Joseph Archer and Cathy Wippell (Silicon Gothic) - Feature

Ella Valentine
May 10
5 min read

Updated: May 11

SNAPSHOT

Directed by JOSEPH ARCHER

Written by Cathy Wippell

Produced by Silicon Gothic

Starring : Tom Stourton (100 Nights of Hero), Cathy Wippell, Hazel Rogers, Nadia Lamin (Host, Feed Me), Lydia Helen (The Little Mermaid). Featuring Ishtar Currie-Wilson (The First Omen) and Freya Parks (This Town).

Snapshot is a horror/mystery set in London, 1988 which follows amateur inventor Tamworth, who has just created the first moving image machine. A modified pinhole camera with wax cylinders attached that he uses to document a group of women who have fallen into a conspiracy claiming the violent ‘Jack The Ripper’ is not a man, but a monster.

In a new exclusive interview on Horror Valentines, Ella spoke with director Joseph Archer and writer, Cathy Wippell about Snapshot, produced by Silicon Gothic.

Hi Joseph, your production company Silicon Gothic highlights environmental damage and social issues in modern British society, what more can you tell us about this core focus or mission behind your current work, and what are you hoping to contribute to the wider genre landscape?

Our manifesto-led company, Silicon Gothic, portrays the man made problems of today as physical monsters. By doing this, we make overwhelming and often intangible issues tangible.

Consequently, through our stories, we bring awareness of modern societal and environmental issues to the forefront of the British indie horror and thriller genres.

In short, we make entertaining and commercial genre films that have subtle, underlying messages.

Our impact-driven approach often sees us working with third sector organisations and specialised labs, such as the Together Films x BFI Business of Impact Lab. This reflects the motivation of our company to bring impact-led narratives to the global genre landscapes and make a real, tangible change to our world through our filmmaking.

How does Snapshot fit in within your values and what continues to drive you in this space creatively or professionally, and why does this work matter to you personally?

Both of us come from activist backgrounds, so creating something with the potential to contribute something more, to spark debate and make a change within society, has always been a key aspect of how we approach our slate.

Genre films have historically provided a platform for socio-political and environmental commentaries; the countless styles, sub-genres and subjects that are available within the space create a wealth of possibilities to explore modern day issues in bold, anarchic ways which simply aren't possible in other genres.

With 'Snapshot', Joseph's experience as an ex-newspaper journalist was a key driving force behind our motivation to produce the film as Silicon Gothic's debut. With the disturbing, ever-increasingly urgent rise of misinformation and fake news, we knew that 'Snapshot' needed to hit the circuit as soon as possible.

Misinformation poses a real-time threat to democracy and, at a time when far right ideals are on the rise, we knew our debut had to highlight the dangers of buying into a singular perspective or world view, and how truth can be manipulated within this context. Unfortunately, this is - as the film explores - especially pertinent in regards to gender.

Cathy, being part of a genre space that is still evolving in terms of representation, what is your perspective on the role of women in genre today, and where do you see the most meaningful change happening?

We think the answer to this is that there is by no means a lack of women working in genre, but unfortunately the issue is that so many of these talented filmmakers simply don't have as much of a platform for their work.

This is why events and panels like the one Yes She Cannes is organising are so important. By creating specific spaces to celebrate the work of female filmmakers at high profile industry events and festivals, female filmmakers gain more visibility.

It's also about reclaiming certain tropes and narratives. For example, there are countless 'Jack the Ripper' films, but how many of them place the women themselves at the centre of the story? In our own take on the ripper narrative, 'Snapshot', 5 of the 6 leading cast are women, and the average ratio of women (cast and crew) on a single shoot day was over 70 percent for the majority of the days. A huge part of improving representation of women within genre is challenging these horror tropes/ traditional narratives and revolutionising how women are represented within them.

There is also a need to delve more into the female experience in genre, to not be afraid to address difficult or distressing subject matter. At the first film market Cathy pitched at, when she was 22, another woman sat opposite her and told her that she should try and pitch her horror about abortion without using the word itself as it was simply too 'taboo'. 'Think about what you'd say if it was a man sitting opposite you' were the exact words used...but these are our stories, and why should we not tell them? Or worse, shave away at them to make them palatable for a male audience...

It goes without saying that male filmmakers, funders and creatives play a hugely important part in this as well. By supporting platforms like the Yes She Cannes 'women in genre' events, incorporating more female roles that challenge horror tropes into their work, collaborating with more female filmmakers...but the list goes on...the point being, it has to be a collective action to represent women more in the genre space.

With both of you being driven by activism and mission statement, what does participating in this Cannes genre platform mean for your work, and what are you hoping it helps unlock or amplify?

The Cannes genre platform provides a really valuable opportunity to spread the word about our female-led take on a 'ripper' horror to more like-minded filmmakers; we would love the film to find those who are looking to help create a space for female-led narratives and female-majority cast and crews within the genre space.

We hope to connect with sales agents, festivals and distributors with an interest in innovative, female-focussed genre work, as well as future collaborators and producers working in this space.

In the words of Line Langebek (The Girl With The Needle), 'SNAPSHOT gives voice to the women...and a new kind of ghost story'. With 'Snapshot' being our debut film as a company (and also Joseph's directorial debut alongside Cathy's writing debut), we want it to make a bold statement on the increasingly urgent issue of misinformation, but also to showcase the work of an extremely talented majority female cast and crew who have created a truly unique addition to the found-footage sub-genre.

PANEL FEATURE

Joseph Archer and Cathy Wippell will be joining the Women in Genre panel at the Marché du Film, Cannes Film Festival 2026.

Women in Genre: Shaping Careers, Opening Doors & Building Power

Presented by Yes She Cannes & Fantastic Pavilion in partnership with Etheria Film Festival and Wench Film Festival

MAY 16TH | 3:30 – 4:30 PM | PALAIS STAGE, MARCHÉ DU FILM

Open to all accredited attendees

Free entry | See Marché du Film Conference Schedule for details

Follow Joseph: https://www.instagram.com/_joseph_archer_

Follow Cathy: https://www.instagram.com/cathywippell

ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER

Ella is the founder of Horror Valentines, a platform dedicated to celebrating and amplifying voices within the horror and genre space. Through interviews, features, and curated content, her work highlights emerging and established filmmakers while exploring the evolving landscape of genre storytelling. She’s also an award-winning screenwriter, with her feature film “Revolution X” currently streaming on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

Follow Ella: https://www.instagram.com/itsellavalentine