Stealth Media Group’s The Coven set to spook the AFM 2013

Dexter Fletcher began his career as a child star with a stunning performance as ‘Baby Face’ in  ‘Bugsy Malone’. He has never stopped working since and with a memorable role in Guy Ritchie’s ‘Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’, he became a household name.  More recently he’s had parts in the successful television series ‘Misfits’ and      features ‘Kick Ass’ and ‘The Three Musketeers’.

Dexter recently turned his hand to directing and won a Bafta nomination for his debut film ‘Wild Bill’. He has just completed directing his second feature ‘Sunshine on Leith’ and with several acting roles lined up, he will continue to balance both directing and acting.

Holly and Cloe Mackie started acting age five and appeared in two West End productions. They joined Sylvia Young Agency at the young age of six after notoriously being asked to leave TheatreTrain for their repeatedly wild behaviour. Stealing the mic from the singing tutor and tearing round the room with it mid-lesson was the final straw.

S.Y. saw potential and felt film was the way forward. Their first film was the award winning short ‘Wednesday’ by Rob Sorrenti. This lead to several other short film roles, commercials, promos and then a small part in the feature ‘Death Defying Acts’ at the age of eight. ‘St Trinian’s’ and ‘Legend of Fritton’s Gold’ followed with them cast as terrible twins ‘Tara and Tania’.

Magda Rodriguez is a London based Spanish actress with dual nationality. She trained at ‘The Method Studio’ and the ‘City Literary Institute’ and furthered her training at ‘The Actors Centre’ and ‘Webber Douglas’.

Equally happy on stage and screen she has performed in West End theatrical productions along with several shorts and features. After appearing as the Devil’s Prince (Belial) in ‘The Coven’, Magda has appeared with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in Hollywood blockbuster ‘Fast and Furious 6’.

Madeleine Rose Witney was born in London and has been singing since she could talk.

Excelling in music and drama, Maddie has performed not only in school plays but in several London music venues since the tender age of fourteen, including a stint at The Playboy Club, Mayfair and more recently performing at ‘The Turning Point Festival’ at The Roundhouse, Camden Town, London.

Maya Charlery half Spanish and half St Lucian started acting school in London at the age of 5 and joined the 'Young Actors Theatre' agency by the age of 6. Maya has also been modelling since she was a baby and has appeared in several commercials, various television series and short films.

‘The Coven’ is her first feature and her casting was set in stone by Cloe and Holly’s vote.

Fiona Maeve O’Brien was born in London, and has Irish heritage.

She attends drama classes and has appeared in numerous school plays. ‘The Coven’ is her first venture into film.

Rachel Summers was born and bred in London. An actress and Voice Over Artist, she graduated from Central School of Speech and Drama in 2010, completing an MA Acting for Screen, beforehand training at A.L.R.A (Academy of Live & Recorded Arts). 

With regular theatrical performances behind her, Rachel’s film debut in ‘The Coven’ has lead to further roles in both features and television.

Billy Red Mackie also joined the Sylvia Young Agency at the age of eight. He has appeared in several commercials and promos but it was as a supporting actor in ‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’ that Billy decided he wanted to act.

Since appearing in ‘The Coven’, he has been attached to two features currently in development.

Kazim Benson was born in London and began his theatrical career at an early age. His first show was in the critically acclaimed 'Caroline or Change' at The National Theatre.

He then went on to perform the demanding and leading role of ' Simba' in the west end production of  'The Lion King' for a period of six months.

Mark Harris made his name as a champion boxer before training at The Sylvia Young School and Drama Centre London. After small roles in films such as ‘Brighton Rock’.

Mark achieved his first starring role in Susan Jacobson's ‘The Holding’ and then ‘Anuvahood’. In 2012, he had roles in ‘Outside Bet’ and ‘The Crypt’ and has since written and starred in his gritty directorial debut ‘Abducted’.

Tony O’Callaghan is London born but of Irish heritage. He has enjoyed a very successful career in television playing major characters which made him a household name in hit shows such as The Bill, and Holby City.

Tony has also recently been a central character in a major storyline in TV’s ‘EastEnders’.

The Coven - The Facts
In the middle of the wild ancient Woodland that is Queen’s Wood in Highgate, North London, is a small strange clearing surrounded by thirteen Oak trees.

Wiccan Figurines of dancing ladies hide high in the trees over which it is said no birds will fly, encircling and protecting it.

This is The Coven.

Robert Cochrane, a well known Witch, claiming to be descended from a long line of witches, committed suicide by ingesting Belladonna on the summer solstice 1966 (-6-66).

“Farewell from this world, but not the Circle.

That place that is between worlds”*

After his death his Coven of witches renamed themselves ‘The Regency’ in his honour and would meet in The Coven at Queen’s Wood.

Other Covens of witches still meet regularly there and there are local rumours of far darker deeds occurring.

*From “An Epitaph to a Witch” by Doreen Valiente – a member of Cochrane’s coven.

The Woods - The Facts
Beneath an innocent Children’s Play area in these woods hides the dark secret of one of London’s plague pits.

Victims of the Black Death that swept Europe in the 1600’s were thrown unceremoniously from carts into the vast lime-filled pits.

There is nothing to inform the unsuspecting of the horror that lies below.

As all beneath us lay the dead we walk upon their sunken heads their lives bequeathed so we can breathe again

Today there are several Pagan groups who convene in The Coven.

During filming, our schedule unfortunately fell on Halloween and while attempting to film we were warned off by a group of Witches who didn’t want us to witness their rituals.

Arguments ensued but despite our permission to film, we eventually gave in and wrapped for the day, concerned that they may upset our project.

Since that date the project was blighted as we sadly experienced three very sudden and completely unexpected deaths relating to our crew.

Our first Editor lost her Mother.

The Director lost his brother.

Our Sound Designer lost his brother.

The Coven – The Story
Present day, late October in historic Highgate, North London. 

Charismatic Teacher (Mr Sheers) strolls a wood panelled classroom debating with his young teenage students the significance of the number seven, the religious values of Neo-Paganism and recent activity in nearby Queen’s Wood, home to many lime-filled plague pits from the Black Death in the sixteen hundreds.

He reveals there exists a clearing within Queen’s Wood surrounded by thirteen ancient Oak trees officially known as ‘The Coven’ and that many Pagans continue to meet there.

His lesson is interrupted by a beautiful Supply Teacher (Mrs Belial), who advises that he is needed by the Headmaster right away.

Mrs Belial continues the class and raises the topic of missing rebel politico ‘Uri Clef’.  She explains the name ‘Uri’ is Hebrew for ‘God of Light’ and ‘Clef’ is French for the word ‘Key’. The Key to the God of Light.

Uri charmed students across the country with his enigmatic ways. Parents objected to his extremist views, fearing he was gathering a young atheistic army. The suggestion of anarchy is fuelled after seven people vanished on the night of Halloween some years before – Uri Clef and his chosen six disciples. All that was found were Uri’s motorbike keys under one of Oaks in the Coven, linking his presence to Queen’s Wood that night. 

The Woods have remained closed to the Public on Halloween ever since.

Captivated, five school girls: (twins Cara & Ruby, Ulrika, Fran and Izzy) plan a secret sleep-over in the woods on Halloween and lie to their parents about their whereabouts.

In the Coven they discover the name “LUCIFER” freshly scrawled on the ground and in an act of bravado Izzy chalks their names under each matching initial.

She leaves two spare letters: L and E.

Mr Sheers meets with colleague Charlie in the local pub and discusses his day. He tells Charlie that he had been summoned to the Head Master but that he couldn’t find him and that the school office had no record of the Supply Teacher either.

Charlie is shocked to discover that the name of the Supply is Mrs Belial as this means ‘Prince of the Devil’.
Mr Sheers laughs this off as Hocus Pocus but is left feeling unsettled.

Two young lads, Louie and Eddy are forced to take the short cut home through the woods after missing the last train home from a party. Mrs Belial watches closely in the shadows as they climb over the railings.
As the night wears on, it is clear that the seven youngsters are not alone in the Woods and their being there is no coincidence.

A powerful motorbike roars through the undergrowth, blinding them in the glare of its headlight, hunting them down one by one.

Who is he? What does he want with them? Are they the next ‘seven’ ?

This is a contemporary no gore spooky film aimed to include a younger audience, steeped with Historic facts, shot solely on location in Highgate and in the actual ancient Coven in Queen’s Wood.

The Coven Film Page | Stealth Media Group Website

THE COVEN SCREENS AT AFM IN 2013