Filmmaker and University of Salford alumni Mat Johns has successfully raised over £2,000 through crowdfunding to finance a zombie-themed, short film – ‘A Father’s Day’.
Mat has teamed up with producer Chris Lane and legendary special effects make-up artist Shaune Harrison to make the film. Shaune has previously worked on the entire Harry Potter series, World War Z, Avengers 2: Age of Ultron and Star Wars Episode 1.
Earlier this month Mat and Chris launched a Crowdfunder campaign and managed to smash their original funding target in a matter of days. The pair have now set their sights on the world’s top film festivals and are hoping they can raise another £1,000. This will enable them to submit the film to renowned festivals such as Sundance and Edinburgh.
Chris Lane explained: “We have a slate of feature films in various stages of development and screening shorts at festivals is a great networking opportunity. Having a film seen and accepted at some of the bigger film festivals can also open doors and become an invaluable asset with which to approach investors in relation to bigger projects in the future”.
Director Mat added: “The response to our campaign has been overwhelming; it’s taken us completely by surprise. Chris and I put a lot of thought into the rewards that we offered in return for donations and, luckily, it seems to have paid off. Rewards like a personalised zombie sketch have proved to be very popular!
“Securing the services of Shaune was a huge boost to this project and that, combined with the backing of Creative England’s iShorts, a British Film Institute initiative, it looks like this film is going to be a ‘dead’ cert. You’ll be ‘dying’ to see it.”
The Father’s Day Crowdfunder ends on the 8th June. To show your support, visit crowdfunder.co.uk/afathersday.
