viability of film-making all around the UK. We shot The Mire in Portsmouth, a city that is varied and interesting, a place where films can and should be made. By supporting The Mire you are helping us to support localised, independent, genre film-making.

The Film is in The Can!

We shot The Mire in October 2021 and completed some reshoots in December 2021, which means the film is in the can and we're working on completing it. Our original plan was to make a contained thriller that we could finish quickly and release into the world. Once we were on the set and the script was in the hands of our incredible cast we soon came to realise the scope of the material we had and the quality of the film we were making. Filmmakers often speak of an energy in the air when the takes are good, but we felt that energy every day and in almost every take. As a result, we believe The Mire is special and we want to set the highest aspirations possible for it.

Cool Stuff!

In order to ensure all of the money we receive from your kind donations appears on the screen in The Mire we're offering you props and services as rewards for contributing to The Mire. These include:

• One of two remaining prop books used in the film containing an early draft of the screenplay. These are one-of-a-kind bound books and will be signed by the cast and crew.
• If you can film yourself in 4K you can be a part of a key sequence in the film.
• You can join members of the cast and crew for an online watch party, where we will laugh, joke, and share stories from the shoot. We'll even answer your questions about the production if you're extra nice!
• Ever fancied being able to call yourself a movie producer? For our top reward, you can do just that! Become a Contributing or Executive Producer and get the bragging rights that come with that title.

Don't want a perk but still want to support The Mire? Any donation no matter how small or large is gratefully received and you can donate without selecting a perk. Even if you can't contribute, please share our campaign! Getting the word out to those who we may not be able to reach directly can really help us.

Thank You!

A huge thank you from all of us working on The Mire. Thank you for showing an interest in The Mire. Thank you for your time and energy when sharing our campaign. And of course, thank you for your very kind and generous contributions. We appreciate every single one.

Follow our progress at the social media links below and join us on this wild ride!