Mad Potato Studios
it takes a long time to become more subtle
Fresh From the potato
Here you'll find our free to watch short films. A growing playlist of stories: awkward, tender, and sometimes absurd. Follow the link to our YouTube channel.
The Potato Process
Follow our journey from script to screen. Here you can see how we actually make the films, and how each one informs the next, through our choices, failures, and successes.
Potato Grand Reserve
Our latest haunting drama, Why I Stay in My Bag, is available only through this exclusive pack. Click below to explore the short and the extra materials that come with it.
Potato Select Reserve
Watch Possessing My House, our surreal short, available only through this exclusive pack and select UK festivals. Click below to explore the film and the accompanied exclusive content.
About Mad Potato Studios
The People
Astijus - Founder of Mad Potato Studios
I’m a London based independent filmmaker with big dreams and an ever expanding list of stories I hope to tell. Through Mad Potato Studios, I hope to turn the way I see this strange and wonderful world into short films that others can connect to. At the moment I’m the only member of the studio, but over time I hope it grows into a collective of like minded creatives.
Mad Potato Studios
Mad Potato Studios was founded on the idea that thought provoking, artistic films should be easy to access. Our mission is to create shorts that unsettle comfort zones and linger like a screenworm long after the credits roll.
Supporting the Work
All support goes directly into the next production, from lights, sound, and video equipment to props and paying cast and crew. Up to now every film has been self funded, but with your help we can grow, sustain the studio, and keep making more ambitious, polished work.
Help Us Make More Potato Films
Independent films take time, energy, and resources. We’re a small studio with big ambitions and strange ideas. Donations help us fund upcoming projects, cover production costs, and keep telling the kinds of stories we hope you love to watch.
If you’d like to support our work directly, you can do so through the link below.
Thank you for believing in us. Your support keeps Mad Potato Studios alive and cooking.
Fresh From the potato
Our curated list of short films has something for every weirdo to enjoy.
If you've ever found it easier to connect with a dog than a human, try
A story about two awkward strangers who let their carefree dogs drag them into something both romantic and raw.
If you've ever been so lonely you thought of filing a complaint against yourself, watch
a short film about a desperate farmer who fakes a police call in hopes of making a friend.
If customer service has ever driven you close to the edge of madness, see
a story about a man's attempt to wrestle back control over his life from the cold hands of a broadband company.
If a little magic has ever helped you get through losing someone, watch
a story about existence, grief, magic, and how it all connects.
If you've ever wanted to teach an internet loudmouth a lesson, discover
a film about a teenage girl's attempt to get rid of an online troll, and what happens when it doesn't go as planned.
If you've ever searched for a reason to live, see
a short film about a boy’s attempt to help his family, which leads instead to an unexpected friendship and hope.
The Potato Process
Here is our production floor, where mistakes and triumphs shape Mad Potato films.
If you think you need money to start, watch
With no crew, no budget, and a child actor, directing, camera, sound, and lights all fell to one pair of hands, leading to bad audio, steep learning curves, and the too late realisation that pre-production matters.
If you think you’ll be able to fix everything by film two, discover
With cast work improving, new challenges arrived: battling light and shadow, choreographing our first fight scene, and learning the hard way that a gaffer was essential.
Potato Grand Reserve
Watch Why I Stay in My Bag and explore the extras only available here.
Persecuted by a fear of the outside world, Charlotte clings to her black bag while Ruth, a social worker, tries to protect her daughter Emma. With Ruth's patience running out, she forces Charlotte into one final decision: her child or her obsession.
By purchasing this exclusive film pack, you’ll receive the full HD short, the final script, alternate behind the bag footage, hand drawn storyboard sketches, and a curated set of BTS photos. Available on Gumroad through the link below. Every contribution directly funds the next Mad Potato Studios project.
Credits:Directed by Astijus Taujanskas
Produced by Mad Potato Studios
Starring Katty Bicheno, Charlotte Pledger, Natalia Wojcik
Cinematography by James Stittle
Production Sound by James Lynch
Music by Vsevolod Polonsky
Gaffing by Aslan Ntumba
Production Assisting by Elizabeth O’RaffertyRuntime: 7:46 min | Released: 2025
Thank you for your time and supporting our work!
Potato Select Reserve
Watch Possessing My House and discover the extras only available here.
Water still clings to Alice as she settles in for a quiet afternoon of reading, until a cheerful couple walks through her front door and begins to move in as if she wasn't there. No one hears her protests, her walls are destroyed, and the life she knew crumbles around her. Suddenly a fateful doorbell brings her long deceased father with a devastating message, which Alice must accept.
This exclusive pack includes the film in HD, the annotated script with references, a gallery of BTS photos, and the original blocking and shot notes used to make the film. Follow the Gumroad link below to purchase. Every purchase directly supports the next Mad Potato Studios project.
Credits:Directed by Astijus Taujanskas
Produced by Mad Potato Studios
Starring Teya Lanett, Adrian Bracken,
Ocean Barrington-Cook, and Jack Frazer
Cinematography by Patricio Pacheco
Production Sound by: Shean Roberts
Music by Alexis Croft
Colour by Idris ShittuRuntime: 7:30 min | Released: 2025
Your support means the world and helps us keep making films.
