Pheasant
Synopsis
Martha, an 11-year-old mixed-race girl, is evacuated from London to the northern English countryside. Martha finds herself in the care of a gruff gamekeeper and his family. Feeling isolated and rejected due to her racial background and the community’s war-induced tensions, she tries to adapt to her new life, becoming captivated by the natural beauty of the countryside. Martha forms a secret friendship with Enzo, an Italian POW, whose gentle demeanour and shared sense of displacement draw them together. Martha also navigates a complex relationship with George, the gamekeeper's son, who is torn between his familial prejudices and his growing fondness for Martha.
Details
- Year
- 2026
- Type of project
- Shorts
- Running time
- 17 min 14 sec
- Format
- Digital
- Director
-
Claire Molloy
- Producer
- Naomi Ayres
- Executive Producer
- Jen Bradfield, Dave Birchall
- Editor
- Marie Langin
- Screenwriter
- Anna Moore, Claire Molloy
- Director of Photography
- Helena Gonzalez
- Production Designer
- James Gray
- Sound
- Simon Panyani
- Composer
- Jack McCartney
- Principal cast
- Ellie-Mae Siame, Bernardo Tuccillo, Tommy Finnegan, James Lewis, Joanna Bond, Michelle Greenidge
- Script Consultant
- Jackie Okwera
- Casting Director
- Olissa Rogers
Genre
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
Square Cherry Productions Ltd
Naomi AyresThe Old Farmhouse
189 Counthill Road
Oldham
OL4 2PX
Page updates
This page was last updated on 12th March 2026. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.
About an Intimate Matter
Director: Sandeep Kumar Paul
Year: 2026
Science teacher Swarna and her partner Driti move to a suburban town for a fresh start. When a student leaks intimate photos of Swarna online, school authorities turn her private life into a disciplinary issue. Official Selection Busan International Film Festival 2026 - World premiere
Clocks
Director: Yv Shells
Year: 2026
When Arlo arrives to find Marcus has cooked someone else’s favourite meal, a single question begins to unravel an evening that refuses to stay in the present. Through a fractured timeline set entirely within one dining room, we move between Marcus and Arlo and the relationship that came before, with Una, the woman he met at a late-night bus stop and once talked about marrying. The same table, the same chairs, the same arguments about trust, honesty and what it means to truly see someone. As the timelines bleed together, it becomes clear that Marcus has never fully left the past, and that Una’s ghost sits at every table he sets. When Arlo asks what her own favourite meal is and he cannot answer, the film’s quiet devastation lands completely. CLOCKS is a portrait of a man who loves generously but sees poorly, and the women who carry the cost. It asks what we owe the person in front of us while we are still in love with someone we lost, and whether a feeling ever truly ends.
Skintown
Director: Kieron J. Walsh
Year: 2026
1994. As Northern Ireland takes its first steps towards peace, best friends Vinny and Jonty are about to jump start their futures with the most reckless trip of their lives. Official Selection Busan International Film Festival 2026