‘Cavendish' starring Sophie Thatcher, Erin Kellyman to shoot in Poland

Sophie Thatcher, Erin Kellyman and Joe Alwyn are to star in the next feature from Bring Them Down UK filmmaker Christopher Andrews, Cavendish.

The thriller is set against the witch hunts of 17th-century Britain, with the UK’s Cornerstone handing international sales, and CAA Media Finance repping North America.

Andrews reunites with his Bring Them Down UK producers Ivana MacKinnon and Emily Leo of Wild Swim Films, alongside Rosa Attab and Jacqueline De Croy’s nascent UK company January Films, plus Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska and Bogna Szewczyk-Skupien from Poland’s Madants, whose credits include The Brutalist and The Testament Of Ann Lee.

The film was developed in collaboration with BBC Film and also received funding from the Polish Film Institute cash rebate program. It will commence production in Poland in September.

Accused of witchcraft on her wedding day, a privileged young bride, played by Thatcher, is pursued by a ruthless witch hunter (Alwyn). Forced into an uneasy alliance with a sharp-witted poacher living on the margins of society (Kellyman), the two women fight back.

Andrews’ debut feature Bring Them Down world premiered at Toronto 2024 and won the Douglas Hickox Award for outstanding debut director at the 2024 British Independent Film Awards.