Anne-Sofie Lindgaard lifts the mask on her debut commercial

Recently signed to MindsEye, director Anne-Sofie Lindgaard's debut spot is an intense and important film for the domestic abuse charity I Choose Freedom.

The 90-second commercial, called Lifting the Mask, follows an ordinary woman in an ordinary house, taking a quiet moment for herself to have a bath. But familiar sounds - a creaking door, a squeaking floorboard - interrupt her calm and builds the tension. 

As she catches her reflection in the bathroom mirror a masked figure appears behind her and, when that mask is lifted, it’s clear: the threat is from someone she knows. “Not tonight, please,” she whispers - a line that lands with devastating understatement.

Above: Lindgaard's debut commercial for I Choose Freedom, Lifting the Mask.

“Many people wear masks at Halloween, but perpetrators of domestic abuse wear a mask in society - with the real monster only revealed behind closed doors," said Christopher Ringsell, Creative Director at Good Eggs, the agency behind the spot. "We leaned into classic horror tropes and reframed them to show the true fear one in four women live with every day. The aim was to create something that feels cinematic, chilling - and horribly real.” 

The spot will air in advance of horror titles and chillers across the DCM cinema network and, below, Lindgaard discusses the film, telling us about immersing herself in the language of horror, the importance of the music and sound design, and why the mask itself was central to the film.

What attracted you to this script, and did you immediately know how you wanted to approach the film?

What drew me to this script was its raw honesty. As a female director I’m passionate about telling stories that centre women’s truths - their strength, complexity and vulnerability. This one felt deeply personal; I have people close to me who’ve been affected by domestic abuse, so the subject matter really resonated. 

I knew I wanted to approach it in a way that made the audience really feel the tension and humanity in every frame.

From the start, I knew I wanted to approach it in a way that made the audience really feel the tension and humanity in every frame, not just observe it. My goal was to create something that stays with people, sparking empathy and conversation long after the film ends.

The spot apes a certain amount of horror tropes; despite the obviously serious nature of the message, was it fun to play in that arena?

It was both daunting and really exciting to play in the horror space. I’d never done horror before, so I saw it as a great challenge - a chance to study the craft of the genre and see how it could expand my own voice. The key was finding that delicate balance, using the language of horror without letting it overpower the sensitivity of the subject. 

Working with my cinematographer, Jaime Ackroyd, and really approaching the project as a piece of narrative cinema was incredibly rewarding. It allowed us to build something that felt truly cinematic and emotionally honest. Once we got into the edit with Geri Docherty, and later worked on sound and music with Jon Clarke, it became this amazing creative playground. We had such a good time exploring how far we could lean into the genre while keeping the story grounded, emotional and real. 

Above: Director Anne-Sofie Lindgaard. 

Why was Carolyn Maitland the perfect choice as the main character in the spot?

Carolyn was incredible. From her very first tape, I just knew she could bring the character to life with such nuance, depth and humanity. In prep, we had really open conversations that helped build a strong sense of trust between us. It was all about finding that balance - staying within the language of a horror film without revealing the subject matter too soon, and bringing just the right amount of backstory and introspection into her performance.

We didn’t want to hide the fact that it’s a mask; quite the opposite. Because the mask isn’t just a prop - it’s central to the film’s symbolism.

She has this ability to convey so much with subtle shifts - a look, a breath - which was essential for a story like this. We both felt a huge responsibility to treat the subject matter with honesty and respect, grounding everything in real human behaviour. We drew a lot from research and conversations around survivors’ experiences to make sure the portrayal felt authentic and deeply empathetic.

The spot is about the masks people wear - at Halloween, and in society - how much discussion was there around the actual mask used in the film?

Oh, trust me, the mask was a whole thing! Very early on, my producer Lucy [Benson-Brown] and I partnered with Raoul at Face Forge to get it started. We tested different materials, hair techniques - everything! The mask is actually based on our actor Alistair’s real face, which gave it this uncanny realism that was both fascinating and deeply unsettling. It was such a team effort from the Face Forge team to get it made just in time.

We ultimately went for a look that felt grounded in the horror tradition - a rigid latex mask with a big neck piece that made it feel slightly exaggerated and eerie. We didn’t want to hide the fact that it’s a mask; quite the opposite. Because the mask isn’t just a prop - it’s central to the film’s symbolism: the masks people wear in society, and the ones that can conceal darker truths behind closed doors. 

Above: Actor Carolyn Maitland plays the central role in Lindgaard's film.

Music and sound design is an important aspect to horror, and to this spot; can you tell us a bit about that process.

I felt so lucky to work with the amazing Jon Clarke on this. We really loved diving into the sound and music together. From the start, we wanted to play with texture - something that felt at home in the horror space but still fresh and unexpected. I always make a playlist for every project, and I shared it with Jon even before the shoot. It had everything from Mica Levi’s Under the Skin to Thom Yorke’s Suspiria and Adam Bzowski’s Saint Maud. I was definitely leaning into more contemporary horror references when it came to the soundscape of the piece.

The biggest challenge was definitely finding the balance between using genre conventions and treating the subject of domestic abuse with real sensitivity.

Because most of the film takes place in a bathroom, and an old house, we also wanted to use the natural sounds of the space - water, creaks, the movement of air - and weave them into the score. Jon did such a brilliant job blending those everyday sounds into the music so they became part of the emotional tension. I’m still in awe of how much depth and unease he brought to the piece. It really elevated everything!

What was the most challenging part of the process in creating this film?

The biggest challenge was definitely finding the balance between using genre conventions and treating the subject of domestic abuse with real sensitivity. It was a constant calibration - from performance choices to the POV inside the mask, to sound, music, even the grade - everything came down to that question of how far can we push it, and when is it enough? 

Most of my previous work sits within drama - tonally usually described as quite subtle and delicate - so my instinct naturally leans that way. With this piece, I really had to push myself to be bolder, to lean into the visual and emotional language of genre while still keeping it grounded and respectful. That tension between restraint and intensity became the core creative challenge, and ultimately what made the process so rewarding.

Above: The mask was based on the face of the actor playing Carolyn Maitland's husband and was created by Face Forge. 

This is your first commercial shoot; how did you find the experience and how different was it to the projects you'd worked on before? 

It was such a great first experience in commercials, truly. The creatives were so onboard from the start and really trusted me, even from my very first treatment. We had so many great conversations about the tone and visual language of horror, which made the whole process feel really collaborative and creatively alive.

Coming from a narrative background, mostly short films, this project felt like a natural fit - especially in terms of performance and visual storytelling. It was important to all of us that the piece felt cinematic, and I think that approach really came through in the final film.

I also feel really fortunate that my first commercial was a charity piece. That was one of the first things I told Hughie [Philips, Founder] at MindsEye; that my dream first job would be something in the charity space. To work on something that has genuine meaning and impact, surrounded by people who care deeply about creating change, was the perfect introduction to this world. I’m really proud of that.