The Washerwoman – a mix of British folklore and modern British culture
The Washerwoman is a nine-minute short film, following the main character, Laura, as she walks through the park to get home.
In the dark, eerie, setting of the park, Laura stops to help a homeless woman, but the homeless woman is not what she seems.
The woman seems to know Laura and grabs her before shouting something at her in Gaelic.
Laura runs away from the woman and gets home.
The comment in Gaelic sounded familiar to Laura and this prompted her to look up a Scottish folklore tale her grandfather used to read to her about the bean nighe (washerwoman).
In Scottish and Irish folklore, a bean nighe is a female spirit that is an omen of death.
Director and executive producer, Obi Egikeme, from Streatham Hill, said: “For me, The Washerwoman is a supernatural thriller, but sometimes it’s classed as horror. The script stood out to me because Martin depicted the washerwoman in a way I’ve never seen before.
“She’s always depicted as something evil and we were lucky to get the talented actress, Camilia O’Grady, to play the lead, Laura.”
Scriptwriter, Martin Kelly said: “This is my first venture into scriptwriting. Before lockdown, I had a hectic lifestyle. Lockdown gave me the time to get into scriptwriting. I was always interested in the twilight zone and tales of the unexpected.
“I’m originally from Wales, so I was naturally interested in different languages. I came across the Scottish bean nighe folklore, and I felt inspired to write a short story about this ominous character that is not often explored in British film.
“I wanted to combine British folklore with modern British culture and add a twist at the end.”
The Washerwoman with another unaffiliated short film has been showcased on The Independent Cinephiles Short Film Festival Youtube page at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQyjN9OH6n0
Pictured: A still from The Washerwoman
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