Aimie Willemse is a Scottish, female director who’s been making short films under the belief that having no funding should not prevent anyone from making films of their own. Believing instead that we should use these limitations to create simple yet fascinating short films to push the boundaries of our creative limits on a micro budget. She is particularly drawn to exploring female centric narratives through surreal and fantastical lenses.

Echo focuses on one girl exploring in an abandoned space and learning that there is something else down there. As a dark take on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid“, this short examines the horror behind having your own voice taken away and used by a malicious force for violent or deceitful purposes. Striving to create something truly frightening yet simple with a women-only cast, this terrifying 90 second short was not only one of the Fright Fest 2018 finalists but also the Depict special mention award winner at Encounter Short Film Festival. This micro short has blown us away with its success at both domestic and international festivals.

However, after years of making shorts in Scotland on shoe string budgets Aimie is keen to move onto a more challenging project and this requires financial backing. Both Aimie and her experienced producers are entering her fantastical coming of age film Dream Merchants into various funding schemes such as Pinewood Studios – The Pitch and Tri-Force Film Festival Pitch. They are excited to be pushing onto the next stage of their career development with this visually ambitious short film, but they need your help. By voting for them, you can help a local team of strong, creative indie filmmakers reach the next stage of their careers. So please follow the link and vote for “Dream Merchants”.