31st October 2026
Sweetheart: Angel of the Moor to be developed as a feature film
The project began life as a short. During development, though, the script grew to around 30 minutes, and it became clear that the story needed more room than a short could give it.
Inspired by the true story of Mary-Jane Skaife, whose death in the Yorkshire Dales in 1858 lies at the heart of the film, Sweetheart is about far more than how her life ended. As a feature, the film can stay true to Mary-Jane and show more of her life. It can also capture the texture of the Dales in the mid-1800s: the work, the community, the landscape and the folklore that shaped the people who lived there.
The film blends historical realism with a quiet folkloric atmosphere, exploring memory, love, violence and the enduring presence of the landscape.
Nidd Films is now looking to connect with finance partners, co-producers and anyone who shares its passion for bringing Yorkshire’s hidden histories to the screen.
To find out more, contact mark@niddfilms.com
Development stills photographed by Angus Chou,
featuring Erin Hatfield
An Evening with Nidd Films: Saturday 28 November
Join us at Darley Memorial Hall for a screening of The Valley: A Keeping and a first look at what’s next.
This November, we’re inviting the Nidderdale community to an evening just a few lanes from where the story that inspired our work began.
In 1858, Mary-Jane Skaife walked home from chapel through the lanes of Darley. Her story has stayed with this valley ever since. Our research film, The Valley: A Keeping, is a short, reflective piece about landscape and memory. It traced her footsteps through the land she knew and was filmed at her family home. On the night, we’ll screen it for the first time in the village it belongs to.
You’ll also get a first look at what comes next: our comedy short Dead Funny and Sweetheart: Angel of the Moor, the period drama that will tell Mary-Jane’s story in full.
There’s no long speech. Just the films, a drink, and a chance to meet the people behind them. Whether you’re interested in local history, filmmaking, or simply a good evening out, we’d love to see you there.
Saturday 28 November, 6–8pm
Darley Memorial Hall
Places are limited, so please reserve yours by emailing mark@niddfilms.com with your name and the number of people in your party.
Donate · Read more about Sweetheart
Dead Funny has reached an exciting stage in its development.
1st September 2026 — Project Update
The story has not changed. Paul and Jake remain the same lifelong friends, caught in limbo after an angelic error takes them before their time.
What has changed is our understanding of what their story can say.
Through research, reflection and closer examination of the ideas already present in the film, we have developed a clearer understanding of its core message and the audiences we hope to reach.
We always believed the story was strong. We now know its social and emotional value is greater than we first understood.
Dead Funny may begin with death, but it is ultimately about life—and the possibilities waiting when we dare to step off the path and explore new ways forward.
Set on Midwinter Night, the film invites us to slow down, look again and notice the lives, possibilities and acts of care that can easily be overlooked.
This is not a new version of Dead Funny. It is a deeper understanding of the film we have been making all along.
Two best friends. One angelic error. An unforgettable Midwinter Night.
Read the full development update: Dead Funny
— Nidd Films
Nidd Films Announces November Screening and Slate Presentation
24 August 2026 — Event Announcement.
Nidd Films will hold a special screening and presentation event on Saturday 28 November 2026, bringing together local businesses, community representatives and potential creative and production partners.
The event will introduce Nidd Films, share the company’s developing slate and explore the role that independent filmmaking can play in celebrating Yorkshire’s landscapes, histories and communities.
Guests will hear about the company’s journey so far, its approach to meaningful regional filmmaking and the plans being developed for its next stage of production.
Nidd Films is now inviting expressions of interest from:
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Local and regional businesses
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Heritage and cultural organisations
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Education partners
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Community representatives
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Film and creative-industry professionals
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Individuals interested in supporting independent production
Places will be limited and further event details will be shared with confirmed guests.
To register your interest in attending or discuss a potential partnership, please contact Nidd Films through our website.
Date: Saturday 28 November 2026
Attendance: By invitation or confirmed registration
Further details: To follow
— Nidd Films
Nidd Films Begins Partnership and Funding Conversations
June 2026 — Company Update
Nidd Films has begun developing a new phase of partnership, funding, and outreach conversations around its growing slate of film projects.
Following the completion of The Valley: A Keeping, the company is now building towards the next stage of development across Dead Funny, Sweetheart: Angel of the Moor, and Child VI: Blood & Water.
These projects continue Nidd Films’ commitment to distinctive independent cinema rooted in Yorkshire landscapes, memory, history, folklore, and emotional storytelling.
As the slate develops, Nidd Films is opening conversations with individuals, organisations, heritage partners, educators, local businesses, and supporters who believe in the value of meaningful independent film.
Further updates will follow as production planning, partnerships, and fundraising activity continue.
— Nidd Films
The Valley: A Keeping Receives Distinction-Level Assessment
June 2026 — Project Update
Nidd Films is pleased to share that The Valley: A Keeping has received a distinction-level assessment as part of Mark Anthony’s MA Film Production work at Teesside University.
The film was awarded 82%, recognising the strength of its visual approach, atmosphere, performance, and research-led connection to place.
Created as a poetic short film rooted in Nidderdale landscape, memory, and local history, The Valley: A Keeping forms an important foundation for the wider Nidd Films slate.
The project continues to shape the company’s approach to independent filmmaking: careful research, authentic locations, meaningful collaboration, and stories that connect landscape with lived memory.
Further screenings, outreach activity, and partnership conversations are planned as the project moves beyond assessment and into its next stage.
— Nidd Films
Dead Funny
03 June 2026 — Project Update
Nidd Films is pleased to announce Dead Funny, a new short film currently in development.
Set within the landscapes of Nidderdale, Dead Funny explores friendship, memory, imagination, and the enduring connections that shape our lives.
Blending gentle humour with magical realism, the film offers a hopeful reflection on companionship, resilience, and belonging, while continuing Nidd Films’ commitment to stories rooted in place, memory, and human connection.
The project joins a growing slate of work that includes The Valley: A Keeping, Sweetheart: Angel of the Moor, and Child VI, Blood & Water.
Visitors can now explore the newly launched project page and discover the first public glimpse of the film’s development.
We look forward to sharing further updates as the project progresses. — Nidd Films
Nidd Films
May 2026 — Website & Slate Update
Nidd Films has unveiled a newly expanded online slate presentation, bringing together current and future film projects within a shared cinematic landscape rooted in memory, atmosphere, and regional storytelling.
The updated website introduces first glimpses of Child VI: Blood & Water alongside works including The Valley: A Keeping, Dead Funny, and Sweetheart: Angel of the Moor — presenting a connected body of work shaped by landscape, folklore, history, and human presence.
Rather than functioning as a traditional production portfolio, the evolving Nidd Films site is designed as a curated cinematic space — combining moving image, photography, research, and visual worldbuilding.
The redesign also introduces a refined visual identity drawn directly from the Yorkshire landscape itself — with tones inspired by heather, stone, moorland grass, dusk light, and weathered earth.
Future development across the slate will continue exploring how film, heritage, education, and exhibition can intersect through regionally rooted storytelling and immersive audience experience.
Current works include:
The Valley: A Keeping
Dead Funny
Sweetheart: Angel of the Moor
Child VI: Blood & Water
— Nidd Films
The Valley:
A Keeping
May 2026 — Nidd Films News
Nidd Films has now completed and submitted The Valley: A Keeping, a practice-led moving-image and research project developed through Mark Anthony’s MA in Producing for Film & Television at Teesside University.
Filmed within Nidderdale, North Yorkshire, the project explores landscape as memory, presence, and trace — approaching the valley not simply as backdrop, but as an active and lived environment shaped by time, weather, history, labour, ritual, and remembrance.
Alongside the moving-image work itself, the project continues to develop through research, reflective practice, and the creation of accompanying educational and heritage materials connected to the wider Nidd Films slate.
Future development will explore how The Valley: A Keeping may evolve within gallery, museum, heritage, and educational contexts — creating spaces where audiences are invited to sit, watch, read, listen, and reflect at their own pace.
Rather than offering fixed answers, the work continues to ask:
What does the land remember?
How does landscape hold human presence?
What traces remain after a life has gone?
— Nidd Films
Preparing for the Year Ahead.
December 2025 — Nidd Films News
As 2025 comes to a close, Nidd Films is entering a focused period of preparation ahead of the next funding and development cycle for Sweetheart: Angel of the Moor.
Alongside continued research and creative development, we are laying the groundwork for how the film will connect with audiences, partners, and supporters in meaningful and responsible ways.
This includes exploring future audience engagement and access models, community engagement, and ethical pathways for involvement that align with independent British filmmaking values.
Our approach for the year ahead prioritises:
• Careful, research-led development
• Long-term cultural and educational impact
• Sustainable production planning
• Transparent relationships with partners and supporters
Rather than rushing into production, Nidd Films is committed to building a strong foundation — ensuring that when funding opportunities arise, the project is creatively, ethically, and practically ready.
Further updates will follow as preparations continue into 2026, including development milestones and partnership conversations.
— Nidd Films
New: Impact & Partners Page Launched
November 2025
We’ve just launched our new Impact & Partners page, outlining how Nidd Films connects cinema with heritage, education, and community.
The page introduces our evolving approach to audience engagement — how stories move beyond the screen through workshops, local exhibitions, and partnerships across Yorkshire and beyond.
It also announces our Community Talks programme, beginning winter 2026, which will share the journey behind Sweetheart: Angel of the Moor and explore the history, research, and creative process that brought Mary-Jane Skaife’s story to life.
This marks the first step toward a wider immersive initiative launching in 2026, designed to reimagine how audiences experience film and place.