A Modest Defeat

It's civil war in suburbia between two young siblings. Big brother Tommy never plays fair, but eight-year-old Tiny has an elaborate plan up her sleeve and a faultless determination to put things right.

  • David Barr
    Director
  • David Barr
    Writer
  • Jack Goodwin
    Producer
  • Chris Foggin
    Producer
    Friend Request Pending, Kids In Love, Fisherman's Friends
  • Sophia Ally
    Key Cast
    "Tiny"
    The Ferryman (Theatre), The Current War, Matilda (Theatre)
  • Tom Harrison
    Key Cast
    "Tommy"
  • Vanessa Morley
    Key Cast
    "Mum"
  • Aadel Nodeh-Farahani
    Cinematographer
    Kolka Cool
  • David Barr
    Editor
  • Bradley Vander Lugt
    Music
  • Hannah Purdy Foggin
    Production Designer
    Fisherman's Friends, Kids In Love
  • Lauren Cooper (Wave Studios)
    Sound Designer
  • Giulia Scrimieri
    Costume Designer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Adventure, Coming-of-age, Childrens, Sci-Fi
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 3 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 10, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    14,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinema
    Montreal
    Canada
    October 6, 2018
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Cleveland International Film Festival
    Cleveland
    United States
    April 5, 2019
    Ohio Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Adelaide International Youth Film Festival
    Adelaide
    Australia
    August 25, 2018
    Best Film (Aged 3 - 15)
  • Heart of Gold International Film Festival
    Queensland
    Australia
    October 4, 2018
    Queensland Premiere
    Best Sound Design
  • Kerry Film Festival
    Kerry
    Ireland
    October 19, 2018
    Official Selection
  • OFFline Film Festival
    County Offaly
    Ireland
    October 10, 2018
    European
    Official Selection
  • KINOdiseea International Children Film Festival Romania
    Bucharest
    Romania
    November 9, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Omaha Film Festival
    Omaha
    United States
    March 9, 2019
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Dingle International Film Festival
    Dingle
    Ireland
    March 22, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Seoul Guro International Kids Film Festival
    Seoul
    Korea, Republic of
    May 9, 2019
    Asian
    Official Selection
  • Tumbleweeds Film Festival
    Utah
    United Kingdom
    March 1, 2019
    Utah
    Official Selection
Director Biography - David Barr

It all began with Jurassic Park. David walked out of the cinema saying he had to be a director.

Filmmaking started on the family DV camera, where he shot improvised homages to the Indiana Jones series. Editing was done in-camera, dialogue was decided seconds before a take, and the third male lead was a cardboard cut-out of Emile Heskey. It’s some of his best received work.

Since then he’s gone on to create global campaigns for the likes of Coca-Cola, MTV and American Express, and directed some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment, including Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Agüero, Wayne Rooney, Sarah Jessica Parker and Cyndi Lauper.

'A Modest Defeat' is David's first short film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Our film celebrates a uniquely creative approach to brains over brawn. You can’t help but a love an underdog and I hope it gives audiences an unexpected twist on a very relatable story.