Nightwalking

Nightwalking (also known as Night Walking) is a 2008 British comedy horror short film directed by Daniel Cormack, starring Raquel Cassidy and Lloyd Woolf.

In 2010, Nightwalking was selected for preservation by the British Film Institute's National Archive and was archived by the British Universities Film and Video Council as part of their Television and Radio Index for Learning and Teaching (TRILT). In 2012, the film was acquired by the British Library's Moving Image Collection.

Plot

Returning from a night out, Martha hears footsteps behind her and becomes convinced she's being followed as she walks down a dark path on her way home. She ponders various strategies such as pretending to do up her shoes in order to let her follower overtake her or simply running away, but dismisses each idea as endangering her even more. Eventually she screws up her courage to turn around and confront the man behind her, but when she does so she sees nothing except a mobile phone glowing on the ground as it calls somebody. James, her follower, has actually been going out of his way to avoid the impression he is following her or is a threat, but every time he does so it somehow backfires. He tries speeding up to overtake her, but this only makes Martha walk faster. He ponders taking a different route, but there are no turnings off the path they are walking down. Eventually he decides to make a "loud non-threatening phone call" to his mum, reasoning that: "I bet rapists never call their mums." However, as he is distracted with finding her number in his phone, he fails to notice a manhole in the ground and falls head over heels into it, his phone flying to the ground near Martha's feet.

Cast

Rachel Cassidy as Martha Lloyd Woolf as James

Release

Nightwalking was originally released online as part of the inaugural Virgin Media Shorts Competition in 2008. It quickly became the most viewed film attracting over 12,300 views and hundreds of comments. The judges initially shortlisted the film for the Grand Prize. However, when the film came to be classified by the British Board of Film Classification it was given a 12a certificate, thus disqualifying it from the competition, which required that the 12 shortlisted films were certified as a PG or U.

Festivals Edition Festival Programme Title Venue Date Time Country Première Status 8th X'08 International Disability Film Festival Director's Showcase: Daniel Cormack BFI Southbank, Studio 15:50 UK World 2nd Shooting People Split Focus at the BFI Split Focus: Daniel Cormack / Kara Miller BFI Southbank,Studio 18:00 UK 1st Wimbledon Shorts Film Festival Wimbledon Shorts Film Competition Polka Theatre, Main Theatre 18:30 UK 7th Shot by the Sea:Hastings Film Festival Festival LaunchPrior to PersepolisPrior to Persepolis Electric Palace Cinema 20:0020:0020:00 UK 2nd Canary Wharf Film Festival Short Film UK Museum in DocklandsEast Wintergarden, Canary WharfCineworld West India Quay, Screen 7Cineworld West India Quay, Screen 7 14:4520:1514:4018:25 UK 7th Cornwall Film Festival Another Country International Short Film Award Dewhelens Festival, LooeLewannick Village HallWesleyan Chapel St Mary's Isles of ScillyThe Aggie Film ClubWooda Farm, Carckington HavenDownderry Film KitchenTate St IvesBude CastlePrincess Pavilion, Theatre, Falmouth 19:0019:3014:0019:3019:0019:3020:0019:3013:00 UK 13th Portobello Film Festival London Filmmakers Convention - Day 2 Paradise Bar, Private Dining Room 18:00 UK 3rd Compass of Mystery Festival Five Minutes of Mystery Mivart Street StudiosStudio 1 16:00 UK 1st Hello Digital Film Festival Prior to the feature presentation of 28 Days Later Electric Cinema, Birmingham 17:00 UK 9th Filmstock International Film Festival Short Film Weekend 02 The Hat Factory, Screen OneThe Hat Factory, Basement 21:0010:10 UK 12th CAN Leicester Film Festival Day 2 Phoenix Arts CentreCinema 19:00 UK 6th The End of the Pier International Film Festival Comedy Drama Shorts Regis Centre, Alexandra Theatre 18:00 UK 9th Nickel Independent Film Festival Shorts Memorial University of Newfoundland, INCO Innovation Centre 19:30 Canada Canadian 3rd Limelight Film & Arts Awards Best Comedy category Troxy, Main Auditorium 18:30 UK 4th Rob Knox Film Festival Festival New Generation ChurchErith Rowing ClubCineworld Bexleyheath 19:0010:0018:00 UK 2nd Twickenham Alive Film Festival Festival Live Room, Twickenham StadiumEdmund Kean Theatre, Richmond Upon Thames College 19:0016:00 UK

Broadcast

In 2010, Nightwalking was broadcast on Channel 4 as part of "a series of short original films produced by a variety of talented writers and directors"; the first time in over 8 years that Channel 4 had acquired and broadcast independent short films.

Reception

Accolades

Rank Award Awarding Body Nominee Year WinnerBest Merton Filmmaker Award Wimbledon Shorts Film Competition Daniel Cormack 2008 Nominated Short Film UK Award Canary Wharf Film Festival Daniel Cormack 2008 Nominated Another Country International Short Film Award Cornwall Film Festival Daniel Cormack 2008 Nominated Five Minutes of Mystery - Best Film Award Compass of Mystery Film Festival Daniel Cormack 2008 Nominated Golden Monkey Award CAN Leicester Film Festival Daniel Cormack 2008 Nominated Best Comedy Award Limelight Film & Arts Awards Daniel Cormack 2010 Special Mention National Drama Award Twickenham Alive Film Festival Daniel Cormack 2013 Shortlisted (Disqualified) Virgin Media Shorts Award Virgin Media Daniel Cormack 2008

Nightwalking

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