Scott Vickers, film director, producer and actor in the indie film Matriarch told us that the film was produced and funded 100% by the makers and they give all the credits to the people who helped to create this horror film. He even shared with us the reaction he got from the audience who already saw the film at a private screening.

The story

Sabina: Scott, can you tell us a little bit about the story of an upcoming Matriarch movie?

Scott: Sure, it's about a pregnant woman Rachel Hopkins and her husband who crash their car in the Scottish countryside.

They are rescued by a farmer and are offered shelter but there’s something eerie and not right with the farmer and his family, it soon becomes clear the farmer and his wife want Rachel’s unborn baby.

Sabina: How did you come up with this idea?

Scott: The idea was sparked off by several stories in the news over that last few years. Stories of women being kidnapped and held captive for years and have children in captivity. It is unimaginable what these women went through and it had a huge impact on me.

Sabina: Who were the people who helped you along the way with this movie?

Scott: The co-creators of Matriarch are my business partners Steven Little who I met at the BBC and Alan Cuthbert who is a farmer but now doing more and more in the film industry.

We all brought many resources to the project which allowed us to reduce the budget dramatically. My wife has been a big support, it was a big shift from what I was doing before to starting my own production company and working for free for over a year so she has been a massive support on this.

The phone has been ringing

Sabina: We heard you had a private screening and some film professional saw the movie as well.

What was the reaction?

Scott: It was incredible. It was a crowd full of industry people so it was a big test for the film, we planned a 10 minute Q&A at the end but it went on for nearly an hour! The phone has been ringing a lot since that screening so it’s definitely a step in the right direction for us.

Making more films

Sabina: What is your goal to fulfil with this movie?

Scott: We want Matriarch to go to select cinemas and then strike a decent Distribution Deal so we can go on and make more films with a similar model. There’s a ton of support out there for the independent film, the public generally want an alternative type of film alongside the array of Hollywood blockbusters offered but many consumers don’t realise that a lot of films promoted as independents are simply not independent. Matriarch was produced and funded 100% by the makers, no pre-sales, no film funds, no business angels or government grants and we hope to set a bit of precedence here and get indie cinemas to support and show true indies because the public does want that option.