BOTTLED-UP! The 7 finalists of the next EFN event - 29 June 2020

Emerging Filmmakers Night is back with another live-streamed film event on 29 June via the official Facebook page. And so, to mark the end/easing/continuation of or whatever the hell new rules are regarding confinement, this month’s theme is .... Bottled-up!

"Films that capture the sense of feeling trapped and claustrophobic. That could mean people literally locked in a single location, but it could be broader than that, it could be a feeling of being trapped in a relationship, it could be the feeling of isolation or being trapped in your own head."

BIG REVEAL!

This edition will include awards! There’ll be a critics’ award given by three jury members - Mydylarama’s Abla Kandalaft, Molly Cowderoy, from Shooting People and the Leeds International Film Festival, and Christina Papasotiriou, programmer at Genesis Cinema - and an audience award.

WHAT’S A BOTTLE EPISODE?

Here’s a very erudite, film-based musing on the concept by EFN team member Ben Plumb. Very much worth a read!

GET YOUR FREE TICKETS HERE!

THE SHORTLIST

1. Turning Ten, dir. Jaylan Auf

Laima, Magdi and Nour their (nearly) ten year-old daughter anxiously await a doctors appointment that is destined to change their lives forever.

Auf manages to ratchet up the tension and create a complex triangular dynamic between the members of the family, whilst shedding light on a societal ill. No mean feat for a 13 minute short. A strong favourite in Clermont in 2019, this nuanced and emotionally knotty short is part of the June EFN line-up.

– “Turning Ten” portrays the story of a mother enduring an agonising wait with her husband and daughter whilst avoiding any form of confrontation. This 10 minute wait exposes new family dynamics. The father is adamant about the procedure yet the wait becomes unbearable. Communication becomes a rare form of interaction, the young parents avoid confrontation by all means. - From the director’s statement.

Here’s our interview with director Jaylan and producer Houda Echouafni with the Brasserie du Court team in Clermont.

2. Crashing Waves, dir. Emma Gilbertson

In the middle of a towering estate, Liam spots Jamie. The two are reminded of a previous time where they shared an intimate moment.

A nicely choreographed and masterfully shot short by young director Emma Gilbertson.

Find out more about Gilbertson’s work on her Vimeo page.

3. Stationary, dir. Louis Chan

Taking place in a parked car over the course of an afternoon, former drug dealer Jimmy confronts his childhood best friend Che about the example she’s setting to her impressionable younger brother.

The characters in Chan’s short are fully-rounded, three-dimensional and thus fully engaging to watch. Within a restrained setting, he manages to create quite a rich storyline and relationship between the protagonists, and a dialogue devoid of the usual cliches.

– This is a story about friendship; how what’s left unsaid is often as important as what’s said. But we also wanted to subvert the preconception of masculinity when we place former bully Jimmy in a position of not only emotional vulnerability, but also physically outmatched by a female character. - From the director’s statement.

Find out more about the film and Louis’s work in general on the filmmaker’s personal website.

4. Deloz Express, dir. Omar Perineau

The daily sum up of a locked down filmmaker in Los Angeles.

Funky, dynamic and enjoyable micro-short, certainly does add a beat to one’s day!

– Locked up in a house in Los Angeles during the Covid-19 outbreak, my days were soon covered up by that ’Groundhog Day’ feel. Every day the same, faster and faster and left with no references to recognise or separate them. As this scheme came up to full speed I decided to film the moments which gave the beat to my days. - From the director’s statement.

Find out more about Perineau’s work on his Vimeo page.

5. Lid Mountain, dir. Rhys Aaron Lewis

A sweet and refreshing little ode to evasion to the tune of the Ketebul musicians. Sure to resonate with so many people out there feeling the effects of confinement!

We don’t even have a picture to lure you in so...

TO WATCH THE SHORT TUNE IN ON THE 29th! FULL ACCESS LATER...

Rhys Aaron Lewis is a filmmaker and anthropologist. Find out more about his work on his Vimeo page.

6. Sunday 11:00 - 12:00, dir. Stelios Koukouvitakis

A young couple comes back from a night out. Suddenly they are attacked on the street. Their reaction will mark their lives. A short film about dilemmas, choices and the price to pay for them.

Intriguing film in which Koukouvitakis paints a nuanced and complex emotional journey, purely visually, without any dialogue as a crutch.

–  In this film I wanted to explore this area – an area where there is no right or wrong. In order to do it, I went back to the roots of film and used the medium in its purest form: taking out the dialogue and leaving just the image and sound to tell the story. - From the director’s statement.

Sunday 11.00-12.00 trailer from CineFoss on Vimeo.

Find out more about Koukouvitakis’s work on his Vimeo page.

7. The Notification, dir. Eric Geynes

During lockdown, Camille and Ben enjoy a drink via video-chat when a mysterious presence invites itself to the party.

Eagle-eyed or seasoned readers may have noticed that the director is none other than Mydy contributor Eric Geynes. But team bias aside, this is a really effective creepy little short. Made during confinement with all the restrictions and lack of money and logistics this implies, it’s a pretty impressive effort. Somewhat reminiscent of the chilling short Lights Out, which was later made into a feature.

Eric is an actor and director, and founder of the London-based film collective Reframed.

Make sure you tune in on 29 June at 8 pm!