l a y k e   a n d e r s o n

'He who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.'

—  Revelation 12:9

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Sweet Brother tells the story of Jude, a gentle man on a journey across 'Hell' to pay a healing visit to Bess, a blind pot-head who prefers house-plants to humans.  What Jude is to discover during his visit, is that this woman isn’t at all who she appears to be on the surface, for as well as being a book collector, Bess also happens to possess what just might be the most powerful object in all the universe. The question is, will a pious young man submit to his temptation, or will a blind adherence to dogma save him from the coming 'apocalypse'? 

Exploring the guises of Satan, and the limits of God’s patience, Sweet Brother is a post-horror fairytale and a philosophical meditation on the fall from grace, touching on themes such as transformation, chaos, morality, sin, revelation, the number 11, faith, fruitcake... and unicorns.

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The film is now in post-production, with additional filming to continue throughout the winter.

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CROWDFUNDING TRAILER

The journey so far...

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What began as a writing exercise during the second British lockdown of 2020 quickly grew into something of a passion project based around the ideas of both 'faith' and 'trauma', with the screenplay being devised around two magnificent actors and real-life siblings. While the film is scripted, the overall process has eschewed the more 'traditional' style of filmmaking. Sweet Brother is a patchwork of dreams, exploring myth, horror and humanity, with the images serving as an exploration, rather than an illustration. The narrative is fragmented and a pretext for ideas and reflections on several topics, including theology, misogyny, fear, temptation, nature, and desire.

A crowdfunding campaign was launched on Good Friday 2021, successfully raising (and surpassing) the target budget, with support from both outside and within the film industry, including John Cameron Mitchell, Stephen Fry, Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Martin Sherman, Emilia di Girolamo, Dan Hubbard, and Rose McGowan.

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Thank you to every generous soul who has backed or supported this ambitious little film, which will (all elements permitting) be completed by late summer 2023.

You can follow the progress either here, or on the film's Instagram or Facebook.

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Orlando Brooke  +  Sophie Brooke

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star with

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Raffiella Chapman + Tereza Srbova + Henry Garrett

Maya Markelle + Lisa Moorish + Peter McPherson

 Chloe Keenan + Gem Carmella + Charlie MacGechan

Carol Walton + Jon Campling + Jane Paul Gets 

Luke Ireland + Merryl Ansah + Stefania Licari 

Jarry Glavin + Joshua Parris + Kane Surry

Rocci Williams + Yan Toby-Amisi + Abe Jarman

Natasha Benton + Daisy Clarke + Joe Hughes

Luke Callan + Rajneet Sidhu + Tudor Baron

Charlene Griffith + Jason Ford + Aidan O'Callaghan 

Ana Torre + Amethyste Mangangu + Nick Croft-Simon

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Casting Director: Maia Von Hurter.

Styling & Wardrobe: Maurizio Iapicca.

Costume Designer: Layke Anderson.

Makeup Artists: Dimitra Avramidou + Maisie Boyd

Stills & Director of Photography: Jean-Paul Berthoin.

Camera Operators: Alejandro Sesma + Layke Anderson.

Associate producers: Christian Mahieu + Glen Allen.

Co-producers: Scott Brand, Aidan O'Callaghan + Sasha Latoya. 

Executive producers: Pip Pickering + Daniel Hubbard + Rose McGowan.

 Executive producers: Jean-Paul Berthoin + Robert Mathis.

Writer, Producer, Editor & Director: Layke Anderson.

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If you would like to get in touch for more information, please use the CONTACT form.