A huge thank you to everyone who submitted to SFW: Shorts 2024! The Southampton Film Week team had a fantastic time viewing a diverse array of films from around the world, spanning all forms and genres. You can find the official selection listed below.
FICTION
Until Today – Dir. Megan Lyons
“After her overbearing mother arranges a loveless marriage, a young aristocrat must consider the price of familial duty when it threatens a forbidden romance with her best friend.”
Pepper Tongue – Dir. Alex Bonbow-Carter
“Retro animated horror short exploring a young boy’s battle with insomnia and disturbing nightmares.”
Love Language – Dir. Damien Nebhard
“Tasha, an enthusiastic secondary school student is deeply infatuated with her older boyfriend, Jamie. She finds herself trapped in a tumultuous web of love and manipulation. Jamie’s indifference drives Tasha to desperate lengths to win his affection, ultimately leading her to become entangled in a dangerous plot against a rival gang.”
Side by Side – Dir. Amir Raisian
“A poor man wants to bury his father in another city but the locals don’t let him beacuse of his father mysterious past. He decides to put it in refrigerator box. He rent a truck for it. In the middle of the way, truck driver steal it.”
Cat & Fish – Dir. Nilram Ranjbar
“A goldfish in a small container goes to a bigger pond with the help of a cat and the sun”
Stray – Dir. Edward Palmer
“A weary old man takes in a drifter for the night. They share dark stories before things turn sinister.”
ARTIST
CRASH – Dir. Shaun Forsdyke
“Charlie is in a fever dream of crashing realities. Charlie lays asleep in bed. Charlie stands over himself as he lays asleep Charlie is downstairs. The harder he tries to escape the more confused he becomes.”
Teasing the Edge – Dir. Kavisha Mandalia
“A woman speaks to a long ago self, peeling back the layers, lifting the lid.”
Giant’s Caress – Dir. Alys Scott-Hawkins
“In the urban wild, a manifestation emerges: a spirit or ghost which celebrates the natural world through touch but is drawn into the polluted river.”
Passion – Dir. Owain Davies
“Passion, is a semi-biographical story of how perceptions of one’s own self image positively changes as a result of following their passions. It highlights how not being able to express and communicate can leave oneself in a dark and isolated place. Through the warm encouragement of others, believing in their abilities, and pursuing one’s passion, it can allow people to grow into self-assured, fulfilled and positive individuals.”
Cosmic Impermanence – Dir. Heather Warren-Crow
“Twin AI-generated avatars voice conflicting feelings about end times. The anus of the world intervenes. Recalling mood mining and other ways in which our emotions are instrumentalized through social media, COSMIC IMPERMANENCE is an experimental short that uses commercial AI and low-fi found footage to capture a vibe.”
DOCUMENTARY
Stephen & David’s Toy Cupboard – Dir. Blair Stewart
“A world renowned figure maker honours his late brother, Stephen, whose unrecognised talent and tragic loss profoundly shaped his own artistic path. As he creates a tribute figure of Stephen, the film explores their deep bond, the impact of creativity, and how art can preserve the memory of those we’ve lost.”
Soccability – Dir. Coby Argent
“Baddow Spartak Soccability was founded by Luke Ayton a little over five years ago when he found out 22,000 children in Essex were registered with SEND without a single offering for them to play football in Chelmsford.”
Sugar Glass – Dir. Logan Mei Rebello
“A short animation that explores autistic PTSD.”
Memory – Dir. Riyadh Haque
“An experimental documentary reimagining the childhood recollections of a Jersey inhabitant, Margaret, through the intimate lens of the director’s British South Asian background by channelling his own family’s generational diasporic experience and sisterhood. The cast is comprised of the director’s own family reconstructing Margaret’s memories on 16mm Kodak film.”
MUSIC VIDEO
Return To Skye – Dir. Scott Johnson
“A Scottish clansman survives the Battle of Culloden (1745) and returns home to bid farewell to his wife, and wee child, before fleeing for his life. He and his wife agree that his ancestral home, the Isle of Skye, will provide him refuge from the pursuing British.“
The One – Dir. Helen Burdfield, Sasha Sinkler & Harvey Cecil
“An eccentric and nerdy genius, who lives in a studio flat filled with retro tech clutter. ‘Jeremy’ wakes up one day with his briefcase in arm (containing his prescous WIP programmes) to find his recent AI creation ‘The One’ is missing. It’s been left in the Commodore.”
Please Be Kind – Dir. Zoë Greenbaum
“A beautiful woman compels a young man to find her with the cunning use of an obscure novel, a paper airplane, and a horde of giant gummy bears. A silent fairy tale of seduction intertwines with a musical letter to a dangerous love.“
AWARDS UP FOR GRABS:
- Best Fiction
- Best Artist Film
- Best Documentary
- Best Music Video
- Michael Fuller Award for Best Film
- Regional Filmmaker Award
- Audience Award
- Best Animation
All shortlisted films will be eligible for the Michael Fuller Award for Best Film selected by our panel of judges and the Audience Award voted for at the screening and awards ceremony during the festival. Filmmakers from Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey, West Sussex and Isle of Wight will also be in contention for the Solent University sponsored Regional Filmmaker Award.
In 2022 a new award was introduced for Best Animation. Animation can be submitted to any category and the competition has previously received outstanding animated documentary, artist film and fiction. The winner will be selected by the judging panel from all animated films submitted.
SFW: Shorts Screening & Awards
Join us for one of the most eagerly awaited events at Southampton Film Week: the SFW: Shorts Screening & Awards Ceremony!
📅 Date: Sunday 10th November
📍 Location: MAST Mayflower Studios
🎟️ Book now
https://www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/sfw-shorts-screening-and-awards-2024/#
Note: Selected filmmakers will have received details re: tickets for Shorts and pre-screening networking.
