Cry Like A Guy
Why do we cry? What’s the deal with those little droplets of emotion? Kieran Bew (HBO's 'House of the Dragon', Netflix's 'Warrior') leads us on a gruff, goofy, educational and emotional adventure through the senses into the fascinating world of tears. A feast for the feels.
Directed by Ant Rubinstein
Written by Catherine Willoughby
PRODUCED BY UNIT 9 FILMS
Why do we cry? What’s the deal with those little droplets of emotion? Kieran Bew (HBO's 'House of the Dragon', Netflix's 'Warrior') leads us on a gruff, goofy, educational and emotional adventure through the senses into the fascinating world of tears. A feast for the feels.
ABOUT THE FILM
CRY LIKE A GUY has been featured online with Film Shortage, Beyond the Short, Minute Shorts, and Curation Hour. I won awards at Sunday Shorts and Indie Short Fest in LA, received Honourable Mention at the Margate Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Micro Film, best editing, and best sound at Phoenix Rising. Additional festival highlights include Little Venice Film Festival and Boundless Film Festival.
ABOUT THE FILMmakers
Ant Rubinstein is a London based director / VFX artist / general creative nerd. Armed with an Engineering degree from the University of Cambridge and a couple of years working internally at Red Bull Media House - he’s recently moved into directing commercials for global brands (Google, Meta, Mastercard, Honda, Ford) and music videos for Chart topping artists (Sean Paul, Camilla Cabello). He picked up aa Young Director Award at Cannes for a zero-budget pandemic short film - which is now preserved in the BFI national archives. In his filmmaking he is all about innovating and pushing boundaries wherever possible, he loves that intersection where tech meets art, and especially loves getting his hands dirty building creative contraptions using the latests tools and technologies.
Catherine Willoughby is a planing director at Adam & Eve DDB by day, and a passionate poet / writer of spoken word by night.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH ANT & CATHERINE
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.
We’re a London based writer director duo - by day Catherine (writer) is a planning director at Adam & Eve DDB and by night an avid poet / writer of spoken word. Ant (director) is a freelance filmmaker working in commercials, with a keen interest in VFX and messing about with the latest tools and technology. Together we love collabing on projects like this, we like to make things that play to our creative strengths and that can also inspire, educate and entertain at the same time. Our last short ‘There’s Something Going Around’ was about how memes kept us sane during the pandemic, and it ended up preserved in the BFI national archives (as well as garnering a coveted Kino short of the week selection too) .
Tell us about the genesis of Cry Like A Guy and your motivation for making this film.
Believe it or not, the topic was inspired by a disagreement between Catherine and Ant. We realised we’d been socially conditioned to have opposing views about the value and usefulness of tears, and wanted to explore that in a piece of creative writing. Catherine wrote a longer spoken word poem originally, then we decided to make it into a film - and target it specifically at men as that had more of a cultural hook than crying in general.
We started by researching to answer the simple question “why do we cry?”, and the explanation fit into those three broad themes. So we wove them together in a story that builds continuously; starting with what’s happening in your body (biological), then looking outwards to your interaction with other people around you (sociological), and then zooming out even further to consider people across time (historical) - painting the full picture that today’s stigmatisation of male tears is not very productive or sensible. The whole process was a fascinating journey of research and discovery.
This is a huge topic, and such an important one too. We feel that the boundaries of traditional masculinity are very much in flux at the moment, and we hope this film can play a small part in reshaping the narrative. We’d love it to be seen by as many people as possible in an educational context and we’re working on charity partnerships / amplification to get it in front of the people who could benefit the most from the messaging.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making Cry Like A Guy and how did you overcome them?
The hardest bit of any short film project has go to be getting it off the ground and building that initial momentum! We had such a great script and I knew we needed to find the right narrator who could do it justice, but at the start when it’s just an idea in your head how do you convince people to see the value in it? Because I do a lot of VFX, my approach was to create a really intricate 3D animatic of the whole thing, we plotted out exactly what was going to happen and when - particularly how it was going to flow together with these theatrical sliding scenery pieces. I worked on this for a good few months, knitting the story together and figuring out exactly what we needed. This was the only thing I could really do to drive the project forward by myself, but the pre-vis actually became invaluable in getting people excited and on board - It’s what enabled us to attract Kieran as our narrator. It also meant on the shoot we could be super efficient with coverage, as we had the film pretty much all laid out already in terms of what shots we needed where, to stretch our slender budget to the absolute maximum.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences and some of the festival circuit highlights.
My approach to getting this out there in the world has just been make as much noise as I possibly can about it online! Our premiere was just on my YouTube channel (after a screening for friends and crew) - and I’m constantly posting behind the scenes snippets and making-ofs on instagram to get people to go and watch the full thing. Side note: I’d definitely recommend behind the scenes content as a great way to promote a film on social media, little snackable snippets are much more engaging and shareable than a full film that requires attention and focus, plus there’s a multitude of pages that will repost good behind the scenes content if you make it for them! Because we both work in advertising we’re trying to get it in front of as many industry people, brands and agencies as we can - with the ambition being we can find a purpose for it with a charity or a cause to amplify the message.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
This was my time doing a short with a really established actor, we were so lucky to get Kieran on board and I think my big learning / hack would be don’t be scared to go after a big star! If you can find a way to get through to them and you’ve got a good idea I don’t think anyone is off limits. That applies to crew, VFX artists and everyone involved in the process. Filmmaking is a team sport and you never know who you might be able to get on board and how much they might be able to elevate your work if you don’t try! For us, the narrator was always going to be what the success of the film hinged on and Kieran’s experience in House of the Dragon, Netflix’s Warrior and all manner of other ‘tough guy’ roles made him a perfect fit for the part.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
An inspiration for this film that I heartily recommend was Wes Anderson’s adaptation of Henry Sugar on Netflix, mainly for the theatrical transitions and sliding set pieces - they add a whimsical sprinkle of surprise and delight to every scene and elevate moments that could just be a mundane cut. I think in this world of oppressive CGI and Ai there’s something so special about clunky mechanical transitions that really feel handmade. Another big inspiration for us was ‘Quarter life poetry’ by Samantha Jane, we love the spoken word narrator lead narrative. It’s such a great way to tell a story with so much lyrical flair and creative flourish, a piece we defintely aspired to emulate!
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Hold My Hand
In this recognisable advert, a gang of giddy sunseekers go on a trip they’ll never forget.
Written, directed by Lucy Hilton Jones & Elliot Taylor
PRODUCED by Greenfingers Film
In this recognisable advert, a gang of giddy sunseekers go on a trip they’ll never forget.
ABOUT THE FILM
HOLD MY HAND was a straight-to-online release, but has since been screened at Blade and Bow Showcase, Glasgow and Adult Film Club, Manchester.
ABOUT THE FILMmaker
Lucy Hilton Jones is an award-winning actor/writer/director and co-founder of Greenfingers Film. A two-time Funny Women Award finalist and BBC Comedy Collective semi-finalist, her short films have been screened nationally and internationally. She loves working on projects that mix realism and the absurd with levity and playfulness. Her first feature film is currently in development.
Elliot Taylor is a Manchester based Writer, Director and Editor. As a filmmaker, he is interested in using comedy and horror to poke fun at societal issues. His previous short film Bin Day (2023) was a silly exploration into AI and how it can be used for job automation. This film went on to be screened at the BAFTA qualifying Manchester Film Festival. It also won Best Ensemble Cast at the Comedy Short Awards, as well as winning Best Low Budget Short Film at Romford Film Festival.
Greenfingers Films is an internationally award-winning film collective based in Manchester. It consists of Writer/Directors Lucy Hilton-Jones and Elliot Taylor as well as Director of Photography Dann Cooper. All of our films have a focus on the silly, spooky and surreal.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH elliot and lucy
Welcome back to our Short of the Week series. What have you been up to since we last featured your work - Nanny Neigh Neigh?
Thanks so much for having us again! We've been up to all sorts. At the end of 2022 we, for some reason, decided it would be a good idea to shoot three films in a weekend. Luckily our delusions paid off! They're now all at the end of their festival runs having done very nicely, so we'll be releasing those soon. We also shot another short in the Hold My Hand location (can you tell we like to make our lives hard) and that's almost done in post so we'll be submitting that to festivals soon.
Tell us about the genesis of Hold My Hand.
We were asked to collaborate with Cozmos Films on a project shooting in a villa in Spain. Our only stipulation was that we could use the location for a Greenfingers project as well. Elliot worked on a certain set of travel adverts that you may recognise. HMH is a response to the horror of hearing such a chirpy pop song on repeat in the edit suite.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making Hold My Hand and how did you overcome them?
This is the first time we've worked with VFX in one of our shorts. We're super happy with how it turned out (shout out to Natascha Farmer) but in retrospect, we should have consulted with someone before we filmed to make post-production even easier. Also, Lucy learned the hard way that there are both edible and toxic versions of fake blood.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.
Like Nanny Neigh Neigh, we decided to put this film straight online. It's short and snappy and, in all honestly, we simply don't have a festival budget for all of our projects. We've had an amazing response on our Instagram and Youtube but we'd always like to reach more people so thanks for giving us a platform!
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
Keep momentum going if you can because the only way you'll learn is by doing. The simplest films can be the most effective so don't wait around for funding. Your taste will never match your art because your taste evolves with your development so don't be afraid to put things out if they aren't perfect in your eyes.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist:
Elliot: Paprika and Kneecap
Lucy: Sick of Myself and A Bunch of Amateurs (2022)
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
London's Forgotten
In the urban streets of London, the stories of would-be knife crime victims are connected by a wandering drifter who has loose ends to tie.
Written & Directed by Liam Pinheiro-Rogers
PRODUCED BY Cyrus Mirzashafa AND Levon Gharibian
In the urban streets of London, the stories of would-be knife crime victims are connected by a wandering drifter who has loose ends to tie.
ABOUT THE FILM
LONDON’S FORGOTTEN screened at our BIFA Qualifying Kino Short Film Festival earlier this year. Other notable festival selections include Shorts On Tap, The British Urban Film Festival, Leeds International Film Festival, and Liverpool Film Festival. It won Best Experimental Short at The South London Film Festival and was nominated for Best Director at The British Short Film Awards. It recently premiered on Director’s Notes.
ABOUT THE FILMmakers
Liam Pinheiro-Rogers is the Writer/Director of London’s Forgotten. Since leaving film school in 2015, he has been making independent short films, with genres ranging from horrors to sci-fi to dramas. He built up a portfolio as a director of short films and music videos, while screenwriting short and feature films. One of his feature screenplays, “A Flood To Remember” won Second Rounder at the Austin Film Festival. Recently on the directors front, he has worked with clients such as musicians May Roze and Alex Ko, and the charity Missing People.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH LIAM
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.
So I was always very creative growing up, doing lots of drawings and coming up with all sorts of ideas for different concepts but never really knowing what exactly I wanted to do. Be a drawing artist? Novel writer? Comics? Videogames? I explored all of these different thoughts but nothing stuck. At 13 years old, I got to do a short (and terrible) film in my secondary school and it was there I realised I wanted to be a filmmaker. I wanted to write and direct specifically. From there, I went to film school to learn a bit more about the craft and after leaving, I started making a lot of self funded short films, producing most of them and building relationships, and really cutting my teeth making dramas, horrors, science fiction stories and so on until I found my voice. I always saw films as the best way for me to articulate different thoughts and ideas within my favourite genres and types of films.
Tell us about the genesis of London's Forgotten and your motivation for making this film.
London's Forgotten had a long journey from the concept to the finish line. I thought up the concept back in 2019, inspired by growing up in Tottenham and knowing people who were involved in gang activities. I lived in Tottenham for a good portion of my early life. It was when I went to secondary school where I realised what was going on in my area in terms of the gang lifestyle, and knife and gun crime. The catalyst for my parents deciding to get us out was our next door neighbour's son being shot in a neighbouring area to Tottenham. I wanted to use these facts, about the why and how questions about knife crime victims, to create a story about knife crime and my love of surrealism and horror played into that too. It was going to be a no budget thing shot on the weekend with a skeleton crew about a guy who finds his dead body in an alleyway. But the shoot was cancelled, which was a blessing in disguise. I went back to the drawing board and a montage kept popping in my head of knife crime victims, so I decided to combine that idea with my old idea to create something fresh and unique. Throughout the year, I met people who would eventually become members of the crew. We were going to shoot in April 2020 only for COVID to stop us. This gave me time to go over the script and make changes, which was a secondary blessing in disguise funnily enough! It was over a year later, in 2021, that we finally managed to successfully crowdfund London's Forgotten and shoot the film.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making London's Forgotten and how did you overcome them?
We were battling up against a few issues doing the shoot for sure. One that really sticks to mind was having to recast an important character the night before the shoot. As we were shooting during COVID in 2021, one of our cast members unfortunately caught it a day before the shoot. Luckily, I kept my composure and the night before, I ran through different actors that could suit the role and managed to find the perfect fit for the character.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences and some of the festival circuit highlights.
We had our premiere in the Peckhamplex in October 2022 where we screened our film to not just the cast and crew but also those that are part of the community, charities and those who contributed to our crowdfund campaign. After that, we got good news after good news with various festivals. We managed to get into a decent amount at the end of the day. Highlights include meeting some great likeminded filmmakers at the Leeds International Film Festival and seeing some great horror shorts there. The South London Film Festival was another highlight as it unexpectedly snowed heavily that night! At the end of the day, every festival was great as I got to see some awesome films and meet some talented people.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
I think that it is great to be ambitious and you should have a lot of ambition when it comes to making your short film but be realistic and know your limitations. I see too many short films that are very clunky and rushed because they tried to cram a lot of big budget aspects into it with a small budget. London's Forgotten was ambitious and had many locations but it's not something I'm expecting to get all the time, and we had a decent budget to go with that. Also, take time with the script. As stated above, it took a year until I truly understood what London's Forgotten was. Don't rush into things.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
Oh, well, I'll recommend some good ones that fit in with the style of London's Forgotten for sure. I would say David Lynch films, such as Eraserhead and Muholland Drive for the surrealism. The Exterminating Angel by Luis Buñuel is also a good shout equally for the surrealism as well as using it for social commentary. Bullet Boy if you're looking for a grounded urban London story.
What are you working on next?
A proof of concept social-horror short film called Scelus! (Scelus is Latin for "To commit a crime"). I'm currently looking to shoot Scelus sometime within the next six months after I secure funding, and I couldn't be more excited to share the story with the rest of the world! The short deals with Riley, a 24 year old ex-criminal on community service, who plans to use his gift of seeing the dead to confront an entity in a run-down council flat before his curfew begins. I'm hoping to develop this short film into a feature to expand the world further.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Stones
On a trip to his old family home in the Scottish Highlands, a troubled man argues on the phone with his stoic father, forcing him to confront a dark issue in their relationship.
Written, produced, & Directed by Matthew Hopper
On a trip to his old family home in the Scottish Highlands, a troubled man argues on the phone with his stoic father, forcing him to confront a dark issue in their relationship.
ABOUT THE FILM
STONES won Best Low Budget Short Film at our BIFA qualifying short film festival earilier this year, where it was also nominated for Best Cinematography. Additional festival highlights include the BAFTA Qualifying Aesthetic Short Film Festival, and BIFA Qualifying Brighton Rocks International Film Festival, and Wimbledon Short Film Festival.
ABOUT THE FILMmakers
Matthew Hopper is a London based filmmaker. He has directed commercial/branded content for brands such as Qatar Tourism, The National Lottery and Booking.com.
In 2016 he wrote and directed “Rumble”, which screened internationally at festivals including Phoenix, Sao Paulo and Manchester. In 2018 he co-wrote and directed, “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”, which was part-funded by the BFI/Film London’s, London Calling Shorts Scheme.
In November 2018, his short western script, No Ordinary Stranger, was selected as one of the 3 winners of the Shore Scripts screenwriting competition.
His spec scripts have reached the semi-finals of several competitions such as Shore Scripts, The Golden Script Competition, and the Screencraft Fellowship.
His latest short, “Stones” won best low budget short film at Kino London festival and played at festivals such as Aesthetica, Brighton and Wimbledon. He has another short “Elephant” in the final stages of post-production.
Ludovic Hughes is a Scottish actor, producer and writer who began his career on the London stage. He has since starred in award winning short films Alegna, Miss Moneypenny and Man of the Hour. His film credits include Ride (2018) and Sacrifice (2020). His TV credits include Dune: Prophecy (2024), Belgravia: the Next Chapter (2023), Hotel Portofino (2023).
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH MATTHEW
Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.
Where to start? I'm a bit of a country bumpkin at heart, having grown up in Somerset in the West Country.
My passion for filmmaking sparked early on as a hobby. I used to watch old war films and westerns with my dad, and I'd make copy-cat TV shows and ridiculous little films with my sister and cousins on my grandfather's camcorder.
That said, growing up I never really considered filmmaking to be an option for me. I thought it was something that happened far away in Hollywood and it wasn’t until I went to uni and started making short films and music videos in my spare time and making contacts in the industry in London that I thought I could actually make a stab of it.
Since then, I have been stabbing away and over the past 10 years I’ve worked for various production companies as a runner, an editor, a self-shooter and in production before I made the decision to focus on writing and directing around 5 years ago. I now work full time as a director, making narrative films in my spare time because I love them and branded stuff/commercials because I need to eat!
Tell us about the genesis of Stones and your motivation for making this film.
The origin of how Stones came to be is actually a long (albeit incredibly poignant!) story. The abridged version is that Ludo Hughes (the film’s co-writer and lead) and I were good friends at primary school in Somerset but drifted apart when he moved away. We randomly reconnected in London five or so years ago when I saw him act in a friend’s short film.
Even though I hadn’t seen him for 17ish years we picked up right where we left off as 10 year olds and once again became good mates. As we were catching up, Ludo shared with me that his father, Mark, had sadly taken his own life about 8 years prior, which was a huge shock as both our families were close growing up.
We talked a lot about mental health, having both struggled with imposter syndrome and depression brought on by bereavement.
A couple of years later, after some serious deliberation we decided to make a film about our personal experiences as men, and also pay tribute to Ludo’s father, Mark. Ultimately we decided that a fictional story with characters inspired by real events and our experiences was the way to go.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making Stones and how did you overcome them?
The main hurdle we faced was, unsurprisingly, funding. We were rejected by every funding scheme we applied to. But rather than letting that stop us, Ludo and I decided to scrape together what we could and make it happen on as little as possible. We saved up diligently and committed to bringing Stones to life no matter what.
Just as we were about to start shooting, that pesky old virus that begins with C came along and put everything on pause. Initially, it felt like the worst timing ever, but it actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We were originally set to shoot a different version of the script that involved brothers but were never fully happy with it. Being in lockdown gave us the time to really reflect and rewrite the story, honing in on what was truly important - the father-son relationship. This not only strengthened the narrative but also simplified the production, making it easier to shoot once restrictions lifted.
Shooting in a remote part of Scotland was another adventure altogether. It wasn't without its headaches, that's for sure. We filmed right up until the last light of day, then had to rush down the mountain in the dark to catch a local fishing boat I'd arranged to take us back to civilization. It was a bit of a race against time and quite the logistical challenge but it added a layer of excitement and camaraderie to the whole experience. In the end, overcoming these obstacles made the film all the more rewarding and fun. That along with AC Matt Farrant playing LOTR music on a speaker as we hiked for hours to get to shooting locations!
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences and some of the festival circuit highlights.
Getting a film seen is actually one of the hardest challenges. There are so many good films out there and the bar is incredibly high, but there's also so much noise. Festival rejections are a major part of the process and I have developed a thick skin over time!
We decided to focus mainly on UK festivals, and were lucky enough to be selected at several BAFTA and BIFA qualifying festivals such as Aesthetica, Brighton, Kino, and Wimbledon. All of them were well attended, which was fantastic to see. I've been to festivals in the past where it's just one man and his dog, so it was really gratifying to watch our film with a real audience.
The highlight for us was undoubtedly the incredible messages we received from the audiences. We were blown away by the response; so many people reached out to say how much they enjoyed the film and how it resonated with them, having either struggled with mental health themselves or knowing someone who has. Plus, it was absolutely awesome to pick up the award for Best Low Budget Short at Kino!
Overall we’re really pleased with our journey so far and incredibly proud of the film we have made. Shout out to the awesome crew and actors who helped make it happen! You are all godsends and thanks for giving 110% to our film.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
I have two, very cliched pieces of advice!
One is to make sure you have a good script. Take the time to iron out the kinks and make sure it says what you want to say. Get people to read it and feedback, as sometimes you get so close to a project that it is hard to see the wood from the trees.
The second is just make films with the resources you have available. Don’t wait for permission. Funding is a lottery. The odds are not in your favour. I have lost count of the number of times I have been rejected by funding schemes and festivals.
I now kinda live by Mark Duplass’ "The Calvary isn’t coming" philosophy. Save as much money as you can, persuade a bunch of filmmaker friends and get out and make stuff. You’d be surprised how many people are up for the ride.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
I was at Wimbledon Short Film Festival last week and saw a documentary short called ‘Blackstroke' and a comedy called 'Thanks for the Milk' that were fantastic!
Also, at Aesthetica and Kino, a short called ‘Terror’ which is such a cool idea and executed so well - again with not much money or means!
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Scrutiny
On a bus journey across south London, a young man’s anxiety spirals into a vortex of self-doubt and torment - causing him to question: can he trust his memories?
Written & Directed by James Quinn
Produced by Maria Ogunyale
On a bus journey across south London, a young man’s anxiety spirals into a vortex of self-doubt and torment - causing him to question: can he trust his memories?
An illustration of the process and impact of anxiety, and the demands of city life that intensify it.
ABOUT THE FILM
SCRUTINY was an Official Selection at the 2023 edition of our BIFA Qualifying Film Festival where is was nominated for Best Performance In A Drama (Isaiah Bobb-Semple) and Best Editing. I was also an Official Selection at the Manchester International Film Festival, S.O.U.L. Fest, EFN Short Film Festival, British Urban Film Festival, and South London Shorts.
ABOUT THE FILMmakers
James Quinn | Writer Director - James is a London based film writer and director whose work focuses on the internal battles we face. His latest short, Scrutiny, featured in the 1.4 Awards Shortlist, and screened at the BAFTA-qualifying British Urban Film Festival, Leeds International Film Festival, and S.O.U.L. Fest, as well as six BIFA-qualifying festivals.
Maria Ogunyale | Producer - Maria is an emerging producer known for her work on drama series for top broadcasters like Apple TV, Amazon Prime, BBC, Netflix, and Sky. With a strong background in production she focuses on creating high-end stories that are often untold, championing inclusivity and fresh perspectives. Maria's credits include "Trying," "This is Christmas," "I AM RUTH," "The Tower," "Mood," and "Top Boy." Her dedication to unique storytelling was highlighted in producing the short film "Scrutiny," showcased at the S.O.U.L Film Festival 2023. Maria is dedicated to exploring themes like social justice, mental health, and cultural representation, pushing the boundaries of traditional drama.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH JAMES
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.
Hi, thanks so much for having me! I’m James, a writer director based in London. I picked up a video camera as a kid and made films to make my friends and family laugh… and it stuck. At that age, I was at a major crossroad to decide whether to try to be either a filmmaker or a carpenter. I picked filmmaking. In hindsight, I don’t think they’re that different as professions. Filmmaking feels like carpentry to me.
Tell us about the genesis of Scrutiny. We understand that it stems from your personal experiences with anxiety. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the film?
I expect like most people, I’ve had various battles with anxiety and poor mental health. I was in a privileged enough position to be able to afford therapy. Shining a light on the mental process of my anxiety was transformative - seeing how it worked took its power away.
I felt like I’d peeked behind the curtain, but I’d never seen anxiety on screen how I experience it. So, I wanted to pay it forward. This film was an extension of that. It was like, ‘How does anxiety light, block, and edit my thoughts?’
Hopefully other people can take something helpful from this film too.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making Scrutiny and how did you overcome them?
Shooting on a bus was loads of fun but really tricky. We wanted the genuine feeling of a moving bus, so our production team found us an amazing bus hire. We created a loop around south London and circled it for a whole day. We knew continuity and shot precision was out the window so we leant into that limitation and made it our style. The disorientating, staccato editing was a deliberate choice to reflect the internal anxiety and disguise that limitation.
Our brilliant DoP (Jasper Enujuba) was shooting on an easyrig. With the bus swinging up and down the roads, he needed some help to stay upright. I was the lucky crew member selected to steady him with a bear hug.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences and some of the festival circuit highlights.
In truth, I’m quite shy about my films. I find distribution and self-promotion hard, so we did a focused and limited festival run. With the type of festivals, we aimed high and I was absolutely delighted to get into the ones we did - all BIFA or BAFTA qualifying. We played alongside some amazing films. To share a screen with them was amazing.
But, I’m less interested in the number of viewers than catching those few people who feel a deep connection with the film. I’ve had quite a few people reach out with very personal messages about Scrutiny. Those are more meaningful to me than a 5 or 6 figure view count.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
You’ll stop yourself long before anyone else does. That’s the case with me, at least. I get so focussed on the problem-solving aspect of filmmaking that I start finding more and more problems. And you can hide behind that and never make anything. A friend once told me ‘think less, do more.’ That’s advice I need to follow more.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
I was blown away by The Zone of Interest. My mind was in tatters for weeks after. And I recently watched the classic, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion. What a distainful deconstruction of misogyny and patriarchy.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
GHANIMAH
When a Muslim son tells his pacifist father and fundamentalist older brother that he is joining the British Military a heated family argument ensues.
Written & Directed by SAI KARAN TALWAR
Produced by Adi Alfa
A heated argument occurs when Abdullah (Mikhail Sen - House of Dragon, A Suitable Boy) declares he is joining the British Military to the shock of his pacifist father Omar (Adil Akram - What's Love got to do with it?) and anger of his fundamentalist older brother Moh (James El-Sharawy - Tyrant, EastEnders). As their debate unfurls, past resentments and revelations rise to the surface, boiling to a point where they can no longer contain themselves. The war on terror, the 7/7 bombings, the loss of the son's mother and the allegiance to either Islam or Britain. What will unfold. Family, Duty or Honour?
ABOUT THE FILM
GHANIMAH was a Semi-Finalist at our Kino London Short Film Festival and screened at our Short Film Open Mic earlier this year. It’s the debut short film from Sai Karan Talwar, the writer/director of our upcoming Kino Original WHAT MEN DO FOR LOVE. Other noteable festival selections include Dances With Films, Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival, UK Asian Film Festival, and BIFA Qualifiers: Unrestricted View Film Festival, North East International Film Festival, Spirit of Independence Film Festival, & Brighton Rocks International Film Festival. James El Sharawy was nominated for Best Actor at the British Urban Film Festival, and the film won Best Short Film at the New Delhi Film Festival and Best Screenplay at the Rob Knox London Film Festival.
ABOUT THE FILMmakerS
SAI KARAN TALWAR is an award-winning writer and director. Sai is currently in a UK Writers program TBA in 2025 after its completion, and is a 2023 Alumni of the Respectability Entertainment Lab, with over forty accolades as a writer in some of the most esteemed screenwriting competitions. His Debut ‘GHANIMAH’ is a BAFTA & BIFA Qualified Short Film, that has been selected at 60 film festivals, with over a dozen wins and nominations, the film is about Islamic enrolment into the British Military. His upcoming short ‘What Men Do for Love’ is a 15-minute single take film about the masculine ego at breaking point, has begun its festival run and is currently BIFA qualified. Sai is working towards his debut feature film, and hopes that his short films showcase his talent to do so.
Film has always been a passion for Sai dating back to growing up in his late Grandfather’s video shop. Initially working with MADE from 2016, a charitable organization with a vision to reduce discrimination against BAME & LGBTQ+ Londoners. With MADE, he ran filmmaking workshops, screening events, held exhibitions at BFI Southbank and co-produced over 30 short films with 100,000+ online views. He worked in production companies such as Origin Pictures and 42 Management and Production within the development departments. He studied Economics and Finance at Durham University, leading to his undergraduate dissertation: ‘What are the key determinants of success for the box office within the UK motion picture industry?’ which received a first.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH SAI
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
Thank you for having me. I'm Sai, I am a writer and director based in London. currently in a UK Writers program TBA in 2025 after its completion and a Respectability Entertainment Lab Alumni. Film has always been a passion for me dating back to growing up in his late Grandfather’s video shop. I worked in production companies such as Origin Pictures and 42 Management and Production within the development departments during university, while studying Economics and Finance at Durham University. I started writing spec scripts fairly young, and after getting accolades for them, I needed to show that I could direct them. Which is what eventually led to 'GHANIMAH' being my first short film.
Tell us about the genesis of Ghanimah. What was the inspiration behind the film?
This is my debut short, after writing a few spec scripts that garnered a lot of finalist placements from competitions, I knew I wanted to direct them. But I hadn't directed before. Oddly, the idea of 'GHANIMAH' came to me in the shower. What if a British Muslim wanted to join the military, and the conflict that follows both externally and internally with his family. To fight in the military now is reduced to the 'war on terror'. I wanted to understand the subject as fully as I could so I researched the topic. I had read and studied the Quran, consulted Iman's, and British Muslims who were in law enforcement and the military. Recent statistics published by the Ministry of Defence indicate that there are 650 Muslims serving in the UK armed services and of these, 550 are in the British Army, constituting 0.5% of the total. Highlighting an interesting and controversial subject that hasn’t been covered widely in the media.
Our key motivation for this project was to shine a light on Islam, which tends to only be represented in terms of violence and hate. The Quran is much denser and more complicated than what is interpreted and presented in the modern media, and in some cases even when presented with sympathy, it is inherently vilified. In the world we live in today, it goes unsaid how relevant the topic is and the resonance it will have with an audience. Via our characters we are exploring why certain ideologies around Islam exist and the angst that surrounds these given interpretations.
We see so few quality projects about the non-white British experience, it feels like every story about Muslims centres on a young person being radicalised, these are perpetual two-dimensional stereotypes for ethnic minorities. Hence, giving us a strong motivation to put together this project. We have also seen many South Asian or Muslim actors offered terrorist roles, they are all frustrated that they do not get interesting characters, and that their faith tends to only be represented in terms of violence and hate. We are looking to expand the scope of what it means to be an immigrant in the UK through this narrative.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making Ghanimah and how did you overcome them?
The whole journey was pretty rough, but rewarding in the end. I'm learning on the job trying to figure out how to get the funding, applying to as many funding bodies as I can find, then after a year realising that I'd have to pull out of my savings to do it. So I had to independently finance the project on a low budget and shoot in one day in order to get the film made. I had to do all the casting so there were hundreds of submissions and dozens of auditions to get through. My producer Adi however, was able to get together a really solid crew. We didn't have the time to do rehearsals, nor did we have the time to scout locations, we worked with what we had, you just get on with it in the end. The team was great, and I prepared as much as possible to mitigate any potential issues that could show up. There were the usual post-production issues as well when it came to ironing out the sound, settling on the right cuts and the score. So the whole process was a learning experience, but I think we got there in the end.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences and some of the festival circuit highlights.
I feel pretty grateful and lucky with the run we had to be honest. We had selections from the award accredited festivals and qualified for the Bafta and Bifa. Our UK premiere was at the BFI as a part of the UK Asian Film Festival which was a great start. We then had our US premiere at Dances With Film at the Legendary TCL Chinese Theatre, so we spent a week in the middle of Hollywood, it's a very strange place but I look back and enjoy the experience, getting to know other filmmakers across the pond, and watching some great films. But also quite nerve racking to have all those people watch your films, those theatres go up to 500 people. I tried to attend as many as possible when I came back to London, mostly travelling around the country to places I possibly wouldn't have thought of visiting before and had a great time. For example, It was BUFF's first year in Halifax, Spirit of Independence in Sheffield, NEIFF in Newcastle, even won a couple of awards while in attendance at the Wolverhampton Film Festival, and at the Rob Knox Film Festival, then we ended our run full circle back in London at the Unrestricted View Film Festival.
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face in the early stages of their career when trying to break into the industry?
I'm still in the early stages. So not really sure how I can impart any advice, I'm still trying to break in. Everyone is fighting for the same pot of BFI money, so if you don't get the funding you would have hoped for, then you're back to square one trying to figure out how to get it made. Finding the right team that's on your wavelength, and that understands your vision is important, but they're also able to bring something interesting to your projects. You also want a team that wants to be there making the film with you, all short films are passion projects at the end of the day. Lastly, I feel that we need to control the urge to punch above our weight, at least in my case, this was my first film. I want to keep it small, and I'm not trying to throw in big fight scenes or explosions. I'm working with what I have and trying to be realistic with what we can achieve on our budget. so I do my best to write good characters and get some solid performances out of the actors.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
I would say entering as many programs as possible, you would hope programs like the one I'm in currently or the Respectability lab would open doors, but I feel like you need to keep the momentum going, keep trying to make good films, and get them out there. Don't be discouraged by festivals, I would hope at the end of the day you're making films for yourself and finding an audience is a bonus, it is more competitive than ever, more films are being made, and more are being submitted. And you don't know which film is going to hit audiences the most, so the only way to mitigate that is to keep creating good work. Build a great team and a network of collaborators. Making sure that you're financially stable is probably the most important thing, and no one talks about it, I didn't stay in development because the pay would not have been good enough to sustain myself, I come from a working class background. So I studied economics and finance and continued to work in Investment Banking, so at least at the end of the day the bills and expenses are paid, and if I have to put money into the films, I can put some money aside to do it myself, which I've now done with 'GHANIMAH' and my most recent short, 'What Men Do For Love'.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
A short film that really stunned me recently was 'The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry' . It is available on Mubi at the moment, it's very atmospheric and visceral, possibly the closest thing I've seen that reminded me of Antonioni. Just this year, there's a few feature films that came out that had made a strong impression on me, 'The Iron Claw', 'La Chimera' and 'Challengers' I think are all definitely worth seeing if anyone hasn't.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Waving
His worst fears seemingly realised; a distraught father takes one last walk through his ruined world.
Written, Produced & Directed by
ROlfIN NYHUS & Steven Brumwell
His worst fears seemingly realised; a distraught father takes one last walk through his ruined world. For most people, being at the centre of their own world and having a loving family is a wonderful thing. For Charlie, it's literally a nightmare. A short film about OCD.
Starring globally acclaimed actor Ralph Ineson (The Witch, The First Omen), Waving is an unflinching, but ultimately hopeful examination of the much-misunderstood condition of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
** Viewer Discretion Advised **
The film contains scenes depicting intensive, intrusive thoughts that some may find triggering.
ABOUT THE FILM
Waving was recently made available as a general release on YouTube following a successful run on the global festival circuit (35 festivals, 35 Nominations, 20 Awards) including the 2023 edition of our Kino London Short Film Festival where it won Best Cinematography.
Other festival highlights include Sitges, being nominated for Best East Anglian Film at the BAFTA Qualifying Norwich Film Festival, winning Best Production Design at the 2023 British Short Film Awards (where it was also nominated for: Best Actor, Best British Short Film, and Best Sound), winning Best Actor for Ralph Ineson at the BIFA Qualifying Manchester Film Festival and the Romford Film Festival, winning Best Editing at the BIFA Qualifying Brighton Rocks Film Festival and winning Best Editing, Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography at the BIFA Qualifying Unrestricted View Film Festival.
The team behind the production were assembled across a wide range of neuro-diverse backgrounds, and the writer has lived with OCD since the age of 11, only being diagnosed at 18. Employing a surrealist filter to portray the terrifying thoughts that the condition causes sufferers, the film has been embraced by the community, festivals, and critics alike. The team hopes that this general release without any form of paywall will continue to shine a light on this cruel and misunderstood illness.
ABOUT THE FILMmakerS
ROLFIN NYHUS developed his interest in filmmaking while reading English Literature, producing work for other directors in his spare time. Spurred on by his love of European cinema - particularly the work of Bergman, Haneke, Herzog and Mike Leigh, he decided to abandon further academic study at King’s College to establish TankTop Films as a vehicle for his own projects. He is a native Londoner with English, Irish and Scandinavian roots and a fond habitué of the Cannes Film Festival. Waving is his 4th narrative film with a festival run planned from summer 2022.
STEVEN BRUMWELL has been fascinated by the silver screen since being left awestruck by the magnificence of Indiana Jones’ heroism at the ABC in Birmingham, 1981. A bit of a polymath, he has launched numerous enterprises but always returned to the written word. Influenced by Wilder, Lynch, Kurosawa and Lynne Ramsey, he strives to portray broad emotions in interesting ways. His work is continually drawn to the deep well of mental wellbeing by his battles with OCD since early childhood, Waving is his first project to be filmed
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH ROlfIN
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
I am a native Londoner with English, Irish and Scandinavian roots. I developed an interest in filmmaking when reading English Literature, producing work for other directors in my spare time. Spurred on by a love of European cinema - particularly the work of Bergman, Haneke, Herzog and Mike Leigh - I decided to abandon further academic study at King’s College to establish TankTop Films as a vehicle for like minded creatives to collaborate and produce work they care about.
Tell us about the genesis of Waving. What was the inspiration behind the film and how did you come to be attached to the project?
My creative cohort (and brilliant writer) on ‘Waving’, Steve Brumwell, has had OCD since childhood. Along with writing his own material he has always been generous with his time when it comes to supporting other writers. That is how we met, with him helping me sharpen up my own scribbles. We hit it off and struck up a friendship. We often share script ideas with each other to move them along. ‘Waving’ was an idea in the mill we liked enough to not leave it languishing on a hard drive.
With 'Waving', Steve really wanted to portray OCD in a way as yet unseen: The internal torture rather than the external compulsions are rarely shown in any form of media. The idea for the dystopian elements comes from a love of horror and a desire to explore ways of showing how intrusive thoughts do make the sufferer feel as though existence is dependent on fulfilling the authoritarian orders OCD creates in one’s mind.
Tell us about the experience of working with a Casting Director to get Ralph Ineson attached.
Our Casting Director, Cameron Culver, has become a dear friend and supporter of TankTop Films’ work. We do our best to give him whatever materials are needed to pitch the project we are working on and he diligently does the rest. Forgive the platitude but casting is so, so vital and it is a godsend having someone you trust looking after that side of things, which can be fraught with rejection and disappointment.
With Ralph, I think we simply got lucky with the timing. So, hopefully, there is a ray of hope there for other filmmakers. All you can do is work hard on the material, have faith in it, and then hope for the best that the talent you really want are able to fit the project into their schedule. A word of caution, we did have to wait over a year for Ralph’s diary to free up, but it was 100% worth the wait.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making Waving and how did you overcome them?
All the usual ones. Finance. Locations. Logistics. British weather. Namely, it pissing down with rain on the last day of shooting. There isn’t a magic formula, I don’t think. You overcome it all by, hopefully, keeping cool and maintaining a tenacious attitude as best you can.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences and some of the festival circuit highlights.
With festivals, my attitude after innumerable rejections is that every “No” is leading closer to a ‘Yes”. Reaching an audience hopefully starts via the festival circuit, and if what you have made is actually any good hopefully your peers and audiences respond. Given all the artistic modes of expression there are, film remains meritocratic, relatively speaking. I have friends in the art and music worlds and their experiences of getting eyes (and ears) on their work is even more brutal, believe it or not, despite their obvious talent and hard work.
Highlights on the circuit were our premiere at Sitges and the screening at Norwich Film Festival (as we shot some of the film in East Anglia). A stroke of luck meant we had four US festivals almost back to back, so I got the opportunity to attend Austin, Idyllwild, Dam Short and Cinema On The Bayou.
‘Waving’ was made in the hope people suffering from OCD might find some solace in the portrayal. We were deeply honoured that the IOCDF and OCD Action were unrelenting in their support. Through them (and our incredible Exec Producers, Ethan S. Smith and Catherine Benfield) we have been able to get the film out via the OCD Community first of all. Since releasing it, we have had a deluge of thank you messages which has left the entire team teary eyed. Our hope though, is that we eventually reach a more mainstream audience so that, slowly over time, some misconceptions about this widely misunderstood condition can start being challenged.
Cinematographer Andrew Alderslade accepting the award for Best Cinematography at our 2023 Kino London Short Film Festival for his work on “Waving“
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face in the early stages of their career when trying to break into the industry?
The same challenges everyone experiences in anything they ever attempt to do. You start out not knowing much, really. You have to go through the pain of learning. Watch films and read as voraciously as you can. Make something and embrace whatever successes or failures it brings your way. Rinse and repeat.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
Filmmaking needs “belief and momentum” - a few sage words I try to keep in mind courtesy of Terry Gilliam.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
Cache (2005) by Hankeke - a modern masterpiece.
Autumn Sonata (1976) by Bergman - a complex and compassionate exploration of the relationship dynamic between a mother and daughter.
Camera Buff (1978) by Kiewlowski - one of the most charming films ever made. Hard to find!
Nuts In May (1976) by Mike Leigh - an old ‘Play For Today’ TV Film by the BBC. A testimony to how you can create something relatively inexpensive with wise location choices, a great script and capable actors.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Boy In The Back Seat
1986. A young boy is left unattended in the car while his volatile dad takes care of some ‘business’ in a dodgy local pub. What could possibly go wrong?
Written & Directed by SCOTT PICKUP
Produced by Jonny Ross, James Owen & Simon MarriotT
1986. A young boy is left unattended in the car while his volatile dad takes care of some ‘business’ in a dodgy local pub. What could possibly go wrong?
ABOUT THE FILM
The Boy in the Backseat won loads of awards including a couple at BIFA Qualifying film festivals including Best film at the Spirit of Independence Film Festival, Best Editing at Exit 6, and Best Actor at Tweetfest. Additional festival award highlights include Best Drama at the London Independent Film Festival, Best Drama at the London Director's Award and Best Overall Film, Best Male Actor, and Best Young Actor at the Wolverhampton Film Festival.
It also played at a variety of other festivals including the BIFA Qualifying Beeston Film Festival, Barnes Film Festival, North East Int Film Festival, and more.
ABOUT THE FILMmaker
Scott is a multi-award winning writer and director hailing from West Yorkshire. He’s worked in TV and advertising as Lead Creative for over 13 yrs, at major broadcasters such as SONY PICTURES, NBC UNIVERSAL, ITV & PARAMOUNT. A career highlight being getting to direct the Cookie Monster!
His 1st professional short BOY IN THE BACK SEAT has just finished its award winning festival run and his next Harm’s Way is in pre-production. Scott is in discussion with production companies to make the feature version of BOY IN THE BACK SEAT and another BFI shortlisted feature WINDSCALE is in development with producers Lindsay Fraser, Tom Kimberley and Jessi Gutch.
He believes in elevating complex working class stories from the often underrepresented regions.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
I’m a writer, director and editor originally from the darkest reaches of the North - Bradford, West Yorkshire. I freelanced on all manner of independent film shoots back home but it was clear there would never be enough to sustain a career. I then came to London in the age-old quest to be part of the creative world. I’ve been very lucky to have spent most of my time down south making promos, trailers, ads, idents etc. for a host of major broadcasters. I’ve always been striving to be a proper filmmaker though and this short has been my way into that world. I’ve now got a slate of other shorts I need to make and a couple of features in development with different producers. Just hoping I can make one of them happen!
Tell us about the genesis of The Boy In The Backseat. What was the inspiration behind the film?
Covid presented me with more time on my hands than I'd ever had in my adult life before. This led to a real burst of writing but also meant I was home more than ever. I could be the kind of hands in dad I'd never had the chance to be before too. Seeing how much influence this extra time had on my boy Finn really got me thinking about my own childhood (but please don’t worry too much about me after watching the film. It isn’t directly lifted from my life!) What I didn't want to do now was simply allow history to keep on repeating itself. Making the same choices. The film ended up being a combination of the past and the present, my messy human workings out about how we can break the cycle of toxic masculinity and give our kids what society couldn't when we were growing up. The script poured out of me very quickly over a day or so and the bones actually stayed the same from that draft onwards. I’ve been very grateful about just how many people seemed to have connected with this story.
What's it like working with child actors? Any tips in your process for enabling such a great performance?
I’d filmed with children quite a bit before this as I used to run the creative for a bunch of kids tv channels. Every time it was a challenge but it allowed me to figure out how to connect with young performers. You just have to find something they like and talk to them about it! Sounds simple but meeting them in their comfort zone, letting them know you're a friend when they’re surrounded by an adult workplace is really helpful. I also wanted both main actors to have a relationship outside of set too, as they’re playing father and son. We spent a day hanging out together, playing some daft games and rehearsing so that everyone was comfortable with each other.
Aron (adult lead) was amazing in this process too. His performance is so intense but he made sure that it never spilled out when he was around Jude off set. Aron did the friend thing as well without me even asking. He’s a very intuitive and experienced guy and just knew how to make it easy for Jude. I was so lucky to find Jude for the lead too. From the moment I saw his self tape I knew he was the one. His career is going to be insane, he’s already achieved more than a lot of adult actors- being in a BBC drama and sharing the stage with Ralph Fiennes already. Someone on the crew told him he’d be an amazing actor when he grew up. Jude rightly told them he was an amazing actor now! Couldn't agree more, he made my job very easy.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making The Boy In The Backseat and how did you overcome them?
Time was the biggest challenge in making the film. I was lucky enough to get some financial backing (and emotional support!) from two great producers in Simon Marriott and James Owen but it still wasn’t enough for any of the core creative group to get paid. That meant finding time in the evenings on top of the day job, auditions on sundays, making costumes at midnight... The classic short film life! We’re so underfunded in this country that self made and self financed is the only real option for most people. Any help is amazing like the fund you guys have just started! Time was definitely still the biggest issue on set too. It's a compact story but ambitious emotionally, there was a lot to film. Working with an 8 yr old lead meant having a lot less time with him than we needed- for all the correct safeguarding reasons.
That meant shooting cleverly without him being there and managing his exposure to the set very carefully. I also tried to do too much as well - probably born out of the fear that I’d never get this chance again and had to knock it out of the park! We also had a scene with a dog but the handler unfortunately had a car crash on the way down. Everyone (dog included) was fine but it meant rewriting a scene in my head while simultaneously shooting another one while everyone needed answers about how the rest of the film was gonna work. That nearly popped my brain at one point but I had an amazingly strong crew and producing team (shout out to Jonny Ross) with me and we quickly found a way through.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences and some of the festival circuit highlights.
I literally knew nothing about the festival scene before making this film. I’d heard of the massive ones and had always loved going to the Bradford film festival when I was younger, but that was it. The whole submission process was new to me and I figured it out as I went along, making plenty of mistakes. I knew I had a strong enough film to go for some decent events and was lucky enough to get into many of them, picking up a great collection of awards on the way. It's such a great feeling actually winning something when you’ve poured your time, sanity and cash into a passion project. My first big wow moments were getting into my 1st BIFA level festival in Beeston and winning the main prize at Wolverhampton. These two things happened early on and really gave me a lot of confidence. I hope the organisers know what an impact they had on my journey. I’ve loved seeing my film play in front of packed screenings (the biggest crowd award goes to Exit 6) and travelling the country making new friends. It's been a blast. There's plenty of rejection too of course but I'm so jealous of people who have a new film already, who get to do it all again!
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face in the early stages of their career when trying to break into the industry?
This is a tough one, because what isn’t a challenge at this point in your career! It’s just really hard crafting chances for yourself, knowing that no one is coming to your rescue, it’s down to you to find a way. How do you do that when you have a full time job, little or no spare cash, a family, no connections- the list goes on. I fought for a long time to find a way in, finally getting an office job at ITV in Leeds and using that to get access to the creative world jobs within the organisation- I applied for them all! I’m sure one of the main reasons I became a creative in London wasn’t my amazing Uni short films but connecting with the right people via an itv email account. It meant I wasn't so quickly dismissed because I already worked there, albeit in a very different capacity! It’s just so hard to find a way in.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
Now I'm trying to break into features. It all starts again. One thing I know for sure is that it’s about the network. Going to festivals, events, making friends, sharing projects. You never know where the next opportunity might come from. I actually met someone great at a Kino London open mic night that will hopefully get me that one step closer to my feature film dream. I’m directing a charity advert soon and I have people to call for help because I’ve met them at an event, worked with them, hounded them on socials until they became my friend. So in short, talk to people, be respectful and friendly and see if you can’t help each other out.
My other tip applies to your own work specifically. Only make something you truly love, that you have to speak about. There will be so many knockbacks that your desire to tell that particular story has to be self-generating. It has to be fueled from within as no external validation will ever be enough to get you across the line. Love your work first and foremost.
Your passion will probably what sells it in the end too.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
I watch anything and everything. I’m a massive indie cinema guy but also more than happy to see Jason Statham punch a megalodon too. Poor Things was wildly imaginative and I loved Bottoms recently too- so fresh, funny and knew exactly what it was. TV wise Severance and Silo were the two things that captured my imagination recently. As for shorts, I’ve seen loads of incredible stuff on the circuit but 5 Weeks especially blew me away.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Voices
A couple overhears a violent fight next door and must decide whether or not to get involved.
DIRECTED BY Abbie Lucas
Written BY OMAR KHAN | PRODUCED BY Håkan Carlsson
A couple overhears a violent fight next door and must decide whether or not to get involved.
ABOUT THE FILM
Voices is a short film that defies genre. It won Best Drama at the BIFA Qualifying Beeston Film Festival, Best Horror Short at the Atlanta Shortsfest, and Best Suspense at Chicago Reel Shorts. Drama? Horror? Suspense? Whatever the genre is, all we know is that it’s goooooood!
It also won the Audience Award at Tweetfest and the Si Spencer Award & Best Screenplay at Unrestricted View (as well as a Special Mention for Best Director) - both festivals were BIFA qualifiers.
Voices played at over 45 festivals internationally, but highlights include the BAFTA Qualifying Aesthetica, Fastnet, the Oscar qualifying Seattle International, Durban, ScreamFest, Waterford, Milwaukee, Nevermore, and our very own BIFA qualifying Kino London Short Film Festival, where Omar Khan was nominated for Best Performance in a Comedy. The film was also nominated for Best Score.
ABOUT THE FILMmaker
Omar Khan has written for TV, theatre, short films and radio dramas. His short film The Plunge, premiered at Palm Springs ShortsFest and was long-listed for a BAFTA after being selected for over 60 international film festivals.
In 2021 he was selected for the BBC Children’s Scripted Development mentorship which led to a radio drama for the CBBC show, Malory Towers, and ten TV credits; episodes of the CBBC shows Princess Mirror-Belle, Odd Squad, Little BadMan and The Dumping Ground and the CBeebies show Biff and Chip. He also wrote an episode of the BBC3 show The Break. In 2023, he wrote two episodes of the Channel 4 continuing drama Hollyoaks and became a BAFTA Connect member.
Abbie Lucas is a film director based in London, originally from New Zealand. In 2018, Levile TV listed her as one of the Top 20 Rising Female Filmmakers in the UK. She is a member of Directors UK and BFI NETWORK x BAFTA Crew 2021. In 2022 she was invited to participate in the Reykjavik International Film Festival Talent Lab.
As a storyteller, she enjoys stories with flawed relationships, female protagonists, vigilantes, crime, and a bit of magical realism but most of all loves work with strong performances and impactful story lines. She is known for exploring dark themes in ways that are humorous and unexpected.
Her recent film credits include the award winning TESTING GRETA, an unusual story about domestic abuse, which took the 'Greeks of the World' Prize at the 40th Drama Film Festival in Greece and was screened at the BAFTA recognised Aesthetica Film Festival in 2018, and another short comedy titled DEAD TIRED which was been nominated for Best Script and Best Comedy at the Beeston Film Festival 2018 and also for Best International Comedy at the Austrian Film Festival 2018. In 2020 she completed two more dark comedies, GOOD VIBRATIONS and THE HANKERBOX, and in 2022 she completed CAPTURE HER and VOICES, all of which are on the festival circuit.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH OMAR & abbie
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
OMAR: My name is Omar Khan and I’m a screenwriter and reluctant producer! I’ve written and produced five short films, including The Plunge and Voices, both of which had successful festival journeys. I work mainly as a screenwriter, currently I am part of the team at Hollyoaks and I’ve worked extensively at CBBC.
ABBIE: My name is Abbie Lucas and I'm a Director, Writer and Editor. I studied Directing and Writing back home in Aotearoa, New Zealand and when I moved to the UK, got involved in directing theatre and then moved into web series and short films. I also co-write features with my US based writing partner Kevin Kautzman and have many years experience editing commercials, branded content and short films.
Tell us about the genesis of Voices. What was the inspiration behind the film and how did the project get greenlit?
OMAR: Voices started as an idea, after a news report about Boris Johnson and his partner having an argument at home, which was overheard by the neighbours who then called the police to report possible domestic violence. This turned into a small media frenzy, with some papers arguing that you have no right to call the police on a private, domestic matter and other saying that you have a duty to do so if you suspect someone is being hurt. This inspired the start of the film in which the couple have this very argument when overhearing their neighbours domestic dispute.
ABBIE: I first became involved with Voices when Omar sent me an email introducing himself. He had seen some of my work and was interested in potentially collaborating, so we met up for a coffee, got along well and he sent me a couple of shorts he's written. Voices was the one I connected with because I like stories that are told in an unusual way, it was almost like a modern myth or fairy tale about a very adult situation.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making Voices and how did you overcome them?
OMAR: I had saved up funds of about £6k and had decided that I would make the film myself without any other funders. I didn’t want to be a the mercy of gatekeepers and had the utmost belief if the story I was telling. Though it did mean we didn’t go on any holidays for a while!
The main obstacles were around the limited funds and ensuring we could make the money within that and ensure everyone was paid. The last day became a bit of a mad rush and we only just got the last shot while the sun was about to go up. Also, I had a wonderful producer in Hakan Carlsson, who got a great acting job the week we were supposed to film. So he had to produce the film remotely from Sweden, while I took over some producing responsibilities on set. We made it work!
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences and some of the festival circuit highlights.
OMAR: We started submitting to festivals in early 2022 via Film Freeway. We had a slow start. At first we were reluctant to submit to genre festivals. We had made a sort of horror/thriller but I was concerned the film wasn’t horror enough for the horror specific festivals. Once I embraced the horror festivals though, the festival submissions snowballed. This included selection to the renowned horror festival in LA, Screamfest. Other highlights include, Bafta qualifying Aesthetica, Oscar qualifying Seattle International and Durban. We were also grateful from the support of some UK festivals that had also liked my previous film The Plunge and were really supporting me as a filmmaker such as Tweetfest, Kino and Beeston.
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face in the early stages of their career when trying to break into the industry?
OMAR: The biggest hurdles is raising the money and convincing people to make the film for lower than their usual rate. I am lucky that I have a day job as an optometrist and am reasonably well paid and so I was able to save up and raise the funds myself. This made it slightly easier as I wasn’t at the mercy of gatekeepers and funding bodies and could make the film I wanted. Low funds create other problems, such as reduced crews and less shoot days, which create a real pressure.
ABBIE: The biggest challenge I think filmmakers face early on in their career is finding a way to jump from shorts to features or TV. The technological advances have made it so much easier to get a short off the ground but it remains difficult to go professional as the industry is risk averse, expensive, cliquey and doesn't afford a great deal of opportunities to people that don't have private access to funds. I wish I had the kind of radical ideas that could provide a solution to this.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
OMAR: The biggest hack is to have a script that can be made easily. Voices was a ten page script with two characters and one location. All of this lowered the cost and made the film possible. It also helped that people really liked the script and were willing to shoot the film for lower than their usual day rate. Always take the time to get the script right.
ABBIE: The advice I have to give is kind of cliched, but that's because there is truth to it - tell a story that you love because trying to predict what festivals will want to see is a losing battle. Figure out what interesting things (locations, cast etc) you have access to and tell a story based around that, it will help you keep a budget in control.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
OMAR: Film recommendations: I have to say I very rarely watch films these days as I have a three year old daughter and she controls what I watch, which is basically Disney princess films. We did enjoy Wish. But for a real recommendation, we just finished watching the TV show Succession, which was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
ABBIE: The best film I've seen recently is Zone of Interest (in terms of filmmaking, it's the opposite of feel good!) a movie I like to recommend in general is Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. a documentary by Errol Morris. I saw it at film school and it's a masterful character study and disturbing as it unfolds. Actually, both of those films have some crossover themes!
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Everybody Dies… Sometimes
Mara grapples with the belief that she has killed everybody she's gotten close to.
Written & directed by Charlotte Hamblin
Produced by Leonora Darby, Charlotte Hamblin, James Harris, & Mark Lane
A dark comedy about death anxiety that follows Mara as she grapples with the belief that she has killed everybody she's gotten close to.
ABOUT THE FILM
Everybody Dies… Sometimes swept our Kino London Short Film Festival 2023 awards taking home four awards including our Grand Prize Short Film Fund for writer/director Charlotte Hamblin’s next project, Best First Time Filmmaker, Best Performance in a Comedy for Tanya Reynolds, and our Audience Award. Additionally it was nominated for Best Original Score and Best Editing.
The film then went onto it’s International Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival and to win Best Director – Silver Prize at the Young Director Awards for CANNES LIONS 2023.
But… before all that Everybody Dies… Sometimes had it’s World Premiere at the Raindance Film Festival 2022 where it was Nominated for Best UK Short. It also won Best UK Short and Best Editing at the British Short Films Awards 2022, where it was also nominated for Best Director, Best Actress (Tanya Reynolds), and Best Supporting Actor (Mathew Horne).
Additional awards include the JURY PRIZE and Best Actress at Filmoramax 2023 and Best British Comedy at the Discover Film Awards 2023.
Festival highlights include the Academy Award qualifying HollyShorts, the BAFTA qualifying Norwich International Film Festival, Women X Festival, and the BIFA qualifying Bolton International Film Festival.
Everybody Dies Sometimes has been selected to screen on all Virgin Atlantic Flights.
ABOUT THE FILMmaker
Charlotte is a queer director, writer and actor. She is currently writer/director for her TV series THE COMMANDMENTS a comedy/drama starring and produced by Olivia Colman and her company South of the River Pictures. Charlotte is also co-creating a series with Keeley Hawes for her production company Buddy Club. Amongst other projects she’s adapting the best selling novel THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS by Lisa Jewell Paramount Plus, due to shoot in 2024. Her next second short film as a director is NOT A MOURNING PERSON, written by Toto Bruin produced by Izzy Meikle-Small has just started its festival journey and has screened at Women X Festival.
Charlotte has two feature films in development with Federation Stories and BAFTA Award winning producer Christine Langan. Charlotte has also written episodes of Amazon Series HANNA She has taken part in writers roomS for Sky, Working Title, NBC Universal, Paramount Plus UK, and South of the River Pictures to name a few. Charlotte currently has TV shows in development with Pure Fiction, Mark Gordon Pictures, Route24 and Federation US Charlotte took part in the Zurich Film Festival Film Lab 2023 as a director.
Charlotte has recently finished shadow directing Dearbhla Walsh on Bad Sisters Series 2. Charlotte was also on the Jury for RAINDANCE Film Festival 2023.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH CHARLOTTE
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
Thank you for having me! As you know I’m a massive fan of Kino. You guys have been so endlessly supportive so I’m chuffed to be featured! So, with filmmaking… I had none before Everybody Dies! Well that’s not strictly true, I did make what I called a ‘filming camera’ out of a ReadyBreck box and a toilet roll in my kitchen when I was six.
I’ve always been in this industry, I started as an actor and then went a bit mad because I had no say on how my life was going to go and so I started writing. So I was working as a full time screenwriter which is utterly dreamy, until I was encouraged to direct. And I wrote Everybody Dies… Sometimes and here we are! I’m so glad I just did it. I’ve honestly learnt so much and had the time of my life. Still a lot to learn I hasten to add!
Tell us about the genesis of Everybody Dies Sometimes. What was the inspiration behind the film and how did the project get greenlit?
So I was working on a feature film with Tea Shop Productions and producer Leonora Darby said that I should direct it. I thought she was a bit mental, but then the more she encouraged me I thought, yeah maybe I could do that. So I started with a short film. But it had to be story I wanted to tell, that only I could tell. I’m very open about this film being semi- autobiographical. I suffered really badly from death anxiety as a kid, because a lot of people in my life kicked the bucket. Anyway, I was sent to a therapist to deal with it and would you believe it, he died. Six sessions in. Couldn’t write it hey? But I did. I was telling someone that story in lockdown and they were saying how mad and really funny it is. So I put pen to paper and wrote the film in one sitting.
Very luckily Leo and Tea Shop backed me and put half the finance in, wanting to support me as a director. That was very cool and I couldn’t have done it without them. I put the other half in. It’s the best investment I’ve ever made, but I’m aware I was in a really lucky position to be able to do that. So that’s how it came to life!
Tell us about the casting process and getting Tanya Reynolds attached to the project.
I met Tanya when the casting director Claudia Blunt took me to see her in a play at the Royal Court and obviously I thought she was amazing. So we stayed in contact and then when Covid hit and I wrote this, I only had her in mind to play Mara. So I sent it to her and I can’t believe she said yes. She’s won awards on the festival journey and I’m not surprised. I think her performance is a master class for comedy/tragedy acting. The film wouldn’t be half as magic without her. Or any of the cast for that matter. Utter gems all of them.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making Everybody Dies Sometimes and how did you overcome them?
Probably me having no idea what I was doing! But I was guided by a lot of experienced, generous people. The main one was we lost our grip the day before shooting. Turns out Peaky Blinders stole every grip in the country. So I had no set ending. I knew what I wanted in my head, but I didn’t have the vocabulary to verbalise it. I kept saying ‘I’ll fix it in edit’. I didn’t… the genius editor Caitlin Spiller did.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences and some of the festival circuit highlights.
Well, I knew very little about the festival circuit. I’d written a short a few years before that went to Aesthetica. But I didn’t really get how big of deal it all was. We submitted to a few initially, and then out of nowhere got Raindance and Nominated for Best UK Short. I don’t think at the time I realised how good that was, specifically as a debut. They amazingly, asked me to be on the jury the year later and it was only then was I like. Holy shit. That was big deal. I think the naivety played quite well into my hands as I had zero strategy and a lot of blind faith. James Newman who I met when I acted in his Kino orginal was such a lot of help and took me under his wing a lot which how/what to apply. I really would have been stuck without him. When we got Tribeca I was like holy fuck. I knew what that was! And honestly, I had the time of my life. I mean now I can say Ben Stiller and Martin Scorsese have seen my first short. I can die happy. Winning 4 Kino awards wasn’t bad either… that felt pretty wild too!
congrats on getting distribution on Virgin Atlantic! How did that come about?
Our film was selected to screen on all Virgin Atlantic Flights because we won Best Comedy at the Discover Film Awards. All the winners were offered to Virgin and luckily ours was selected!
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face in the early stages of their career when trying to break into the industry?
Money. Money is always going to be the thing. Even if you make your film paying people a packet of crisps and a curly whirly, festival submissions are SO expensive. I dread to think what I spent on submissions. It’s quite grim, but I don’t know a way around it. Also, who you know… who you know helps so much. I always knew someone who knew someone. Mainly from being in the industry for so long. Coming to directing a bit later than my peers was weirdly good as my mates had been doing it a while and were so damn kind helping me out. Freddie Hall who I rang asking if he knew a newbie who wanted to first. He said he ‘d do it. And he was my guardian angel!
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
Ok. Keep your short under 10 minutes, if you have to 12. I think part of the reason Everybody Dies did well was because it was 8 minutes. As soon as people see it’s longer, your film has to work that much harder to get them on side. We live in a TikTok world now and peoples attention spans aren’t what they were.
If you’re starting out, go to a short film festival. I did that and must have watched nearly 100 in weekend. It kind of goes into your DNA what works, what doesn’t. I also think it super obvious if a short is a proof of concept. Now proof of concept shorts are great, we need them. BUT, your short has to stand alone as well. Short film is an art form in and of itself. I’m a bit traditional… I love a beginning middle and end. And a lot of shorts I’ve seen over the last eighteen months have a cracking beginning, middle and they end weirdly. Ending a short is way harder than ending a feature or a pilot. It’s hell. So give the script to three different people who have no idea what you’ve written about and ask them, doesn’t this make sense. What do you think you’re meant to be left feeling? Then you’ll work your way to a stronger ending.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
Oh well, Zone of Interest was unlike any other cinematic experience I’ve ever had. My favourite films of all time are Almodovar’s Bad Education and the 1994 version of Little Women. It’s perfect. Don’t come for me.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Dead Whistle Stop
Daniel’s not going to the office today. A dying man asked him to deliver a letter. Though he’s not sure who the dying man was or where the person he’s delivering it to is. Or what, if anything, it has to do with his new neighbours, The Illuminated Brotherhood of the All Seeing Eye.
Written & directed by Sean Mckenna
PRODUCED by Jamie Macdonald
Daniel’s not going to the office today. A dying man asked him to deliver a letter. Though he’s not sure who the dying man was or where the person he’s delivering it to is. Or what, if anything, it has to do with his new neighbours, The Illuminated Brotherhood of the All Seeing Eye.
ABOUT THE FILM
Dead Whistle Stop was commissioned by BFI NETWORK and Film Hub North. Produced by Paisley Films and narrated by Kate Dickie (The Witch, Game of Thrones), the short film won the RTS NE Award for Best Short Form and has screened in competition at the BAFTA Qualifying festivals Aesthetica, POFF, Bolton and LA Shorts. We saw the film while attending the BIFA Qualifying Sunderland Shorts, a fellow member of AIFF.
ABOUT THE FILMmaker
Sean Mckenna makes funny, dark and often surreal films. Prior to Dead Whistle Stop he completed the short Future Perfect which was commissioned by Channel 4’s Random Acts and narrated byJulian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh, Flowers). It premiered in competition at Encounters Film Festival and was selected as Short of the Week following its festival run which included screenings at British Shorts Berlin, Aesthetica Short Film Festival and Reykjavik Film Festival, where it won best experimental short. He was also one third of Hot Gulp writing, directing and performing short form comedy for TV and online including writing a TV pilot for Bonefide Films and Channel 4 titled Storydweller starring Steve Oram (End of the F***ing World) which went on to win best sitcom pitch at LOCO.
Previously he’s also taken part in a comedy feature development programme with Screen Yorkshire and in funded development with Northern Film & Media on comedy sitcom Sea Bastards. In 2020 he was commissioned to direct a short comedy for Channel 4 online (1.7m views). Most recently he was selected for the Screen Yorkshire Talent Lab: Flex where he’s part of a newly formed team developing a mystery/drama TV series -All Souls. In 2023 he was selected for BAFTA’s Connect Programme. When not making his own work he works as a freelance filmmaker supporting young people and communities to develop their filmmaking skills. He works with a variety of organisations including New Writing North and Beacon Films.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH Sean
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
In my youth I used to work as a floor layer but after pulling up one too many stinking night club carpets I decided I didn’t enjoy that job so, as I’d always been the one in the group who liked weird (ie not mainstream) films, I decided to study film-making. I quickly discovered that most of the people teaching that in the college I went to didn’t seem to be enjoying their jobs either but I concentrated on using the gear and with friends to start making my own work. I’ve been making films since. And teaching film-making which I, fortunately, do also happen to enjoy.
For a number of years I was in a comedy group, Hot Gulp, with a couple of other of friends. We produced a lot of videos, writing, directing and appearing them – really as a collective but when we stopped doing that I returned to focusing on writing and directing my own films again. I was generally the one who’d be pulling for us to be a bit stranger and so now I’m back to doing my own thing that’s where I tend to gravitate. I still kind of think most of what I’ve done recently is funny. But it may just be a few people who are getting the joke now.
Tell us about the genesis of Dead Whistle Stop. This was produced with BFI Network, yes? What was that experience like?
I actually wrote the film several years before making it, before my previous short Future Perfect. When coming up with a follow up to that I was toying with an idea that I realised was like something I’d written before, so I dug it out and to my surprise I still liked it. BFI Network funded it and were great. I redrafted it myself, but really had very little requests for alterations from them and was left to my own devices, perhaps cause it’s so odd. Why take one odd bit out and not another?
Where the initial inspiration came from is hard to say but there are a lot of my own preoccupations in there. I would say broadly that we get fixated on some things in life, we want answers to mysteries and searching for the answers. Answers which mostly aren’t there. And all this distracts us from other, maybe more important things.
But then if you ask me this tomorrow I might say something else.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making Dead Whistle Stop and how did you overcome them?
I think generally I was very lucky with Dead Whistle Stop. I had a group of people working with me who, despite wondering themselves what the fuck was going on a lot of the time, threw themselves into it and the shoot was a great experience. Having a team doing that in sync is a wonderful thing and all credit to producer Jamie Macdonald and AD Hal Branson for facilitating that. This was also the first time I’d worked with a casting team, Olly Gilbert and Katy Covell, and without them I wouldn’t have found Taurean or got to Kate Dickie for the narration.
I suppose figuring out how to travel round Europe without leaving the general Newcastle area was tricky. Finding places that could stand in for the other countries and arranging unit moves but overall that was quite good fun and finding the places got me out of the house during the fag end of the lockdown times.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences. How have you found the online release of your film compared to its festival run?
The festival process is a long one but I’m very pleased to have got into where we got to. One word of advice for other film-makers, if you get the opportunity to go to festivals, go to them. I attended a few but wish I’d gone to more. Having the film released through Omeleto has also been great. It’s really helped get it out to a broader audience than it otherwise would have. I’m not the greatest at online self promotion. I may in fact be the worst. So having that platform has been invaluable. Having people see it online is different to a festival. With the latter you get people who love film, want to be supportive and, if you’re there, will say nice things to you. Online, when people comment, they have no association with you or your film so are free to mouth off and pull it apart if they don’t like it. There’s value in both.
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face in the early stages of their career when trying to break into the industry?
If we’re talking about Directors, Writers and Producers, the biggest challenge is you don’t get money from it. You may even end up out of pocket. As a result it’s hard to sustain, to make more, mess up and get better.
Having said that, access to cameras to shoot, software to edit, even software to create incredible FX has never been easier to come by. A lot of great stuff is on your phone, but even stepping beyond that is easier than it was in the past. As a result there’s a flood of stuff and getting yourself noticed is a skill in itself.
Ultimately though, I think another big hurdle is how much people get in the way of themselves. Often people are too self critical and scared of failing, so they don’t just get out and do it. On the other side some people are too convinced of their own brilliance and won’t take advice from anyone and feel like they're being treated unfairly cause they don't get their hands in the small pot that's out there..
You’ve got to find a sweet spot – being confident without being an arrogant arsehole and having some humility without being paralysed with doubt. If you figure out how to do that let me know.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
If you don’t feel confident – fake it. Everyone is faking it.
Get good actors and make sure it’s in focus.
Related note – if you’ve not already done it, do some acting. What actors do is a total mystery until you do it yourself.
Get a good sound recordist.
Watch more films and read more books. The greats all steal. You’ve got to know where the jewellery box is if you want to stuff it under your coat.
Download DaVinci Resolve and Unreal Engine. It absolutely blows my mind that they’re free.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
I’m more inclined to say what not to watch, like Marvel films and the other big franchise behemoths that suck up all the air these days. If we don’t keep watching independent and leftfield stuff it will stop being made and we’ll miss it when it’s gone. One thing I’ll add is if you like someone don’t just watch what they’ve done, watch who they stole from.