A butcher spends a precious, fleeting afternoon with his favourite companion, his 9-year-old daughter. But the circumstances may place his future as a father in jeopardy.

In a world where the only form of communication is with musical
instruments, or creating sounds with the body, it is difficult to make
connections. Following through a luscious green and mossy landscape, a
small man attempts to play his rhythmic tunes in order to create a loving
bond with someone special.

Living under the shadow of her father and coach, a BMX rider strives for recognition at the world championship but she first needs to overcome a dark incident from her past.

Under Paris' glittering Eiffel Tower, undocumented Senegalese migrants sell miniature souvenirs of the monument, to support their families back home.
Far from their loved ones and hounded by the police, each day is a struggle through darkness in the City of Lights.

A Father a Daughter struggle to deal with grief and cope in opposite ways.
The daughter chooses violence, while the Father withdraws.

A mystical young Hasidic man increasingly doubts his identity, his gender, and the nature of being as conflict between him and his pious young wife escalates with shocking consequences.

Through a dynamic fusion of movement and dialogue, The Conversation explores the challenges Black men and women face when communicating their racial experience to white partners.

On the site of an abandoned coal mine in the Forest of Dean, a rubber-engineer turns junked scrubber-dryers into sex machines. A documentary about the remaking of place, craft and fetish in the post-industrial landscape.

After her family falls on hard times, Elizabeth starts styling her classmates' hair at break time to earn money. But tensions come to a head in a teenage friendship close to sisterhood. A sensitive and intimate portrait of South London girlhood and dealing with chaotic adolescence.

"I was really captured by BLUE CORRIDOR 15's opening scene, which immediately shows Dubheasa Lanipekun's aptitude for capturing her actors' subtlest emotions. The film is a dynamic and relatable snapshot of girlhood and friendship, whose playful language allows for snappy twists and turns culminating in the very last shot, which encapsulates the chaotic yet tender nature of teenage years." - Ren Scateni (Head of Programme, Encounters)

A filmmaker tries to communicate with the sheep living where his parents are buried.

"SOME KIND OF INTIMACY's approach to storytelling is intriguing. by focusing on the sheep, it reflects on the meanings of life and death as well as the impact a rural, familiar landscape can have on grief." -  Ren Scateni (Head of Programme, Encounters)

Directed by Rose Hendry and Isla Badenoch, THE DEAD ARE JEWELS TO ME is an experimental documentary that explores a forensic jeweller’s craft, and interrogates whether this new scientific practice could unearth hidden stories that lie beneath a surface.

"I was definitely captivated by the possibilities for forensic exploration conjured by THE DEAD ARE JEWELS TO ME. The grainy aesthetic of film stock is also a stunning and perfectly coherent choice." - Ren Scateni (Head of Programme, Encounters)

A man looks back on his younger years and relives some of the moments that led him into his troubles with addiction in later life, he looks backwards with a mature wisdom that flows as poetry, an old head looking through young eyes, or a young mind looking forward to a rocky future, drug abuse and alcohol, spiralling behaviour and a loss of control. A true story featuring people with lived experience of addiction, toxic masculinity and false idols. A punk film with an authentic poetry that runs as an autobiographical stream of consciousness. Young and older Sam (played by himself) battle to control the narrative over who's past and who's future we believe, can we change our fate if we become aware of it?

'All three films are very strong, and very different, but the film that I am choosing as the winner is Three Bull-Mastiffs in a Corner Kitchen. This short is an exciting fusion of experimental and narrative form, which was very effective and shows real directing flair. Excellently cast, the use of poetry in this world elevates these characters and scenes with an at times tragicomic tone. The director demonstrates a really cohesive vision, making bold choices and making great use of every department, every element on screen, sound, edit and production design standing out in particular. Very intrigued to see this director's future work. Congratulations!' - Prano Bailey Bond (Director, Censor)

Birdwatchers is a short film about four UK birdwatchers looking to transform the ecology sector by broadening the demographic who occupy natural spaces.

'A thought-provoking meditation on race, gender, sexuality, 'fitting in', and our relationships with nature. A beautiful window into the world of birdwatching and a positive reminder that nature doesn't judge us. It made me want to go for a walk in the woods - to reconnect with nature. And I loved that the birds got a credit too.' - Prano Bailey Bond (Director, Censor)

Jay is trapped in the relentless City until he is forced to confront his relationship with time and himself.

'Stunning craft across both the visuals and sound design in this short, which gives a fascinating insight into the experience of life modelling. The moment when we / the character sees the images created of him is very powerful; the idea of having ourselves reflected back to us through the eyes of another.' - Prano Bailey Bond (Director, Censor)

A man contemplates his final resting place.

'With Scatter Me, Alex confirms his talent for capturing the mundane and the sublime, the absurd and the all too relatable. He handles words, animation and sound design with the same playfulness, and makes them work together to create strangely comforting pieces.'- Lucile Bourliaud, Short Film Programmer, Flatpack Festival

Flailing Millennial, Ruby, endeavours to get her life back on track after an overdue gap year, but is hindered by a pesky, overcomplicated abortion.

'Full of energy, Contraband tackles a sensitive issue with nuance, and explores a vast array of feelings in only 13 minutes. I really enjoyed its strong performances, its relatable characters, and its joyous celebration of female friendship.'  Lucile Bourliaud, Short Film Programmer, Flatpack Festival

A personal essay--predominantly using found footage of everything from John Wayne’s home movies to ASMR videos--about memory, family and (perhaps most of all) how the cinema has indelibly shaped my life.

'Sunworshipper is a touching essay that shows an insatiable appetite for cinema and a true love of storytelling. Its lyrical conclusion will strike a chord with any film lover out there.'  Lucile Bourliaud, Short Film Programmer, Flatpack Festival

Uloaku works the graveyard shift at a dead end service station and is bored out of her mind, but a chance encounter with a suspicious stranger will soon fix that.

LUCKY BREAK was thoroughly entertaining, from the very funny and not-a-moment-wasted script, to casting, direction, the set, camera work and lighting, and the really super tight picture edit, not forgetting the OCD triggering stubbly partial beard and lively score - lots of nuance. It was such a comprehensive display of how all aspects of film making when done well, go to make the whole more than just the sum of parts. Showing a deft hand in so many aspects, it all felt very well redacted and judged. Congratulations! - Johnnie Burn (Sound Designer Ammonite, The Favourite, Under the Skin)

A Ugandan mother tries to navigate her past traumas through participating in the country's first beauty pageant for plus-size women.

I was teleported so completely to Uganda and then wowed by the fantastic emotional narrative and plight of the hugely brave mother in MISS CURVY. - Johnnie Burn (Sound Designer Ammonite, The Favourite, Under the Skin)

One kilometre underneath the North Yorkshire coast, salt miners and research scientists work side by side at the edge of the biosphere. A young woman finds a new future in the darkness of this extreme environment.

The extraordinary UNDER THE NORTH SEA was an utterly fascinating collision of worlds, and frankly had by far the best sound design. - Johnnie Burn (Sound Designer Ammonite, The Favourite, Under the Skin)

A miserable hotel performer finds her most primal self when she falls in love with a walrus

This surreal and spectacular animation goes to places unexpected and thrilling, involving a singing walrus! The craziness of the story keeps us watching, but the quality of the models and lighting show a stunning dedication to the animation craft to create new surprising worlds. - Philip Ilson (Director of London Short Film Fest)

“Olve” follows the story of HIM, a young Nigerian kid who's just moved to London. One day when going to pick up some milk for his mum he bumps into Nikki and falls head over heels, the only problem is that they don't speak each others language. Unsure how to win her over HIM turns to his footballing hero - Jay Jay Okocha. “Olve” is a short film about Isolation, language and…football.

A bittersweet romantic drama that shows that love can transcend language. The brilliant invention of a nonsense language by the filmmakers (to illustrate what a non-Englsih speaker hears when Englsih is spoken) illustrates the difficulties a young Nigerian boy experiences in everyday life. - Philip Ilson (Director of London Short Film Fest)

Plants were used in 1970s British suburbia to send seductive signals to neighbours or so rumour has it. A hybrid documentary exploring the truth in the botanical myth; what went on behind closed curtains? A look at sexual signalling, subcultures, female desire and suburban legend.

Fun and retro, this little window onto a secret seventies phenomena, that of swinger parties, is playful and informative. Fascinating interviews are accompanied by a brilliantly reconstructed soft-focus  seventies suburbia of garish finger food and swirling cigarette smoke. - Philip Ilson (Director of London Short Film Fest)

The Circle is a bold and lyrical portrayal of two brothers, David and Sanchez, living on a Hackney council estate, in East London. The film gives a compelling insight into their family and friendships, the stigmas they face daily, their mental health and how they process their emotions.

'THE CIRCLE explores race in a way I’ve never seen on screen before- playing with form, movement and narrative structure. I’m really looking forward to seeing where Lanre Malaolu’s voice takes him next.'- Desiree Akhavan (The Miseducation of Cameron Post)  

Through interweaving dance and dialogue, Material Bodies is a sensual and cinematic look at the relationship between amputees and their limbs. This visceral and colourful short film explores how a prosthetic leg can be more like a piece of jewellery, a dance companion, or a part of you.

Tin Luck was 80% cast by the community at Maiden Lane, our location. The script was also developed by chatting to local residents about the present and past of Maiden Lane. At the heart of all this was Maiden Lane Community Centre, who took a lead role in supporting the film’s outreach and production.
This is the story of a local community – complete with all its sorrows and joys, contradictions and clarity – told in one unbroken nine-minute shot, on technocrane, on 35mm film. Exploring themes of contemporary masculinity it follows its hero, Tray, as he moves through the estate and the lives of its residents.

A magical realism film set in London, ‘Born Again’ follows Nwa, a British Nigerian woman tormented by her inability to have children. However, a transformative baptism leads her on an unusual journey and offers her a chance to rebirth herself.

Against a backdrop of gentrification in London’s East End, a family-run tropical fish shop keeps open against the odds. Tiny dramas inside the fish tanks play out against the musings of local fish keeping enthusiasts while father and son Big Tel and Little Tel work to keep the shop alive.

Manila North is the largest cemetery in Metro Manila. It is also home to 8000 living residents. Tony and his family are used to life here, but earning a living has become harder than ever. What does it take to live when you are surrounded by death?

'Never Actually Lost' is an experimental archive film, documenting the filmmaker's Grandmother, Audrey Anderson's last year of life. Based around a beautifully rich archive of 8mm films and interviews with Audrey and her daughter, 'Never Actually Lost' asks how we remember our own selves and how we attempt to remember someone else.

'Amazonia' is a triptych of dark comedy shorts based on real amazon.com product reviews. Amidst the pros and cons of kitchen tools and electrical appliances, writer/director Dominic Hicks traces the fears and obsessions of three total strangers.

Daniel is a father desperately looking for his son - as he contacts a scattered group of family and friends, telling stories and jokes where he possibly can, we realise that a heartbreaking reality lies at the root of his search.

A London teen shares her experience of growing up with spina bifida in an honest account of girlhood and disability.

A story of heartbreak and a big snake

My father tells me that time travels through him, before him and after him, as if he were on a platform watching a train slowly passing by. It seems that reaching a milestone in age (ninety) has brought up questions of 'time left'. But how can there be an end to anything as infinite as your own time? Part observation, part performance, and a collaboration between father and son, Everything Lives looks at how Ken experiences time in the barns where he works; the time he spends playing, the time unique to painting or the time it takes to build a whole life. This short 16mm film is an intimate series of surfaces, sounds and events that together form their subject: the artist as father.

Noah has not accepted the death of his mother, an astronaut. In order to move on, he must break that which still connects them.

Lilith’s benefits have been cut, threatening the thing in her life that gives it shape and purpose: her relationship with a troubled yet beloved horse. Fleeing a difficult past and struggling with rural poverty, she must take matters into her own hands, defying expectations and rising above the judgement of others.

In remote rural festivals all around India the 'Well of Death' has been a long-notorious attraction - where for £0.50p per ticket, you can see stunt drivers rocket in circles across 60ft walls, throwing caution to the wind and defying gravity.

"Gladiators on Wheels" is an experimental documentary short made over a one day shoot in West Bengal's Poush Mela, where as a I child grew up in awe of these riders. Returning to visit them, I discovered their story for the first time. Interviews were then edited and adapted collaboratively with the riders and voiced by local actors.

'My Time' is a 6 minute short film about a 12-year-old girl who has her first period in class. Her skirt is stained red. She is up next to present her final paper in front of all her peers. Will she find a way out of the 'uncomfortable' situation?

NOTE: this is a trailer version of the film

Have you ever had the impression that if you play the right song while a person is, for instance, frantically moving their arms trying to get rid of a bee, it may seem like they're dancing instead?
"No, I Don't Want to Dance!" is a Dark Comedy Stop motion short film to raise social awareness about how dangerous dance can be.

A sixteen year old vampire begins to reconsider her past relationships.

Set in the present day, this coming of age story tackles unconventional queer love. Dan a gay man falls in love with Ray, a non-binary person assigned female at birth. Whilst Dan is forced to question his own label, Ray learns to accept love as a non-binary person.

With the white sun rises during midnight, a girl is searching this young man who constantly appeared in her dreams. The problem is, she never knows how he looks like. She decides to follow the sheep she meets during her journey. The sheep slowly leads her way to this young man...

Read more: grapevine.is/culture/movies-theatre/2018/05/07/counting-sheep-ka-ki-wongs-latest-short-set-in-iceland/

The Isle of Man 1022 - When a young Manx girl encounters kulning - a mysterious Viking song, with the power to lure cattle, she learns the beauty and power of nature. Overcoming her fear of these strange Viking neighbours, instilled in her by her xenophobic, neglectful parents, she attempts to master the call herself, risking her life to save the cows from slaughter.