Films as writer-producer
Feature films, TV projects, web series… and a novel
Once Upon a Time in Suffolk
Our latest project, currently in script development. Nine stories have been chosen from around 100 submitted by writers based in the East of England, on the theme of fairy tales, local legends, myths and magic, to form our most ambitious anthology film yet. Filming is scheduled for Summer 2024, financed by the successful online distribution of The Haunted Hotel. We can’t wait to get stuck in!
The Haunted Hotel
Distributed internationally by US-based Indie Rights, this charming anthology was produced entirely within the East of England region, centred on the unique location of the Great White Horse Hotel in Ipswich. Award-winning, available to stream or purchase on multiple platforms, UK viewers can currently access The Haunted Hotel most easily via Amazon Prime here. It’s also available (ad supported) on the Movie Central Channel on YouTube where it has amassed 1.6m views and counting, with some very generous and gratifying comments!
With Love from Suffolk
Financed on a wing and prayer, pulling together more than 200 film professionals and aspiring creatives from Suffolk and the East of England, With Love from Suffolk is the ultimate love letter to grassroots filmmaking, an anthology of warm-hearted vignettes exploring the best side of human nature. This feel-good favourite was screened at cinemas throughout the region in 2016 and 2017, selling out venues and winning awards at regional and international festivals including best feature at the BAFTA recognised Carmarthen Bay festival. Currently available to watch on Amazon Prime here.
Truth or Dare
Also released as Truth or Die, this gripping teen thriller (directed by Robert Heath) set out to break the rulebook in terms of audience expectations, prompting heated online debate about its unapologetic female protagonist in particular. A seemingly conventional slasher-revenge setup disguises a nuanced meditation on class and responsibility, and what seems at first to be a conventional ‘good v bad teens’ thriller develops into a struggle between the haves and have nots - but who wins? You’ll have to watch right till the end to find out… Currently available to purchase at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Truth-Dare-DVD-David-Oakes/dp/B007X5997A/
LD50 Lethal Dose
Featuring notable early starring roles for Tom Hardy (Venom) and Mel B (Scary Spice), this sci-fi horror thriller was ahead of its time in dealing with themes of institutionalised exploitation and revenge, as animal rights activists trying to rescue a fallen colleague become the experimental subjects of the deranged military-industrial complex. Filmed at Pinewood Studios and on location in the Isle of Wight, this Simon de Selva directed thriller was fully funded by Disney through Four Horsemen Productions and went on to secure worldwide distribution. Available to purchase at https://www.amazon.co.uk/LD50-Lethal-Dose-Katharine-Towne/dp/B00064X5UW/
Trigger Point
A commission from Hodder and Stoughton to write the novelisation of a feature film project in development with Pure Grass Films. The project was beset by challenges, the final outcomes were the novel itself, three different screenplay drafts and a web series directed by Matthias Hoene, starring Josh Dallas as Tom Wisher, rogue CIA agent trying to be the good guy in war torn North Africa. The web series racked up several hundred thousand views but the project did not ultimately proceed to fruition.
You can buy the novel online at https://www.amazon.co.uk/TRIGGER-MATTHEW-AUTHOR-Mar-28-2013-Paperback/dp/B00DDROHJ2/
Alternatively you can watch the web series in two parts at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k9Jq1HcbGc&t=406s
Coming Up - The Trial
Produced for Channel 4’s Coming Up strand by the seminal Warp X, this half-hour drama, directed by John Hardwick, marked the start of a fruitful collaboration with some of the UK’s cutting edge new cinema talent. The drama was screened to some acclaim on Channel 4 - it was a Sunday Times pick of the day - and Warp went on to develop the significant feature project Blind Eye with Matthew based on the themes of state control, surveillance and body horror outlined in the Channel 4 piece.