Raindance + Kino Short Film Open Mic

Our Short Film Open Mic Is Headed To Raindance!

We’re excited to partner with Raindance to host an exclusive edition of our infamous Short Film Open Mic during this year’s Raindance Film Festival.

Thursday, October 28, 18:30 - 21:30

Location: The House of Raindance I No 11 on Strand

This special event is a great place to showcase your work non-competitively for free at the House of Raindance in central London.

The rules for this special event are slightly different than our typical Open Mic events. Scroll down for rules.

Submit your Short Film

Preregistration slots are full, but you can submit to the wait list below.

Rules:

• Films are accepted on a first-come, first-screened basis

• Film running time cannot exceed 5 minutes

• One film per filmmaker

• All genres accepted

• A representative must be present at the screening to introduce your film

• Your place at the screening event is not guaranteed until you have sent us a copy of the film, and we have acknowledged receipt of it

• Screening films must deliver their films in one of the following formats: .mp4 or .mov

• Kino Short Film and Raindance reserve the right to make the final decision on whether or not to screen any particular film

Claire

Written & Directed by Yury Vorobev

It is often very challenging for teenagers to talk about their experiences and seek support. Asking for help or simply opening up and talking about what you're going through is a sign of weakness. This stigma has to go.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH YURY

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Welcome back to our Short of the Week series. What have you been working on since we last featured your film The Extinct?

I'm trying to get another short into pre-production at the moment. It touches on the migration crisis in Russia.

What was your inspiration behind Claire?

Last year, one of my best mates suddenly started to share his inner struggles. Actually, very, very few could do that. I just suddenly realised that mental health problems are quite a spectrum and the dark side of it is very scary.

Tell us a bit about the production. Any bumps along the way?

There were loads this time. The most annoying one though was that due to some technical issues, my playback stopped working, and the team could not revive it. So when it came down to filming a performance bit which was supposed to be happening in the car, on the road, I was a bit unsettled. Basically, the process slowed down massively as I only had a chance to see takes when they had been already taken. But table reads and rehearsals which we had had plenty made everything go very smoothly, and we managed to finish right on time.

What is your process working with actors and helping them with emotional performances?

Great emotional performance comes from a great cast. So that's why for me, it starts from writing a thoughtful self-tape brief that ideally should be exciting and challenging at the same time for a talent.

Plenty of table reads will not hurt either. That's also a great opportunity to properly walk the parties through a whole script, which I always prefer to make more like a chat. For me, it is the place where I decode scenes more thoroughly highlighting all the critical points in dialogues and performance in general. I prefer to keep this stage as open as possible, listening very carefully to what actors say, how they see their characters. I'm also always quite excited to see them bringing new ideas to the table. At rehearsals, I normally choose not to demand the best performance. From my perspective, it needs to be brewed until we get on the set. Then BOOM! Let's release all the beasts out in the best possible way. Hope that makes sense, haha.

Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences. Any milestones?

For me, it is extremely important to make sure the film is getting watched. This is a delicate topic, still with loads of tabu and 'no goes' though.

I believe that if people could start sharing their inner battles with zero fear of being judged, the world could be a better place.

The film has managed to be featured at 'Beyond the Short' and 'Retrospective of Jupiter'. Fingers crossed for more to come.

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

There's so much to recommend. But here are the ones that you should definitely give a watch.

Annette by Leos Carax

Caótica Ana by Julio Medem

Follow Yury on Instagram

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Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?

The Widow

Directed by Ailish Castillo & Nicola Morris

A young mother's cry for help in a man's world where silence is a virtue.

THE WIDOW was an Official Selection at The People’s Film Festival earlier this year, nabbing the award for Best Production Design.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH Ailish

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background

I grew up in Cork, Ireland, and worked as an actress, both in theatre, Film and TV. Past productions include, 'Romeo and Juliet' (Olympia Theatre Dublin), 'Spring Storm' (National Theatre, London) 'The Importance of Being Earnest' (Lyric Theatre, Belfast). 'Bachelor's Walk' (BBC and RTE) 'Starfish' (Irish Film Board). Through my experiences on set I found myself being more drawn to the production side of film so I began writing short films that then progressed into the founding of my production company, LionBear Films.

What's your inspiration behind The Widow?

The Widow is inspired by my Grandmother's life. I've always been interested in period drama so bringing this story to life was a real labour of love.

What was it like to co-direct and how did you manage the decision making with two people in the role?

Nicola and I both worked closely in pre production with a similar vision in mind. She was the main director on set for the days of filming while I acted as Nora and I then took on the director's role when it came to the edit.

What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?

I would say time, it would've been so wonderful to have had more time to film the small details. By the end of filming we were lucky to get what we got in the can and we did our best. The whole team really pulled it together.

How did you pull off an authentic period piece on a low budget?

I got as much as possible in various vintage and charity shops and then Rowena Zoro, our Production Designer, married it all together beautifully. My local pub was being renovated at the time and they very kindly let me use their up stairs rooms to film the interior of Nora's house.

Any hacks or tips for making a short film?

Don't let money, or the lack of, stop you from producing what you envision for your film. Lots of people told me there was no way I could pull off a period piece on a small budget and I'm really glad I didn't listen to them. If you persevere then you will find a way to make your film. I used my home as the base and put some of the crew up in our home too. Crowd-Funding, asking local businesses for help, asking your family or friends if they will help on set with things like cooking the food, washing up etc... put in the blood sweat and tears and I think it will pay off.

Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.

By the time my film was ready to be shown in festivals, COVID 19 had moved everything online so my experience with The Widow has been great but all virtual! It was accepted into 12 various festivals around the world and won awards like Best Cinematography, Best Costume, Best Production Design and Best Actress. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make any contacts but actually I found that the film community really pulled together and I met some brilliant people and like minded film makers online. Thank goodness for social media!.

What are you working on now?

Since The Widow, I produced two more award winning short films and I'm now putting together a pitch for a TV series. I've written the pilot, it's a fantasy drama and I'm very excited about it's prospects.

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

These aren't very "current" but some of my favourite films are- Green Book, The Hours, Pan's Labyrinth, Parasite and Elle.

Follow Lionbear Films on Instagram

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Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?

TPFF: September 2021 Official Selections

Our jury has put forward the following films as Official Selections, Finalists & Semi-Finalists for last month’s submission to The People’s Film Festival which culminates at our annual gala - March 2022!

Official Selections

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TINA AND PETER

directed by Dan Hodgson

Long-time Tina Turner enthusiast and tea expert, Tina T'urner Tea Lady, runs a greasy spoon café with Peter Longbody, Sheffield's disappointing answer to Alan Sugar. But in this brave new world of skinny macchiatti and pumpkin spiced lattes, how will these old school oddballs fare?

TINA AND PETER is an Official Selection in the Micro Budget category

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EMBERS

directed by Tom Ganley

Alice sits alone at a restaurant, waiting for her date to arrive...

EMBERS is an Official Selection in the Low Budget category

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HUNGER

directed by Mark Dollard

A heroin addict is pursued by a menacing figure.

HUNGER is an Official Selection in the Sponsored category

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finalists

Micro-Budget Category

• CONVALESCENCE directed by Zébulon Youra Goriely

• TORN directed by Ron Sonedecker

Low-Budget Category

• BLINKERS directed by Sophia Capasso

• MORE JUICE directed by Gabriel Thibodeau

Sponsored Category

• STING LIKE A BEE directed by Leone

• TAKE THE VAX directed by Edsta

semi-finalists

• A QUARK’S LOOKING GLASS directed by Adam Loxley

• DISCONNECTED directed by Daniel Sheahan

• THE FLOWER SELLER directed by Yasha Strongin

• LUCKIEST MAN ON EARTH directed by Muhammad Exsell

• LOVE EXHAUSTION directed by Sam Janot

• THE PLAN directed by Gigi Burgdorf

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WHAT SETS THE PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL APART?

✔️ Win £1,000 in funding for your next short film

✔️ Free feedback w/ every submission

✔️ Categories based on budget vs genre

Slightly Red Handed

Written & Directed by by James Hastings

Out in the Wild West, a retired magician is confronted one stormy night by an anxious priest in search of a miracle, but once a confession is made, tensions surface.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH JAMES

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.

My love for cinema emerged from my discovery of Steven Spielberg during school, when I found myself immersed in the shocking realism of ‘Schindler’s List’. This prompted me to spend the following week studying Spielberg’s entire filmography which ultimately led to my passion for filmmaking.

I set up my independent production company ‘Hastings Infinity Films’ and have been making films since the age of 13. At 16, I leaped into the deep-end and wrote/directed my first feature film, a chapter in my life I like to call ‘the ultimate film school’. Funded by Kickstarter, 'Raymond's 5' landed a spot on Amazon Prime. Additionally, I’ve directed a number of low/no-budget short films, one of which took me to Cannes. I’m constantly finding ways to make a little bit of money go a long way. 

What's your inspiration behind Slightly Red Handed?

Greed and regret; two themes I knew I wanted to tackle in this project. Having been a practicing card magician from a young age, I’ve always contemplated the idea of making a ‘magic’ film… but the real question was how to make it unique. Why not merge it with an unlikely genre? Sparked by my love for Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns and inspired by the modern works of the Coen Brothers and Tarantino, I developed the idea for Slightly Red Handed; A confession story dealing with motives of greed accompanied by some awesome music.

What are your tips for convincing western production design on a micro budget?

This film was shot on the basis that it was a ‘Lockdown short’; small crew, small cast, reasonably simple locations. 

Some advice I’ve always been aware of is to write about things you know you have access to - advice I often fail to follow. I guess my love for filmmakers like Spielberg, Kubrick and Nolan have led to my overly ambitious ideas. 

My advice for making a micro-budget western, especially if you’re shooting in England, is to keep it simple. We had one room to kit out with props, and even that was a struggle to make it look busy, authentic and ‘lived in’. However, with some research, a creative visual style and a couple of spare shotguns, you’ll be good to go!

What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?

Tackling Covid safety whilst shooting proved to be manageable, but very much a restrictive part of the process. Set-building my garden shed into looking like a ‘dishevelled cabin’ wasn’t easy. Every film comes with it’s own challenges, but it’s overcoming these obstacles that make you a better filmmaker. 

Any hacks or tips for making a short film?

Some great advice comes from Tarantino, in which he said ‘If you truly love cinema with all your heart and with enough passion, you can't help but make a good movie’ and I couldn’t agree more. It takes a lot of time and a lot of work to learn your craft, but if you love cinema that much, then you’ll be willing to go all the way.

Short films are a perfect way to learn and develop your 'style' without the stress of having much to lose. They don’t require a large budget. Plus, many important lessons can be learnt from a micro budget shoot. Work with a cast and crew you trust and enjoy the process as much as you do (shout out to my super talented cast & crew!). Even use people you know; friends, family, anyone interested in helping out on a film, anyone who owns a horse and cart or some spare cowboy hats!

Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.

Get it out there, get it seen - that was my release strategy. Release online, film festivals etc. I had no expectations with the distribution of this film. It’s always a tricky process, trying to reach an audience, but then again, if something is worth seeing, then it will find a way to be seen - sometimes!

What are you working on now?

I have multiple projects in development, however my main focus remains on my next feature film, an uplifting true story of a 14 year old boy growing up during the Second World War and his heroic determination to build an aeroplane, with the intention of flying to Berlin and single-handedly taking on Hitler.

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

Most Spielberg and Kubrick films. Also, ‘Life is Beautiful’, ‘Fitzcarraldo’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’

Follow James on Instagram

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Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?

Miłość

Written & Directed by by Helena Ganjalyan & Bartosz Szpak

Two gay men go through the most important moment in their lives.

Andrzej Piaseczny is one of the most important Polish musicians and singers. His recent coming out as gay was initiated by an excerpt from the lyrics of "Miłość", which is a single from the artist's latest album. This music video gives a voice of support for the LGBT + community in Poland.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH HELENA & BARTOSZ

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.

H: For many years we have been working in various creative fields – I've graduated  Academy of Theater Arts in Krakow. I work as an actress,  theater and film director, choreographer and photographer, Bartek graduated from the Film School in Łódź – he is an actor, composer and he directs audio productions as well.

B: Our creative paths have come together for exactly this reason - conscious use of our collective skill-set as well as shared cinematic language & taste allowed us to take a unique perspective on our projects.

H: Our film „Me” for the Tyskie brand was awarded the Grand Prix and the 1st Prize in the Branded Stories category in Papaya Young Directors 2020.

Why did you decide to make Miłość?

Andrzej Piaseczny is one of the most important Polish pop musicians and singers, widely popular since the 90's. His recent coming out as gay was initiated by an excerpt from the lyrics of "Miłość", which is a single from the artist's latest album. 

It was his and our intention to make this music video a voice of support for the LGBT + community in Poland. Our current political climate makes the conversation about equal rights for any minorities more important than ever. 

We also considered this project to be a good opportunity to go outside of our own bubble audience-wise - Andrzej's main fanbase is very different from indie artists we have worked with so far.

When thinking about the message of the song and our music video, the words of Stephen Fry, British actor and activist who is privately homosexual, come to mind: it is all about love. Not about ideology or political deliberations, but about giving and receiving love, sharing it with other people.

We wanted to make a film that would not shock and seek sensation, but rather tell a story that is simple, delicate and ephemeral.

What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?

We wanted to find the perfect actors for this task. Hence the lengthy process of  assembling our cast - it required many days of research, conversations, setting deadlines and coordinating the work. 

Thanks to Maciek and Bartek (portraying two main characters), we have created a romantic, sensitive atmosphere. The ease with which they interacted allowed, despite the short filming period, to create a subtle on-screen relationship.

The key words we started working with were tenderness, closeness and naturalness. Heroes whom you like and who keep your fingers crossed for their shared happiness. We wanted to find actors who would be credible, personally involved in the case and who, through their presence, would fill the entire story with organic emotions.

Another challenge was the need to find multiple locations in Krakow and stay within the budget. We knew we didn't want to switch to digital - making this music video on tape was one of our main tools for creating the mood of the story.

We also wanted to emphasize naturalness through what surrounds the characters. There is a shot in the clip where the protagonists sit under a plum tree growing at Krakus Mound in Krakow. The branches hanging above them are a symbol of nature that protects and surrounds them, with which they are in harmony.

Any hacks or tips on how to tell stories visually vs with dialog?

H: For me in both you have to know what is the essence of each scene and then create around it. For example I love one scene in „We are who we are” by Luca Guadagnino where two protagonists continue the dialog while camera leaves them and shows us the surrounding. For me it is like the director tries to tell us – this is important, this is how the characters will remember this situation. 

B: While looking for the appropriate visual code for strictly visual, no-dialog projects, our main focus is the mood we want to convey & the vibe we want our viewer to get into.

In case of "Miłość" we wanted our concept to be "close to the protagonist" - natural, slightly documentary, highly emotional, full of subtle signals. We consider the 16mm negative to be the perfect tool to achieve this effect.

The home video sequences were shot using an analog Super8 camera. It gave us the opportunity to break the fourth wall, direct contact with the characters, and the characteristic trembling makes the editing more dynamic.

Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.

H: We've sent it to several film or music video festivals as well as to some magazines and platforms where the audiences from abroad could find it. It was very important for us to reach to foreign audience as we feel that the story in „Miłość” is very universal.

B: It is different with every project. Some of our music videos had artists with their own PR plans, others were full indie. In terms of commercials there are two separate audiences - people who see the commercial as intended by the client, be it TV or WEB, and people who see it on our professional channnels (IG,Vimeo) as part of our portfolio. Each of those situations requires different tools and actions to be taken.

What are you working on now?

Currently we recieved funding from Polish Film Institute for development of our debut feature film "Jestem Kim Chcesz" produced by Stanisław Dziedzic, Film Produkcja. It is a story of a young girl who dares to take a risky step to fight for her dreams - a story of readiness for change and courage to find one's own way.

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

During pandemic we were more into series than films (for example „High maintenance”) but those two are an interesting take: "There must be Heaven" by Elia Suleiman, „About endlessness” by Roy Andersson.

VISIT HELENA & BARTOSZ’S WEBSITE

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Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?

TPFF: August 2021 Official Selections, Finalists & Semi-Finalists

Our jury has put forward the following films as Official Selections, Finalists & Semi-Finalists for last month’s submission to The People’s Film Festival which culminates at our annual gala - March 2022!

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official Selections

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART

directed by Elliot Taylor & Liam Francis

A listless Luna makes big life changes by leaving her boyfriend for the Moon. But when communication breaks down and the world is up in arms, she wonders how she can get him back into orbit, and her own life back on track.

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART is an Official Selection in the Micro-Budget Category.

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YOSHI FUNABASHI

directed by Mattia Ramberti

A stylised portrait surrounding Yoshi Funabashi, founder of Studio Ypsilon: a luxury atelier designing Italian classics with a Japanese touch. By mixing his sophisticated heritage with a fascination for Italian music, Yoshi’s character becomes the embodiment of the “Opera Connoisseur”.

YOSHI FUNABASHI is an Official Selection in the Low Budget Category.

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THE GOSSIP

directed by Rolfin Nyhus

A young woman's self-esteem shatters when her best friend launches into a tirade.

Set in Margate, a coastal town in the South East of Britain, The Gossip explores the moral and interpersonal effects of gossip between two best friends.

Careless talk and gossip occur in all walks of life and can create rifts in the closest of relationships. Repairing this damage requires compassion and understanding. Traits that are often most needed when they are least accessible. Healing a once loving relationship can be the hardest task of all.

THE GOSSIP is an Official Selection in the Sponsored Category.

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finalists

Micro-Budget Category

• COVID TALES directed by Ryan Ackland

• MILK directed by Celia Jaspers

Low-Budget Category

• A BONE IN THE FISH directed by Lucrezia Camera

• IN DREAMS directed byWilliam Cho

• MIJO directed by Mazdey Snob

Sponsored Category

• COPY THAT directed by Margaret McGoldrick

• HANK directed by Michael Pedley

semi-finalists

• AN ARTIST’S REALITY directed by Adam John Davis

• FEAST directed by Gillian Harker

• I HOPE THIS FILM ISN’T ABOUT ME directed by Harry Plowden

• SHAHIYA LAHORIYA - THE ACCOUNT OF AN ANTI-HERO directed by Muhammad Razi

• SUNWORSHIPPER directed by Darin Caudle

• UP-AND-COMING directed by Doug James Berwick

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WHAT SETS THE PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL APART?

✔️ Win £1,000 in funding for your next short film

✔️ Free feedback w/ every submission

✔️ Categories based on budget vs genre

A SICKNESS

Written & Directed by Guy Soulsby | Produced by Jennifer Gelin

Stephen lives a solitary life. A loner. A man who keeps himself to himself and is governed by routine and order. All things have their place and for good reason as a dark secret lurks beneath his feet.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH GUY

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background:

I am a writer and director based in London shooting TV commercials, content and short films. I've been directing for the past 17 years and have been very fortunate to direct work all around the world. My passion for short films and narrative work started as a teenager back in college in Yorkshire. I didn't know how to turn this into a job, so I ended up moving to London where I worked for various TV broadcasters directing commercials in the UK and the US. After a number of years I decided to leave and become a freelance director, which enabled me to create relationships with production companies and crew, who in turn helped me make short films.

How did you go about casting the film?

I spend a lot of time researching actors. Looking at recent and old TV shows and films. My missus also has a very keen eye for the right talent based on the characters I write, and she was in fact the one who brought David Langham (His Dark Materials, The Alienist, Doctor Who) to my attention. David is not only a fantastic actor but a lovely person. He was such a pleasure to work with from start to finish. I couldn't have asked for more and he's perfect in the role.

What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?

Making a short film is always a huge task. It requires the help and support of many people. The first step is obviously to write something great but also a treatment to accompany the script so you can visually show contributors what you're thinking and how you see the film. Get a good, great producer. I was lucky to find Jennifer Gelin who had just produced a couple commercials with me. Then it's a case of financing the short, which is a big obstacle. Finding the cast, the crew and the right people who can help in post-production, and this is usually for little to no money. You have to be able to entice people and convince them that your short film will be a great piece of work and they should be part of the journey.

Your strength is really "visual storytelling". There's practically no dialog in the film, but you always keep the frame compelling. Any hacks or tips on how to tell stories visually vs with dialog?

Research is a big part, watching TV shows and films, and understanding how camera movement or the lack of it, pacing, as well as blocking conveys feelings, thoughts and emotions towards your cast and the unfolding scene. This really came together once we had the location as I could work with my DOP Michael Paleodimos to construct how we'd shoot the film and use each room. We shot in two different houses and added walls in the main house in post-production to help convey a sense of claustrophobia. We used almost every single set-up in the film, and so I had to make sure the film would cut together before we shot anything. There were many discussions with my regular editor Nick Armstrong based on location photos and shot lists, which we used to construct the film before we shot anything.

Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences:

The film has only just been released and so I'm keen to get it out to short film lovers around the world. KINO is a great platform to do just that, reach like minded filmmakers and people who want a short snippet of entertainment.

You've had previous work featured on Alter and Vimeo Staff Pick. Congrats! Any tips for filmmakers trying to get their work on those same platforms?

Vimeo was pretty mad. I was able to get an email contact from a mate of a mate, and so I sent a note hoping Vimeo would get back to me. I heard nothing. Then I got up one morning and had a ton of email notifications. I checked my short film DEVIL MAKES WORK and there it was a “Staff Pick” rosette. I was over the moon. I think it’s now up to about 60,000 views and counting. Thanks Vimeo!

I reached out to ALTER via their submissions. Like Vimeo I hoped that they would connect with my short film GOD’S KINGDOM and they did, which was amazing. They showcased it on their channels and the film has pulled in nearly 600,000 views, which has blown my mind, and it’s still going up. Thanks ALTER!

What are you working on now?

I am in pre-production on a short film called PROVISIONS. It’s a story about an elderly woman who has a visit from a homecare nurse. He quickly realises his patient is older, in fact much older than he first thought. I also have another short film called SLEEP. It focuses on woman’s husband who sleep walks. Every night she is woken by him wandering around the house. I am always writing ideas and putting together treatments. I’ve had a couple short films get very close to being made and then for one reason or another they don’t. Sometimes things come up that were unexpected and cost too much, other times the perfect location might become unavailable. I had a short film financed a few years ago with an A list actor, and we had a tiny window of opportunity to make the film. The actor got booked on a movie and so the money pulled out and that was that. The reason I mention all this is so people realise it’s not easy but you have to keep plugging away, you have to keep trying to get things made.

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

I recently watched a Canadian film called "The Decline" about a group of survivalists, which is excellent, as well as the psychological thriller 'Swallow" and the new horror film "Saint Maud", both of which are great!

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FOLLOW GUY ON INSTAGRAM

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Apply to get your short selected as our Weekly Pick

Appetite

Directed by Xuemeng Li & Katrin Larissa Kasper

Steph is a predatory dater. She likes to indulge on an assortment of hapless men and women, whom she overawes, out-orders and out-eats. What‘s more, she insists she likes to pay. But Steph‘s dating habits are running away with her, just as she is running away from a terrifically large bill. Steph, it transpires, is a serial dine-and dasher. Wearing different guises and personas, each more elaborate than the last, she believes she can slip away from the table and not suffer the consequences. But everyone has to pay the bill in the end.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH KATRIN

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background:

I’m originally from Germany and studied Theatre Arts in Portland, Oregon. I moved to London and tried to find my way into the industry here, but it’s not been easy, being a foreigner trying to book jobs here. And so a couple of years ago I decided to start creating my own work. First a few scenes for a showreel. Then the idea for Appetite came along. In 2018, a man in the US was found guilty of running out on restaurant bills, after a spree of expensive first dates. The media dubbed him the 'serial dine-and-dasher’. My partner and I heard his curious story on the radio, and we thought it had all the elements to be a comedy short film, and that’s how it all began. Some friends of mine got involved in the project and I recruited some extremely talented crew, and looking back, I’m very grateful that I had these people around me, because everyone had such a strong sense of the look and feel of the film, and so much enthusiasm for budget filmmaking, that it was a fun experience and I was able to focus on my acting as well, as well as the production.

What was it like to co-direct a film, and how did you manage creative decisions with two people in the director's chair?

I found it to be helpful – especially being first-time filmmakers. Xuemeng came at the script with fresh eyes and ideas, and a sensibility that kind of complemented mine. For instance, and partly because I was acting the lead role, and needed to think about my acting on set, I’d be very conscious about what needed to be shot and when, moving through the script, getting the details, without losing the light or the permission to be in the cafes, whereas Xuemeng thought deeply about the tensions and comic potentials in each scene, and making sure we got the right performances. I wanted something like a Wes Anderson tone, you know, not so natural, whereas Xuemeng wanted something much more natural from the actors. Of course, you don’t always agree on everything but we achieved a balance here.  

What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?

It was a first for some of us so there was a lot of learning by doing. I hadn’t had the experience of “what can go wrong” when making a film. So my approach as the producer was maybe a bit naïve, or rather very optimistic. I think that turned out to be a good thing though because I was convinced that anything was doable. Obviously when you’re on a small budget it’s not, but the right attitude can really help. Finding locations (mainly restaurants) that we could afford involved a lot of scouting and earning the trust of the owners. London thankfully is great in that regard because people are so used to being approached by filmmakers. Where London is not so great is the weather. To save money, we shot two different dates at the same restaurant on the same day, but made it look like two separate locations by shooting one date inside and the other outside. Of course, it rained buckets and was incredibly windy as soon as we were shooting al fresco. There’s no real way to overcome the weather but just power through, and make the best of the situation. In the end it’s one of the funnier sequences, and adds to the madness of it, this extravagant first date taking place in a gale. 

Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences:

I asked friends and contacts in the industry for film festival advice and started to make a list of festivals for Appetite. I’d say it’s crucial that you do that and be strict and honest with yourself about what you can achieve. What I mean by that is: don’t waste money on submissions to prestigious festivals if you’re film can’t play in that league and don’t apply to random festivals. You’ll always end up spending more than you thought anyways so don’t make it harder on yourself. We were lucky to get into quite a few festivals in different countries and even won some awards. Sadly, most of them had to be online due to the pandemic but we were still very happy as our expectations weren’t high for our first film. Recently we’ve also joined the UK streaming platform Paus TV. We still have a few festivals to hear back from. After the festival round we might want to have Appetite on YouTube or Vimeo. There’s also a great new indie video platform called Klipist that we’re interested in. 

What are you working on now?

I’m currently co-producing another short, a political drama called Kompromat which is based on the many stories in recent years of Russian spies tricking right wing politicians. We filmed a first scene a few months after we had shot Appetite in 2019 and continued production between lockdowns in summer 2020. At the moment we’re editing. Last year in lockdown I began developing an idea for a sci-fi drama about CGI actors and what it means for the industry. We’ve now got an exciting short film script, which is meant as a low-budget proof of concept piece for what will probably be a series, and we’ll be exploring how to get the short funded. 

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

More recently, I loved Ari Aster’s Midsommar and Charlie Kaufmann’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things. This past year, between rewatching all of Succession, I’ve binged on some films from the 30s-50s. A lot of Cary Grant, Hitchcock and Billy Wilder. I’d recommend A Foreign Affair by Wilder – with the amazing Marlene Dietrich. And His Girl Friday with Grant and Rosalind Russell.

FOLLOW APPETITE ON INSTAGRAM

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Andi

Directed by Julia Kupiec

Andi, a Long Beach based roller skater, discusses her journey of shedding false identities and the value of finding a safe space among found family in order to grow past trauma.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH JULIE

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.

I was an actor before I was a filmmaker - but when it came to transitioning to screen acting when I was a teenager, I developed a real sense of anxiety in the audition room. It made it impossible for me to truly connect with a story because I was so worried about whether or not I was performing well, whether or not the people I was auditioning for thought I was good or worthwhile. I stopped enjoying it because I lost sight of how to like myself in that space. I ended up applying to a filmmaking program at my high school and I realized that I could connect with stories in a deeper sense behind the camera. I loved cinematography, editing, sound design - the whole thing. I could forget myself and just sink into something that interested me. I then attended NYU for film production and wound up diving into a bunch of different craft positions. I tried my hand at pretty much everything. Ultimately, I traveled farthest down the cinematography track and spent the majority of my time shooting for other students. It wasn’t until the end of my junior year of college that I thought to myself - you know, I think I’d really like to direct. It sounds like a hot mess of a path when I write it out like this, but ultimately my love for filmmaking comes from a bunch of different directions. I find every element of craft to be fiercely interesting and I think that’s essentially where I come from as a director: speaking the language of all of these different elements of storytelling and finding the common thread that weaves them together to create an emotional experience.

How did you find the subject for your film?

My partner / DP Ace and I had been living with my parents in Santa Barbara during the shutdown. A few months had gone by and COVID precautions had been announced for how to proceed with productions so we figured - well, we should probably make something, what else are we doing? We figured the only thing we could afford to do was a profile documentary with no production sound (couldn’t afford a sound mixer but a friend of mine in LA did have a little zoom recorder so I figured we could record a voice over). We were kind of just scrounging around social media for potential subjects and Ace remembered that the girlfriend of his god brother, Sean, was supposed to be a pretty talented roller skater. We reached out to Sean to see if Andi would be willing to hop on the phone with me to talk about putting a little project together. We Facetimed a few days later and we just clicked - right away I realized that she was an incredibly open person, very willing to dive deep into her background and insecurities and the things she’s overcome. I figured - there’s a story here. Let’s just keep talking.

What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?

Ace and I decided to pool some money we had saved up to make the project happen. We figured together we could get to $2,500 and that was enough to get a camera package for a weekend and to hire a steadicam operator and an AC to assist them for one of the days. The second day, I would full focus and direct at the same time. There was so much movement, there was just no way Ace was going to be able to pull for himself. This is where having traveled down so many departmental positions kind of comes in handy. ACing is like breathing for me. I did it all throughout college and it’s how I supported myself when I graduated in 2019. It definitely isn’t easy to AC and direct at the same time, but if you’re paying for your own project and you really can’t afford someone to help you out - it’s nice to feel comfortable shouldering the extra work. It was just Ace, myself and our friend / producer, Samson on set. We all did everything. It’s funny writing about this as “an obstacle” of sorts, because it definitely was - but at the same time, I actually really enjoy working in a super stripped back form at times. It feels grounded, like you’re really getting your hands dirty.

The other obstacle was the VO. We only had a zoom recorder and no actual space to record the voice over (the only interior space we’d have access to was Andi’s apartment and she had a dog who had a tendency to bark if strangers were present). So it was like 7 pm and Andi and I crawled into my Volvo Station Wagon with a bunch of pillows and some mango White Claws and recorded her interview parked on the side of the street, HAH. I’m actually grinning ear to ear thinking about this. We constantly had to re-park because if you’ve ever been to Long Beach, parking is a DISASTER. It’s all permitted. We always had someone coming up to us being like, um, so sorry but this is my spot. We were a mess and it was so much fun. We talked about everything. I hope the intimacy of that conversation and the joy we felt comes through in the piece. It was like a 3 hour long heart to heart, and I just thought to myself while it was happening: I’m so glad to be here. This is amazing.

Any hacks or tips for making a documentary short?

I feel like there’s so many ways to approach this question. I suppose what first comes to mind is: I kind of have the philosophy that you could make an interesting documentary about anyone, you just have to pay close enough attention to find that person’s story. And their story probably isn’t what you came in thinking it was. So just keep your eyes and ears open - it’s all in the details, in the in-between spaces, in what isn’t said just as much as what is. That’s where nuance lives and that’s where you have to burrow in. If you create a safe space and allow yourself to be vulnerable, maybe someone else will open themselves up to you - and that’s a really beautiful thing to experience.

Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.

This is a funny project because it’s something that isn’t really long enough to exist in an in-person festival space. It also has a somewhat branded feel. That was intentional - we partly made this project to try to get more work in the commercial space. We all want to make projects that we connect with and which feel like genuine modes of artistic expression - but we also need to figure out how to pay rent and simply survive. I wanted to see if I could make something which felt like it might get me more branded work, but which also felt like it fulfilled an artistic intention.

What are you working on now?

I recently wrapped production on a branded documentary for a fashion designer friend who owns her own label - By Liv Handmade. I decided to bring on a dear friend and collaborator, Nina Gofur, to co-direct the project with me. It felt like the right kind of challenge. We have a lot of crossover in the kinds of emotional themes we’re interested in, but we also have extremely different approaches to filmmaking. I lean narrative in a more traditional sense and Nina is primarily an experimental filmmaker. I just felt like we might have a really interesting chemical reaction on this particular project. I wanted to bring in a more experimental approach and I also wanted to really try to share that directorial space with another creative who thinks differently than I do. I learned more about myself as a filmmaker from that experience than I ever have. We’re currently in the editing phase and I’m incredibly excited to piece together what we’ve captured. Aside from that, I’m also heading into production for a solo-directorial music video for Columbia Records artist, Clinton Kane. And Nina and I are set to co-direct another music video for NYC based artist Halima.

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

Oh gosh! So many. In the branded / doc space, I really love Haya Waseem’s work. She’s already established so perhaps you’ve heard of her but I think her directorial voice is really special. Her pieces capture subtlety and lean into a sense of naturalism that is so remarkable to me.

For a doc feature, Lance Oppenheim’s “Some Kind of Heaven” really struck me. The visual / editorial style he went with really resonated and it always feels great when you see a piece of work that’s better and more ambitious than anything you’ve made, but the core of the things the director thought about and implemented feel like choices you would also make. I suppose it’s reassuring in a way - like seeing a little bit of yourself out in the established filmmaking world and going, ok, that’s a touchstone for me. I think I could do something like that.

Narrative feature: literally anything by Andrea Arnold, Greta Gerwig or Noah Baumbach. Those are huge names and likely completely unhelpful recommendations, but they’re also my heart encapsulated. I recently also watched Pieces of a Woman and the first 30 minutes are maybe some of the most powerful filmmaking I’ve seen. Y Tu Mama Tambien, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, The Souvenir, Eighth Grade, A Ghost Story, Ida. Wow this is a random list. So many more, but I’ll stop there.

FOLLOW JULIA ON INSTAGRAM

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Soon Come

Directed by Richard Armitage & Josh Knox

Things are finally looking up, and it’s almost hard to imagine a locked-down London right now.

Ezra takes us on a journey through a desolate London as he reminisces on what life was like before all of this, whilst reminding us of how far we have come.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.

I have always had a keen interest in all things film and photo since a young age, I think skateboarding played a key part in that. I moved to London to study Photography, just from being here and surrounding myself with likeminded people, I soon found myself working in the world of film. Since then I have been shooting all types of content all over the world, I can't imagine doing anything else. 

How did lockdown affect your creativity and inspiration to make art?

It’s been very up and down, at times being locked up has actually given me more inspiration to get out and create. Whilst on the other hand it can completely suck all of the life out of you, leaving you more demotivated than ever.

What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?

With lockdown affecting the creative industry so hard, it has been difficult to keep motivated at times. Rather than letting it bring us down we took the opportunity to get out and make something.

I think the concept was the most difficult part of the whole process. We really wanted to create something that reflects these incredible times, something that we can look back on in the future to remind us of what we have all been through, and how far we have come. We chose to tell this story through a poem, describing all the things we love, what we miss and what we hope for once things open up again. We used a skateboarder as a visual vehicle to show the state of the city, London has never looked anything like this, and probably never will again, we had to document it. 

Any hacks or tips for making a short film?

Just get out there and go for it, act on inspiration, the worst thing you can do is sit on an idea for too long and let it deteriorate. 

Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.

The whole process of promoting films like this is a very new journey for me, so I’m currently learning about how this works, it's very confusing. 

What are you working on now?

I have another short film that I also shot at home over lockdown, I just haven’t had the time to really get stuck into the edit yet, I’m super excited to get working on it though! 

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

Too many to list!

I did watch ‘THE LAST STORM’ by Liam Saint-Pierre last night though and loved it, well worth a watch!

FOLLOW OUT RIGHT FILMS

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TPFF: July 2021 Official Selections

Our jury has put forward the following films as Official Selections, Finalists & Semi-Finalists for last month’s submission to The People’s Film Festival which culminates at our annual gala - March 2022!

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PORTRAIT

directed by Keir Siewert

'Based on real accounts, a model takes matters into her own hands
to expose a serial predator in the photography world.'

Rhetta, an industrious model, sets up a shoot with a predatory photographer, notorious for his coercion tactics and aggressive actions. However, little does he realise that Rhetta has orchestrated this meeting as a sting to expose his inappropriate behaviour on an online video live stream.

Winner of the Genera grant, Portrait is a tense drama built on research from interviews with 21 models about their experiences overcoming the abuse of power in the photography world.

PORTRAIT is an Official Selection in the Micro-Budget Category.

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LIFE SKILLS

directed by Gino Evans

Life Skills tells the story of Nathan, a former soldier who is struggling with life after serving in the armed forces. When Nathan’s world is collapsing and he is at his lowest point, he seeks respite by taking a unique path to try to overcome his problems.

LIFE SKILLS is an Official Selection in the Low Budget Category.

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THANK YOU SO MUCH

directed by Tomasz Frymorgen

During the UK's Thursday evening clap for healthcare workers, an over-virtuous neighbour is challenged by the nurse next door. His only way to avoid public humiliation is to crush the heretic before him.

This short satirical film searches for the line between encouraging virtue and enforcing submission in pandemic Britain. It’s about class divides, witch hunts and the darkness beneath our most righteous performances.

THANK YOU SO MUCH is an Official Selection in the Sponsored Category.

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finalists

Micro-Budget Category

• SLIGHTLY RED HANDED directed by James Hastings

• THE SOCIAL DOCTOR directed by Matteo Valentini

Low-Budget Category

• SHALLOW directed by Paul Ashton

• YOSHI FUNABASHI directed by Mattia Ramberti

Sponsored Category

• COME FIND ME directed by Nela Wagman

• DEAD MAN WALKING directed by Ryan Marcus

semi-finalists

• BEAST OF BURDEN directed by Christopher Deakin

• COVID TALES directed by Ryan Ackland

• MILK directed by Celia Jaspers

• PASSING BY directed by Pheline Hanke, Duc Quang Le, Lisa Jane Albrecht, & Johanna Geimer

• SUCTION directed by Rachel Tillotson

• THE SUBTERRANE directed by Seán Staab

• THERE IS A SCRATCH ON THE INSIDE OF MY RIGHT KNEE directed by William Cho

• TINA AND PETER directed by Dan Hodgson

• 2:15 directed by Matteo Valentini

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WHAT SETS THE PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL APART?

✔️ Win £1,000 in funding for your next short film

✔️ Free feedback w/ every submission

✔️ Categories based on budget vs genre

The Extinct

Written and Directed by Yury Vorobev

Politicians, big actors, high-rank footballers and other significant figures keep insisting to give voice to the voiceless. It is finally happening. Whoo-hoo! A self-deprecatory portrait of an endangered pickpocket and his financial struggles resulting frоm the third UK quarantine.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH Yury

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.

Born in St. Petersburg. Brewed in Moscow. Matured in London. Radiohead. Earlybird. Storyteller. Loving son. I should probably stop here to make "tell us a bit about yourself" more intriguing. Trust me you don't really want to know much more about my "intergalactic" filming adventure. Especially taking into account how many Ted Talks to catch up with are out there. So please be sensible with your time.

I started off my way to filmmaking by developing intros for various broadcast programmes at Channel 5 Russia. It was fun mostly because after hours we used to play a lot of Call Duty. Ah, these were the times!

As a firm believer in storytelling I made my way to the adland hoping to create more idea focused content. But the more I worked on TV commercials and branded films the more I craved them to be less adverts but more like films. Honestly, it wasn't going anywhere. I struggled. People who worked with me did too. But controversial enough, I'm very much  glad that I did. Because that was a wake up call for me. I suddenly realised that filmmaking is the thing I mostly enjoy doing, no matter what. From writing stories to working with actors, location scouting, going the extra mile one the set and so on and so forth. I just love every bit of it. Even when everything goes nuts I love it.

Since 2012 I have settled in London. I studied filmmaking in Raindance School while constantly upgrading my script writing skills at different online courses. In 2020 I wrote and shot a debut short film "Stalin Unlimited". 

How did lockdown affect your creativity and inspiration to make art?

Which one, the 1st, 2nd or 3rd?

The first lockdown was a perfect spark to look at things we all used to from a completely different perspective. As it turns out we take so many things for granted and all of sudden they just feel so unique. Everything ignited from the fact that my beloved take away cup of coffee was taken away from me and as a result had become the most carved thing over the pandemic. I have never thought that I'd be dreaming about such a basic thing. But I did. Mostly in the mornings. And then I got bored dreaming about the coffee. That was my starting point. Boom!

From coffee to tofey. I mean trophy.

What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?

Turning my living room into some sort of shooting studio was an overambitious idea to say the least. A massive challenge as well. I had to live in that mess for over a month convincing my wife that it was worth doing it. Not to mention that I have an OCD to keep everything nice and tidy at home. It was tough. But on the plus side, my wife has not divorced me. Yet. And I have not gone into a mental institution. Yet.

Any hacks or tips for making a short film?

I'd say just better to make a bad one rather than not to make it at all. Filmmaking is such a never ending learning curve. Obviously making mistakes is a big part of it. So you'd better make them as much as you can in the beginning. Sounds a bit like I encourage people to make shitty films though. Weirdly enough it makes sense though.

Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.

It wasn't too easy to be honest. I had to do loads of parts by myself. I was a writer/director, set designer, editor/colourist and even had to do some clean up myself. Almost a one man band. A big lesson for me is that I will never ever do everything myself again. If you want to come in one piece afterwards it's highly not recommended. Just focus on your part and let the others do the rest.

What are you working on now?

I'm writing a new short which I'm planning to film in August.

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

I recently opened to myself the films of Christian Petzold. 'Barbara' in particular has quite resonated with me. It's a beautiful drama film that reflects on choices, dilemmas and sacrifice.

Follow Yury on Instagram

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British Graffiti

Written, directed, and produced by Mark van Heusden.

An art history graduate couldn't get a job after graduating and now works in a supermarket. Years of being terrorised by his boss make him reach his boiling point.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH MARK

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.

I grew up in The Netherlands and made no budget short films with friends while doing my undergrad. I soon realised that I didn't really have any technical knowledge and started interning as an editor and camera assistant on corporate videos to become a more skilled filmmaker. I then moved to the UK and wanted to make a new film and I was able to do that by doing an MA in filmmaking. British Graffiti is my first film after having interned for 6 months and it helped me a lot in terms of planning and knowing how much time it costs to do certain camera set ups. I since made another short film David French Is A Piece of Shit and I Want Him Dead and a couple of music videos and mainly work as an editor to pay the bills.

What's your inspiration behind British Graffiti?

When I was doing my MA, lots of other students in my year had this fear of what would happen after graduating. Would we able to find work in the film industry?

I found that very nervewrecking too, and so decided to make this the central theme of my movie. What if you can't find your dream job and are forced to work somewhere you don't want to work? In this particular case I set the film in a supermarket because I worked in a supermarket for eight years whilst I was in school. I enjoyed the mundane task of restocking shelfs as I could kind of switch off, but it wasn't always a fun place to work because I encountered quite a few miserable people there. This film was a great way of getting both of these frustrations out of my system!

What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?

Filming in a supermarket was very tough. An amazing opportunity, but we shot overnight between 22:00 PM until 04:00 AM for a week whilst they were restocking shelves. The first obstacle was exhaustion, because we had been up during the day to go through the shotlist and rehearse the scenes and then we needed to shoot through the night. So we were extremely tired every day. Secondly we had to be on our feet constantly because even though there were no customers, there were still employees stocking the shelves. We had to make sure not to be in their way and had to move around a lot to ensure we could get our scenes done and not have them in shot or ruin the sound.

Any hacks or tips for making a short film?

Be as prepared as you can! Things will not go exactly as you planned, so the best thing you can do is plan everything meticulously with everyone involved. This way not only you know what you want, but also your cast and crew have an idea of where you're heading. If obstacles arrive, you have a goal in mind and you can work around them. I hate it when people say "we'll cross that bridge when we get there" because in filmmaking, that bridge is usually on fire so you'll have to be prepared.

Also, take care of your crew. In order to make your film everyone needs to be at their best, and in order to do that it's best to keep them happy and comfortable! Check if everyone is ok and the best trick to a happy and motivated crew is good catering! (No pizza or kebab but nutritious meals!)

Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.

This one is tough because I had a little trouble with this film. I produced it myself and shot in a supermarket showing all their branding and uniforms and they weren't too happy with that. My own fault, so I had to learn DaVinci and change the colour of the uniforms and a VFX artist removed the branding. So getting it to audiences happened a little later than I wanted, but it did have a small festival run. Since then it's been on Vimeo as to be very honest, I find it difficult to promote my work! I'm very comfortable on set and in the cutting room, but once a film is done I find it tricky to reach an audience.

What are you working on now?

I have written two short films that I would like to make. A Part of Me is the prologue/proof of concept for a feature, but since it would be quite ambitious and expensive I might make a cheaper short set in one location titled Love Is a Drug and I Overdosed. My films have always been quite large in scale and very (maybe too) ambitious so I quite look forward to doing a small movie before I gear up for something bigger again.

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

So many! Not many people in the UK are familiar with Dutch cinema so I'd like to recommend a few. Soldier of Orange (1977) is a classic by Paul Verhoeven who would later make it big in Hollywood. Character (1997) won the Oscar for best Foreign Language Film and is very good. And a personal favourite is Aanmodderfakker (2014) which is a comedy that reminds me a lot of Edgar Wright's films. One of my all time favourite's is an underrated gem: Delicatessen (1992) by Jean-Pierre Jeunet who did Amelie. And recently these films have blown me away: Höstsonaten (1978), To Be or Not To Be (1942), After The Wedding (2006), Fail Safe (1964).

FOLLOW MARK ON INSTAGRAM

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Rambling

Created and written by WILL NOBLE and JOE REANEY

The Great British Countryside™ covers an area equivalent to a trillion football pitches. Probably. We don our boots to ramble a rural expanse that's rich with doggers, mentally scarred artists, and You Are Here signs that are out to get you.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH WILL NOBLE

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.

Myself and Joe met on a scriptwriting course at Bournemouth Uni and bonded over a love of Alan Partridge, Curb and Look Around You. Joe's previously made a couple of award-winning short films. Our first foray into animation was with BenPics - with a short called 'Spaghetti' - a cautionary tale about cooking too much pasta. The script itself was actually a sketch written for our comedy group, Birds.

So Rambling is part of a web series called The Green and Pleasant Guide. Can you tell us about your inspiration being this web series and in particular for the Rambling episode?

The Green and Pleasant Guide is basically an homage to/send up of those shows you get on the BBC on a Sunday afternoon, where people are banging on about how great the countryside is. We wanted to put a surreal/dark spin on that, through the lens of Londoners who know nothing about the countryside. So for instance, the Rambling episode features a 'You Are Here' sign that chases a poor rambler around until he winds up running into the thresher of a combine harvester. The presenter is that perma-smile type, who could keep grinning through a bit to camera in an abattoir.

What is your process for creating animation and any hacks or tips you can share?

Find an animator whose style you really love. In our case it was Ben. Plus, the voice talent (Celeste Dring, Luke Rollason, Amy Gledhill) were all people we'd admired from afar, and were fortunate enough to get on board.

Our process is: Joe and I write the scripts, then send them to Ben, who often chips in with one or two suggestions for visual gags. We'll change the script accordingly, before recording the voiceovers. At this point, Ben will make the final animations to fit the voices and everything else that's going on in the script.

How have to tried to get attention to your when releasing it direct online?

We've essentially set up a YouTube channel and a Twitter account, and put some bad jokes on the latter to try and get people to visit the former.

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

I mean, the best films about the countryside are probably Nuts in May, Sightseers and Withnail and I. In each one, things go horrifically awry - just like in the Green and Pleasant Guide.

Subscribe to The Green & Pleasant Guide on YouTube

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Teeth

A film by Alex Fischman Cárdenas & Gabriel Crawford Connelly

A year after covid ravaged New York city, Ikeem "Teeth" Jones reflects on his legacy as the best subway dancer.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH THE FILMMAKER

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.

I began making movies when I was 12. All my friends got really into skating and since I was frightened by the prospect of falling, I filmed. These movies were shot and edited on a 2007 Sony Erickson phone and they were incredibly bad! Regardless, I received so much encouragement that I continued my hobby of making movies. I upgraded to a camcorder and began working with semi-professional actors, and then, with a crew. Eventually, I made what I'd consider to be my first short film, La Vieja Quinta at 17. Since then, I moved to the US to study film and continued making work like Alienación. When the pandemic struck, it shut down my thesis film, and with nothing to film in NYC I was incredibly bored.

How did you find your subject for Teeth?

This is where my friend and DP Gabriel Connelly comes in! We had worked on Alienación together, and he said "oh we should do something about a subway dancer"... That thought sent me spinning across the internet in search for NYC's best subway dancer, and so, I found Ikeem. Ikeem, AKA TEETH, was kind enough to meet me. Our first interview was in July of 2020, and I spent almost a year going back and digging deeper through his story. We became close and even played call of duty together.

Any hacks or tips for making a short documentary?

When making a documentary or narrative film I think you have to become really close to your cast and crew. Gaining and maintaining their confidence is key. I really pride myself in trying to create a fun and enjoyable experience on set. I think the only hack I could give is YouTube! I learned so much by following filmmaking accounts and basically taught myself most of the stuff I would re-learn in college.

Congrats on “Teeth” getting selected for a Vimeo Staff Pick! Any tips for filmmakers on how they can up their chances in following in your footsteps?

We were so honored to receive a Vimeo Staff Pick for Teeth recently. The little badge is a huge honor and it helped in spreading the film to more eyeballs.

This is my first time getting a staff pick, so I can only really speak of what I think worked this time. I think its first about creating work that feels fresh and then sending it out to blogs. Pages like Kino, Short of the Week, Booooooooom, Film Shortage, Directors Library, etc.. I want to believe Vimeo curators roam those pages and having your work there makes it easier for them to find it.

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

Shorts: I want to give a plug to Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah's to the girl that looks like me also shot by my friend Gabriel Connelly.

Features: I recently saw the Russian film Beanpole and its beautiful depiction of death and suffering was a mind-boggling trip.

Follow Director Alex Fischman

Follow Cinematographer/Editor Gabriel Connelly

Follow Producer Adrian Sobrado

Follow Composer Gavin Brivik

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Perfectly Flawed

Directed by Jak O’Hare

The intimacy of strangers.

Set underneath a bridge, on the outskirts of Amsterdam during the hot summer of the pandemic, Jak O’Hare’s short film captures the genuine conversation between two strangers about life, uncertainty, dreams, vulnerability, and also trust and faith.

The film fills the gap, somewhere between fiction and documentary.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH THE FILMMAKER

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.

I started shooting music video’s in the early 2000’s, mainly for the rising Grime scene in London. We were carving out what now is so polished. It was a great time to work with artists like Skepta, Tinchy Stryder and Ghetts. I then moved into branded content and commercial work, where I got to travel and work with such a variety of talent and crew. This film is very much the beginning of a new chapter in my journey of filmmaking.

What was your inspiration behind Perfectly Flawed?

I suppose it was life. Moving to Europe, which feels far more romantic than the UK at times. Then the pandemic hit and I couldn’t help but think, what about the generation starting out on their path. How do they feel, what do they want? I wonder if were loosing a generation, a detached sense of community. The world is defiantly more confusing to navigate now, with globalisation and the information overload. So I wanted to focus on an emotion that has and will never change - Love.

Any hacks or tips for making a short film?

The age old, just do it. It’s far easier to procrastinate, than make whats in your head. Make the films you want to watch was the best advice I’ve heard.

Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.

I found this really difficult personally. Im so used to making films for brands or artists that take care of the promotion. But I must say, I’ve discovered a whole new world of short film makers and platforms. Without these platforms and show cases we would not be liberated to create.

Does your film have any landmarks that you can discuss (awards, special screenings, etc.)?

Its been entered into festivals towards the end of the year, so fingers crossed. I was pleased that Berlin based fashion magazine, KaltBlut picked it up. To be honest, what honours me the most is people personal feelings and thoughts to the film.

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

I really enjoyed watching ‘Baby Teeth’ recently. I love zooming into people’s lives.

Follow Jak O’Hare on Instagram

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Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?

TPFF: June 2021 Official Selections, Finalists & Semi-Finalists

Our jury has put forward the following films as Official Selections, Finalists & Semi-Finalists for last month’s submission to The People’s Film Festival which culminates at our annual gala - March 2022!

Official Selections

ON THE COUCH WITH MY DEPRESSION

directed by Angharad Gladding

Full of excited anticipation, a poet plans to go to a book party. Then along comes depression. A film about yearning simply to be able to clean your teeth and leave the house.

Based on the poem "I was going to go to Dorothea Lasky’s book party in Brooklyn, but instead I stayed on the couch with my depression, not crying" by Paula Harris

ON THE COUCH WITH MY DEPRESSION is an Official Selection in the Sponsored category.

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JAHANNAM

directed by Hamza Pool

A victim of Israel’s use of administrative detention, a Palestinian detainee goes on a hunger strike after being separated from his daughter and incarcerated without trial or charge.

Inspired by recent cases, "Jahannam" tackles the issue of administrative detention and Israel's use of this practice to imprison thousands of Palestinians for lengthy periods of time. The film also explores the use of hunger strikes by detainees as a form of protest, and how the Israeli prison system punishes such resistance.

JAHANNAM is an Official Selection in the Sponsored category.

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MYRTLE

directed by Patricia McCormack

Myrtle, a trailer park Mom from Indiana, cooks dinner for her son. But something's not quite right. This kitchen is anonymous, industrial, and Myrtle's working to a deadline. As her composure unravels, we realize that 21 grams is all that separates life from death.

MYRTLE is an Official Selection in the Sponsored category.

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finalists

Micro-Budget Category

• LIFE’S A SHOW directed by Harvey Puttock

• THE TROLL directed by Yennis Cheung

Low-Budget Category

• I WANT TO LOVE YOU IN ANALOGUE directed by April Lampre

• THE END OF AN ERA directed by Alexander Vanegas Sus

Sponsored Category

• BACK TO US directed by Gabriele Rossi

• T.A.N. directed by Adrian Younge

semi-finalists

• BELIEVE directed by Peter Stead

• MAYA directed by Jacquile Kambo

• TO START OF NOTHING directed by Nico Pimparé

• TWO GHOSTS WATCHING EACH OTHER directed by Malindi Kindrachuk & George Moore Chadwick

• UNDO directed by Katie Harriman

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WHAT SETS THE PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL APART?

✔️ Win £1,000 in funding for your next short film

✔️ Free feedback w/ every submission

✔️ Categories based on budget vs genre

Alex

Written & Directed by Luca Spreafico

Exploring the more narrative soul of fashion film while staying true to the genre’s strong focus on aesthetics, Alex tells us of a woman reliving and working through a trauma. Inspired by EMDR therapy, the film looks at abandonment during childhood as something that is likely to accompany us into adulthood. Through an experimental, movement-led approach, Alex takes us on a journey into the human psyche.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH THE FILMMAKER

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.

I have always been fascinated by visual arts - since I was a kid. I still remember my first trip to Paris and how much of an impression the Musee D’Orsay left on me with all the great impressionist painters. Then my attention gradually shifted towards photography and video. It started as a passion then slowly it has become the job that I love. I began by making videos and taking photos, which helped understand the creative process and the work involved and led me towards a more directing role. 

What was your inspiration behind Alex?

I have always been interested in exploring the subconscious. For example, anything to do with EMDR techniques fascinates me. As this is my first narrative project and there was no client involved, it made sense to experiment, do something for myself and not think too much about whether it would fit within a certain genre. Hence why I brought dance into it: I’ve always seen dancing as a way to free oneself from doubts and fears. With Alex I wanted it to be the tool the lead character employs to work through her trauma. 

Any hacks or tips for making a short film?

Keep things simple and clear, but do focus on the details both on a narrative level as well as visually. And most importantly, surround yourself with a great team. This is what makes the difference.

Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.

This is something that is always tricky as a filmmaker. I worked with festival strategist and publicist Niccolò Montanari to come up with a distribution strategy for Alex. As we weren’t in a rush, we decided to focus first on the film festival circuit, specifically on the fashion film festival world but also on those short film festivals that cater for content with a strong focus on aesthetics. We were selected by more than 25 international festivals, with 10 nominations and 5 wins, which has also helped us secure online coverage as the film has just been released.

Does your film have any landmarks that you can discuss (awards, special screenings, etc.)?

I feel that winning at A Shaded View on Fashion Film with Best Actress is definitely something I’m proud of. That’s the first ever fashion film festival and its founder Diane Pernet is a very respected personality within the industry.

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

Among my favourites, I would definitely recommend The Tree of life, Moonlight, Cold War, 8 1/2.

Follow Luca Spreafico on Instagram

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Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?

Lesson 7

Directed by Neil Linpow | Written by Hunter Andrews

Having downloaded a self help program devised and narrated by the enigmatic MAX, we follow ASH, as he prepares to tackle Lesson 7: Confronting death. What begins as a seemingly innocent and melancholic trip to a near deserted hospital ward in the late night hours, becomes a twisting journey of anguish and manipulation.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH THE FILMMAKER

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.

I’m a bit like frankensteins monster to be fair, lol. I started off as an actor, and had a few decent parts in some things, but it all started to plateau and I got bored of the roles that were being sent my way. I was never going to have my name above the movie poster next to Brad Pitt, and I was okay with that, but there’s also only so many times you can play ‘the coach, or ‘the policeman,’ or whatever, before you’ve had enough. Whilst I kind of felt like I’d never had my ‘shot’ so to speak, I also didn’t want to live job to job anymore just to pay the bills.

I had been writing bits and pieces on and off, and a few director friends would often ask me to help them with their commercial pitches and treatments. Before long that led me in-house to a small production company. I really enjoyed working with the directors and found that my love of films and misspent youth consuming cinema aligned pretty well with understanding how to best position talent for commercial opportunities. From there I started Exec Producing on those campaigns and moved on to work for a bigger production company. I have been really fortunate to have been able to work with some incredible talent including Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind), Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), Colm McCarthy (Peaky Blinders), Sam Miller (I may destroy you) and Bobby Farrelly (Dumb & Dumber) amongst others. I also get to work with some really exciting up coming talent every day too.

It inspired me to continue to explore my own creativity and write stories that interest me. Then in turn, collaborate with some of the amazing talent I have met over the years to try and get these stories made. Part of it was an opportunity to play some of the parts I never had the opportunity to play, and part was because I found that having a creative outlet for my own ideas made me more focused and better equipped to guide the careers of the directors I look after in my day to day.

So your day job is as an Executive Producer? Can you explain what it is that you do and how it's different from a traditional producer?

I work primarily in advertising so it’s bit different to traditional film. But, my role is about the creative development and overseeing of projects from the initial pitching process through to final delivery. I build relationships with advertising creatives and agency producers, and look for opportunities that would best fit the roster of directors my production company has. From there, I work with our directors to further develop those ideas through a pitch and into production.

A traditional producer generally runs the logistical aspects of the shoot organisation and management. They are responsible for the money. Budgeting, crewing up, and running the day to day production. I work very closely with the producer on commercial jobs so that we are able to push the creative as far as the money will allow. Working in tandem with a producer, and understanding how to break down a script and budget allows us to pitch realistically together, and has been really helpful when I’ve had to physically line produce my own films too.

What was your inspiration behind Lesson 7?

Writer Hunter Andrews and I had been kicking around a feature idea about a ten-step self-help program that preyed on vulnerable people for a while. We thought an interesting approach initially would be to make a proof of concept that also worked as a short film in its own right.

These days we’re all so reliant on creating shortcuts and life hacks. So much of what we do and what we trust is digital and anonymous. Our phones have become our most trusted confidants. We let it into our psyche and desires. We trust the apps we download, the audiobooks, podcasts and life guides we listen to. It’s the place we look to find the answers to both our passing whims and our deeper more existential life questions. We wondered what it might look like if someone was able to abuse that trust. Just how malleable could a vulnerable person’s identity be, and how far could they allow themselves to be pushed in the pursuit of freedom from the constraints of modern society?

How did you balance acting, producing and directing at the same time?

I think fundamentally it’s about surrounding yourself with amazing people that you trust, and that care about your film as much as you do. That, and meticulous planning, so that you are all united in what it is you are trying to make. That way you’re able to maximise your time on the day concentrating on the execution of those creative choices.

That’s not to say I’ve managed to nail all that though. Lol.

To be honest, so far both the films I’ve finished were one day shoots and each came with their own unique set of problems. I found that the producing side of it all is actually the most stressful, and having someone that can take the shoot day stress off your shoulders is invaluable. You really don’t want to be worrying about whether the lunch is going to turn up on time, or if there’s enough toilet paper in the portaloo when you’ve only got 8 hours in a derelict hospital location with no heating or running water, and 6 pages of script to shoot.

As far as the acting goes, I’ve always been able to look at myself on screen objectively and see the character, as opposed to myself. That helps, because it means I can watch playback and concentrate on whether we’ve got what we need for the story, as opposed to being worried about whether I am pulling a stupid face in a scene. I usually am.

That said, doing it for much more than a one day shoot where you are also directing and producing on no budget is not appealing. It’s tough going. For my latest short film I’m finishing up, I decided to stay behind the camera. I love working with actors, and I really wanted to shoot with some that weren’t me. And to be fair, I don’t think I could have pulled off playing a 20 something year old female football player anyway. Haha.

Any hacks or tips for making a short film?

Keep making stuff. As often as you can. I think the biggest road block for most filmmakers is procrastination. It’s never been easier to go out and make something yourself, and if you’re smart about it, there’s no reason why you can’t make something that stands out, despite budget limitations.

Unless you are lucky enough to secure some kind of funding, the likelihood is that your short (like Lesson 7) will be entirely dependant on the favours and goodwill that you can pull together through your network of friends and collaborators. So have a look at the resources that you already have, and try to work with those when you are writing your script. Have access to a great location? Set your film there. Friends with a great actor? Write a kick ass part for them. I think when you write with no limitations, the budget can quickly spiral, and that’s when short films end up just living on the page indefinitely.

Keep your short, short, and ideally achievable in a one day shoot. It’s easier to get people to lend you a day of their time than it is 2 or 3.

Build relationships and payback your favours, be it in kind on other people’s projects, or on loyalty when you have paid work to offer out. All simple stuff, but all things that I have found incredibly helpful in getting my own little films made.

Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.

I made my first short film in 2019 and did the whole traditional festival circuit thing. I was really lucky that it was selected for a couple of BAFTA qualifying festivals, but it was also passed over by a lot of them too. Most of these festivals also want your film to be exclusive, and the notification of selection dates are often 6 months down the road, so you are really limited when you are planning how and where you can release your film.

In truth, I had one amazing connection at Cambridge film festival where the producer behind the acclaimed ‘County Lines’ liked my film and we’ve since made another short (currently in post) together. That was great, but, I ultimately found that the online release of the film was far more impactful than its festival run. It opened it up to a much wider audience and meant that the film could be picked up by a number of short film platforms.

So, I decided this time that I wasn’t going to do the festivals, barring one or two that I particularly liked. Instead, I went straight to the same places online that had liked my previous film and hoped that they liked this one too.

It’s been great to see the positive response, and to be able to control the release of the film. I am so grateful that the film is finding an audience so quickly.

Does your film have any landmarks that you can discuss (awards, special screenings, etc.)?

The aim is still to explore the wider story, so we are talking with a couple of production companies about developing the it further. I see it as a feature, or as an anthology series, where each lesson follows a different character. It’s a slow burn process though. We’ve won awards at the Infinity film festival (Best Sound & Best Director) and there are two other festivals we are waiting on, with a hope that we can screen with them. Like I said though, we’re not really exploring festivals this time around.

Where and how did you release your film online, since you found it more impactful than the traditional festival circuit?

I put the last short film, ‘Time,’ on Vimeo, and sent it out to a number of short film platforms including Shots, Little Black Book, Beyond the Short, Film Shortage, David Reviews and Discover Film. It gave me a diverse spread of audience, from the more traditional short film curators, to those in the advertising community too.

Two part question: How far along are you in the development process of turning Lesson 7 into a feature or anthology series? And do you think the strategy of making a short film as proof of concept will help you in the pitching process?

It’s early days to be honest. Hunter has been so busy this past year with feature projects, and in my spare time I have also been writing my first feature film (another single location thriller) with Warner Bros that is scheduled to shoot this Autumn with the brilliant Matthias Hoene directing.

We have spoken to a couple of production companies that are interested in developing it, but we’re still figuring out the best route to go. Whether it’s episodic and covers a wider breadth of Max’s ’pupils,’ or if we keep it intimate and focus on one persons journey over a feature length.

Either way, I think that the short film builds intrigue and hopefully gives people a sense of what that wider story could be, hinting at the lessons that led us to this point and posing the question of whats still left to come. If people finish the short and want to know more, then I think it’s done its job.

Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?

I love lo-fi thrillers. I recommend that anyone who’s never seen ‘Blue Ruin’ goes and watches it. Not only for the film itself, but for inspiring and aspirational way they went about making it. Two mates that believed in each other. It keeps the belief going that it’s possible.

I also love films that are contained to one or two locations, so I’d say ‘Moon,’ which does that incredibly well, and ‘Right at Your Door’ which I think kind of went under the radar, but is a really great example of tense storytelling on a limited budget.

Follow Neil Linpow on Instagram

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Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?