Richard III – Unto The Kingdom Of Perpetual Night

“When the imprisoned Duke of Clarence recounts an apocalyptic dream, his jailer fears for what lies ahead…”

Starring Gary Graham, Justin Hay. Adapted and directed by Mona Zaidi, Running time: 8 minutes

Winner “Best Film Adaptation”, 2017 Shakespeare Film Festival

Winner “Best Film of the Festival”, 2017 Shakespeare Film Festival

“For its wide range of creative ambitions in performance, cinematography, language and theme, and for the high quality of execution in all these areas, I congratulate the maker of Richard III – Unto the Kingdom of Perpetual Night. This was a powerfully felt, cinematically ambitious exploration of nightmare- personal and global. The Shakespeare text was well-spoken and felt, and the language allowed to breathe. Shakespeare as prophet was met with prescient image making of the self-destruction of which man is capable, in imagination and action. There was a unity of design here that had gravity and grandeur without bombast. Sombre, thoughtful and complete.”

Sir Kenneth Branagh, 2017 Shakespeare Film Festival Judge, 5-time Academy Award nominee and BAFTA award winner

Director’s Commentary:

“This film is an exploration of Act One, Scene Four from Shakespeare’s Richard III, in which the imprisoned Duke of Clarence recounts an apocalyptic dream to his jailor.

Against the backdrop of the current global crisis, Shakespeare’s images of a world on edge – wrecked ships, drowning men, and the wealth of an entire civilization scattered at the bottom of the sea – seem strikingly relevant, a testament to the timelessness of the text.

Cinematically, I thought the dream sequence presented a rather unique opportunity to set the piece within its intended period, but, through the dream, juxtapose images across a span of time – a surreal cycle depicting the human tragedy of war. I used the idea of a “magic door” that opens up and allows the viewer to watch Clarence’ dream alongside him as he narrates. To end the piece, I included a speech from Act Two, Scene Three that I felt captured the mood of our times with extraordinary insight: Now masters, look to see a troublous world… Truly, the hearts of men are full of fear…”

View the trailer:

https://vimeo.com/232197663