Film Library 2015
2015 marked the festival’s fifth anniversary – a special edition that celebrated over 1,500 films being screened from 65 countries. Discover outstanding storytelling with a selection from the programme, with top picks from fashion and experimental to drama and comedy.
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Dir. Alberto Belli
Various actors book their first major roles in L.A., blissfully oblivious to the nature of their upcoming feature films, in this satirical commentary on today’s entertainment industry.
Dir. Simon Emmerson, Andy Russell, Tim Spence & Phil Robson
The film aims to capture the ultimate Lush experience in an explosion of colour and texture akin to its creative process.
Dir. Russ Lamoureux
As time slows to the speed of a man’s thoughts, we are brought into the heart of a failed relationship to discover what, if anything, one wounded soul can give to another.
Animation
Dir. Robin Tremblay
The short is a journey through various worlds across the galaxy – some big, some small, some fast, some slow – each displaying recurring patterns of spheres, circles, and loops.
Dir. Debanjan Nandy
An old man living with the memory of his beloved wife as his own shadow, finds himself facing a difficult decision: to live in a mesmerising but unreal dream, or to experience life itself?
Dir. Stephen McNally
Blending CG 3D and 2D drawn animation techniques, Meanwhile uses fragments of narratives from four characters traversing a city to examine themes of urban insularity.
Dir. Julien Regnard
A man’s life, loves and losses are shown through the exchanges he has with the passengers in his car. Produced by the Frameworks short film scheme, dedicated to animation.
Dir. Jon Turner
A young girl finds out why she has to be quiet in certain places. Inspired by a parent’s journey with their son and his friend, the animated short depicts why children need to be quiet on trains.
Dir. David Blanche
A short animated drama which follows the lives of Tomas and Alis: a retired couple in a small and tranquil British coastal town dealing with the harsh realities of dementia.
Artists’ Film
Dir. Johanna Schmeer
Halfway between products and organisms, seven ‘biological devices’ produce all the food and energy needed for humans to survive simply by being exposed to natural light.
Dir. Toby Tatum
Commissioned for The Institute for the Investigation of Other Worlds. Follow a stream of consciousness deep into a world transformed by the shaping spirit of the imagination.
Dir. Lucie Rachel
An insight into a relationship constantly challenged by issues regarding gender; issues that were kept a secret from everyone outside of their relationship, including their daughters.
Dir. Graeme Arnfield
Out of the darkness a sound emerges. Terri ed people take to the streets in search of its source. They get their cameras out and document the sky. Our muscles contract; our pupils dilate.
Dir. Lucy Brydon
Morgan, an American living in London, was assigned female at birth but identifies as a man. The experimental short explores what it’s like to occupy the space between the two genders.
Dir. Metz+Racine & Mototake Makishima
Inspired by Felice Casorati’s Eggs on a Book and set in 1940s Italy against a backdrop of political unrest, Tuttavia explores the mysterious world of objects and the symbolism of eggs.
Comedy
Dir. Florence Winter-Hill
After Martin Stevens is hit by a car, he finds himself in an unearthly waiting room, resembling purgatory. He meets the man responsible for his death whilst he awaits judgement.
Dir. Tom Hemmings
Lenny sets up a shot with his alpha-moron colleague Martin – protecting the PM as he jogs through a London park, with Lenny’s wife Carol thinking it’ll do his withering libido good.
Dir. Jim Archer
Two twenty-somethings begin to fall for each following a drunken one night stand. But a surreal encounter with some friends threatens to derail their blossoming romance.
Dir. Jannik Dahl Pedersen
Hanne and Carsten are desperately trying to keep up appearances to their nosy neighbours. But how do you keep up with the illusion of a happy life in times of financial crisis?
Dir. Laura Spini
Norman Pugg arrives in a sleepy British seaside town with a mission to spread the word of his niche religious sect, only to be caught up in a very serious case of mistaken identity.
Documentary
Dir. Justin Spray
Director Justin Spray finds beauty at the bottom of a municipal swimming pool as he follows a group of novice free-divers in their journey of experimentation and underwater discovery.
Dir. Ruth Grimberg
Losing his sight to an incurable disease, John considers his future and, guided by schoolboy Ben, casts his line for carp at the bottom of London’s mysterious hidden lakes.
Dir. Andy Oxley
The modern world is constantly speeding up. Meanwhile, the Dull Men’s Club – a group of men quite content with life’s more sedate pleasures – take their own steady pace.
Dir. Benjamin Dowie
Shot in France over one week, Stillness Arises provides an insight into the mind of French adventurer and filmmaker, Mathieu Le Lay, and his connection with nature and the wild.
Drama
Dir. Sunday Emerson Gullifer
Behind the closed doors of an elite boarding school, Matthews and his friends are cruising through life – but when a joyride ends in disaster, he has to deal with a guilt that consumes him.
Dir. Louise C Galizia
An old woman living alone tells one of her caregivers that someone has broken into the house. The story of an unlikely relationship between an elderly lady and a teenage runaway.
Dir. Vicki Kisner
Sheila, a domestic worker in South Africa, fears asking her controlling boss for time off to go to a wedding and cooks up a lie about her grandma’s funeral. But her lie soon escalates.
Dir. Aaron Dunleavy & Joseph Ollman
A troubled teenage boy, growing up in a dreamless wilderness and isolated from those around him, is stripped of his dignity as his father abandons him for the outside world.
Dir. Michael Slavens
After the sudden passing of his wife, Stan (Richard Kind) ignores his overwhelming grief, only to be faced with a punk marching band that floods his world with interminable song.
Experimental
Dir. Arjan Brentjes
What’s left of love in an eternal life? In a 1960s talk show, a scientist discusses the future possibility of indefinite human life. In the meantime we see his memories of a short love affair.
Dir. Diana Olifirova
Every time we watch a film we project ourselves onto the screen. Sometimes it turns into obsession which has no exit. This is
an exploration of the infinite, absorbing nature of cinema.
Dir. Sophia Savage
Total Moon follow the Maas siblings as they bring their sister home to Big Sur after a suicide attempt, and struggle to reintegrate her into their unusually intimate way of life.
Dir. Florian Wittmann, Falko Paeper & Roman Kaelin
Wrapped combines time lapse photography with CGI animation to explore different facets of nature’s processes.
Fashion
Dir. Szymon Pawlik
6800 miles – the distance from Poland to Indonesia. This is a story that evolves from feelings of loss into the desire to travel to distant places where you can forget about the past.
Dir. Jakub Jahn
An experimental video report from the F/W 2015 edition of the Mercedes Benz Prague Fashion Weekend, explore the spaces of friction between fashion images and their textual reading.
Dir. Monica Menez
In her latest fashion film, Odditory, Monica Menez shows that a good lecture at a university depends on solid preparation and lively participation on the part of the students.
Dir. Emeline Castaneda
Still is a languid film set in the muted space of a the studio, in which garments and mysterious hands gently clothe and unclothe a model as time is slowed down and reversed.
Dir. Corinne Delaney
Inspired by French New Wave Cinema and style icons Jean Shrimpton and Anna Karina, the film is an exploration of the golden ratio and the classic ideals surrounding femininity.
Dir. Jam Patel
Barbara Black, an ex-government associate, runs a secret all female spy agency in London. Harmony Blonde, one of Barbara’s employees has stolen her most prized possession.
Music Video
Dir. Romain Laurent
Boomerang follows LA-based rapper Pigeon John and French turntablist 20syl on a spin in New York City from the typical American diner to the open roofs of Brooklyn.
Dir. Mariana Conde
A young man’s attempt at a first contact with a love interest is hijacked in a most entertaining way. A sharp, edgy short with no dialogue, great performances, and a lot of dancing.
Dir. Romain Chassaing
After getting red several times, David Boring decides to steal, along with his two fellows Eurobelix and Martin Luther BB King. From small stores to banks, money starts flowing.
Dir. Amy Watson
Shot on International Women’s Day for an all female band by a primarily female crew, this video is about friendship, suburbia, and murder. A Thelma and Louise homage via Prestwich.
Dir. William Powers
A blend of myths and folklore with intrusions from the modern world, and a peculiar atmosphere between fairy tales and something more sinister, feature in this animated video.
Thriller
Dir. Ollie Murray
In a seedy cabaret club a young girl is rescued from her fate by the hand of a bloodthirsty stranger. Featuring a score by Cats Eyes, recorded at Abbey Road.
Dir. Alexander Birrell
A weekend in the country for two old schoolmates and their girlfriends becomes a game of cat and mouse as neither partner materialises and one of the men suspects murder.
Dir. Vincent Paronnaud
1957, Ossau Valley, France. Pierre reaches the summer pasture with his dog and flock of ewes. He is afraid of the wolf but he isn’t aware of a more savage threat: a paratroopers’ squad.
