Act like pirates and dance till you drop
Making a geri-anarchist ghost story
Ageism is rife on screen. The film industry has spent decades pushing us into the background. If older actors are cast at all, they are usually reduced to lazy stereotypes or frail caricatures. The answer is to take control of our own stories and cast ourselves in the leading roles!
Gilly Hanna
4/10/20262 min read
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The thrill of filmmaking in later life
This is something Grand Gesture, a collective of older dance artists does, producing and performing our own theatrical works. We refuse to bow out gracefully. Instead, we use movement and drama to demand visibility.
The birth of a "Geri-Anarchist" ghost story
Our latest project, The Hempen Jig, sparked to life during the filming of Geri-Anarchists, a documentary about Grand Gesture directed by filmmaker Anders Larsson. While collaborating on that documentary, we discovered a shared passion for the horror genre. We asked ourselves: Why not combine dance with a spooky, camp horror narrative?
Merging local history with digital innovation
Gilly says: “I live in historic, riverside Wapping in East London, an area steeped in a dark maritime past. It’s the place where infamous pirate Captain William Kidd was hanged at Execution Dock in 1701. Local legend says his ghost still haunts the Thames foreshore at low tide. His story became the perfect anchor for our plot.
Making an independent film with zero budget requires a mix of old-school grit, imagination, and modern digital tools:
· Costumes and props: Handcrafted with recycled materials and modified charity shop finds.
· Cast: A passionate crew of talented, willing, older friends acting and dancing.
· Visuals: Instead of an expensive visual effects (VFX) studio, Anders used generative AI tools to craft the supernatural imagery, blending our authentic physical performances with digital backgrounds.
Grand Gesture has a playful, punk DIY ethic – we embrace messy, makeshift and real human connection. So, we were initially wary of using AI in the film. But for this story it made sense to use Anders’ AI wizardry for some of the imagery that would have been impossible for us to achieve otherwise.
Silver screen: why we should act like pirates
We hope our film inspires you to support older indie filmmakers and to make some artistic mischief of your own. Pirates don’t ask for permission; they do what they want. As older creatives, we need to adopt that exact same energy.
Whatever your age, it’s never too late to pick up a cutlass and put on a show—not even for a 300-year-old pirate ghost!