Solace in Wicca

Solace in Wicca is a 2013 Manx-produced short biographical horror drama film about the 1617 execution of Margaret Quaine and her son Robert,[1] the only executions for witchcraft recorded on the Isle of Man[2] and one of the last witchcraft executions to be sanctioned by the Church of England in the British Isles.

Solace in Wicca
Online Release Poster
Directed byAndy North
Produced by
  • Nathan Russell-Raby
  • Andy North
Written byNathan Russell-Raby
Starring
  • Joanna Taylor
  • Steve Craige
  • Wayne Kelsall
Music byAndy North
CinematographyDaniyel Lowden
Edited byJim Hampton
Production
company
Distributed byCulture Vannin
Release date
Running time
9 minutes
CountryIsle of Man
LanguageManx Gaelic
Budget18,000

The short film was the first production to be shot entirely in Manx Gaelic, and was financed by Culture Vannin, CinemaNX and Isle of Man Film.[3] It premiered at the Isle of Man Film Festival in September 2013 and was distributed online in November 2017 by Culture Vannin.[4]

Production

The screenplay was one of thirty-two[3] screenplays submitted to the MannIN Shorts Screenplay Contest in January 2011 and was selected as one of three screenplays eligible for a production-budget as part of the MannIN Shorts scheme.

Andy North, lecturer of film and digital media at the Isle of Man College and Chester University, was hired to direct the short film and helped developed the screenplay throughout a six-month period of pre-production.[5] North decided[6] to translate the screenplay’s dialogue into the period-accurate Manx Gaelic Language,[7] a decision which attracted the financial support of Culture Vannin.[8]

The opportunity to support emerging talent excited the Isle of Man Government's film investment partner CinemaNX, who co-financed the production with a view to acquiring the rights to an English-language commercial remake.[3] CinemaNX's successor Pinewood Studios optioned the rights and developed the commercial remake as a Halloween origins story in 2013.[9]

Principal photography took place over a five-day period in July 2012, at national heritage sites Castle Rushen, Cregneash Village, and the Niarbyl Fault.[7] Manx National Heritage donated use of their sites without charging a location fee, due to the historical nature of the piece.[10] None of the locations featured in the film were the real-life locations of the 1617 witch-hunt, as they are now too ruined or modern to play themselves in a low-budget period drama.

Experienced non-Manx-speaking actors were cast in the lead roles, and learned their Manx dialogue parrot fashion via a CD recorded by a dialect and language coach.[11] Fluent Manx-Speakers were cast in minor roles.[12]

Reception

Adrian Cain, Manx Language Development Officer for the Manx Heritage Foundation commented that “Such a high profile and professional production illustrates what a vibrant position the language finds itself in at present”[13] and Gaelic-enthusiasts noted that the filmmaker’s decision to shoot in the Manx language marked a huge step forward[14] for a language once considered extinct by UNESCO.[15]

Solace in Wicca was the first short film to receive funding support from Isle of Man Film,[16] who have since annually supported talent-development in the craft of film and entrepreneurship by committing funding to micro-budget projects under the banner of the MannIN Shorts scheme.[16]

gollark: Merry new year, people for whom it is new year!
gollark: If they teach enough people maths, eventually someone is sure to figure it out!
gollark: So there's a magic metasystem for explaining the magic systems too? Madness.
gollark: *Stuff* and **THINGS**.
gollark: That's a shame.

References
  1. Gardner, Gerald (1959). The Meaning of Witchcraft. Weiser Books. p. 128.
  2. "Guide Book - Witchcraft Museum Castletown". www.isle-of-man.com. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  3. isleofman.com. "CinemaNX and Isle of Man Film Support for the Island's First Manx Language Production | Isle of Man News :: isleofman.com". www.isleofman.com. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  4. "Solace in Wicca | Culture Vannin | Isle of Man". www.culturevannin.im. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  5. "Gallery | August | 2012 | ACTION". Issuu. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  6. Wright, Mel (2 August 2012). "Film of Witch Burning at Stake". Isle of Man Examiner. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  7. "Solace Breaks New Ground in Manx Gaelic Films | Transceltic - Home of the Celtic nations". www.transceltic.com. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  8. Ltd., Maxima Systems. "Isle of Man Guide - CinemaNX and Isle of Man Film Support for the Island's First Manx Language Production". www.iomguide.com. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  9. "Manx Film: Script Writer | MT TV | iom news on demand manx.net". manx.net. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  10. Telecom, Manx. "It's a wrap! Latest two MannIN Shorts films finish shooting on Island - Isle of Man News | Manx.net". www.manx.net. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  11. "Film of 'Witch' Burning at Stake". TraaDyLiooar. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  12. Moss, John; North, Andy (12 July 2012). "Mandate". "The First Manx Language Film". Manx Radio.
  13. "Solace Breaks New Ground in Manx Gaelic Films | Transceltic - Home of the Celtic nations". www.transceltic.com. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  14. Adrian Cain (2014-02-17), Solace: a film in Manx Gaelic, retrieved 2018-07-16
  15. "Solace: a new film in Manx Gaelic | Learn Manx". www.learnmanx.com. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  16. "Talent Development". Isle of Man Film. 2014-06-16. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
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