During the lockdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the world closed down. All non-essential work ceased and many found themselves stuck inside our houses. Of all the industries hit by the enforced captivity, film and television was one of the worst affected. With people unable to travel or be close to those outside of their bubble, creating anything was near impossible. One filmmaker that rose to the challenge however, was writer and director Josephine Rose. Seeing an opportunity where others saw an obstacle, Rose set about creating feature film Touchdown, which spanned continents across the globe and used the pandemic to form a basis for a fictional narrative involving an alien invasion.
When meteor storms bring a new lifeform to earth, global authorities implement emergency controls as they move in secret to eliminate the predators. A group of five friends (including House of the Dragon’s Clinton Liberty) who are separated in different countries, risk everything to survive. Do they cower in place, or face their fears and head out into the world to re-find each other as they face the monster? In the tradition of District 9 and Cloverfield, a grounded sci-fi adventure intended to speak of our time and the creeping growth of authoritarianism.
Touchdown received its world premiere at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest as part of the yearly First Blood strand, a selection of programming that highlights the best new genre voices within the UK. Given the nature of Touchdown’s filming, the premiere was the first time that lead actor Clinton Liberty had been in the same room as his co-stars, making the event extra special. Both Josephine Rose and Clinton Liberty were able to tear themselves away from their team long enough to speak with THN on the FrightFest media wall. There we discussed making a movie in lockdown, the film’s eerie resonance to our current political climate, and how starring in Touchdown enabled Clinton Liberty to imagine dragons when filming House of the Dragon.
Touchdown received its world premiere at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest. A release date is still to be announced.
