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The Mavka

LOGLINE: A grieving father's obsession with a seductive and vengeful water spirit turns dangerous as he becomes ensnared by her dark powers. The spirit of his deceased daughter reaches out to help him break free before they are both condemned to the darkness and the deep.

  • Jack Laurenson
    Director
  • Jack Laurenson
    Writer
  • Jack Laurenson
    Producer
  • Daniel Lewicki
    Producer
  • Antonina Laurenson
    Producer
  • Veronika Klimenko
    Key Cast
    "Kateryna the "Mavka""
  • Katya Skripko
    Key Cast
    "The Mavka (Voice) "
  • Steve Edwards
    Key Cast
    "Stephen"
  • Cameron Raasdal-Munro
    Key Cast
    "Charlie"
  • Xhesi Geshteja
    Key Cast
    "Mary"
  • Jack Laurenson
    Key Cast
    "Jake"
  • Alex Barnes Auld
    Director of Photography
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Мавка
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Thriller, Supernatural, Horror, Fantasy
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Ukraine
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English, Ukrainian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jack Laurenson

Jack Laurenson is a filmmaker and writer with a profound passion for storytelling. With a background in documentary photography and journalism, he has spent years honing his skills in reporting news and capturing the essence of real-life events. From 2017 to 2022, he lived in Ukraine and spent that half a decade immersing himself in the country's politics, news and culture, as well as its mythology, folklore and history.

During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Jack and his wife Antonina were in the process of relocating to the UK. Jack has made repeated trips back to Ukraine and is making two documentary films that tell the stories of people who are displaced by and affected by the war. As he traveled back and forth between Ukraine and the UK, he and Antonina shaped the story and script for his first short film, "The Mavka."

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Director Statement

Thank you for taking the time to check our film, in which we have strived to fuse a contemporary interpretation of Slavic and Ukrainian folklore and myth, with the ambiance, tradition, and mythology of the English coastal town that we currently call home. Our intention is to bring this story to life in a way it hasn't been seen before, filming and producing it right here in England, with the hope that it will serve as a compelling proof of concept for a feature length British-Ukrainian film about a Ukrainian spirit stranded on foreign shores. That envisioned project aims to delve further into Ukrainian folklore within a modern context, while also exploring themes of dislocation, domination, and resistance. We sincerely appreciate your consideration and support.