He is currently in crowdfunding The Haunted Swordsman, the new Gothic ghost story by Kevin McTurk, model maker, cinematographer, puppeteer and effects artist. As in the extraordinary Mill at Calder's End (link to review), his award-winning short film that won the "Best Animation" category at The Optical Theatre Film Festival 2016, also in The Haunted Swordsman the protagonists are bunraku puppets (puppets up to and over 90 cm tall handled by puppeteers) made by McTurk himself.
The director thus blends multiple elements of Japanese culture by using the famous puppets of Japanese theater and placing a samurai at the center of the story.
Plot: When the shogun dies due to an evil supernatural force, a samurai collapses to his knees, and as he prepares to commit seppuku, a voice distracts and stops him from committing the ritual. Speaking to him is the ghoulish head of another samurai who offers to help him take revenge and guide him through a haunted world, legendary creatures and nightmares rooted in folklore.
