Experiencing Interruptions?

THE CORE

At the twilight of his life, a man whose obsessive quest for truth has led him to the edge of an abyss is visited by metaphysical entities who try to prevent him from diving further into it. Each entity offers its version of order and salvation, but the need to gaze beyond and search as deep as possible is strong, even if it might result in a one-way ride to damnation.

  • Craig Murray
    Director
  • Amine Boucekkine
    Writer
  • Amine Boucekkine
    Music / Sound Design / Poetry
  • Amine Boucekkine
    Producer
  • Craig Murray
    Producer
  • Colin Elves
    Director of photography
  • Craig Murray
    Practical FX / Set Building / Miniatures
  • Luciano Azevedo
    Grading
  • Luciano de Azevedo
    Post-Production / Compositing
  • Rodrigo Schmier
    Post-Production / Compositing
  • Rufus White
    Costumes / Props / Set Building
  • Rufus White
    Key Cast
    "Old man"
  • Jordaine Lincoln
    Key Cast
  • Isabel Le Cras
    Key Cast
  • Edain Bradley
    Key Cast
  • Will McGeough
    Key Cast
  • Mark Beagent
    Key Cast
  • Marta Gambarotto
    Key Cast
  • Joss Carter
    Key Cast
  • Lauren Bridle
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Music Video, Short
  • Genres:
    Experimental / Supernatural / Metaphysical
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 37 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 31, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    France
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Europe Music Video Awards
    Kosice
    Slovakia
    March 7, 2026
    Best Production - Best Editing and Sound Design - Best Costumes
  • Red Movie Awards
    Reims
    France
    May 15, 2026
    Best Experimental
  • Madrid Film Awards
    Madrid
    Spain
    May 28, 2026
    Best Experimental (Winner) - Best Cinematography (Nominee)
  • French Duck Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    Best Experimental - Best Director - Best Original Score - Best VFX - Best Sound Design - Best Cinematography
  • Lisboa Indie Film Festival
    Lisbonne
    Portugal
    December 13, 2025
    Annual guest of honor
  • Ice Movie Awards
    Courchevel
    France
    Best Experimental
  • Luminous Frames
    Yerevan
    Armenia
    Official Selection - Final Status TBD - Screening due in September 2026
  • Next Step Film Festival
    Cannes
    France
    May 21, 2026
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Craig Murray

Coming from a fine art background, Craig Murray is a film director specializing in narrative music videos. He has worked with Mogwai, Alcest and large firms like Samsung.
His work seeks to provide viewers with an emotional and immersive experience, using real hand built elements to keep his audience connected. "The Core" is his second collaborative effort with French multidisciplinary artist Amine Boucekkine (writer, musician, producer).

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Statement from Amine Boucekkine as the writer, musician and initiator of the project.
Though it is essentially music driven, The Core is much more than a music video. From the earliest steps of its conception, it was designed to be a truly cinematic musical short film with a complex narrative structure and a supernatural imagery that would take the audience on a journey through a metaphysical nightmare. It tells a story about the search for Truth, spirituality and damnation.
Particular attention has been paid to the cinematography and the grading. All sets and practical effects are custom hand-built from scratch for the film, with a purist approach a la Méliès.
A 4K DCP (stereo and 5.1) will be available for public screenings.
2K digital files (ProRes 422HQ or H264) will also be available as an alternative.
Subtitles in English, French and Spanish are already available. Other languages may be added.
For the poster, we have several HD versions with different visuals to choose from, some of them being more specifically designed for Fantastic / Horror festivals.
We are committed anyway to adapt and provide in time all additional material (subtitles, visuals with specific dimensions etc.) that would be required.