s t o r y

Through some inexplicable turn of fate, Medusa wakes up without her powers on a London night bus. 

Vulnerable and exhausted, she just wants to ride in peace. Instead, she faces  judgement, ridicule, and harassment from a mix of fellow passengers - each interaction triggers flashes of past trauma, shame and hurt. Tired of being seen as a monster, fed up with being a victim, and exhausted from the weight of her status as a feminist icon, fury builds. She decides to shut everyone the f**k up; unleashing a carnal scream with deadly effect, she births a snake and reconnects with herself. Finally, Medusa becomes the driver of her own story.

Blending docu-realism with surrealist body-horror, WHAT GOES ROUND (OR THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT) is a dark and twisted exploration of what Medusa's mythology has to say about the narratives women and girls have been taught about victims, monsters, shame and power.

d i r e c t o r   i n s p i r a t i o n

Who is Medusa? 

The infamous female monster with snakes for hair and an appearance so repulsive that anyone who looked at her was turned to stone. That’s the myth most of us know. The less popular version is that Medusa was a beautiful young priestess turned into a gorgon as punishment for being raped by Poseidon. For years, she was ostracised, hounded and hunted, and, eventually, beheaded for sport. 

In contemporary culture, Medusa is held up as a feminist icon: the original ‘Nasty Woman’ and ‘Good Feminist’, disrupting and rejecting the male gaze at every step.

Monster. Victim. Modern Feminist. The performance of womanhood is a maze of conflicting labels, identities and invented mythologies. I’m exhausted and it’s only been three decades; Medusa's endured this for millennia.

This film is a gift of cathartic rage. Permission for Medusa, myself and anyone who needs it to just BE; to exist beyond labels, expectations, judgment and shame.  Because truthfully, at the end of the day, who we are is nobody’s bloody business but our own. Sometimes, to cut through the noise and find yourself again, all you need is a really good scream.

r e f  i m a g e s

a r t i s t i c  v i s i o n

​​By blending genres we mirror Medusa’s unsettling journey of trauma processing and identity reclamation: Did that really happen? Am I crazy? Who am I? What am I? And call out the absurdity of  imposing monster/victims labels on her to begin with.

The majority will be shot in a docu-realism style, inspired by the work of Andrea Arnold (WASP, FISH TANK, COW) as well as Kelly Reichardt (WENDY AND LUCY), Julia Ducournau (TITANE) and Prano Bailey-Bond (CENSOR).

The other formats (CCTV, phone and cam-corder footage) act as a modern play on Perseus' shield; the idea of dehumanising others by seeing them through a lens that’s more convenient for our own narratives (e.g. I'm a saviour, I'm a bystander, I'm just joking around) and draw not so subtle parallels to paparazzi culture and the objectification of women (especially ones in psychological crisis) as spectacles for entertainment.

r e f  i m a g e s

t h e  t e a m

This is an ambitious project filming on location in a hired bus, incorporating practical effects, gore and featuring a live snake. The production has been fortunate to secure industry veterans of BIFA/BAFTA/Oscar recognised crew with 20+ years and up and coming creatives.

Selected Credits: THE FAVOURITE (Oscar Winner, Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos), COW (Cannes/BAFTA Nom, Dir. Andrea Arnold), FISH TANK (Dir. Andrea Arnold), THE NEST (BIFA Nom, Dir. Sean Durkin), AMMONITE (BAFTA Nom, Dir. Francis Lee), CENSOR (BIFA Nom, Dir. Prano Bailey-Bond), THE BLUE DOOR (BAFTA Nom, Dir. Paul Taylor), MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND (Dir. Brian Henson), NYAD (Oscar Nom, Dir. Jimmy Chin/Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi), THE WALK IN (Dir. Paul Andrew Williams, ITV),  I DON'T NEED ADULT CONVERSATION (Dir. Vika Evdokimenko).

Meet the talented creatives who are bringing this beautiful dark, twisted fantasy to life.

a b o v e  t h e  l i n e

EDIE DEFFEBACH (WRITER-DIRECTOR) | | @edie.deffebach | www.ediedeffebach.com

SUZANNA SWANSON-JOHNSTON (PRODUCER) |  @swannyjohnny

CARA MAHONEY (PRODUCER) | @carapmahoney | www.yonicproductions.com 

LIAM WALLACE COOK  (EXEC PRODUCER) | Co-Founder of Blend Films  | @blend.films | BECS RAINEY (EXEC PRODUCER) | Head of Girls in Film UK |  @girlsinfilm_gif

p r o d u c t i o n

ANDERS MALMBERG (DOP) |  @anders_malmberg | www.andersmalmberg.dk 

RUTH PEASE (HMU DESIGNER) | @4th_storm | IMDB 

ANDY COLE (LIGHTING) | IMDB 

ANDREW JAMES SPOONER (PUPPETEER) | www.andrewjamesspooner.com | IMDB 

CHRIS GAYNE  (SOUND) | IMDB

NIGEL MARVEN PRODUCTIONS (ANIMAL WRANGLER) |  www.nigelmarven.com

LEO TURNBULL (PRODUCTION DESIGNER) | IMDB

CAPUCINE TAVOILLOT (1ST AD) | www.capucineta.com  

LEA MARI (COSTUME DESIGNER) @lea_mari_

p o s t  p r o d u c t i o n

ACE MCCOLL (EDITOR) |  @bloody_bastille  | www.acemccoll.com 

DAVID SKIPPY CLIFTON (VFX ) | IMDB

PETER CZIBOLYA (COMPOSER) | Vimeo  | IMDB

c a s t

STELLA TALPO -  MEDUSA | Actress, model and musician. Tracks from her debut studio album MEDUSA to feature as original soundtrack | @stellatalpo | IMDB

b u d g e t 

A breakdown of film costs and our financing plan.

v a l u e s  a n d  e t h o s

Remaining crew positions will be advertised by our partners at Girls in Film to provide work opportunities to women and women-identifying filmmakers, particularly those early in their careers.  The production is committed to assigning a Crew and Wellbeing co-ordinator to ensure our  set is inclusive, accessible and safe for everyone involved. We will make every effort to make this a Green Production by reducing waste and carbon footprint (Albert Sustainable Production).

t h a n k  y o u 

Your support - no matter how big or small - will help get this film to audiences yearning for some weird, dark, twisted rage and catharsis. You wanna roll down the window, holler, howl and scream? Now's your chance.

           f u l l  p i t c h  v i d e o | @w h a t g o e s r o u n d f i l m