Cairn (On The Verge 2026)
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About Cairn
Cairn is an independently produced short film filmed across a 100-mile trek through Scotland’s East Highland Way and surrounding summits. We follow three estranged friends navigating the physical landscape, their connection with each other, and the unspoken weight of grief. Developed through living dramaturgy, where endurance and environment actively carved the narrative in real time, Cairn blurs fiction and reality in its exploration of male friendship and mental health. It is a raw, intimate exploration of love, reconciliation and vulnerability, showing the quiet courage it takes to heal together.
Content/Trigger Warnings: Contains strong language, violence, discussions of mental health/suicidal ideation, grief and discussions of death.
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Credits
Creative Team
Director Louis Jaffa
Screenplay by Christian Lockerbie
Story by Louis Jaffa, Christian Lockerbie, František Heřmánek & Matías Sales Pastor
Producer Louis Jaffa
Executive Producers Louis Jaffa, František Heřmánek, Matías Sales Pastor & Christian Lockerbie
Sound Designer Louis Jaffa
Cast (in order of appearance)
Tiptoes František Heřmánek
Ginger Louis Jaffa
D.d. Matías Sales Pastor
Production Team & Crew
Director Of Photography Louis Jaffa
Assistant Director/Camera Matías Sales Pastor
Sound Recordist Oscar Dash
Editor Louis Jaffa
Editorial Consultants Christian Lockerbie & Matías Sales Pastor
Colourist Deva Acharya Yaksic
Additional Colourist Louis Jaffa
Initial Colour Consultant Luca De’angelo Citti
Editor Louis Jaffa
Re-recording Mixer Louis Jaffa
Subtitles by Louis Jaffa
The Cobbler Summit Filming Unit
Director Louis Jaffa
Director of Photography Jessica Sweeney
Assistant Director Matías Sales Pastor
Transportation
Unit Driver Jon Salihi
Music
Original Score composed & performed by Ingó Arason
Music Director Christian Lockerbie
“A Red, Red Rose”
Poem By Robert Burns
Performed By Isabel Macintosh & Ingó Arason
Filmed On Location
Glasgow; The East Highland Way, Scotland; Fort William; Spean Bridge; Inverlair; Feagour; Loch Laggan; Dalnashallag Bothy; Newtonmore; Kingussie; Kincraig; Aviemore; The Cobbler; Ben A’an
Special thanks to:
Jessica Sweeney, Raisah Ahmed, Brian Ferguson, Rogelio Nevares, Ingó Arason, Isabel Macintosh, Ian Frayne, Oscar Dash, Jack Wason, Philip Ells, Emma Thompson, Greg Wise, Gaby Lazarus, Karyl Nairn, Lisa Gershon, Stephen Gershon, Valerie Vrbová, Roberto Pastor Sanchez, Ana Florencia Heredia Ávila, The Sales Pastor Family