Project Detail

Skeleton Woman

Synopsis

This Inuit folktale tells of an unfortunate woman, who was thrown off a cliff into the icy ocean by her father. The motive for this deed remains untold.

As many years go by, she becomes a skeleton, haunting that part of the sea. A young brave fisherman ventures into the area despite the local superstition and fear, and unwittingly hooks the skeleton. Linked by the entangled fishing-line, the fisherman races back to shore in panic. The skeleton follows him home, and the young fisherman's compassion overcomes fear. He provides warmth and shelter, and as he sleeps she plays on a magical drum (his heart) and sings back her human shape.
They fall in love and live happily ever after.

Details

Year
2007
Type of project
Shorts
Running time
6 mins 48 secs
Format
35mm, DigiBeta
Director
Edith Pieperhoff
Producer
Ken Anderson
Co-Producer
Ken Anderson
Screenwriter
Jill Brett
Production Designer
Edith Pieperhoff
Sound
Canongate Sound
Composer
Daniel Williams
Principal cast
Leila Doolan (Narrator)

Production Status

Production Company

Red Kite Animations

89 Giles Street
Edinburgh EH6 6BZ, Scotland
UK

T +44 (0)13 1554 0060

Sales Company

Bryony McIntyre

Short Film Distribution Officer
Scottish Screen
249 West George Street
Glasgow G2 4QE, Scotland
UK

T+44 0 141 302 1756

bryony.mcintyre@scottishscreen.com

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. 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.

Nobody Listens Anymore Nobody Listens Anymore

Director: Leo Bill

Year: 2022

Ruth, a weary teacher, suffocated by the safety of middle class life, recounts a disturbing event at a dinner party that leaves her friends questioning her sanity.

Stinging Nettles Stinging Nettles

Director: Jerusha West

Year: 2026

In the midst of a city woodland, 16-year-old Iris explores her attraction to an older man. Their passion turns into a dangerous power play when Iris must indulge his cravings with a humiliating performance. Official Selection London Short Film Festival 2026

The Scarlet Tunic The Scarlet Tunic

Director: Stuart St Paul

Year: 1998

In nineteenth century rural England, a German hussar serving with King George III's personal cavalry, Matthaus Singer, falls madly in love with Frances Groves, the only daughter of a West Country solicitor. Based on the short story 'The Melancholy Hussar' by Thomas Hardy