Maria Calado

A feral new mother who survives childbirth discovers her body has not finished birthing, forcing her into an animal state.

CAUGHT BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH, WILL ETHAN FIND THE PEACE HE CRAVES? Ethan Pulman, a mortally ill boy, finds himself lost in a surreal dreamscape after being prescribed morphine to help him sleep and forcing him to confront his deepest fears. Will he be able to make it through until morning to reunite with his mother?

2026. Wales, United Kingdom. The life of young and naive AVA HOWELL (18) is unsettled when everything she thought she knew about her childhood unravels. After waking up in a dark void, Ava is forced to face her subconscious trauma through vivid and uncanny dreamscapes in order to discover the truth about her mother KIRSTY HOWELL (38). The Essence Of Youth is an ambitious surrealist MA student film that utilises virtual production, motion capture and locations around Cardiff to tell the story. This film does not use AI in any capacity from pre-production all the way to post-production.

A feral new mother who survives childbirth discovers her body has not finished birthing, forcing her into an animal state.

A feral new mother who survives childbirth discovers her body has not finished birthing, forcing her into an animal state.

A feral new mother who survives childbirth discovers her body has not finished birthing, forcing her into an animal state.

CAUGHT BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH, WILL ETHAN FIND THE PEACE HE CRAVES? Ethan Pulman, a mortally ill boy, finds himself lost in a surreal dreamscape after being prescribed morphine to help him sleep and forcing him to confront his deepest fears. Will he be able to make it through until morning to reunite with his mother?

2026. Wales, United Kingdom. The life of young and naive AVA HOWELL (18) is unsettled when everything she thought she knew about her childhood unravels. After waking up in a dark void, Ava is forced to face her subconscious trauma through vivid and uncanny dreamscapes in order to discover the truth about her mother KIRSTY HOWELL (38). The Essence Of Youth is an ambitious surrealist MA student film that utilises virtual production, motion capture and locations around Cardiff to tell the story. This film does not use AI in any capacity from pre-production all the way to post-production.