Experiencing Interruptions?

BUGBEAR

As a desperate man tries to raise the money he owes a dangerous criminal, he finds something in the woods that will change him forever.

** Winner: Best Music & Best Cinematography - Cornwall Film Festival

** Nominated for Best Horror & Best Sound Design @ The British Short Film Awards

  • Matt Smith
    Director
  • Matt Smith
    Writer
  • Rhian Smith
    Producer
  • Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson
    Key Cast
  • Flora Squires
    Key Cast
  • Sam Perry-Falvey
    Director of Photography
  • Rhian Smith
    Production Design
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    August 10, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    1,500 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Cornwall Film Festival
    Falmouth
    United Kingdom
    November 20, 2022
    Official Selection: Winner - Best Cinematography | Winner - Best Music
  • British Short Film Awards
    London
    United Kingdom
    December 3, 2021
    Official Selection: Nominated - Best British Director, Best Editing, Best Supporting Actress, Best Horror Short Film, Best Sound Design
  • CineMagic | On The Pulse Short Film Festival
    Belfast
    United Kingdom
    March 26, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Alter
    ONLINE
    United States
    September 19, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Minute Shorts
    London
    United Kingdom
    April 13, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Film Shortage
    ONLINE
    United States
    September 15, 2023
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Matt Smith

Matt Smith is a writer/director originally from Watford, UK. He started making experimental short films during his time at Dartington College of Arts, which showed in competition at many BAFTA recognised festivals. He then spent years working as a promo filmmaker, video designer and artist-filmmaker. His artist films have been shown around the world with support from Arts Council England, The Arts Council of Wales and Drac Occitanie - Ministère de la Culture, (France), among others.
His work often explores unsettling realities and imagined histories, blurring the line between what is real and what is fantasy. He is now focused on making narrative films, after recently completing ‘BUGBEAR’, a short film made during lockdown 2020.

His next film, NEW ATLANTIS, is supported by BFI Network.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

BUGBEAR was made as a reaction to lockdown during the middle of the pandemic in the UK. When safe to do so, we decided to make something out of nothing on a shoestring budget, relieving the helpless feeling we had against the onslaught of Covid19.

The film is about a bad situation in someone's life, but also about masks, both literal and metaphorical; about how an action (deliberate or not) can change you for better or worse. The title refers to both the noun bugbear (a cause of obsessive fear, anxiety, or irritation) and the archaic name of a mythical monster in the woods.