Southampton Film Week proudly announces this year's shortlisted films and filmmakers.
ARTIST FILM
THOUGHT LOOP
A short animation film directed by Django Finn Osborne with Sound Design and Re-Recording Mix by Mars Murcia, and an Original Soundtrack by Jethro Hards.
‘A creature tries to create life with an increasingly elaborate mechanical device.’
FIVE MORE MINUTES
Everybody has that Monday feeling.
‘Five More Minutes’ is a micro-short animation film by Ian Paul Kenneally. Taking inspiration from George Orwell and the colour palette from Lowry, Ian used watercolours and ink to bring this factory-musical to life.
DAWN OF DREAMS
‘Dawn of Dreams’ 夢之初 draws on artist Zed Xu’s personal experience: after living away from family for 18 years as a young migrant, Xu attempts to reconfigure the notion of home by making a film in four cities across Aotearoa New Zealand and mainland China.
The work delves into the formation of selfhood amid the entanglement of migratory displacement, the racialisation of the body, and the ongoing negotiation of belonging among systems of power.
BUDDLEIA
Using a participatory approach to film-making, Anna Best recruits non professional performers. Three scenarios – a small crowd, women lamenting, a couple fencing, are staged in iconic, fortified naval locations. The unmoored narrative reflects the director’s relationship with the city’s terrain, emphasising “feelings of obstruction, of being disenfranchised by planners and military authorities” (K.Parker).
DOCUMENTARY
THE LIFE ACROSS THE WAY
Directed by Loren Hobbs.
A woman shares details of the emotional and physical journey through the pregnancy that ended with the loss of her baby – and how her grief manifests in the year he was supposed to turn nine.
THE WAY BACK TO EDEN
The story of a Bristolian truck driver and his quest for meaning through building a Japanese garden.
Directed by David McElhinney.
What I thought was a film about a guy and his garden, soon turned out to be a film about a life and that things that give a life meaning.
LOCAL LIONESSES
Directed by Oscar Darvell-Green.
In the sixth tier of the women’s football pyramid, the grassroots realities of the women’s game is an ongoing problem. Despite the impact of the Lionesses, non-league football clubs struggle to support the development of girls keen on playing the sport. Bath City Football Club is an exception.
COUNT THE STEPS, LISTEN TO THE WIND
Written and directed by Eduardo Brito, this short film, through walks, lists, and imprecise memories, offers a poetic approach to the work and landscapes of the priest and archaeologist Francisco Manuel Alves, known as the Abbot of Baçal (1865–1947). Produced by Bando à Parte for the Abade de Baçal Museum, Bragança, it incorporates archival footage from the Portuguese Cinematheque.
WE USED TO BE FORBIDDEN
Directed by Saba Ghasemi, this documentary explores the life of a woman living in Iran.
After 30 years of living under the shadow of a dictatorship, the death of a young girl shows us real life. Shows us how we can be free.
FICTION
FILLET
Directed by Ffyn Parry, Joe Vickers, William Widnell.
A man gets caught up in a vicious game while trying to find a woman he can’t quite seem to reach.
LATCH
Directed by Bridget May.
Leo is a city hit man out of his depth on an outback cattle station road, with a body in the boot and his sleeve caught in the latch, when Sue, a Parks ranger, stops to help. Over the dry heat and drier humour, LATCH plays their encounter as a slow-burn dark comedy, set squarely in the NT outback.
Bridget May says: ‘I’ve spent over a decade producing in the Northern Territory, mostly on other people’s films. LATCH is the first one that’s mine end to end: I wrote it, I’m producing it, and I’m directing it.’
BRAIN SPACE
A stop-motion animation film directed by Laura Tofarides.
Propelled into her own mind, Rhi explores the thoughts, fears and impulses that shape our internal world. When her inner child is threatened by the shadows of her own trauma her fear turns to anger & she must fight back to regain control.
From desperation to acceptance, she learns to choose life.
‘Shot in the Uk and partly in New Zealand this film was made over 5 years, in 4 studios, across 2 continents and woven between working on 2 features, a half hour special and 3 series for other studios. An astronomical amount of work, love and dedication went into bringing this film to life.’
GRAIN
Directed by Rebecca Rose.
Tyranny and fear grip the country. Led by the resolute Beth ( EVA POPE) a group of determined women resist the oppressive regime until a sudden return puts all they have built in jeopardy.
Rebecca Rose says ‘I really wanted to develop a story that focused on a group of women with resilience, strength and camaraderie within an industrial setting. GRAIN, is a story of camaraderie, resistance and determination in a world of uncertainty and fear.’
UNBOUND
Directed by Gracie Grundy.
In 2076, a young woman, Elowyn, is arrested for breaking the Marriage Act by being 23 and unmarried. As punishment for her crime, she must endure intense re-education at the hands of Officer Killian and an arranged marriage. During her sentence, she comes to befriend her cautious cellmate Hannah, who sees Elowyn’s unbreakable spirit.
Gracie Grundy says: ‘Unbound represents women who are forced to adapt and endure, yet still find the strength to resist, with their unity becoming its own form of hope.’
FISH & CHIPS
Directed by Macadie Amoroso.
Fab plans a surprise for Cassie on their first anniversary, but Cassie’s rough day, coupled with a party popper mishap, leads to a heated argument over dinner options. What starts as a takeaway tiff over Caribbean or pizza spirals into an identity battle, revealing deep-seated resentments about their racial and queer identities. With half of the film shot in one take, Fish & Chips is a tender, unflinching exploration of mixed-heritage identity, queer love, and the fine line between connection and conflict.
THERAPY
Directed by Jim Eaves.
A psychiatrist’s routine online session with a tech billionaire turns into a tense psychological cat-and-mouse game when she realises he knows more about her than he should.
Jim Eaves says: ‘I wanted to explore the boundaries of a therapist/patient session and how technology can interrupt and corrupt person to person contact and how money and power can abuse any situation.’
MUSIC VIDEO
FRITH – PINOCCHIO
Directed by Lauren Hoover.
Inside of Bob Baker’s Marionette Museum, a puppet begins to notice human emotion and realizes there is more to life than he ever knew possible. He convinces the other puppets to join him on an adventure out into the real world, questioning the greater importance of imagination vs reality.
BEYOND ARAM – THE ARMS OF MARY
Directed by Tai Campbell.
A music video where the Beyond Aram watches a play telling the story of a younger him and his relationship with Mary.
PROBABLY OKAY – NAME A BETTER WORD
Directed by Georgina Foiniki & Diego Nunez.
Name a Better Word is a non-narrative music video by a gnarly disco punk band called Probably Okay. Filmed in a Barber shop – Bar in Bournemouth.
Screening & Awards Ceremony Rescheduled
We are pleased to announce that the SFW: Shorts Official Selection Screening and Awards Ceremony will be held as a live, in-person event, with plans now underway to host the celebration in January 2027.
Since its launch in 2012, SFW: Shorts has been the jewel in the crown of Southampton Film Week. It isn’t possible to take place during the festival this year, however we look forward to bringing the filmmaking community together in January for a special celebration of the creativity, talent and achievements of our shortlisted filmmakers.
Further details, including the confirmed date, venue and ticketing information, will be announced in due course.
Awards up for grabs!
Best Artist Film – for experimental and artist films, can be narrative or non-narrative. Any style accepted including animation, live action, music.
Best Documentary – for non-fiction short films, any theme or style accepted including animation, live action, talking heads.
Best Fiction – for narrative based fictional short films, any theme, style or genre accepted including animation, drama, horror, comedy, etc
Best Music Video – for short films that integrate visual imagery with a song or an album, including performance, narrative, concept or animation
Solent University Award for Best Animated Film – all shortlisted animation films are eligible; awarded by the panel of judges.
Michael Fuller Award for Best Film – eligible for all shortlisted films, awarded by a panel of Judges.
Regional Filmmaker Award – eligible for all shortlisted films made by filmmakers from Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey, West Sussex and Isle of Wight and awarded by a panel of Judges.
Audience Award – eligible for all shortlisted films and voted for by the audience during the festival.