Birthday

A psychological thriller about an insomniac young woman who wants to stop frightening nightmares recurring every birthday.

‘Birthday’ is a film about twisted motherly love from beyond the grave.

It celebrates the enduring, classic chillers from old, and harnesses Freudian concepts – conscious and unconscious knowledge – and applies this to both the audience’s journey and the heroine’s. The story is steeped in symbolism, from childhood fears of the dark, adult fears of insanity and loneliness and male emotions about birth, with links to mysterious hieroglyphs and demonic figures from the ancient Egyptian ‘Book of the Dead’

BIRTHDAYS CAN BE A NIGHTMARE...
Just ask Laila (Shian Denovan). Every birthday she experiences terrifying nightmares, and this time they are the worst ever. Valuing rare books in an eerie Gothic Manor, she encounters Victor (Robert Cavanah), the enigmatic estate manager. But all is not as it seems, Demonic forces are at work.

Victor seeks help from Hugo (Patrick Bergin) who reveals that Laila’s mother, unbeknown to her, had dabbled in an occult practiced thousands of years ago in Ancient Egypt; But Laila’s mother is long dead… or is she?

Will custodian of antiquities Dr. Akilah Badrawi (Ghada Al Shamaá) become a true friend or a deadly enemy?

And where does the Prison Warden (David Hayman) fit in to such a nightmarish scenario?

‘Birthday” is a battle for the soul

  • Alex McCall
    Director
    "Written by Mrs Bach" feature documentary; "The Forensic Squad" TV series documentary; "The Boy David Story" feature documentary; and many others
  • Robert Beedham
    Writer
  • James P. Mimikos
    Producer
    "A Hero... in Rome" feature film; and others
  • Alex McCall
    Producer
    see above "Director"
  • Robert Beedham
    Producer
  • Marwan Akkawi
    Producer
  • Robert Cavanah
    Key Cast
    "Sahara" "Lara Croft" "Wuthering Heights"
  • Shian Denovan
    Key Cast
    "Cat Sick Blues" "Lord of Darkness"
  • Patrick Bergin
    Key Cast
    "Patriot Games" "Sleeping with the Enemy"
  • David Hayman
    Key Cast
    "Macbeth" "The Jackal" "Sid & Nancy" "Taboo"
  • Ghada Al Shamaá
    Key Cast
  • Douglas Campbell
    Principal Crew
    Director of Photography
  • Stuart McIntyre
    Principal Crew
    Editor
  • Paul Wilson
    Principal Crew
    Music
  • Paul Wilson
    Principal Crew
    Sound Design
  • Jason Brown & Vicki Brown
    Principal Crew
    Production Design
  • Michaela Foster Marsh
    Principal Crew
    Title Song
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 25 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2016
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema NICE 2016
    Nice
    France
    May 11, 2016
    France Premiere
    Award Best Lead Actress (Denovan); Nominated for: Best Feature Film; Best Director (McCall); Best Actor (Cavanah); Best Cinematographer (Campbell); Best Supporting Actress (Al Shamaá)
Director Biography - Alex McCall

In his 25 years’ experience with the BBC and subsequently as an independent producer/director, Alex has either directed, produced (or both) over 90 films for the UK network on BBC1 and ITV – with many distributed throughout the USA and Europe. He has also worked independently for high-profile corporate clients. Nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards, Alex’s extensive experience also includes music and arts television series such as The South Bank Show – Dame Britain (“Hardly puts a frame wrong” – a Daily Telegraph); Liza Minelli at the Royal Albert Hall for Carlton Television and “Edward and Mrs Simpson”; “Going, Going, Gone” for Allied Stars and BBC1; “Searching for Amy” and “Test Tube Dads” (Inside Story, BBC1 1998, A&E USA). He recently completed the feature film version of “The Boy David”; Co-producer/sequences Director on “Seeking Klimt” for BBC’s “Imagine” series with Alan Yentob (the story of a 90 year old lady’s legal battle through the US Supreme Court against the Republic of Austria for the return of 6 Gustav Klimt paintings stolen by the Nazis during WW2. Alex has experience of film and video production in many war zones throughout the world, with street children and young adults in South America, in hospitals, schools, orphanages, mental care facilities and more. Birthday is his first feature film.

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Director Statement

A psychological thriller about an insomniac young woman who wants to stop frightening nightmares recurring every birthday. ‘Birthday’ is a film about twisted motherly love from beyond the grave. It celebrates the enduring, classic chillers from old, and harnesses Freudian concepts – conscious and unconscious knowledge – and applies this to both the audience’s journey and the heroine’s. The story is steeped in symbolism, from childhood fears of the dark, adult fears of insanity and loneliness and male emotions about birth, with links to mysterious hieroglyphs and demonic figures from the ancient Egyptian ‘Book of the Dead’