NEW ATLANTIS
While exploring an abandoned building, two friends discover a recording of a woman who claims to be the last citizen of a lost Utopia.
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Matt SmithDirector
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Matt SmithWriter
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Rhian SmithProducer
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Thomas WightmanExecutive Producer
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Niamh CooganProject Coordinator
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Katie SmaleKey Cast"Jess"
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Benjamin AluwihareKey Cast"Chris"
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Alana RamseyKey Cast"Alice Barnham "
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Oliviero PapiKey Cast"William Rawley"
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:14 minutes 55 seconds
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Completion Date:July 7, 2023
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Production Budget:15,000 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:1:66:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
UK-born writer/director Matt Smith honed his skills in experimental filmmaking at Dartington College of Arts, leading to his short films competing in various BAFTA-recognised festivals. He expanded his repertoire as a promo filmmaker, video designer, and artist-filmmaker, with his artist films gaining international exposure through support from Arts Council England, The Arts Council of Wales, and France's Drac Occitanie - Ministère de la Culture.
His work often explores unsettling realities and imagined histories, blurring the line between what is real and what is fantasy. After finishing the self-funded short 'BUGBEAR' during the 2020 lockdown, he's now focused on narrative films. His latest project, 'NEW ATLANTIS,' is supported by BFI Network.
When filming a series of artist films in abandoned places in France, I had the strange experience of finding a cassette tape which had a recording of the man who had lived in the building, giving a speech to UNESCO.
It was introduced in English so a sudden feeling of direct conversation with the deceased owner of the crumbling building I was in was bizarre and frankly unsettling. It definitely sparked something, some sort of starting point for a film.
Now we're here - with New Atlantis.