Introducing "Rowanberry" — a short film inspired by Slavic folklore and a deeply personal fear of loss.
A family’s world is shattered when their missing son mysteriously returns after vanishing in the mountains. Though he appears unharmed, the mother senses something is wrong. As a deadly illness spreads through their home, she begins to spiral, convinced her son is not who he claims to be — and that he’s the reason all what they have is decaying. 

This film is shaped by the aesthetics of noir and folk horror — genres where darkness does not merely frighten but reveals the hidden, where fear takes shape through silence, symbols, and haunting imagery.
If you are drawn to the eerie, immersive atmosphere of Robert Eggers’ The Witch, or the poetic, introspective worlds of Andrei Tarkovsky and the visual mysticism of Sergei Parajanov — this project echoes that same emotional depth and reverence.

I aim to weave these influences together not by imitation, but as a tribute — through quiet moments, natural elements, ritualistic symbolism, and raw emotion. This film seeks to merge folklore with personal grief, the visual with the spiritual.
It is a story about the threshold between life and death, about the thin crack in reality into which the mind can fall. About a mother’s instinct, sensing a truth beyond logic. About love confronting horror.

We are creating this film to start a conversation about death — not as an end, but as a mystery we fear to touch. This story touches on the universal questions that live in all of us: What happens when we face loss? How do fear and sorrow reshape our relationships?

We are asking for your support to bring this vision to life. All contributions will go directly towards the production of the film: equipment rental, actor fees, and technical support.
With your help, we can create a powerful, high-quality project that will resonate with audiences.

Join us in bringing this story to the screen. Your support is not just financial — it’s an investment in art, in emotion, and in the future of cinema.
Together, we can make this happen.

Director - Anastasia Kostyukova 

Producer - Simone Perali 

Composer - Sprectres 

DOP - Ilona Järvelä