''Solace in Wicca'' is a 2013 Manx-produced short

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

horror

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film about the 1617 execution of Margaret Quaine and her son Robert, the only executions for witchcraft recorded on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

and one of the last witchcraft executions to be sanctioned by the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

. The short film was the first production to be shot entirely in

Manx Gaelic Manx ( or , pronounced or ), also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Gaelic language of the insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. Manx is the historical language of the Manx peo ...

, and was financed by

Culture Vannin Culture Vannin is the trading name for the Manx Heritage Foundation, established in 1982 by the Isle of Man Government to promote Manx culture, heritage and language. It was rebranded in February 2014, having previously been known as the "Manx Her ...

, CinemaNX and

Isle of Man Film Isle of Man Film is a regional screen agency, part of Isle of Man Government’s Department of Economic Development. They drive inward investment in relation to film and the creative industries. Since 1995 Isle of Man Film has built a worldwide ...

. It premiered at the Isle of Man Film Festival in September 2013 and was distributed online in November 2017 by Culture Vannin.

Production

The screenplay was one of thirty-two 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 University College Isle of Man (UCM; gv, Colleish-Olloscoill Ellan Vannin) is the primary centre for tertiary, vocational education, higher education and adult education on the British Crown dependency of the Isle of Man, located in the Manx ca ...

and

Chester University , mottoeng = "He that teacheth, on teaching" , former_names = , established = (gained university status in 2005) , type = Public , endowment = £395,000 (2018) , budget = £118.3 million , chancellor = Gyles Brandreth , vice_chancello ...

, was hired to direct the short film and helped developed the screenplay throughout a six-month period of pre-production. North decided to translate the screenplay's dialogue into the period-accurate Manx Gaelic Language, a decision which attracted the financial support of Culture Vannin. The opportunity to support emerging talent excited the

Isle of Man Government The Isle of Man Government ( gv, Reiltys Ellan Vannin) is the government of the Isle of Man. The formal head of the Isle of Man Government is the Lieutenant Governor, the personal representative of Charles III. The executive head is the Chief Mi ...

's film investment partner CinemaNX, who co-financed the production with a view to acquiring the rights to an English-language commercial remake. CinemaNX's successor

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to te ...

optioned the rights and developed the commercial remake as a

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origins story in 2013.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

took place over a five-day period in July 2012, at national heritage sites

Castle Rushen Castle Rushen ( gv, Cashtal Rosien) is a medieval castle located in the Isle of Man's historic capital, Castletown, in the south of the island. It towers over the Market Square to the south-east and the harbour to the north-east. The castle is ...

, Cregneash Village, and the Niarbyl Fault.

Manx National Heritage Manx National Heritage ( gv, Eiraght Ashoonagh Vannin) is the national heritage organisation for the Isle of Man. The organisation manages a significant proportion of the island’s physical heritage assets including over 3,000 acres of coastlin ...

donated use of their sites without charging a location fee, due to the historical nature of the piece. None of the locations featured in the film were the real-life locations of the 1617

witch-hunt A witch-hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The Witch trials in the early modern period, classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and European Colon ...

, as they are now too ruined or modern to play themselves in a low-budget

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

. 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. Fluent Manx-Speakers were cast in minor roles.

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” and Gaelic-enthusiasts noted that the filmmaker's decision to shoot in the Manx language marked a huge step forward for a language once considered extinct by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. ''Solace in Wicca'' was the first short film to receive funding support from

,{{Cite news, url=https://www.isleofmanfilm.com/talent-development/, title=Talent Development, date=2014-06-16, work=Isle of Man Film, access-date=2018-07-16 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.

References

Films about witchcraft Witchcraft in England Witch trials in England Films shot in the Isle of Man Films set on the Isle of Man British films based on actual events Manx Christians Manx language Celtic language revival Isle of Man Isle of Man articles by quality 2013 horror films 2013 films