Private Project

Active Imagination

Sundae Ennis has to give a presentation to a potential client from work. But her biggest fear in life is public speaking. She wakes up in a panic, rushing to the meeting, listening to her mother's encouraging voice note. But when she arrives at the council office, she soon realizes things are not quite normal. The secretary who welcomes her to the office makes odd comments which throw Sundae off. As she enters the boardroom, her anxiety increases. She is not sure if it is her imagination or if the board is playing a game with her, but she tries to continue with her presentation. She questions her sanity and her sexuality. She finds herself drawn to the ladies in the meeting, which surprises her. She finally loses her mind, finding herself in the middle of an insanely bizarre party with everyone dressed up in costume, and runs out of the office.

  • Alastair Train
    Director
    Osteopathy, Stretched Out
  • Yasmine Alice
    Writer
    Anxious, Fancy Arguments
  • Yasmine Alice
    Producer
    Anxious, Fancy Arguments
  • Yasmine Alice
    Key Cast
    "Sundae Ennis"
    Red Dwarf, Hoplite Centurion, Ruptures
  • Jonathan Oliver
    Key Cast
    "Clive"
  • Tina Barnes
    Key Cast
    "Rose"
  • Matt Houlihan
    Key Cast
    "Kenzo"
  • Flavia Fazenda
    Key Cast
    "Carmen"
  • Yuyu Rau
    Key Cast
    "Cherry"
  • Shaun Stone
    Key Cast
    "Flint"
  • Donna Peart Johnson
    Key Cast
    "Summer"
  • Tresor Cedric
    Key Cast
    "Mike"
  • Carlinho Madiba
    Key Cast
    "Dave"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 38 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 29, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • DIFF
    DRUK International Film Festival
    Bhutan
    July 31, 2022
    Best Actress & Best Producer Award Winner
  • IndieX Film Fest
    Hollywood
    United States
    August 19, 2022
    North American Premiere
    WINNER COMEDY SHORT Outstanding Achievement Award Winner, BEST ACTRESS Nominee, BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE Nominee
  • Indie Short Fest 2022
    Los Angeles
    United States
    October 12, 2022
    BEST ACTRESS Honourable Mention, BEST COMEDY SHORT Nominee
  • London International Monthly Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    October 28, 2022
    BEST SHORT FILM Honourable Mention
Director Biography - Alastair Train

Alastair Train is a London based award-winning writer/director. His darkly comic and stylish films have been shown at festivals around the world, including Cannes, Haapsalu Horror & Fantasy Festival, London Short Film Festival, and London Independent Film Festival.

His first film ‘Osteopathy’ (2017) gave us a dark insight into the world of a struggling Osteopath trying to impress his father, while his second Short ‘All Stretched Out’ (2019) showed us the deadly risks of trying too hard at Yoga. His newest short ‘Active Imagination’ (2022) asks what’s the worst that can happen with an over active mind during a business meeting?

Currently working as the Senior Production Coordinator at the London Film Academy, Alastair is in the development stages on his upcoming feature film ‘My Life’ that he wrote during lockdown.

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Director Statement

When I read my amazing producer Yasmine’s script “Active Imagination” I knew that this was the next film that I had to direct.

While my directing style normally plays in the darker experiences in life, like your osteopath accidentally killing you or trying so hard you rip yourself in half doing yoga, Active Imagination was a story that was just so easy to relate to.

You show up late for a presentation, your minds all over the place, you feel the nerves eating you up inside, you start vividly hallucinating…

It was this type of humour that drew me to the script, it was wacky, out there and just so fun to visualise.

I wanted to create the feeling that we didn’t know what was real and what was fake, which is why I went for a more static framed style at the beginning of the film, however as the film progresses the shots start to become more hectic bringing that chaotic feeling that our poor main character Sundae is going through to the audience.

In the end I hope this film can provide some relief to anyone who gets nerves before a presentation, leaving them safe in knowledge that you’ll never have to go through a presentation that goes this badly.