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Project Detail

Gowk

A wide shot image of a boy sitting in a field with his back to the camera, reading a magazine. In the distance behind him is a tangle of pylons and industrial buildings
A young boy with close cropped hair and a stern look stares at the camera.

Synopsis

Set in the decaying housing estate of Gowkthrapple and based on a true story, Gowk follows a young boy as he begins to uncover a painful family secret.
His mother’s sudden absence casts a shadow over the household, while his father, unable to express his own suppressed pain, keeps the truth of the incident buried. As the boy begins to realise the emotional weight of his family’s past and the fragility of its present,
he navigates a world of unspoken truths and generational wounds.
The film explores the cyclical nature of family bonds, the struggle to connect across generations, the impact of inherited trauma, and the beginnings of a premature loss of innocence.

Details

Year
2025
Type of project
Shorts
Running time
15 min
Format
Digital - DCP
Director
Ryan Pollock
Producer
Kitty McMurdo-Schad, Katriona Tweedie
Executive Producer
Jon Wardle, Christopher Young, Anu Henriques
Editor
Fraser Ballantyne
Director of Photography
Vasileios Kapnis
Production Designer
Morven McLeod
Sound
Marco Biagini
Principal cast
Jack Mavin, Strath Martin, Kathleen McDermott
Costume Designer
Kirstin Rodger
1st Assistant Director
Remo Catani
Casting Director
Des Hamilton
Hair and Make up Designer
Fionn Boyle

Genre

Drama Scottish

Categories

Fiction

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Supported by BBC Film

NFTS (National Film and Television School)

Festivals Department
Beaconsfield Studios
Station Road
Beaconsfield
HP9 1LG
UNITED KINGDOM

Sales Company

NFTS (National Film and Television School)

Festivals Department
Beaconsfield Studios
Station Road
Beaconsfield
HP9 1LG
UNITED KINGDOM

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