Dark Mountain

Grieving and struggling for a reason to go on living, a
pilgrim climbs the mountain searching for a mythical
altar to give him the answer. Exhausted and injured he
is visited by a mysterious woman, and visions of the
Altar.

  • Gaynor Faye
    Key Cast
    "Epona"
    Coronation Street, Emmerdale
  • Tim Duthrane
    Key Cast
    "Pilgrim"
  • Andrew Richardson
    Director
  • Andrew Richardson
    Writer
  • Ian Haig
    Producer
  • Marcie MacLellan
    Producer
  • Marie Dong
    Producer
  • Ashley Barron ACS
    Director Of Photography
  • Jaime Estrada-Torres
    Editor
  • Edmund Roberts
    Music Composer
  • Marcos Pejes
    Sound Designer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Fantasy, supernatural, genre, period, live action, Irish filmmaker, mythology, horse, philosophy, fairytale, outdoors, mental health
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 2 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital (Sony Venice)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    17:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Andrew Richardson

Andrew is an award winning writer/director based in London whose debut short film TOUCH won awards at the European Independent Film Festival, and Indie Gathering. His work has been shown at more than 20 international festivals around the world including Raindance (BAFTA & OSCAR qualifying).
He has directed work for Spotify, Marriott Hotels, Models1, Notion Magazine, and his films have featured on Nowness, and Hunger TV.
Andrew graduated from the Welsh School of Architecture before starting his career in the art departments at Shepperton and Pinewood. After a successful career in fashion he returned to film and now works as a Director generating creative branded content for a list of exclusive clients.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Loss is one of the great universalities of humanity. Whether
that is bereavement, the break up of a relationship, or a
future we envisioned for ourselves. We will all experience
and struggle with loss, it is inevitable.
Initially inspired by my friends struggle to cope with the
sudden loss of his father, which led to a series of nervous
breakdowns. His eventual journey back to health through
his work with horses. And my own struggle to move on from
a previous relationship. Dark Mountain is a film that relies
heavily on multi-layered symbolism. Taking elements of
Irish, Welsh, and Norse mythologies it fuses them together
to create a new myth all its own. It explores themes around
subjective vs objective reality, and the illusion of
separation.
Mythologies were stories we told ourselves in an attempt to
understand our experiences, and the world around us.
Eventually they gave rise to science, philosophy, and
religion. As our understanding of the quantum realm grows
these separate fields are once again beginning to
converge. A recent Heriot-Watt University experiment
proved reality is subjective. How we view the world and the
stories we tell ourselves metaphorically and literally shape
our reality.
This film is about a man paralysed by his personal myth of
an innately hostile world, and desperately looking for a new
story to believe in.