It is a sunny afternoon in an enchanted corner of England. Strains of elegiac classical music fade up on the soundtrack, as a camera begins to gently move along a riverbank gradually revealing an elaborate tableau. Burnt sunbathers, beer-drinking kids, an abandoned baby, a rabbit in a boat, a bicycle accident - in Who Killed Brown Owl, the perfect English arcadia gives way to varying kinds of misfortune, disruption and violence.

With more than a passing reference to the 'narrative' paintings by masters such as Bruegel, this spectacular single take 9-minute short is about a lazy Sunday afternoon that goes horribly wrong. Filmed over the course of one afternoon, Who Killed Brown Owl features a volunteer cast of almost 100 residents of the London Borough of Enfield.
complete cast and crew list

Who Killed Brown Owl won the Best British Short Film Award at the 58th Edinburgh International Film Festival.

UK | 2004 | Colour | 35mm | 1:2.35 | 9mins 23 seconds

Commissioned by the London Borough of Enfield with a grant from Arts Council England.