Chichester film-maker's big hopes for sci-fi-supernatural project in 2026
Chichester film-maker Jay Natrajan has got high hopes for 2026 as he starts sending out his two-part sci-fi-supernatural short Is It Dawning to film festivals.
On the back of it he is hoping to attract the funding – maybe £800,000-£900,000 – to make the full-length feature film sequel Is It: The Revelation.
The trailer for Is It Dawning is available to watch on IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt36375379/?ref_=fn_t_1. Jay promises it as an extremely deceptive, well crafted, supernatural/sci-fi mystery thriller, following the convergence of the unexplainable mysteries in the lives of John and Cait.
It is being screened on January 7 2026 at BFI, Stephen Street Venue, doors open at 18:45,
screening starts at 19:15.
“Despite a shoestring budget, the short film maintains a high level of quality, evident in the story, acting and final product,” he says. “Due to budget constraints, I wore many hats during production, from editing, background score compilation, sound design, post-production to marketing.”
Is It Dawning was filmed in Chichester in locations including North Street and the library and Waterstones and also in a care home in Selsey.
“I started writing the original screenplay in October (2024) and I finished it in December. The whole thing took just over a year. With the cast and crew I think I probably had 16 or 17 people but I was so lucky in the sense that I was helped by a production company called Old Chapel Studio. They helped me with the equipment. I really got away with that. They were extremely nice people, and the cast and crew were excellent people to work with as well and so very talented.
“The idea for it all has been brewing in my mind for a very long time, the story of paranormal events. Most films are mainly supernatural or horror or sci-fi but I'm telling a story which combines supernatural with sci-fi together with steps into horror.
“The starting point for the story is a combination of all my life’s experiences. I bring everything that has happened together and the story just evolves from there. I've lived and worked in so many different countries and I have met so many different people and I just combine everything.”
At the centre of it all are John and Cait, normal people who work in the film industry but whose lives have long been punctuated by mysterious occurrences.
Is It Dawning is the prequel. The full-length feature will be the sequel. Jay is hoping to be able to make a start on the project by the middle of 2026 and, if he gets the funding in place, to make a start on the filming by the end of the year.
“I can't start without the funding. For the shorts I wore so many different hats and did so many different things. I was writer and director and producer and editor but for a feature film it will be different so I do need the funding in place first, but I also want to make sure that I have my creative freedom in making the film.”
More details on www.alienbloodvision.com.