The Ceremony - Award winning short film
The Ceremony is a multi award winning short horror film directed, produced and edited by Connor Hall, and written by Aashish Gadhvi. The film has been recognised across UK film festivals, winning multiple awards including Best Horror, and continues to stand out as one of our most successful narrative projects.
The story follows two sisters, Alice and Ellie, who must sacrifice a witch in order to become rich and powerful. But as the ceremony begins, the ritual takes an unexpected and terrifying turn when the “witch” reveals her true power and uses it for evil. As the night unfolds, one question remains: who was the ceremony actually for?
Ari Aster was a huge visual inspiration for The Ceremony, particularly in the way his films use colour, lighting and atmosphere to make the audience feel uneasy on a subconscious level.
For the night scenes, we took inspiration from Hereditary, using cooler blue tones to create a sense of darkness, tension and evil, while allowing warm practical lighting to contrast against it. That mix of cold and warm colour helped create a visual battle between good and evil within the frame.
For the day scenes, the inspiration came from Midsommar, especially its use of soft white lighting, pale colour palettes and ceremonial clothing. The white costumes and bright natural light created an unsettling contrast, making scenes that should feel pure or peaceful instead feel tense and uncomfortable. We wanted to use that same idea in The Ceremony using colour, costume and light not just to make the film look cinematic, but to quietly guide how the audience feels throughout the story.
1. The inspiration
The Ceremony went on to become a multi award winning short film, receiving recognition across the UK festival circuit for its horror/thriller storytelling, atmosphere and execution.
The film won Best Horror/Thriller at both the Golden Nugget International Film Festival and a finalist at Belfast International Horror Festival, as well as receiving an Honourable Mention at The Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival. Alongside these awards, The Ceremony was also officially selected for a further five film festivals, helping the film reach new audiences and build recognition within the independent horror scene.
2. The AWARDS
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