Closure comes with a cost
A bullied teenage girl discovers a banned grief-tech capsule that promises to reconnect her with her deceased mother. When she takes it far beyond the recommended timeframe, she unknowingly invites in an ancient malevolent entity that begins destroying everything she has left.
Written, directed and produced by Aaran McKenzie Films.
Production
Aaran McKenzie (Director/Writer/Producer)
Georgia Conlan (Lead/Producer)
Suzie Lee (Producer)
Natalie Yates (Producer)
Lead
Leading the cast as Ava Blakemore is Georgia Conlan, an experienced film and television actress whose work spans various television dramas and independent productions.
Project Status
Filmed across multiple production blocks throughout 2026, the project has now passed the halfway point of principal photography, with an ambitious range of locations, performances and practical effects already captured.
EXPLORE
Meet the Director & Lead
Aaran McKenzie: Director & Writer
Aaran McKenzie is a founding member of the band While She
Sleeps and was born and raised in Sheffield. Alongside his
successful music career, Aaran has spent over a decade
working as a cinematographer and director, developing a
distinctive visual style and story telling approach.
His award-winning short films have screened internationally
at festivals including Vancouver International Film Festival,
Paris International Short Festival, New York's Haunted House
Fearfest, Romford Horror Festival, Dark Hedge s International
Film Festival, Grindhouse Festival, HorrorCon UK and
BIFA-qualifying SOIFF, where he received top honours.
Aaran's background in music deeply informs his filmmaking,
bringing a unique understanding of rhythm, emotion,
atmosphere and audience connection to every project.
Afterglow marks the natural evolution of his creative journey
into feature filmmaking.
Georgia Conlan: Ava Blakemore & Producer
At the centre of Afterglow is Georgia Conlan, who takes on the role of Ava, a teenager whose attempt to reconnect with her deceased mother has devastating consequences.
Georgia brings an established background in television and independent film, with credits including Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, Casualty and The Reckoning.
She also wrote, directed, produced and starred in the independent feature Charlotte, which premiered at FrightFest in 2024.
Her performance forms the emotional centre of Afterglow, moving between intimate family drama and increasingly demanding psychological horror.
Looking ahead
With more than half of principal photography complete, Afterglow is moving into its next stage of production.
The remaining months of 2026 will see the team completing a number of outstanding sequences, with filming scheduled to continue into 2027.
Much of the remaining work centres around the film's principal house location, where several of its most important dramatic and horror sequences will take place.
Meanwhile, editing is progressing alongside production, allowing the team to develop the film's structure and pacing as new material is completed.
The entire filmmaking process is also being documented for a behind-the-scenes feature, offering an insight into the creative and practical challenges of bringing an independently produced film to life.
The next phase will bring together the remaining pieces of a project that has already been several years in the making.
Behind the Scenes
