New Shorts #18: SHORT LONGES
Sat 12 Jan 12:00 Hackney Attic
A chance to spend a relaxed afternoon with a series of longer form drama shorts. The mid-length film can be difficult to place, but join us in the Hackney Picturehouse Attic for a full session of varied cinematic treats, from a brothel in mid 20th century London to the suburbs of post-Troubles Belfast.
In association with Let’s Keep It Short.
Where possible, each film will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker, hosted by Tom Geoffrey from Let’s Keep It Short
Total: 194 mins
ADVANCE TO CONTACT
Scott Ryan Vickers 33 mins
A true story of a soldiers battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
DEVIL'S DOSH, THE
Zach Guerra 28 mins
From the ruins of 1949 East London rises Marcus, an unassuming young man working as a custodian in a notorious brothel. Gertie, Marcus' pregnant mother and the brothel's ruthless madam, regularly beats Marcus to 'make a man' out of him. Gertie gives birth to Marcus' half-sister, tasking Marcus with disposing of the baby. Marcus is forced to decide - ultimately fleeing with the baby to a Catholic mission where he finds an equally corrupt foe in Father Seevick, who shakes Marcus down for brothel money. Realizing they're all alone, Marcus returns to the brothel to put his life and soul on the line, setting into motion a bloody confrontation that leads to his becoming criminal royalty.
FAISAL GOES WEST
Bentley Brown 32 mins
When he makes a mistake that sends his family into a financial crunch, Faisal abandons his dreams of American university to work on a chicken farm. Only through humility and hardship can he learn the tough lessons necessary to gain ground in his new home.
OUR LIFE TOGETHER
Poppie Skold 25 mins
Our Life Together is a beautiful and haunting excavation of one day in the life of a young couple living in London. Nothing seems to happen, and then everything does. This is a film constructed out of kindness: it's a bit sad, a bit funny, a bit surprising - much like life itself. Jamie Griffiths-Jones, Janet Henfrey and Emma Pallant star in this debut narrative film from director Poppie Sköld and writer Ben Webb.
S.N.A.F.U.
Julian Caldow 26 mins
This film taps in on the visual and narrative expectations of the modern genre audience with influences including Sergio Leone and John Carpenter. A Twilight Zone episode somewhere between The Sixth Sense and Momento.
SATURDAY
David Anderson 25 mins
When Sam, a non-league footballer in his mid-30's, is told that he's going to be phased out of the team in favour of the next generation, it forces him to re-assess his priorities in life. But will he be able to resist the pull back to the game he loves?
SPOOF OR DIE
Prasanna Puwanarajah 25 mins
“No one cares cos you’re not killing each other anymore.” Contemporary Northern Ireland. Two teenagers get a hard time at a bus stop and decide to bunk off school. They decide to take revenge on their bully, but as the ghosts of conflict emerge, their youthful anarchy leads them towards a darker, older world, and from that towards an unexpected closeness.
Hackney Attic
270 Mare Street, London
E8 1HE