Daisies

The film 'Daisies' follows our protagonist, DARYL. His foster family don't know where he has gone. They don't know he is staying with his old friend Louis who lives in the city. Daryl's sister keeps calling him but he only listens to her voicemails and doesn't call back. Louis and Daryl grew up together in a vagrants house in the inner city, which houses the orphans and homeless of the area. Daryl can't stop thinking about his journey away from the city as a young boy, the night he was fostered. His memories are vague and not as clear as they once were. He soon begins to think about a song which he remembers from the car journey as a little boy travelling to his new home.

In the city, Louis shows him The Database which allows users to supply information which then gives them the means of locating old memories. Soon Daryl believes this will help him find the song and help him understand his memories, however, this technology begins to take its toll. Things begin to fall apart. Daryl's journey through his mind and memory opens his eyes to the reality in which he lives, the repetition in life, and everything around it. However how far does this go and how does he know that any of it is real?

  • Joe Pilkington
    Director
  • Zane Crowther
    Writer
  • Joe Pilkington
    Writer
  • MDDPKT
    Producer
  • Daryl Horner
    Key Cast
    "Daryl"
  • Louis Butler
    Key Cast
    "Louis"
  • Martin O'Grady
    Key Cast
    "Martin"
  • Racheal Crowther
    Key Cast
    "Sister"
  • Sophia Hopfenbeck
    Key Cast
    "Hospital Nurse"
  • Nabir Mansour
    Key Cast
    "Himself"
  • Kanti Patel
    Key Cast
    "Himself"
  • F. Salman
    Key Cast
    "Himself"
  • Eric Eyres
    Key Cast
    "Young Daryl"
  • Joe Pilkington
    Cinematography
  • Zane Crowther
    Sound Design & Original Score
  • Zane Crowther
    Art Direction
  • Ash Humphries
    3D Animator
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Docufiction, Experimental Narrative, Dystopian, Science Fiction
  • Runtime:
    23 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 1, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    1,541 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Manchester Metropolitan University
Director Biography - Joe Pilkington

Growing up in Newcastle he gained a strong interest in cinema through frequently visiting the local independent cinema in the heart of Newcastle. Through this, he found strong influence in the works of Lynne Ramsay, Andrei Tarkovsky and Claire Denis. These influences have lead to a poetic approach to narrative film. Focusing on memory, time and motion as the driving forces in his narrative works.

He has gone on to look at the works of Iranian New Wave director Abbas Kiarostami who takes a mixed approach of both narrative and documentary to create poetic cinema. This style of filmmaking has had a massive influence on how Joe wishes to make films as a blending of both documentary and narrative. This allows for an ability to create cinema closer to reality.

His last written and directed short ‘Parachute’ was screened at Encounters Short Film Festival through the NAHAMI Student award in 2020. Coming off the back of this festival nomination Joe has been working closely with Zane Crowther on their Co-Written short ‘Daisies’.

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Director Statement

'Daisies' is a collaboratively created short film by two Manchester-based students attending Manchester Metropolitan University. Zane Crowther Is an audio/visual artist whose background lies in the UK Skateboarding community in both the North and South of England whilst being an avid practitioner of experimental sound design from a young age. Joe Pilkington Is a writer/director/cinematographer from Newcastle Upon Tyne currently situated in Manchester. Joe’s background comes from studies in film and English while also creating short independent films.