PRAXIS FILMS LTD
About us
​Praxis Films is a film production company devoted to telling stories with soul — narratives that dive into the depths of the human condition, cross through time, and engage with the invisible. Our name, Praxis, comes from the Greek: it means action born from inner conviction, thought made flesh, belief translated into movement. For us, filmmaking is exactly that — making visible what burns within.
​
Our debut film, Messiah, defines the ethos that drives us: a sincere pursuit of works that challenge, move, and transform. Inspired by Handel’s music and the spiritual battle for the human soul, Messiah is both a beginning and a statement of purpose. But it is not a boundary.
​
We love period films. The poetry of details, the weight of history, what is revealed behind a velvet curtain or in a candle flickering out. We are also drawn to soulful comedies, unflinching dramas, and gothic or noir films that explore darkness with beauty and language.
​
At Praxis, we believe cinema can be a mirror, a prayer, a confrontation, or a redemption. Sometimes all of those at once. What matters is that it speaks — and that what it says is worth hearing.
concept art sketches for Mentalo
Still from Messiah shoot
photo: Astrid Schulz
Marinella Setti Mantle
Director, Writer & Producer
Marinella Setti Mantle is a Brazilian-born director and writer based in London, UK. With over 25 years of experience in the film and television industry, she has built a career that spans creative disciplines and international productions — from her early days volunteering on NFTS student films to recent credits on No Time To Die, The Essex Serpent, and the upcoming Apple TV+ series Disclaimer, where she co-directed splinter unit.
Originally trained as a musician, and later as a graphic designer and photographer, Marinella brings a rich visual and emotional sensibility to her storytelling. After moving to London to pursue a Film Directing MA, she chose instead to immerse herself in hands-on experience, beginning a long and successful career as a script supervisor. In this role, she worked alongside directors such as Neil Jordan, Alfonso Cuarón, and Alex Garland — an apprenticeship that shaped her directorial voice.
​
Her directorial work began with LUREX, a short film selected from over 600 entries for production by the Tower Hamlets Film Fund. The film won awards and multiple nominations on the festival circuit, as did her follow-up projects CHASMOGAMY and SEA CHANGE. She is currently developing Rock Rose, a feature film written by Lisa Baker, whose latest project Madfabulous is in post production at Mad As Birds films.
​
Marinella is a 2022/2023 alumna of the Directors UK Inspire programme.
​
Her latest work, MESSIAH — a spiritually charged, music-led period drama inspired by Handel’s oratorio — will be released in 2025 as the inaugural film under her new banner, Praxis Films.
Pete Mantle
Writer, Producer, Actor
​
Pete is also an
artist and landscape
gardener, currently
developing a
garden comedy
sitcom.
Marinella Setti Mantle
Awards & Nominations
Marinella's first short 'LUREX' travelled the world's festivals, gaining recognition and nominations at festivals as diverse as Alpinale, FEC Reus, Larissa, Gijón, and many more.
Her second short 'Chasmogamy' screened at Filmfest Dresden, London Short Film Festival, East End Film festival, Monaco and many more.
'Sea Change' also did the rounds, docking at Cork IFF, Brest IFF, BUFF, and won Grand Jury Prize at SWIFF.
​
'Messiah' has only just started its festival run - we are screening in Lewes, Sussex, and also at Venezia Shorts!
​
​
