Available online through Eventbrite from Feb 13th - 28th, Visability Film Festival will donate 50% of its profits to dasharts.org, a disabled-led visual arts charity. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/visability-film-festival-2021-tickets-135844166559 For £5 the festival provides: 15 shorts across two programmes (Side A: Tooth and Side B: Claw), one feature length film, an industry talks section, Official Selection director Q&As, and access to the nominated scripts for the 'VFF Best Script’ Award. The programmes feature UK premieres, the winner of Norwich Film Festival 2020's Best Student Film award, and a BFI Future Film Festival 2021 Best Film nominee. Attendees to the festival will also be invited to the online workshop: Enhancing Accessibility Through Creativity, ran by accessible arts charity & festival sponsor, ‘Rationale Arts’ on March 28th A new film festival aimed at raising the profile of female-identifying, as well as disabled and neurodiverse filmmakers, launches on February 13th, sponsored by Rationale Arts and FLTV. Founded by school friends Sam Briggs and Joey Szabo-Hemmings, ‘Visability Film Festival’ looks to celebrate daring styles and unique voices, whilst donating 50% of festival profits to dasharts.org – a disabled-led visual arts organisation. Inspired by the 5050X2020 film festival movement, half of the Official Selection’s directors identify as female, whilst over a third are made by neurodiverse or disabled identifying artists. Featured in the programme are: Divine Decadence, Darling – a Cabaret exploring taboos on disability, body, and sexuality – My Name is Souleyman – a documentary about living with the deteriorative retinal condition, RP – and Pennywort – a BFI network funded exploration of life as a young neurodiverse artist. Also included are Norwich Film Festival 2020’s Best Student film winner: To The Dusty Sea, and BFI Future Film Festival 2021’s Best Film Nominee: Bulldog. Commenting, Visability Film Festival Co-Director Sam Briggs said: "The Visability Film Festival was founded during lockdown with a simple goal: to celebrate daring styles and unique voices in cinema. We've been blown away by the standard of submissions in our first year and believe our final selection caters for Sunday sofa streamers and seasoned cinephiles alike". Watch the trailer for the Visability Film Festival: #FilmFestival #PressRelease

★★★★ Directed by: #DariaGeller Written by: #AsyaFix, #DariaGeller Starring: #EvgenyiKharitonov, #MiriamSekhon Short Film Review by: Emily Davison A struggling singer (Sekhon) and her manager husband (Kharitonov) travel Russia from show to show, falling in and out of love with each other as they realise how much they need and despise one another in this quirky short film. Him & Her (2020), directed by Daria Geller, is a fifteen minute romantic comedy drama and presents a wonderful piece examining love and hate and how two people can simply co-exist with each other. The film won Best Short Film and Best Cinematography at the 2020 Indie Short Festival, as well as Best Actress at the Cinalfama Lisbon International Film Awards. The short is similar to Marriage Story (2019) in that it offers both points of view from the wife and husband and their conflicting views on each other, with insightful voiceovers developing strong characterisations for both leads. The film does a great job at implementing small moments into the playfully grim yet charming script which demonstrates the clear devotion and love shared by the couple, such as a tender intimate scene in a dressing room where the wife leans in to her husband and when she is being sick from travel sickness, he supportively pats her back. Geller’s cinematography is enthralling, orchestrating smoothly fluid, dynamic shots and highlighting beautiful natural lighting of each shooting locations, whether it be a red neon light backstage or orange glows from bedroom lamps. There is an equal balance between warm and cold colours, which creates an effective visual metaphor for the fractured, yet united relationship between the couple. The colour red symbolises their most passionate moments in the film and although the film is short, their development as characters offers personal details which humanises them. Both Evgenyi Kharitonov and Miriam Sekhon embody their delightfully mean-spirited, yet passionate leads perfectly and share believable chemistry. It is fascinating to see the constant friction and unity in their dynamic as a couple loving and hating each other, throwing insults in one scene and sharing a loving embrace in another. Both demonstrate admirable range and versatility in their performances. Roi Keidar’s musical score also enhances the comedic elements of the film with some eccentric jazz tracks often playing alongside the dark jokes and summing up the hot and cold relationship between the couple splendidly. Him & Her is a witty, operatic short with relishing cinematography and an endearingly wholesome narrative, headed by a talented director and charming performers with excellent chemistry. This is a romantic chemistry which certainly lives up to its name! #EmilyDavison Watch Him & Her below:

★★ Directed by: F. Javier Gutiérrez Written by: David Loucka, Jacob Estes, Akiva Goldsman Starring: Matilda Anna Ingrid, Alex Roe Bonnie Morgan and Johnny Galecki Film Review by: Rachel Pullen Rings Film Review Ah, college, a place where you go and party, get laid, maybe learn something and get into an unnecessary amount of debt with the hopeful promise that you might one day land a good job…also you can get involved in some kind of weird after school class whereby you watch a tape that kills you in 7 days…I think I would prefer the chess club. But hey without it, how would Samara not carry on terrorizing innocent folks who watch her tape just because she had a bad childhood? Come on now, didn’t we all? You don’t see me killing a bunch of sexy teens…well not with a videotape anyway. Rings tells the tale of a college professor who, upon finding the tape and learning of Samara’s legend, devises a system whereby he can monitor several students as they undergo the torment of the 7 days leading up to their death, and then at the last minute play it to the next student…making a ring of people, get it? Ahh, Hollywood must have stayed up late thinking of that one. But when one strapping young lad gets involved in these after school activities and goes MIA, his girlfriend is having none of it and looks to put a stop to the whole affair, and guess what they do…..of course you know, they dig into Samara’s backstory and follow a bunch of clues in order to lift the curse….just like the other 2 movies….just…like …the ….2 …other …movies. Now, I could bang on about how this is essentially the same story just with a different backdrop, but hey, we know that, so there is no point being mad about it, but for a kid who had a short life and died before she was like 10 or something, Samara has a hella long back story…three movies worth in fact. This time the star of the show is Samara’s real dad who was a rapist priest [that joke is too easy] and after hearing about her revenge, made himself blind so she cannot kill him, I mean, that’s pretty clever. He is lame, the teens follow clues, they fight blind big daddy, samara leaves wet everywhere, the end…that’s pretty much it, and sure I could not be surprised because any time a horror film has instalment after instalment, they always seem to suck but seeing as this film was made 10 years since the last one, you would have thought that the writers had the time to develop ideas fresher than just delving into Samara’s back story. Now, I’m not going to be a complete Debbie Downer, I will admit the addition of the college and the creepy professor’s programme to study the tape, is kinda cool, but for a segment that’s only maybe one-third of the film, I feel they could have created something a little bit more. But the plus that comes with making a film 10 years after the last instalment is, of course, the progression of CGI. Samara looks fucking chilling and way more realistic, the effects used when the helpless folks are being tormented by the tape are beautiful, subtle and well-constructed, once again the film looks amazing, displays Samara’s presence with authority yet grace, but goddamn they lack a good storyline. So, we are at the end, cool…things were wet, TVs were menacing, wells littered the countryside, people in Hollywood put no thought into sequels. Rings provides more pages to the tale of Samara’s life, but as a movie brings nothing new to the table, nothing to write home about [or to the well depending on your upbringing] and so, as we come to the end, what have we learned? If you have a bad kid send them to reform school, do not chuck ‘em in a well. Hollywood will beat any successful franchise to death. And apparently, you can get a TV wet and not get electrocuted. Bon Rings everyone. #RachelPullen #ThrowbackThursday

★★★★ Directed by: Louis Godbout Written by: Louis Godbout Starring: Laurence Leboeuf, Patrick Hivon, Lucie Laurier, Emile Proulx-Cloutier Film Review by: Jason Knight A married couple go to their isolated house in the countryside, hoping to recover from a devastating tragedy. Chloe (Leboeuf) is an illustrator and her husband Mathieu (Hivon) is a public prosecutor. Not long after they suffer a tragic event, they drive to Chloe's house in the mountains, with the intention of finding peace and recover. Chloe is a troubled individual and suffers from panic attacks and is tormented by nightmares and frightening sounds. She appears to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. She ties ropes on trees and paints a large 'X' on every window of her home, in order to stop birds from flying into them. On the other hand, Mathieu appears to be calm and in control of his emotions. Their time at the property is disturbed by sinister occurrences, such as the appearance of a dead bird and a large branch smashing the car's windshield. Chloe becomes more and more unbalanced and is convinced that something bad is happening. Distributed by Mbur Indie Film Distribution and inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's poem Erlkonig, this psychological thriller takes a look into the life of a mentally unstable individual and explores themes of trauma, loss and marriage. The suspense builds up throughout, as the audience is attempting to figure out whether someone is trying to hurt the couple or whether it is all just inside Chloe's head. Leboeuf is outstanding and very believable as an antisocial, emotionally damaged person. She has been deeply affected by the tragic incident, seems to be mixing fantasy with reality and is afraid that something evil is going against her. Hivon is convincing as an intelligent man, who follows logic. Godbout does a terrific job as director, creating magnificent bird's-eye view shots and many breathtaking establishing shots of the forest and mountains. The score is atmospheric, tense and dramatic, effectively accompanying the story and the film has a wonderful soundtrack, consisting of marvelous opera. The opening sequence deserves special mention as it truly stands out. It contains live action and animation shots. A younger Chloe is horse riding by herself, in the woods. She imagines that she is being pursued by the Erlking, a mythological being. The sequence frequently cuts to hand-drawn animated scenes of Chloe riding her horse through the woods, that resemble her own work. This mesmerizing part of the film is superbly shot and edited, making great use of match cuts and the sublime opera piece that is heard throughout makes the whole viewing experience of this scene look very out of this world. It is also a compelling introduction to Chloe's character. Mont Foster has an intruiging plot, interesting characters and a great deal of suspense and also drama. Godbout's directing and Leboeuf's powerful and emotional acting support the film splendidly. This is an achievement worthy of a lot of praise and recognition. #JasonKnight Trailer:

★★★★ Directed by: #ScarlettLi Written by: #ScarlettLi Starring: #ZiqianGong #WeidongZhang #QiYu #ZonghuangZhang #SufangJiao Film Review by: Huw Buckley Scarlett Li’s Double Happiness is a witheringly funny short film, a humorous rebuttal of conservative familial structure and outmoded traditions. It will be screened - or, rather, streamed - as part of the BFI Future Film Festival (18-21 February 2021) and has been nominated in the Best Film category. This has been a long time coming given that it was shot back in 2019, on location in Shenzen, China , and the director has since moved to the US, releasing another film in the interim called Persimmon Night (2020) (which is available on YouTube). That film is darkly funny and, if Double Happiness is anything to go by, one can presume that this will be a recurring theme throughout what promises to be a daring and inventive career in the film industry. Daring because Li simply refuses to do things by the book. This is abundantly clear from the start as the opening shot, of this supposed comedy, ostensibly captures an arranged marriage between a worryingly youthful couple. More harrowing than strictly comedic, most would argue. Li invites her audience to take a leap of faith and if you go with it, everything soon becomes clear. All is not as it first seems. An efficient montage kicks into gear and paints an amusing picture of wedding-day monotony with the, erm, youthful couple subjected to a multitude of tiresome rituals (the bride-to-be literally yawns at one point). Li elicits some excellent performances from the cast and the young actors are no exception, with their brilliantly passive facial expressions perfectly encapsulating the mood of the day. Parents on either side of the aisle, meanwhile, greet guests with gusto, impart sage advice to the youths on issues of decorum, and just generally assert dominance over proceedings. However, after the ceremony is completed, the film’s central contrivance is revealed as the Bride’s mother breaks down and, after a quick cutaway, finds herself suddenly transformed into a vulnerable, weeping child. The parents, Li suggests, are just as clueless, just as scared, just as anxious as their children. One-by-one the parents fall foul of this metaphorical transformation, and with each transfiguration we are given an increasingly raw insight into the flawed human beings that cower behind the façade. They have regrets, they feel inadequate, and they fear failure, just like everybody else does. Li relies on two things to make the film funny: the absurdity of witnessing the youthful incarnations of the parents suffering from an existential crisis; and the amusing yet comforting acknowledgement that most people are likely to project confidence rather than truly possess it. Li seems to be suggesting that we rely on tradition and structure as a kind of coping mechanism. Nobody really has everything figured out, the film tells us, so by grounding ourselves in rigid propriety, via artificial constructs such as wedding-day rituals, we can regain some semblance of control in our lives. Highly astute and quite hilarious. The film is beautifully shot, and Li seems capable of producing some seriously impressive camerawork - particularly spectacular given the production’s small budget. Meanwhile, a minimalist yet highly affecting score - reminiscent of that in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) - gently accompanies the audience through the breezy ten-minute run-time. The writing is intelligent and effective, with each parent’s emotional breakdown suitably melodramatic; the film is sure to guarantee laughs. And the film ends on an uplifting note, beautifully bittersweet, and sure to assuage concerns likely held by viewers at the film’s start. This is a very promising short from an exciting talent.

★★★ Writer & Directed by: #JamesDavis Starring: #LowriJenkins, #RichardNichols, #CharlieThould Short Film Review by Taryll Baker A fairytale crazed boy battles between fantasy and reality when coming to terms with his fathers death in the Welsh coal mines. A Dead Canary is an amazing looking production; from the ragged hair and make-up, to the shabby costuming, James Davis’ written and directed short provokes a fantastic journey of self-discovery through loss. A brilliant young actor, Charlie Thould shows good attachment to the material, giving a lot to his performance and leading with terrific skill. The sharp black and white imagery by Charlotte Murphy is certainly very fitting for the 1950s setting. Her camerawork is slow and steady, following the boy’s wandering, curious mind as he heads out to look for his father. As the film comes to its final act, there’s a stunning shift to themes of horror, accompanied by a striking score from Guy Daws. This is one of those films you can appreciate more just on its technical merits. The sound recording and design is practically flawless, bar a few scenes that could benefit from some warmer editing, though this is likely intentional due to the larger rooms the scenes were shot in. A spacial awareness in sound, if you will. Though I did notice that the first few minutes had the quality of dialogue from old movies or TV shows, which intentional or not, was a nice touch. Jumping back to the visuals; David Richards’ editing keeps the film clean and cut to a high standard, with little slippage. A Dead Canary is quite clearly a very polished production, but beyond this, not the most invigorating of stories. I admire the quality of the writing; the themes of loss are present. The boy is in great denial about his father’s passing, due to the many tales he shared with his son, who now blurs the line between reality and fantasy. His mind is filled with this idea of a ‘Wonderland’ down in the mines, and it isn’t until his father’s funeral that he decides to rescue him himself. Of course, this is where the tonal shift takes its presence and it’s really well tackled… I just wish there was slightly more happening within the script. A Dead Canary isn’t the first film to address the struggles of loss, nor will it be the last, but the execution in the visual and sound work makes it enjoyable enough. It’s a good, carefully made film — I just wished to expect a little something more from it. Watch the trailer for A Dead Canary below. #TaryllBaker

★★★★ Directed by: #HannahSchierbeek Written by: #HannahSchierbeek Starring: #MarianaCastro, #LauraDifiglo, #NickBernardi Short Film Review by: Emily Davison A ballet dancer copes with her fears manifesting into dreams and reality by confiding in her neighbour in this dreamy, unconventional short. An Alternative Method (2020) is directed by Chicago based indie filmmaker and producer Hannah Schierbeek, whose Vimeo page presents several of her shorts and music videos. Her film is scheduled to screen as part of the BFI Future Film Festival this month. One of the most notable qualities of the short is its captivating cinematography and rustic, retro aesthetic charm. The film is presented in a smaller aspect ratio, with a slight grain to the image and there are a few instances where a colourful lens flare is featured to compliment the soft, warm pastel colours onscreen. The film has a beautiful nostalgic element to its visual presentation, with moments of shaky handheld camera during the ballet class scenes adding to the homemade movie style and further enhancing the surreal presence of the short. The warm colours are inviting and although the frame is small, it ironically envelops you into the world of the ballet teacher and is engaging throughout. Mariana Castro as the lead delivers a strong performance as the enigmatic ballet teacher who appears to be trapped inside her own mind, struggling to differentiate between dreams and reality. She seems most stable in her studio with her students, but there is always an eerie perplexion to her persona which is enthralling to watch as her anxiety often consumes her in small bouts of emotion. Her co-stars, Laura Difiglo as the neighbour and Nick Bernarn as the man we are led to believe is stalking the protagonist, both have very short segments but perform their parts respectively with Difiglo embodying the concerned yet supportive neighbour and Bernarn offering an intimidating shadowy presence over Castro. The film’s dreamlike tone is supported by a simple, effective score by Henry Hawkes and strong sound design. There is a repetitive piano motif that plays throughout, which is rhythmic and compelling, with an accompanying broody, reflective ambient piece complimenting the visuals well. The ballet teacher often hears voices and whispers in her head, which comes to refer to the children she teaches, but also appears to embody her anxiety about being followed one day by a stranger and these illusive moments also emphasise the surreal qualities of the narrative. An Alternative Method is an enrapturing short film with a simple premise, but an impactful visual aesthetic and well realised ethereal quality which make for satisfying, compelling viewing. #EmilyDavison An Alternative Method screens as part of the BFI Future Film Festival from 18-21 February, free on BFI Player: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-an-alternative-method-2020-online

★★★★★ Directed by #ShakaKing Written by #WillBerson #ShakaKing #KennethLucas #KeithLucas Starring #DanielKaluuya #LaKeithStanfield Film Review by Hope Madden Daniel Kaluuya’s range is simply unreal. From the vulnerable hero of Get Out to the chilling sociopath of Widows, he’s prepared us for quite a gamut of characters. I’m not sure he’s prepared us for his Chairman, though. Kaluuya plays Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party circa 1969, in Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah. A feeling of mortality permeates his performance, and with it a melancholy sense of the urgency. His quiet moments swell with tenderness and turmoil, and his speeches burn through the screen. We’ve seen some great performances this year, but we’d give Kaluuya the Oscar right now. That’s a lot to live up to, but the balance of King’s cast meets the task. LaKeith Stanfield, as police informant Bill O’Neal, strikes the right balance between cowardice and regret. He doesn’t try to make us pity O’Neal and the deal he’s struck with the devil, but he gives the character an energy that suggests more emotional and psychological layers than what’s found on the page. As FBI Agent Roy Mitchell, Jesse Plemons is as solid as ever, delivering lines with enough genuineness that Mitchell doesn’t become an outright villain until he, along with O’Neal, have gone too far to pretend they’re anything else. Their performances draw support from an understated Dominique Fishback as a firmly but not blindly committed comrade—Hampton’s girlfriend Deborah Johnson. Meanwhile, Dominique Thorne has badassedness to burn as part of a deep ensemble that impresses in most every turn. The film never feels like a biopic. The rendering is far more crime thriller, and had this been a simple fictional account of a mole in a political organization, King’s film would have been riveting. Performances alone would have elevated the genre beats. The real star may be King’s script, co-written with Will Berson and Keith and Kenneth Lucas. There’s no placating. There’s no playing to the masses. King doesn’t water down Hampton’s message of unifying the poor or throwing off the oppression of a police state. In fact, this is a film that means to show the difference between revolution and the “candy coated façade of gradual reform.” #HopeMadden

★★ Directed by: #JohnBabu Written by: #JohnBabu Starring: #ShannaLea #MichaelMarshall Film review by William Hemingway Here we are, it's 2021, and we are firmly embedded in the 21st Century. Sadly there are no flying cars or hover boards just yet but we do have technology that our 20th Century counterparts could only dream of: 70” television screens that are thinner than a cornflake packet, tiny computers that fit into the palm of your hand which you can carry about with you wherever you go, a vast global network of limitless information and connectivity (and porn), cylindrical electronic devices with soothing feminine voices that carry out wishes at your command, and Smart Tech, which like it or not, heralds the forthcoming rise of AI. Now, however you feel about your car doing the driving for you, or your fridge knowing how well you are eating and ordering food to improve your diet, there's no getting away from the fact that AI is here to stay. Whether this leads to cyborg soldiers or android butlers or hunter-killer Terminators is, as always, down to us humans asking the age old question of, should we do something just because we can? What becomes of us when we give all of our choices and responsibilities away to a 'superior' intelligence? Luckily we're not there yet, but in The InTEXTigator 2 the Toronto Police Department are surging forward with their new AI super-sleuthing system, rather lazily entitled Sherlock. This one-machine detective squad is online and already following leads to take down the criminal underclass that has so far eluded the long arm of the law. Using the aforementioned Smart Tech that we all carry on our person it's sending out messages and evaluating responses to build profiles and databases with which it can solve the most heinous of crimes. Sadly though, it doesn't know a thing about tact and diplomacy, and so Mrs Olivia Scanie (Lea) gets a message telling her that she could be the next victim of a local serial killer. We follow the story on our own phone as the text conversations play out and we see how Sherlock questions potential suspect Mr Edward Wayne (Marshall) as well as the potential victim as it builds the case and pieces the clues together. We watch in real time as the humans craft their responses, including misspellings, bad grammar and partial deletions, trying their best not to seem too intruded upon by the unrelenting AI. However, and I don't think I'm giving anything away here considering the only two living characters are a victim and a suspect, the mystery is not a difficult one to solve and soon enough Sherlock has everything it needs to file charges and make an arrest. It's an open and shut case, literally, within ten minutes. While The InTEXTigator 2 may gain plaudits for it's unique narrative style, designed to be played out on our phones, in portrait mode, and in a manner akin to how it would look were we to be an active participant, what starts off as a novelty quickly becomes a one-trick pony. It's not even that original, with text overlays being a mainstay of dramatic narratives for years and years now (since Hollywood and TV finally moved past flip-top phones). Unfortunately this negates the film's only real selling point and rests the weight of its success firmly on the plot, which as we've already found out, is very thin on the ground. Shallow inconsistencies also serve to distract the viewer, such as Sherlock, a super-computer AI who communicates solely through text message, not being able to understand text speak, or the identification of knife handles as 'sharp objects' in a video shot. The whole thing feels vaguely reminiscent of a text adventure on an Acorn BBC Micro, complete with lengthy exposition and minimal engagement, and when the director is aiming for something more comparable to future tech that is a damning indictment indeed. If you want a story that's told through lines and lines of text – go read a book instead.

★ Directed by #MartinGuigui Written by #SherryKlein Starring #ToddGrinnell #MenaSuvari #KristinBaervanStraten Film Review by Hope Madden What’s that network that plays movies round the clock with titles like Cheerleader Murderer and Sultry Stepmom or Deadly Realtor? Because Paradise Cove is three F-bombs and an on-the-nose title away from fitting right in. Martin Guigui directs Sherry Klein’s script. Either he did not read it first, or he did read it and simply didn’t understand it. I can think of no third option to explain this mess. Knox (Todd Grinnell, henceforth to be known as “Cardboard Paul Rudd”) and Tracey (Mena Suvari) move into the beachfront Malibu property Knox’s mom left him after she died in a fire onsite. It needs a lot of work, but Knox is a contractor, and he’s certain that he sees a 6-million-dollar view. With a little help from Griff (Eddie Goines) and a blind eye from the zoning department, maybe he and Tracey can flip this, build a home of their dreams far from Malibu, and start that family they’re already using fertility treatments to conceive. But there’s this homeless woman (Kristin Bauer van Straten) who lives under their deck. Unfortunately, it appears that folks from Malibu stick up for other folks from Malibu—no matter how dangerous, homeless or insane—and outsiders aren’t welcome. It’s like Maine with Botox. The script manages to provide opportunities for a genre-specific tension. Knox knows this woman can get inside their house, but an event keeps him from telling his wife. This single event should, if handled properly, create anxiety around whether or not she’s in the house while it develops conflict within the main character. Instead, Guigui treats every scene as if no other scene has taken place. It doesn’t help that all of this tension non-building is in service of Knox’s character arc. Is Knox that wholesome Midwesterner we first meet, the one so willing to hand $5 to the homeless vet out his car window? (FYI: The homeless are not treated with much respect by this film. ) Or is he something more, the product of a sketchy background, able to hold his innocent wife’s hormone treatment over her head whenever she thinks she might smell a rat? Who knows? He’s being played by Cardboard Paul Rudd, who’s better suited to the role of Handsome Carpool Dad. #HopeMadden

★★★★ Directed by: Giorgio Bosisio Starring: Peyman Fael, Taherh Elahi, Ali Rezai, Iman Elahi Film Review by: Jason Knight A documentary about Afghan refugees, who have ended up in Greece and are contemplating where they are going to go from there. The main focus is Peyman, a teenager from Afghanistan, who left his country and is now living in Athens with his mother. He enjoys rap and goes out with his friends, who are also Afghans and refugees. He also has a brother currently living in Holland. Peyman relaxes and has fun with his friends, while he waits to see how things are going to turn out for him and his family. This interesting and moving achievement takes a look into the lives and struggles of refugees and explores themes of family, friendship, national identity and the human spirit's determination not to give up. The documentary reveals the kind of person Peyman is, the relationship he has with his mother and his friends and how he feels about the world and things that affect him. Although they are not in an idyllic situation, Peyman and his friends appear to be happy and optimistic about the future. They travel aimlessly around Athens, laugh with each other's jokes and are generally having a good time. He has a tender relationship with his mother and they care deeply for one another. His enthusiasm for rapping is clearly present and one gets the impression that is what he wants to do for a living. Generally himself, his friends and relatives are likeable individuals, who are eager to live content lives and the audience wants them to get what they wish. The film also shows Afghan traditions. Composer Giacomo Carlone makes a significant contribution with mesmerizing music, adding a dramatic feeling to the project. Bosisio does a fantastic job in capturing the beauty of Athens. There are many establishing shots of buildings, beaches and the Acropolis. He paints an informative and pleasant image of the city the boys are living in. There are well-executed montage sequences and voice-over is used effectively. There are also several shots where the image is pillarboxed. A Youth offers an insight into the lives of everyday people, forced to leave their country. It examines how they cope and how much they need each other. The mood throughout is generally uplifting, as the boys are constantly smiling and laughing and look towards the future with hope. #JasonKnight Trailer:

Filmmaker Interview by Chris Olson Your film, The Massive F*cking Bender, has been selected for the BFI Future Film Festival. Why did you want to be a part of this event? Well besides the £3 entry fee which seemed like the only festival on FilmFreeway that wasn’t trying to rob me of my lunch money, I have always looked up to the BFI as one of the leading forces of British creativity, so was very excited at the idea of being selected by such a brilliant institution. I also spent a lot of my youth on the Southbank next to the BFI Bar gawking at the trendy film buffs drinking £6 beer, that may have been a factor. For those who don't know, how would you describe your film? The Massive F*cking Bender is about a girl who having never had a drop of drink in her eighteen years of existence, decides to go on a bender alone in her bedroom. With her mother away for the weekend, GIRL sets about planning her evening of antics in order to gain some drinking experience before diving headfirst into University life in September. Why did you want to tell this story? I originally made The Massive F*cking Bender for the Indoors Project, which was an online film festival showcasing DIY short films that were made during the first nationwide lockdown back in March 2020. My initial intention was really just to make something that would make people feel a bit of joy during a pretty scary time. I’m not good at spelling or maths but I know how to make a tit of myself for other people’s amusement. I can remember at the time feeling that everywhere around me people seemed to be on a mission to self-improve. As the world had turned upside down, people’s response was to try and become some sort of superhuman through exercise challenges, juice cleanses, headspace meditation detoxes. There seemed to be this urgent feeling that people had to come out of this lockdown as a renewed and improved version of themselves, as if whatever they were in this moment wasn’t good enough. There was something both sad, but also quite hilarious about it, everyone manically charging around Richmond Park with their Huel and Harry Styles Calm podcast. This nationwide anxiety is what I wanted to put into TMFB, the comic absurdity of somebody desperately attempting to change who they are when their world has been turned upside down, when really all they need is a big hug and the knowledge that they are good enough. What are you particularly proud of with this film? Self-indulgently I am really proud of the reception of the film. I think people seemed to really relate to TMFB because at its heart it’s a story about isolation and loneliness, which is something everyone has had to experience this year. I’m also really proud that I managed to make something which at points is UTTERLY stupid. Like most 23-year-olds, I can spend a lot of time worrying about how I come across, what I look like, what people will think of me, so it was extremely liberating to make a film where I spend 90% of it in my pyjamas, or otherwise dressed up as a chain-smoking, bridge-playing checkout lady from suburbia. I highly recommend it. What were the challenges getting it made and/or getting it out there? Friends of mine kept sending me a clip from Little Britain that goes “ …lovely so they want me to be in it, write the theme tune, sing the theme tune…” which is kind of an extended metaphor for what it felt like making TMFB. I was running around my house like a nutter trying to gather up all the desk lamps and coloured plastic folders I could get my hands on; then wrestling with my non-existent auto-focus, and in the evenings realising my Premier membership had expired, so ending up googling “how to make things not look iMovie on iMovie”. In the end, I did receive help from my little brother after nearly burning the house down with a flaming post-it-note. When and where can people see your film? You can catch The Massive F*cking Bender on the BFI Player (18th-21st February), and after that on my Vimeo page (Laura Marcus) What's next for you after the festival? I’m looking to make a project that has a budget higher than £8.99, I feel that’s a pretty achievable goal. I’ve got some cool projects in the works and am always looking for collaborators who are happy to make stuff that is a touch on the wacky side, so watch this space! #ChrisOlson #BFIFutureFilmFestival