Most recent articles
Posted on 21 February 2020
Q&A with Shanawaz Nellikunnil, dir. 405 - Clermont 2020
by Abla KandalaftFour-O-Five, the film, is about an un-named man in an un-named town, who has lost everything, including the love of an un-named girl because of an un-named sin committed by him at some point.
Here’s our video interview with the director and actor Dhaananjay Talwade.
There is a beautifully poetic quality to your film, and also a sense of loss and regret. What do you hope the audience will get out of it?
Thanks for the compliment, I want the audience to know what freedom really is; (...) Continue Reading »
Posted on 21 February 2020
Q&A with Shady Srour, dir. Oslo - Clermont 2020
by Abla KandalaftZiad, a Palestinian day labourer, is denied entry into Israel for work that day.
Not wanting to return home empty handed after promising his daughter meat for dinner, he needs to get creative.
Trump’s latest meddling in the region has effectively left many if not most Palestinians feeling hopeless. The title of this short is a nod to the Oslo Accords that ended up dispossessing them of more of their land and subduing much of their fight for rights and freedom. The recent US "deal" further (...) Continue Reading »
Posted on 18 February 2020
Q&A with Hamza Bangash, dir. Stray Dogs Come Out At Night - Clermont 2020
by Elise LoiseauKarachi, Pakistan. Iqbal, a migrant sex worker, cannot come to terms with his illness. He convinces his uncle to take a day trip to the beach, desperate for respite. The Arabian sea beckons.
An original film about an oft-ignored demographic. Hamza handles the subject matter with sensitivity and respect, painting a complex, human portrait of a character that is too often faceless.
Can you explain the title? What is the symbol or role of the dog?
In the late of night, the streets of (...) Continue Reading »
Posted on 14 February 2020
Q&A with Sofia Alaoui, dir. Qu’importe si les bêtes meurent [So What if the Goats Die] - Clermont 2020
by Abla KandalaftIn the heights of the Atlas mountains, Abdellah, a young shepherd, and his father are snowed in. As their animals start to starve, Abdellah goes in search of supplies in a village more than a day’s walk away. With his mule, he arrives in the village and discovers that it has been deserted because of a curious event that has left all the believers baffled.
The product of a truly incredible mix of genres, this short is a mesmerising oddity shot amongst the stunning, other-worldly landscape of (...) Continue Reading »
Posted on 13 February 2020
LONDON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL - London Lives 3
by Louis ChristieThrive (Jamie Di Spirito, 2019)
A sublimely intelligent and sensitive film, which sees a hook-up move into a challenging conversation. A naked man wakes up, lights up a cigarette and smokes out the window – through which the daylight outside illuminates the whole room. This is the only light source in the film, and it’s used brilliantly. Grindr buzzes. His date comes over, and they’re kissing almost before he’s through the door. The orange curtain is drawn, turning the generous daylight into a (...) Continue Reading »
Posted on 12 February 2020
Q&A with Paul Howard Allen, dir. Mega Sexy Robot Dinosaur - Clermont 2020
by Abla KandalaftINTERVIEW VIDEO TO COME
A silly (in all the best ways) short very much made for fun that certainly made me laugh! Glad it made it into the Clermont competition.
How much do you enjoy artistic experiments?
Cinema audiences these days are incredibly smart and cinema literate so it’s really fun to be mischievous and play with people’s expectations. This is the beauty of short film, it allows you to explore your weirdest ideas without having to satisfy a commercial agenda.
Why was the Kubrick (...) Continue Reading »
Posted on 11 February 2020
Q&A with Ross McClean, dir. Hydebank - Clermont 2020
by Abla Kandalaft, ClotildeForced onto the Northern Irish countryside, Hydebank Wood Facility currently houses 104 young male offenders. Four years into his sentence, Ryan is still coming to terms with the cause of his imprisonment. The unlikely catharsis to his inner demons? A flock of sheep living inside the prisons walls.
Hydebank has certainly stood out in this year’s festival competitions for its particularly uplifting tone and heartwarming depiction of its subjects, human and animal. Director Ross McClean (...) Continue Reading »
Posted on 11 February 2020
Q&A with Baloji, dir. Zombies - Clermont 2020 PRIX FESTIVALS CONNEXION AUVERGNE-RHÔNE-ALPES
by ClotildeThe film "Zombie" is a journey between hope and dystopia in a hallucinated Kinhsasa, from the culture of the hair salon to futuristic solitary clubbing, from the urban parade to the glory of a dictator in campaign (Papa Bollo) to modern western in the Takeshi Kitano style. In parallel, the film is based on the almost carnal relationship we have with our phones. The device becoming like an outgrowth of the hand and giving us the talent of digital ubiquity...
Baloji is a multidisciplinary (...) Continue Reading »
Posted on 10 February 2020
Q&A with Aurélie Reinhorn, dir. Raout Pacha - Double winner - Prix du rire « Fernand Raynaud » & Canal+ Award for the National Competition - Clermont 2020 Grand Prize
by Abla KandalaftTwo lost souls are required to undertake community service in a small town in Normandy. As it happens, the clean and tidy beach resort doens’t actually need any of the work they’ve been assigned and they start making up a series of absurd tasks to carry out.
A proper laugh-out-loud short, Raout Pacha is also a damning indictment of the world of work. Reinhorn specifically questions the validity of this sort of compulsory unpaid work that ultimately benefits nobody. Her portrayal of the (...) Continue Reading »
Posted on 9 February 2020
Q&A with Anthony Nti, dir. Da Yie - Clermont 2020 Grand Prize
by Abla KandalaftA foreigner in Ghana gets an assignment from his gang to recruit kids for a risky job that will take place later that evening. He finds Prince and Matilda, two lively kids and good friends, and plans to hand them over to the gang. After spending the day with them, he starts to question his decision and how it will affect their future.
Shot on a very low budget, Anthony Nti’s Da Yie (good night)’s style is uncannily reminiscent of City of God and indeed the Brazilian film is one of his main (...) Continue Reading »
Latest comments