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

Nightwalking
Directed byDaniel Cormack
Written byBen Clover
Produced byDaniel Cormack
StarringRaquel Cassidy
Lloyd Woolf
CinematographySam Osborne
Edited byIan Grech
Music byAndy Simms
Production
company
Actaeon Films
Distributed byNetwork Ireland Television
Release date
  • 15 February 2008 (2008-02-15) (X'08 International Disability Film Festival)
Running time
3 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

In 2010, Nightwalking was selected for preservation by the British Film Institute's National Archive[1] and was archived by the British Universities Film and Video Council as part of their Television and Radio Index for Learning and Teaching (TRILT).[2] In 2012, the film was acquired by the British Library's Moving Image Collection.[3][4]

Plot

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Returning from a night out, Martha (Raquel Cassidy) 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 (Lloyd Woolf), 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.

Release

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Nightwalking was originally released online as part of the inaugural Virgin Media Shorts Competition in 2008.[5] It quickly became the most viewed film attracting over 12,300 views[6] and hundreds of comments.[5] 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,[7] thus disqualifying it from the competition, which required that the 12 shortlisted films were certified as a PG or U.

Festivals

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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 February 2008 (2008-02-15) 15:50 UK World[8][9][10]
2nd Shooting People Split Focus at the BFI Split Focus: Daniel Cormack / Kara Miller BFI Southbank,
Studio
10 March 2008 (2008-03-10) 18:00 UK [11]
1st Wimbledon Shorts Film Festival Wimbledon Shorts Film Competition Polka Theatre, Main Theatre 7 June 2008 (2008-06-07) 18:30 UK [12]
7th Shot by the Sea:
Hastings Film Festival
Festival Launch
Prior to Persepolis
Prior to Persepolis
Electric Palace Cinema 25 August 2008 (2008-08-25) 28 August 2008 (2008-08-28) 29 August 2008 (2008-08-29) 20:00
20:00
20:00
UK [13][14]
2nd Canary Wharf Film Festival Short Film UK Museum in Docklands
East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf
Cineworld West India Quay, Screen 7
Cineworld West India Quay, Screen 7
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28) 29 August 2008 (2008-08-29) 30 August 2008 (2008-08-30) 31 August 2008 (2008-08-31) 14:45
20:15
14:40
18:25
UK [15][16][17]
7th Cornwall Film Festival Another Country International Short Film Award Dewhelens Festival, Looe
Lewannick Village Hall
Wesleyan Chapel St Mary's Isles of Scilly
The Aggie Film Club
Wooda Farm, Carckington Haven
Downderry Film Kitchen
Tate St Ives
Bude Castle
Princess Pavilion, Theatre, Falmouth
2 September 2008 (2008-09-02) 5 September 2008 (2008-09-05) 7 September 2008 (2008-09-07) 23 September 2008 (2008-09-23) 25 September 2008 (2008-09-25) 26 September 2008 (2008-09-26) 26 September 2008 (2008-09-26) 14 October 2008 (2008-10-14) 8 November 2008 (2008-11-08) 19:00
19:30
14:00
19:30
19:00
19:30
20:00
19:30
13:00
UK [18]
13th Portobello Film Festival London Filmmakers Convention - Day 2 Paradise Bar,
Private Dining Room
3 September 2008 (2008-09-03) 18:00 UK [19]
3rd Compass of Mystery Festival Five Minutes of Mystery Mivart Street Studios
Studio 1
4 October 2008 (2008-10-04) 16:00 UK [20]
1st Hello Digital Film Festival Prior to the feature presentation of 28 Days Later Electric Cinema, Birmingham 28 September 2008 (2008-09-28) 17:00 UK [21][22]
9th Filmstock International Film Festival Short Film Weekend 02 The Hat Factory, Screen One
The Hat Factory, Basement
7 November 2008 (2008-11-07) 8 November 2008 (2008-11-08) 21:00
10:10
UK [23]
12th CAN Leicester Film Festival Day 2 Phoenix Arts Centre
Cinema
8 November 2009 (2009-11-08) 19:00 UK [24]
6th The End of the Pier International Film Festival Comedy Drama Shorts Regis Centre,
Alexandra Theatre
1 May 2009 (2009-05-01) 18:00 UK [25]
9th Nickel Independent Film Festival Shorts Memorial University of Newfoundland,
INCO Innovation Centre
26 June 2009 (2009-06-26) 19:30 Canada Canadian[26]
3rd Limelight Film & Arts Awards Best Comedy category Troxy,
Main Auditorium
8 July 2010 (2010-07-08) 18:30 UK [27]
4th Rob Knox Film Festival Festival New Generation Church
Erith Rowing Club
Cineworld Bexleyheath
31 May 2011 (2011-05-31) 5 June 2011 (2011-06-05) 8 June 2011 (2011-06-08) 19:00
10:00
18:00
UK [28]
2nd Twickenham Alive Film Festival Festival Live Room, Twickenham Stadium
Edmund Kean Theatre, Richmond Upon Thames College
26 April 2013 (2013-04-26) 1 May 2013 (2013-05-01) 19:00
16:00
UK [29][30]

Broadcast

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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";[31] the first time in over 8 years that Channel 4 had acquired and broadcast independent short films.[32]

Reception

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Accolades

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Nightwalking has a rating of 6.8 out of 10 from IMDb's top 1,000 voters.[33]

Rank Award Awarding Body Nominee Year
Winner Best Merton Filmmaker Award Wimbledon Shorts Film Competition Daniel Cormack 2008[12]
Nominated Short Film UK Award Canary Wharf Film Festival Daniel Cormack 2008[15]
Nominated Another Country International Short Film Award Cornwall Film Festival Daniel Cormack 2008[18]
Nominated Five Minutes of Mystery - Best Film Award Compass of Mystery Film Festival Daniel Cormack 2008[34]
Nominated Golden Monkey Award CAN Leicester Film Festival Daniel Cormack 2008[24]
Nominated Best Comedy Award Limelight Film & Arts Awards Daniel Cormack 2010[27]
Special Mention National Drama Award Twickenham Alive Film Festival Daniel Cormack 2013
Shortlisted (Disqualified) Virgin Media Shorts Award Virgin Media Daniel Cormack 2008[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Nightwalking (2008)". BFI - Film & TV Database. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Night Walking". British Universities Film and Video Council.
  3. ^ "The British Library Sound & Moving Image catalogue". British Library.
  4. ^ "Nightwalking - British Library". British Library.
  5. ^ a b "Virgin Media Shorts - Nightwalking". Virgin Media. 4 November 2008. Archived from the original on 4 November 2008.
  6. ^ "Virgin Media Shorts - Nightwalking (Bottom of page)". Virgin Media Shorts. 1 September 2008. Archived from the original on 1 September 2008.
  7. ^ "Virgin Media Shorts - Nightwalking". British Board of Film Classification.
  8. ^ "Director's Showcase: Daniel Cormack". Film London.
  9. ^ "Director's Showcase: Daniel Cormack". Remote Goat. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012.
  10. ^ "Film Preview". The Guardian. London. 9 February 2008.
  11. ^ "Split Focus #2". Shooting People.
  12. ^ a b "Wimbledon Shorts 2008 - Winners". Wimbledon Film Club.
  13. ^ "Electric Palace: Shot by the Sea: Hastings Film Festival 2008". Electric Palace Cinema.
  14. ^ "SBTS 08 Brochure" (PDF). Electric Palace Cinema.
  15. ^ a b "Short Film UK". Canary Wharf Film Festival.
  16. ^ "Canary Wharf Film Festival review: Short Film UK". The Wharf.
  17. ^ "CWFF08 Festival Guide" (PDF). Canary Wharf Film Festival.
  18. ^ a b "Cornwall Film Festival 2008: Another Country International Short Film Award". Cornwall Film Festival.
  19. ^ "Portobello Film Festival London Filmmakers Convention". Portobello Film Festival.
  20. ^ "Compass of Desire Festival". Short Film Central.
  21. ^ "Hello Digital - Daniel Cormack". Hello Digital.
  22. ^ "How to programme a film festival: update three". Catherine Bray. Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  23. ^ "Filmstock International Film Festival". Short Film Central.
  24. ^ a b "LINE OUT - Movie Making in the East Midlands". Line Out - Leicester Independent Producers' Association. 19 December 2008. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008.
  25. ^ "Friday 1st May". End of the Pier International Film Festival.
  26. ^ "2010 Nickel Film Festival Roadshow". College of the North Atlantic.
  27. ^ a b "Limelight Film & Arts Awards". Spotlight UK. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011.
  28. ^ "Licensing Sub-Committee Agenda". Bexley Council.
  29. ^ "Twickenham Alive Film Festival". Twickenham Alive.
  30. ^ "Twickenham Alive Film Festival" (PDF). Twickenham Alive.
  31. ^ "Night Walking Channel 4 (HD)". TV Pixie.
  32. ^ "Channel 4 Orders Network Ireland Television Shorts". Irish Film & Television Network.
  33. ^ "Nightwalking (2008) - User ratings". IMDb.
  34. ^ "Nightwalking". Festival Focus.
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