The first chapter of Folk, entitled ‘Prick Song,’ inspired Sonya Rosen at the London Film School to make a stunning short film. ‘Gorse Mother’ has its first screenings in late 2024. Here is a trailer:

I did not have a hand in the film, so can claim no glory, but it is thrilling to see another artist’s imagination interpreting my work. Much of the dialogue is direct from my text, but there are some wonderful improvisations, especially around how to deal with the Gorse Mother herself – a folkloric figment I created and who has taken on a life of her own.

Sonya says this about finding inspiration in Folk: “The language Zoe Gilbert uses is so expressive that as I was reading, I could see so clearly the boys’ breath hanging in the air over the field of gorse. I heard their heartbeats blend with the sound of their bare feet pounding on the earth as if I were already in the editing suite mixing the sound effects myself. I felt the chill of the November air and the painful stabs as Crab thrust his arms into the thorns and his blood started to flow.”

I will update this page with opportunities to watch the full short film as soon as they arise.