Private Project

Jackie Is Lost

Jackie is forced out of retirement as she struggles with the cost of living, and she begins work at a storage unit facility. On her first day, Jackie loses her way and is tormented by a shadow. As the film explores Jackie’s isolation, loneliness, memory, and age, we begin to wonder how real the unsettling environment of the storage unit truly is.

Jackie Is Lost is a surreal thriller that follows the mundane life of a
pensioner encouraged out of retirement. Through Jackie’s lonely
routine at home, as well as her purgatorial place of work in a storage facility, the film explores the liminality and isolation of invisible people.

Staring Karen Henthorn (Time, C4, Eastenders, BBC) as Jackie,
and Tim Downie (Toast of London, BBC Big Mood, Channel 4,
Geek Girl, Netflix) as Manager, and Nell Hudson (Outlander,
Starz, Victoria, ITV). Jackie Is Lost is made independently and
entirely self-funded.

  • Karen Henthorn
    Jackie
    Eastenders (BBC), Time (ITV)
  • Tim Downie
    Manager
    Sex Education (NETFLIX) Toast (BBC)
  • Nell Hudson
    Cleaner
    Outlander (STARZ), Victoria (ITV)
  • James Plested
    Director Of Photography
    The Haunted Hotel, Merman a film by Madeleine Wynn
  • Dominic Crane
    First AD
    Little Loraine (Short) Black Noise (Short)
  • Nathan Hendren
    Production Manager
    Welcome Home Freckles (SXSW) Clubhammer
  • Robert Kivits
    Sound Recordist
    Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, Mega Lightning
  • Andrew Waddle
    Gaffer
  • Will Parsons
    Gaffer
  • Thomas James Blundell
    Lighting Assitant
  • Narotam Horn
    Music
  • Dani Millington- Peck
    Edit Assist
    The Crown (NETFLIX)
  • Karolina Matela
    Colourist
    Generic (2022), Kalu:Growing Up Wild
  • Nell Hudson
    Producer
  • Maximillian King
    Producer
  • Maximillian King
    Director
  • Maximillian King
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 39 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 22, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, FX6
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography

Maximillian King is a filmmaker and artist currently studying an MA at Central St Martins.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Being my first larger production, I wanted to create a disorientating story structure, framed simplistically in order to handle a subject matter which can't be resolved. I wanted it to be both cinematic and intimate.

Initially, I was deeply struck by how the cost of living crisis has stripped away the dignity of aging in this country. Jackie’s life empties until memory becomes her only companion. Her experience - and the viewers' - confronts the strange and sometimes uncomfortable relationship with memory itself.

Collaboration was key to creating Jackie Is Lost, and we were fortunate to build an incredible team. Every shot was approached with the belief that how we look at a moment is just as important as what we are looking at. This sensitivity is vital to the concurrent theme of invisibility and occupation, of which I am fascinated by.

This film is about age, invisibility and loneliness in our times, personified by the figure of a mother. But it's also a reflection on repetition. It’s a story about being lost — and the derailing unexpected nature of which we cannot fully confront.

I learnt so much during this process and continue to do so. I feel very fortunate and grateful to have been able to complete the film independently and I hope I get the opportunity to make more work. It was a pleasure to learn from and work with James,
Dominic and the entire team.